Next CHES Meeting – Monday, January 13, 2014, 6:30 pm
Senior Citizens Center
209 SW Barnard
Glen Rose, Texas
“Firewise Landscaping”
presented by Phylliss Webster, Hood County Master Gardener
During extended periods of drought, when the risk of wildfires is highest,
your plant choices and their placement in the landscape could make your home
vulnerable to fire damage. We will learn how to protect our homes from wildfire
by using methods that are effective in our area.
by Shirley D Smith, Somervell County Master Gardener
Have you been outside lately? Well, do so and look at the ground. Unwanted plants (i.e. weeds) are coming up everywhere – especially where you don’t want them! Well, here are a few ideas to help with that problem.
Layers of newspaper are a good way to cover areas where you don’t want weeds. But, another is using some of that cardboard you now have after Christmas. Just cut the cardboard into the shape you need and lay it down. Now, cover it with a layer (2”-4”) of mulch. Cardboard tends to last longer than the newspaper so you are spared at least one garden chore.
Another way to get rid of weeds is to spray them with 20% vinegar. This is not your grocery store vinegar. The white vinegar that I have here at home is 4% and my apple cider vinegar is 5%. The 20% vinegar can be bought at most places that sell organic gardening products. Spray the weeds in the morning and wait for the sun to do its work. By that evening the weeds should show definite signs of wilting. Not sure how well it will work in cold weather, but on a hot summer day it works wonderfully. Be careful when using it, however, because it can and will burn your skin, eyes and nose. I have used it for years with no problems because I am aware of how strong it is and am very careful!
If you are a dedicated to using only organic methods to rid your area of weeds, then try boiling water. This works especially well when the weeds are firmly settled into cracks in sidewalks, stone walks, or a flagstone patio. Just DON’T do this to poison oak or poison ivy because you can get an allergic reaction from the oils in the steam!
And speaking of poison ivy, it won’t be long before the weather is warm enough for that noxious plant to show itself. One of the best ways of ridding your place of poison ivy is to use a goat (yours or borrowed). Goats are browsers and would rather eat brush than grass. They strip bark from shrubs, eat twigs, and reduce fire hazards by chomping their way through overgrown weeds. However, you might want to fence off any trees, bushes, and plants where you don’t want the goats to go, then let ‘em at it.
Enjoy your “down time” because it won’t be long before spring will be here and all gardeners know what that means!
by Katie Hunholz, Somervell County Master Gardener Intern
Used for 8000 years…known for its versatility, appearance, performance, and comfort…America’s number one value-added crop…provides thousands of products and millions of jobs. What plant could I possibly be describing? It’s Gossypium hirsutum, or Upland Cotton.
Used throughout history in places all throughout the world- China, India, Pakistan, Africa, and North America- cotton continues to play a vital role in the economy and industry of the United States. In fact, the US is the second biggest producer of cotton (China is the top producer), and 37% of the world’s cotton is exported from the United States.
With a growing season that lasts 150-180 days, cotton is an extremely time-consuming crop (the longest of any annual crop in the US). However, the products that are produced from this crop make it all worth the wait. Cotton farmers have an advantage since all parts of the cotton plant are useful. The cotton boll (the white, fluffy part of the seed head) forms when the plant is ready to seed (~130 days after planting). It is then plucked from the plant, ginned (separating the lint from the seeds), carded (combed to straighten out the fibers), spun into yarn, and woven into cloth. Cottonseed oil, from the seeds, is found in many of our foods. And the leftover seed portion becomes food for livestock. The leaves and stalks of the cotton remain behind with the farmer, who can then till the plant material back into the soil- acting as fertilizer for future crops.
As the desire for cotton increased throughout the world, new technologies, such as the Spinning Jenny and cotton gin, made the production of cotton a more efficient process. Cotton was the inspiration for much of the technology developed in the 1700s, as well as a huge contributor to the Industrial Revolution. As cotton production increased in North America, the economy began to rapidly increase as well. The economy of the northern states was booming through the selling of cotton products, whereas the southern economy was being fueled by the farming of the cotton crops. In fact, the need for more land for growing cotton was one of the main impetuses behind the Western expansion.
Despite the many benefits that come from such an influential plant, the production of cotton is not without its trials. As America’s biggest export in the mid 1800s, the production of cotton fueled the increase of the slave trade. This increase of slavery was a large contributor to the American Civil War, as many people objected to the owning of fellow human beings. Another negative impact of the production of cotton has been the increase in the use of aggressive pesticides. Even though less than 3% of the world’s farmland is dedicated to the production of cotton, this production uses 25% of the world’s pesticides. The boll weevil, a small insect with a huge appetite for cotton, costs the industry almost $300 million each year as farmers fight to control this pest. And, this financial impact does not consider the inevitable impact this will have on the environment.
The advance of modern technology makes many things obsolete, but cotton is not one of them. Cottonseed oil is found in food, margarine, cosmetics and soaps. Cotton fibers are still used to make clothing, sheets, and towels. Even with the creation of synthetic cotton, the authentic cotton has many superior qualities- including, better absorbency, a texture ideal for cleansing, and the ability to withstand extremely high temperatures (a quality necessary for sterilization). All of these facts concerning cotton, point to one obvious conclusion: the impact of cotton- both in the past, and in the present- has greatly changed our world.
Sources:
by Linda Heideman, Somervell County Master Gardener
My favorite flowering plant for January is the pansy. Their little brightly-colored faces are still cheerfully blooming in my yard after being covered in ice a few weeks ago! As I read about pansies, I learned that they are the number one flowering plant for winter in North Texas. Once these flowers are placed up for sale in plant or home improvement stores, you need to get there early to beat the landscapers from buying them up first. That is how quickly they can sell around here. It may not appear to most who are not from North Texas that these flowers are so popular. Take a look around at businesses that landscape what little land they have. You will find pansies everywhere you go.
These cool climate loving flowers have such a range in color it will make your head spin. They can come in white, yellow, red, orange, blue, purple, green (which looks odd), and even as dark as black. The deep purple ones are the most popular as this may also be the original color. The reason for this being is that these are the most fragrant out of all of the other colors.
Once your Esperanzas start losing flowers, you know it is time to start planting your pansies. Be patient in finding healthy plants if you are not going to plant from seeds. Any unhealthy pansies can infect the others nearby. You can start them from seeds, and it will take anywhere from two to three weeks before you might see them sprouting up from the ground. Try not to over-water them.
Pansies should not be planted any closer than six inches from each other, as their foliage will spread out quite a ways. The recommended distance for planting pansies is 8″ to 10″ apart. Keep in mind that if you are going to plant these delicate flowers in containers, they not live as long as if they were planted in your yard. You may find that you need to feed them once a month as their root systems grow quickly.
You will find that pansies can survive through mild snowy conditions without any protection. These hearty winter flowers are a showcase around any home or business. Accentuate your boring green garden or dying green yard with these colorful flowers.
By Donna Hagar, Somervell County Master Gardener
It must have been the mistletoe
The lazy fire, the falling snow …
… It only took one kiss to know
It must have been the mistletoe!
Ah, tis the season for the quintessential mistletoe. Mistletoe is an important part of the holiday season. Many girls and boys stole their first kiss by standing under mistletoe branches.
Unfortunately, mistletoe has some qualities that Christmas love-birds probably prefer to ignore. Mistletoe, or Phoradendron tomentosum is a parasitic plant, growing on limbs of trees, with elms and hackberries favored among our native trees. Mistletoe can grow 2-5 feet in diameter, and with its evergreen foliage, becomes highly prominent in our landscape trees in the winter, when their host trees have lost their leaves.
As a parasitic plant, mistletoe grows into the wood of the host tree sucking water and minerals. Even though mistletoe is a true plant, meaning it can make its own nutrients from photosynthesis, it is the use of the tree’s water resources that can cause the biggest problems.
While mistletoe rarely kills entire trees, limbs are certainly weakened by the loss of water, and with the added drought endured the last few years, mistletoe is just one more added stressor that trees must overcome, and thus may make the tree susceptible to other problems.
While mistletoe is present 12 months of the year, the high visibility during the winter months springs homeowners into action to control the plant. Small infestations can be controlled simply by removing infected limbs at least 12 inches below the mistletoe. Because the roots of mistletoe are embedded into the tree tissue, cutting just the plant, leaves roots behind that will just sprout more mistletoe.
Again, because the root system is so closely tied to the vascular system of the trees, chemical controls are not affective without also adversely affecting the tree.
Mistletoe produces white berries, which are eaten and spread by birds. It takes 2-3 years before a mistletoe plant matures to produce the berries, so control early is the most promising means of keeping it in check.
Are there benefits (other than the obvious ‘first kiss’) to this prolific plant? As mentioned above, birds do feast on the berries, which are high in fat and full of protein. Other mammals, deer, squirrels and porcupines also partake in the berries. Several bird varieties nest in the foliage of mistletoe. Mistletoe is host to 3 varieties of hairstreak butterflies. Research is also being done on the extracts of mistletoe in the treatment of certain cancers.
So, friend or foe? Although a parasite that can weaken affected trees, trees can survive well with small infestations. So removal is recommended if it can be done safely and economically.
Resources: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu; National Wildlife Federation Dec/Jan 2014
by Bonnah Boyd, Somervell County Master Gardener
*Cover flower and shrub beds with from 3 – 4 inches of mulch to prevent moisture evaporation and to modify soil temperatures.
*Clean out warm-season flower beds, add an inch or two of compost and mix it into the soil.
*Water the entire landscape at least once in December in the absence of significant rainfall to prevent freeze damage.
*If a hard, prolonged freeze (24 hours or more) is predicted, cover freeze-sensitive plants with cardboard boxes or blankets.
*Move tender container plants indoors near a very bright window to keep them healthy through the winter.
*Mow winter weeds to keep them in check.
*In areas of the vegetable or herb garden that are void of plants, pull winter weeds and plant a cover crop, such as cereal rye grain.
*Cover crops reduce weed establishment and can be tilled into the soil later to improve the soil.
*Use leaves from the trees to build a compost pile or as walkway materials. Continue to add leaves to the walkway as they press down with foot traffic.
*Remember to provide water for the birds during winter.
*This is a great time to plan next year’s gardens. Try some new things. Add a new “feature” to your garden.
By Merilyn Cranford, Somervell County Master Gardener
About 4 or 5 years ago, my sister-in-law (a Tennessee Master Gardner) asked me if I had ever grown a night-blooming cereus. Not knowing just what she was talking about, we went out to her garden and she cut off a leaf of her existing plant. It was one of the ugliest plants I had ever seen, but I acted like she had given me a family treasure. However, she patiently explained that the plant blooms only at night or in the early, early morning.
So I went home and gave this newest addition to our home a lot of TLC. Well, to my surprise, the thing didn’t bloom right away, but much later…two years later!! I couldn’t believe this prize possession was finally going to bloom. So we watched as the first bud appeared, and every morning thereafter we patiently checked its progress. The occasion held us in suspense, and after around 8 to 10 days after making our regular check in the morning…..there it was in all its glory. What a beauty!!
As the pictures show, the bloom was sparkling white and nearly as large as my husbands hand. It was truly a blessing worth waiting for. Hope the pictures spark some interest to others who might want to try growing one. Enjoy!!
Night-Blooming Cereus or Epiphyllum oxypetalumis a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated species in the genus.
by Katie Hunholz, Somervell County Master Gardener Intern
The Importance of Plants
The importance of plants, and the impact they have on our world, is something that is commonly overlooked. However, no matter your age, occupation, or lifestyle, we use plants everyday of our lives. In fact, without plants, we wouldn’t even be able to survive! Plants are contributors in products used as food, soap, cosmetics, medicine, clothing, paper, housing, and numerous other purposes. Not only do we use plants for manufactured products, but they also benefit us in other ways such as erosion control, aesthetics, air quality, recreation, protection from the elements, etc. As we consider the importance of plants, I want to begin by focusing on how plants are essential to our very survival. In order to live, humans need 4 basic things: air, water, food, and shelter. Plants provide us with all of these things.
In a process called photosynthesis, plants absorb sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, in order to produce carbohydrates (which give the plant energy to make food) and oxygen. The oxygen that is produced is then released into the atmosphere, allowing humans and other wildlife to be able to breathe. Plants also act as air filters, cleaning the air by capturing harmful particulates such as smoke, dust, and lead, and releasing harmless compounds back into the air through a series of chemical reactions.
Not only is oxygen essential for human life, but food is also necessary. Without plants, we would not have food! Everything that we eat is a product of a plant- except salt and water. All animals eat one of two things- other animals, or plants. This means that even if your diet consists entirely of meat, that meat would not exist without plants.
The third essential element of survival is shelter. We all need shelter- it is what protects us from wind, rain, heat, and cold. Plants are the building blocks for the lumber used in houses and the threads used in clothing. Without plants, we wouldn’t even be able to start a fire in order to keep us warm.
The final element essential to life is water. There would still be water in the world, even without plants. However, plants are necessary because they act as filters in the water, removing dangerous impurities. As water flows through an ecosystem, by way of rain, streams, lakes, wetlands, etc., it gathers dangerous pollutants from the environment. But, while moving through soil, those impurities are filtered through plants and microbes. The plants and microbes absorb the harmful chemicals and release cleaner water back into the environment. If we didn’t have plants, those impurities would slowly build up in the human body as we drank the water, leading to sickness, disease, or death.
As you can see, plants are extremely important! In fact, they are so important, that it would be impossible to elaborate on their uses in just one article. I invite you to join me as we begin a series of articles discussing the many things that plants are used for in this modern world, and how they have affected us in the past. I guarantee that this journey will be filled with amazing, eye-opening information that is applicable to all areas of life.
Literature Cited:
American Forest Foundation. Project Learning Tree. Pre K-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide. 2009.
Murphy, Margaret. Plant and Animal Ways. 1990. Chicago.
Laws, Bill. Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History. 2010. Quid Publishing.
Sustaining Life: how human life depends on biodiversity. 2008. Oxford University Press
Community Horticulture Education Series
Monday, November 11, 6:30 pm
Somervell County Citizens Center
209 SW Barnard, Glen Rose
Free and Open to the Public
Christine Morgan, N.D. will be the guest speaker for Somervell County Master Gardener’s Community Horticulture Education Session (CHES) on November 11, at 6:30 p.m. As always, the CHES program will be held at the Citizen’s Center on Barnard Street and is free to the public.
This month’s session is on square foot gardening. Christine is a Certified Square Foot Gardener who will be bringing along a representative board grid, a power point presentation, and some handouts. She is also a holistic clinical nutritionist who is committed to Traditional Eating, growing and preparing healthy foods. Her private practice is based in Glen Rose.