free state master gardener news · bipinnatus with pastel colors and c. sulphureus with hot reds...

Texas Bluebonnets ......... 1

President's Message .......2

Garden Guru....................2

Soil Temperature .............2

May Chores ................. 3, 4

In Defense of Weeds ....... 4

Garden Events................. 5

Weidmann Olive Update ..6

Shari Curran ....................7

Craft Project.....................7

Community Garden .........8

Free State MasterGardener Newshttp://www.facebook.com/Free State Master Gardenerhttps://txmg.org/freestatemastergardeners

Volume 5, Issue 5 ........................................................................................................ May, 2019

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

BIRTHDAYS:

We welcome all of our Master Gardeners to forward articles or information for our newsletter to our Editor: [email protected] Committee:Sandra Rosen Joan DriverPaula Marshall Anna BakerDon Taylor Jan GrahamJohn Womack

MayPat Briggs, 5/09Pat Taylor, 5/27Marsha Sasser, 5/28

JuneJorja Merrick, 6/6Paula Marshall, 6/29

Newsletter Staff Needs Your Help!If you like to write, or even if you don't, but have good ideas for articles and/or subjects for the newsletter please consider join-ing the newsletter staff.Contact Sandra Rosen or Paula Marshall for more information.

Texas BluebonnetBy Joan Driver

Ah, the bluebonnet. Texans may differ in their politics, the pro football teams, and their university loyalties, but almost every true son (or daughter) of the Lone Star State has a weakness for the purple lupine that covers hills and roadsides of central Texas each year in April.

This year the annual in-toxication, fueled by a spec-tacular growth of wildflowers caused by plentiful winter and spring rainfall, resulted in a social media challenge called #BackTheBlueBonnet, which has law enforcement officers across the state posing in beds of bluebonnets, often in the traditional silly and roman-tic poses affected by wildflow-er pilgrims over the years. A selection of the most enter-taining are available on the website boredpanda.com.

I made my own excursion April 11-13 to Marble Falls and Fredericksburg. On Tex-as Hwy 31 the show became prolific just west of Corsicana clear to Waco and only im-proved with the miles. One spot of several acres of com-bined bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush on south side of the road near Hubbard was so bright that it reminded me of a brilliant sunset on the ground, and I thought, this must be what heaven looks like.

At Fredericksburg my BFF Judy Crone and I drove the iconic Willow City Loop on Hwy 16N, well known from many years ago as a prime

viewing area across several miles of private property. The wildflowers were still spec-tacular, but I was a bit dis-appointed that the roadsides are now mostly fenced with “No Trespassing” notices, and that dozens of upscale homes visible through the trees were interspersed with real estate signs. Also at Fredericksburg we visited Wildseed Farm, which is an excellent source of wildflower seeds of all kinds. That weekend the retail store, which sells gifts, plants, and food products as well as seeds, was surrounded by spectacular fields of brilliant scarlet poppies being grown for seed.

Other heavily touted blue-bonnet viewing areas are near Ennis, which promotes the Of-ficial Texas Bluebonnet Trail, and at Chappell Hill, near Brenham, which hosts the Of-ficial State of Texas Bluebon-net Festival.

The Texas bluebonnet ac-tually has six species that are

accepted by law, along with any other that may be dis-covered. In addition to Lupi-nus subcarnosus, commonly called “buffalo clover” at the time that it was first adopted as the state flower, the others are L. texensis (which is the variety that is planted on road-sides by TxDOT), Big Bend/Chisos L. Harvardii, annual lupine L. concinnus, L. peren-nis, and L. plattensis.

Bluebonnets are notoriously difficult to propagate outside their native areas. Wildflower expert Elias Guerro advised on the website MySanantonio.com the following process. In September or October freeze seeds for one week; then put them into a jar full of hot tap water and soak them 48 hours; and then spread seeds on top of the ground in a place that will not be mowed until flowers have had time to grow and seed the following spring. The Wildseed Farm website or catalog also has instruc-tions for wildflower cultivation.

Free State Master Gardener News, May, 2019

Garden Guru

Dear Garden Guru: What is ph and why is it important?

Ph refers to the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. This is important because the plant has a certain ph level where it best receives the food from the soil. If these ph levels are not “in tune,” the plant will not be able to get the food it needs from the soil. Most of the time, a slightly acid ph is good, but if you have plants that are not doing well, you definitely need to check the ph. My oleanders haven’t looked really good since I planted them two years ago. They were in good soil and I had mulched them with pine straw-which helps make the soil more acid. When I checked, I discovered the oleanders like a slightly alkaline soil and mine tested at around a ph of 5 – not slight-ly alkaline. I am now adding some lime to the soil and will let you know how it works. Ranchers and farmers fre-quently add lime to their soil because grass usually needs a more alkaline soil. The ph makes a difference!

President's MessageBy Paula Marshall

The weather has been challenging this Spring (so what else is new?), but we have finally finished putting in our vegetable garden. I amazed – every year – at how im-portant soil temperature is in getting seeds to sprout and transplants off to a good start. I plant seeds and transplants too early and they just sit in the ground until the seeds rot or disappear and the transplants shiver in the cold trying to stay alive until warmer temps arrive.

See the table below for soil’s minimum temperatures recommended by A&M. You can buy a bona fide soil thermometer, or use a kitchen thermometer that has a long probe that will reach into ground 6-8 inches. A&M recommends that the readings be taken on three consecutive mornings before the sun has warmed the soil.

I have had success this year with two things. After listening to several speakers at our monthly meetings promote planting cover crops when the garden is not in use, I planted elbon rye last Fall in the vegetable garden. Our garden has been covered in nutsedge for the last several years; however, this year there are very few that have sprouted so far, and the nuts that I do find are dried up. The only thing we’ve done differently is plant the rye.

Learning from our hardworking crew at the Community Garden, I planted my toma-toes in raised rows this year and boy, am I glad I did! The water from all of the rain we’ve had is standing in the lower area next to the raised rows and the tomatoes are growing at a quick pace.

It’s amazing how much there is to learn about gardening – even when doing it for more than 30 years! Thank goodness for the many informative programs we’ve had at our Library Series and our great monthly programs this year, and thank goodness for the knowledge fellow MGs have passed along that has encouraged me to try different methods.

Speaking of passing along knowledge, a big Thank YOU to Carter Hallmark who gave an outstanding program on Drip Irrigation/Water Harvesting at this month’s Li-brary Series. It was extremely informative and professionally done, and I hope you were there to see it.

Also, Karen Gonzalez is giving a program titled, Antique or Unique, to Trade Day shoppers on Friday, May 3rd at First Monday in Arbor I. If you’re shopping, run by and say hi and see how you can use some of the junk – I mean “treasurers” - you have laying around your place as beautiful decorative and unique planters.

How important is Soil Temperature? EXTREMELY!

Have you ever planted a tomato plant and it just sits there? Or a green bean seed that doesn’t sprout? It could be that the soil was too cold. Here are some guidelines:

Take temperature readings for three consecutive mornings at a depth of 1” to 2” of soil for seeds, and 4 to 6 inches for transplants. Minimum temperatures for success:

60o F – tomatoes, cucumbers, snap beans 65o F – sweet Corn, lima beans, mustard greens 70o F - peppers, watermelons, squash, southern peas 75o F – okra, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes

You can buy a garden thermometer or use a kitchen thermometer with a long probe to

check soil temperature.


May Gardening ChoresTommy Phillips

County Extension Agent, Ag/NR

Annual and Perennial Flowers: Although pansies are still looking great, it’s about time to pull them and plant summer flowering plants. There are too many to list here, but your choices are many, and nurseries are stocked with them. It’s better to go ahead and dig out the pansies even though they may still be looking quite good. Once it gets hot, they’ll go down fast. Annuals give you lots of color bang for your buck.Transplant or sow seeds of angelonia, ageratum, sunflower, zinnia, morning glory, portulaca, marigold, cosmos (Cosmos

bipinnatus with pastel colors and C. sulphureus with hot reds and yellows), periwinkles, gomphrena and gourds. Plant vinca (periwinkle), which prefers hot, sunny sites, later in May once the weather turns warmer.For shady spots, grow these favorite plants: impatiens, coleus, caladium and begonias. Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana) is a

great fragrant annual for partial shade.Perennials for the sun include Shasta daisy, dusty miller, garden mums, coreopsis, mallow, salvia (many kinds), daylily

and summer phlox. Shade loving perennials include hosta, columbine, phlox, ferns, violets, ajuga, and liriope. Achimenes, cannas, dahlias, caladiums and other summer bulbs can also be planted in May.Some plants can be grown as either annuals or perennials. Lantana loves the summer heat and sun, blooming from late

spring through first frost. Most years it will come back from the roots. Lantana comes in bush and trailing forms, and in many colors.Firebush or Hamelia is another favorite summer bloomer with bright orange/red flowers that is a magnet for hummingbirds.

It is usually slow to emerge after winter, and many folks simply replant it every year.Flower Bed Maintenance:If you cut off old blossoms on early spring flowering annuals like pansies, snapdragons, stock and calendulas, you can

prolong the flowering season a few more weeks.Allow foliage of daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs to mature and yellow before removing. Do not hide or cover the

their leaves.Pinch back growth of newly planted annual and perennial plants. This results in shorter, compact plants with more flowers.Trees and Shrubs:There’s still plenty of time to set out container shrubs and trees. While they will need regular watering this summer, be

certain you are not pouring too much water on your new plants. Folks with sandy soil may have the tendency to apply lots of water, keeping the soil where there are currently no roots saturated with water. Roots do not grow well in wet, soggy soil. Regularly check both the surrounding soil and the original soil root ball with your finger to determine the need for supplemental water during the year.Fertilize roses every four to six weeks with small amounts of a balanced fertilizer. Control black spot on roses with triforine

(Funginex) or other labeled product.Lawns:The first application of fertilizer for centipede lawns should be made soon, and if you have not yet fertilized St. Augustine or

Bermuda grass, it is certainly not too late. The best way to determine what type and how much fertilizer is needed is to have a soil test done; otherwise use a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 fertilizer ratio.Vegetables:As soon as tomatoes and peppers first set fruit, lightly apply nitrogen fertilizer (called side dressing) about 12 to 14 inches

from the base of the plants. This supplemental feeding keeps the plants vigorous and growing, allowing them to set and mature the maximum amount of fruit without stunting the growth of the plants.Cool season vegetables, like lettuce and spinach, will begin bolting (flowering) and quickly go down in quality once it gets

hot. Harvest them soon and replant empty spots with warm-season vegetables like okra, sweet potatoes, pumpkins or watermelons.Trouble Shooting:Don’t take the description “evergreen” plants too literally, expecting leaves to persist forever. Plants like magnolias, live oak,

gardenia, hollies and some azaleas lose some of their old leaves in late spring and early summer. The flush of new growth on many evergreens will cause older leaves to yellow and drop, sometimes all at once. It’s nothing to be concerned about; just nature putting on a new spring coat of green and discarding the old.Unfortunately, the month of May is not complete without a few pests messing things up. Here are a few of which you should

be aware. If you know what might be showing up, you can periodically check your yard and take action before things get out of hand and more difficult to control.Check azaleas for lace bugs. These small, slow moving, black insects with clear, lacy wings feed on the underside of the

leaves. Damaged leaves look stippled or bleached and have small, shiny black specks on the undersides.Leaf spot on Red Tip Photinia is a disease which can defoliate, weaken and potentially kill limbs. Indian Hawthorns can

also get this disease which is characterized by dark, purple-colored spots on the leaves. Prevention is the best remedy to(Continued on Page 4)


control Entomosporium leaf spot. First, rake up and remove all old, fallen leaves from underneath Photinias. The disease will be more severe if the leaves are frequently wetted, either by rainfall or by an irrigation system. If your sprinklers are hitting the plant’s leaves, make adjustments to prevent this from occurring.A preventative fungicide spray will help control Entomosporium leaf spot, particularly if the photinias were affected last year.

Alternate triforine (Funginex) or bayleton with chlorothalonil (Daconil, Bravo, Multi-Purpose Fungicide) during the rainy season. This disease can be difficult to control and new growth must be protected.Aphids, or plant lice, can be found on tender, new growth of all types of plants. Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that suck

plant sap, often occurring in very large numbers. There are several naturally occurring enemies of aphids which can efficiently reduce an a small infestation. Usually beneficial insects (lady beetles, lacewings, parasitic wasps) do a good job of keeping aphid populations under control.Look closely to see if plants with aphids have any parasitized aphids. Parasitized aphids appear fat, motionless, and salmon-

colored. Very tiny wasps lay eggs in the aphid bodies. The eggs hatch and develop into small larvae which eat the aphid’s insides! A close inspection of parasitized aphids might even reveal a tiny exit hole where the new adult wasp emerged to continue the cycle of destroying more aphids. Obviously, there is no need to spray there if you find insect predators or parasites working over an aphid infestation.Cabbage worms and loopers will be on all cole crops including broccoli, cabbage, collards, kale and cauliflower. The biological

insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), sold under several brand names like Biological Worm Killer, Thuricide, Dipel, etc, is a specific and very safe product to use to control these and other moth and butterfly caterpillars on vegetables and other plants. Use Bt late in the day and thoroughly cover the leaves with the spray.Not all “critters” are pests, nor are all spots diseases – be sure to get any unknown suspect or problem correctly identified

before considering treating with a pesticide.

In Defense of WeedsBy Sandra Rosen

Probably there is nothing good that you can say about the weeds that infiltrate your garden – the garden that looked so perfect when you first planted those rows of tomato plants. Now it is overcome with straggly weeds that seem to multiply every night. Or the flower beds that you just weeded so carefully last week and now after the spring rains, they don’t look so neat any more. However, Howard Garrett in his book, The Organic Manual, would disagree. He says that weeds are nature’s greatest and most diverse group of plants. Some are here to provide the soil a green blanket to shade and cool the ground. Others are here to pre-vent the erosion of bare soil. If it weren’t for weeds, the topsoil of the earth would have eroded away years ago. The deep roots of the weeds help bring trace elements from the subsoil to the topsoil. Weeds also act as straws, to bring water up from the deep, moist soil so that shallow-rooted plants can get some of the moisture.

And what about native plants? Some are just beautiful, but because they crop up where they want and are not easily controlled, sometimes we tend to pull them up. The horseherb is a lovely little green plant with yellow flowers that crops up in my yard. Another lovely plant that some count as a weed is the oxalis. This is a clover that has purple or yellow flowers and grows abundantly, frequently

where it is not wanted, but it is lovely. In addition, the dark green color of the leaves indicate that it is full of nitrogen and that it is leaving nitrogen rich soil where it grows.

However, weeds can be invasive and so what do you do if you want to get rid of the them? Well, as Howard Garrett says, “The old reliable methods of hand weeding, hoeing, and timely cultivation are not yet against the law and are good exercise.” That’s probably not what you want to hear. Me either.

Prevention is the best method for insuring that your beds are relatively weed free. Using mulch and/or a permeable cloth on your beds is a first step. Keeping the surrounding soil in your vegetable garden aerated by cultivating (raking) will prevent the weeds from germinating. Some even put cardboard or newspapers under the mulch as an added weed deterrent. Using a ground cover to fill in blank spaces in your garden is a good idea, and so is having beds that are full of plants with fewer empty areas.

Now, if you must weed, you can always find some weed killers at your local plant stores. Read the directions carefully. These kill lots besides the weeds. A really great tool for weeding is the flex rake or the wiggle weeder. You pull this over the surface of the area to be weeded, flexing or wiggling it as you go. It works and you don’t have to bend over.

Dave Barry, however, may have the best understanding of weeds or in this case crabgrass: “Crab-grass can grow on a bowling ball in an airless room, and there is no known way to kill it that does not involve nuclear weapons.” Happy Weeding!

Free State Master Gardener News Free State Master Gardener News, May, 2019

Gardening Events – May, 2019By Don Taylor, MG

May 4, Saturday, 9:00 am Spring Plant Swap, Hunt Co.. Heritage Garden & Outdoor Learning Center2311 Washington St., Greenville, TXHosted by Hunt Co. Master GardenersFor more information call: 903.455.9885

May 9, Thursday, Free State Master Gardeners, 9:00am, Bon Ton Farms with Patrick Wright, Van Zan-dt Co. Library, Canton, TX

MAY 11, Saturday,10am-5pm, 6th Annu-al Kemp Wildflower Festival,Kemp City Park, Kemp, TX, Hosted by Kaufman Co. Master Gardeners

May 16, Thursday, 5:30 pm, Thursday, Backyard Chickens, Van Zandt Co. Library, Speaker John Ra-mos with Urban Chicken, Inc.

MAY 16-18, Thursday-Saturday, Advanced Training for MGEARTH-KIND®, Hart-Morris Convention Cen-ter, 5601 CR 4812, , ATHENS, TXHosted By Henderson Co. Master Gardeners

MAY 16, Thursday, Make and Take your own Chalk Couture Creation,$40 PP, must be Pd, by May 9thSponsored by East Texas Arboretum & Botantical Society**,1601 Patterson Rd., Athens, TX

**There are several upcoming events for the Arboretum such as a Three-Part Canning Series, Plant Propagation Workshop and Plant/Seed-Bulb Sale, See their website for details.

Advanced Training Offerings in 2019This information is from the TXMG Web site

Earth-Kind® – May 16-18, 2019, hosted by Henderson County, in Athens, TX

First Detector #2 – May 20-21, hosted by Williamson County, Georgetown

Tree Care – June 12-14, 2019, hosted by Hill Country, in Kerrville, TXGreenhouse Management – October 17-19, hosted by Tarrant County, in Ft. WorthSave these dates!Turfgrass – May 23-24, hosted by Montgomery County, ConroeVegetables – August 13-15, hosted by Bexar County, San Antonio

JMG-September 24-26, hosted by Denton County,, Corinth, TX

Additional Training OpportunitiesTraining opportunities for Texas Master Gardeners are listed below:

MASTER GARDENER ADVANCED TRAININGS – These workshops provide advanced training whereby a corps of Master Gardeners can obtain a specialization which supports or expands specific county educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. To be eligible for an Advanced Training designation, an individual must possess an up-to-date Master Gardener certification.

EARTH-KIND® TRAINING FOR MASTER GARDENERS – Texas Master Gardeners may select on-line modules to obtain up to 3 hours of re-certification education credits in a calendar year. Each module is worth 1 hour of credit. Master Gardeners are not encouraged to seek re-certification credit for training modules they have completed in previous years.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN STUDY COURSES – These courses provide an opportunity for more in-depth training in landscape design than is normally included in the Master Gardener curriculum. Each course is typically approved by local Master Gardener chapters to qualify for 12 hours of continuing education toward maintaining certification for Master Gardeners.


We decided to try to grow olives in Van Zandt County; specifically on our “little patch of Heaven”.

In order to maximize the probability that our olive trees would survive, we looked closely at growth requirements. Adequate isolation was assured by site selection. Water requirements were easily addressed. Soil samples were taken. pH was not an issue, however, various soil amendments were made and continue to be made. The primary issue was, of course, Hardiness Zone. Most olive tree suppliers list olives as surviving in Zones 8 through 10; most olive growers contend that olives are best suit-ed for Zones 9 through 11. Van Zandt County is, of course, Zone 8a, at the margin of the olive’s range. In addition to temperature range, olives have the additional require-ment of 50-100 uninterrupted days with temperatures less than 75 degrees to initiate vernalization, the process by which olives develop viable buds and flowers.

To address the initial issue of hardiness, we set out to determine which of the over 3,000 available olive cultivars were the most cold-hardy. We selected over 80 cultivars which had some characterization of cold hardiness. The selection group was further reduced by cross-pollination requirements. Olives are for the most part self-sterile, although self-fertile cultivars do exist. This criterion further reduced the number of possible cultivars to approximately 20.

It wasn’t until about six months after our initial purchases that we realized that the definition of “cold hardiness” varied from author to author. Further, studies by Paul Vossens (UC, Sonoma/ Marin) indicated that (1) the time at which cold weather was experienced was important and (2) the caliper was directly proportional to viability (i.e., the larger the caliper the greater the viability). In other words, there are so many variables associated with olive survivability and vernalization that whether an olive will be viable and productive anywhere on the margins of its range is undefinable.

At the time of initial plant purchase, only nine cold hardy cultivars were available for home gardeners. Six additional cultivars were found later and purchased. No attention was given to whether the olives were oil or table varieties. Our current population is as follows:

Italian: Ascolano, Frantoio, Leccino, Maurino, Pendolino, Spanish: Hojiblanca, Arbequina, Arbosana, American: Lucca Of this original purchase, only the hojiblanca did not bear fruit in 2018.American: MissionMoroccan: ChemlaliCrimean: Star of Crimea, Magnun, Premier, Harvest Joy Of the second group, the chemlali and Star of Crimea have blossoms at this

time.The olives produced last year did not reach the minimum of 200 pounds required

Weidmann Olive UpdateBy Cheryl Weidmann

Top photo is enlarged to see blooms on olive.Actual size of blooms is represented by bloom in red oval in bottom photo.

HerbsBy Sandra Rosen

So you know that the herbs look lovely in your garden, that they add something really special to your cooking, but did you know that they are little bombshells of nutrition, full of vitamins and minerals!

Basil – High amounts of beta-carotene- Vitamin A, and Vitamin K; an excellent source of iron, and good amounts of potassium, manganese, magnesium, and copper.

Dill Weed – Excellent source of Folates, Riboflavin, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C; a good source of calcium, copper, iron, magne-sium, and manganese.

Rosemary – Excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Folate; good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, manga-nese, potassium. Rosemary also contains rosmarinic acid which is an anti inflammatory compound and an antioxidant.

Thyme – In addition to the vitamins and mineral, thyme has dietary fiber and contains thymol which has been found to increase the percentages of healthy fats found in cells.And on and on and on, but shouldn’t you be tending to your herb garden now? By the way, these are based on using fresh herbs. Dried herbs have significantly less nutritive value.

for a pressing. All were brined. The trees which have reached a desirable caliper will be planted in ground this season.

We will follow these cultivars and de-termine their adaptability/ cold-hardiness and productivity for our “little patch of Heaven”, hoping that our experiment will encourage others to more clearly define acceptable cultivars for Van Zandt Coun-ty’s soils and weather.


Shari Curran (MG 2018) became a gardener because she loves to see things grow. She prefers planting to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and she has a fondness for vines, such as moon vines and morning glo-ries. Her best success, she says, has been with raised beds.

Shari and her husband moved to Canton with their two children eight years ago. They breed and show dogs, primarily golden retrievers and pugs. Shari is also an occupational therapist specializing in animal assisted therapy.

Shari Curran, Master GardenerBy Joan Driver

Needle Me DesignsE m b r o i d E r y

onShirtsHats

TowelsGifts

Call or TextShari Curran

[email protected]

Wine Bottle Tiki Torches By Shari Curran

Every wonder how to use those empty wine or beer bottles for a new purpose? Turning them into tiki torches filled with citronella oil will help fight off those pesky mosquitoes this summer and really look great at those summer get togethers What you need:Empty wine or beer bottlesTiki Replacement wicksCitronella Torch fuelBrass coupling for each bottle (1/2“ MIP 5/8” Barb)Rope or twine (optional)Pebbles (optional)GlueInstructions: ◆ Soak bottles in warm soapy water and

remove labels. Use sponge to remove any remaining glue from label.

◆ Decorate your bottle by wrapping rope or twine, beads or other decorations.

◆ Fill your bottle with small gravel or peb-bles so your won’t need so much torch fuel!

◆ Pour in the tiki torch fuel to within one inch of the top of your bottle.

◆ Thread the wick in your coupling and place in the neck of the bottle. Leave 1-2" of wick extending through coupling to light.

◆ Set your new torch outside and light it up.

It looks great and will help keep those pes-ky bugs away! Plus you helped the envi-ronment by recycling!

Gardening RuleWhen weeding the best way to make sure you

are removing a weed and not a valuable plant isto pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily,

it is a valuable plant.


Community Garden Work Day, April 16

free state master gardener news · bipinnatus with pastel colors and c. sulphureus with hot reds...

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