Clinton County Newsletter Over the Garden Gate Volume 9 Issue 10 November 2018

Editor: Carol Machael, [email protected]; 563-357-7537 Published on the first Monday of the month except during January and December. To submit an article it must be sent by E-mail as a Microsoft Word attachment -

CLINTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS’ ANNUAL HOLIDAY/AWARDS BANQUET

December 3, 2018 @ Buzzy’s, Welton, Iowa 5:30 pm - Social Hour, 6:30 pm – Buffet Dinner Come and join your fellow master gardeners for a fun filled eve- ning celebrating the holidays and our accomplishments during HAVE YOU the past year. Volunteer/education awards will be presented. LOGGED IN There will also be door prizes. The cost is $15 per individual. In- YOUR VOLUN- vitations will be mailed mid- November. TEER HOURS YET? It’s always a fun time….a chance to see fellow MG’s before win- ter really sets in...a chance to recap the accomplishments of 2018 and to honor those who have worked especially hard this year...a chance to see the over-the-top decorations celebrating the Christ- TAKE TIME TO mas season...AND the food is always delish! DON’T MISS IT! DO IT TODAY!!!!

Master Gardener Advisory Board Meeting Minutes for October 16, 2018 Bickelhaupt , 9:00 am

Roll Call - Willard L., Andrea W., Linda L., Bev C., Mary M., Margo H., Gayle P., Kathy S., Bonnie M., Loren A., Mark S., Brenda C., Carol Y.

Approval of September Minutes - Motion to approve Linda L., second by Bonnie M.

Financial Report - Mark S., Beginning balance $5,436.39. Total expense $1,745.60. Balance as of 10/9/2018 is $4,124.24.

Mark’s Report - Iowa High Tunnel Short Course, a course to highlight the importance of vegetable production in high tunnels. This course will be held at Reiman Gardens on Nov. 5. Iowa Organic Conference will be held Nov. 18-19, 2018, at the University of Iowa Memorial Union. And ISU continues to offer 24 hour answer hotline for plant problems or questions.

New Advisory Board Members - Andrea W., and Loren A.

Margo’s Report - “Hort in the Heartland”, one more speaker is needed for seminar. This year there will be a 20 minute time allowance for main speaker Chad Pregracke, CNN Hero of the year 2013, to sign and sell his books. During the book signing and sale a demonstration table could be implemented as well as Master Gardener Sale table. Ideas for added speakers Adam Jahnke. Margo has decided not to continue doing bus trips. She will offer to help anyone else who would like to arrange future bus trips.

Ideas for next year's food pantries and soup kitchen are to give out free tomato plants to participant's who use the food pantries.

Arboretum will feature a wreath making class on December 1, 2018. The cost will be $25.00.

OLC - Willard reports that 4 members came on the scheduled work day.

Loren A., will continue to work on the water irrigation system in the next few weeks.

Rose garden and annuals still look good.

Master Gardeners might put together a cookbook or share a few ideas or tips on how to prepare vegetables.

5210 Grant by Well Mark will be supported by Master Gardener Carol M. and Vera S. They will go to food pantry to give tips on how to prepare vegetables. This would be a great opportunity to volunteer.

Fundraising Opportunities - Pizza Ranch - Motion to contact Pizza Ranch made by Willard L. and second by Linda L. to move forward to schedule a work night for Master Gardeners. Other opportunities are available at Fareway, Culvers, HyVee, and grants thru Home Depot and Thiesen

Holiday Banquet - $150.00 has been allotted to decorating committee for holiday banquet. The Banquet will be held December 3, 2018 at Buzzy’s. The meal cost per member is $15.00.

Ride sharing is encouraged. A common area for meeting will be the Hobby Lobby parking lot. Meeting time for ride sharing to be determined. (cont. on next page)

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or status as a U.S. veteran. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Ross Wilburn, Diversity Officer, 2150 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, 515-294-1482, [email protected]. EOADV.15.04W November 2016 (Minutes continued)

Decorating committee will be in charge of making “Buzzy’s” a special yearly event for Master Gardeners.

Advisory Board - Will make selections for Master Gardener of the year, and Friend of Master Gardener.

All members are asked to have their volunteer hours turned in by November 13 , 2018.

Food donation update - 20,000 pounds have been donated in Clinton County.

November 20, 2018 is the date for next Master Gardeners meeting to be held at Dewitt Extension office 9:00 a.m.

Motion for adjournment Bonnie M., second by Linda L.

Carol Young / Mary Meyers Secretary

Back to Basics (from Dirt Rich blog)

Have you ever looked closely at a plant and wondered what it would look like to zoom in and see the intricate details beneath the surface? ! Plants have incredibly complex structures that help them perform many important functions. The roots of the plant hold it in place and absorb nutrients and water from the soil. The stem or trunk of a plant contains a vascular system where water and minerals are transported to the roots, along with sugars from the leaves. The leaves absorb sunlight and convert CO2 and water into sugar and oxygen through a process called photosynthe- sis thus removing CO2 from the air and replacing it with oxygen. Incredibly plants feed themselves with the sugars they produce from photosynthesis! Forcing Paperwhite Narcissus by Richard Jauron, ISU Extension and Outreach

Narcissus is a popular flowering bulb typically grown indoors over the winter months. Paper- white narcissus is a type of narcissus flowering bulb that makes for great home decoration during the holidays.

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs can be forced in clear, shallow bowls (no drainage holes) or pots.

When forcing paperwhite narcissus in bowls, partially fill the container with washed gravel or stones. Place the bulbs on the gravel or stones. Then place additional gravel or stones around the bulbs, leaving the tips (noses) of the bulbs exposed. Add water to the bowl until it touches the bottoms of the bulbs. Maintain the water at this level throughout the forcing period.

When forcing paperwhites in pots, partially fill the container with potting soil. Place the bulbs on the soil surface. Then add additional potting soil. When potted, the tips of the bulbs should stick above the potting soil. For ease of watering, the level of the potting mix should be .5 to 1 inch below the rim of the container. Water the potting soil thoroughly. Keep the potting soil moist throughout the forcing period.

Place the planted bulbs in a cool (50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit), dark location for one to two weeks to en- courage root growth. When the shoots reach a height of 3 inches, move the plants to a sunny window with a temperature of 60 to 70 F. As the plants continue to grow, staking is often necessary as the plants tend to be rather floppy. Flowering typically occurs three to six weeks after potting. When the paperwhites begin to flower, move the plants from direct sunlight to prolong their bloom period.

Paperwhite narcissus cultivars include ‘Ariel’ (white flowers, mild fragrance), ‘Bethlehem’ (creamy white petals, yellow cup, mild musky fragrance), ‘Chinese Sacred Lily’ (white petals, yellow cup, citrus-like fragrance), ‘Galilee’ (pure white flowers, moderate musky fragrance), ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’ (yellow petals, orange cup, sweet fruity fragrance), ‘Inbal’ (white flowers, mild pleasant fragrance), ‘Wintersun’ (white petals, yellow cup, sweet fragrance), and ‘Ziva’ (pure white flowers, strong musky fragrance).

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs should be discarded after flowering. Paperwhites cannot be suc- cessfully forced again and are not winter hardy outdoors. Protect Trees and Shrubs from Rabbits by Richard Jauron, ISU Extension and Outreach

Trees and shrubs are not as active in winter, but that doesn’t mean they should be ignored through the cold season. Winter brings food scarcity, which makes the home landscape a target for rabbits. Rabbits can severely damage trees and shrubs unless homeowners are proactive, which makes pro- tecting them before winter arrives a major priority. The most effective way to prevent rabbit damage to trees and shrubs in the home landscape is to place chicken wire or hardware cloth fencing around vulnerable plants. To adequately protect plants, the fencing material needs to be high enough that rabbits won’t be able to climb or reach over the fence after a heavy snow. In most cases, a fence that stands 24 to 36 inches tall should be suffi- cient. To prevent rabbits from crawling underneath the fencing, pin the fencing to the soil with U-shaped anchor pins. Small trees can also be protected by plac- ing white corrugated or spiral tree guards around their trunks. Since the weather in Iowa in fall is unpredictable, it’s best to have the protective materials in place by early to mid-November. After a heavy snow, check protected plants to make sure rabbits aren’t able to reach or climb over the fencing or tree guards. If necessary, remove some of the snow to keep rabbits from reaching the trees or shrubs. Damage to landscape plants can be re- duced by making the habitat less attrac- tive to rabbits. This can be accomplished by removing brush, junk piles and other places where rabbits hide and live. Re- pellents are another option. Repellents discourage rabbit browsing because of their unpleasant taste or smell. Unfortu- nately, repellents aren’t always effective and often need to be reapplied after a heavy rain or snow. Trees and shrubs that are often damaged by rabbits in winter include crabapple, apple, pear, redbud, honey locust, serviceberry, burning bush, flowering quince, barberry, and raspberries. Small evergreens (especially ) are also vulnerable. However, nearly all small trees and shrubs are susceptible to damage when food is scarce and the rabbit popu- lation is high. Rabbits feed on the tissue between the bark and the wood of trees. If rabbits re- move the tissue down to the wood and go completely around a tree’s trunk, the damaged tree is effectively girdled. Girdling destroys the tree as it disrupts the downward flow of food from the tree’s foliage to the root system. Rabbits dam- age shrubs by chewing off small branches and girdling large stems. Most decidu- ous shrubs have the ability to produce new shoots or suckers at their base. Be- cause of this ability, many severely damaged deciduous shrubs eventually re- cover. Dirt Rich...the Movie

The weather’s bad...you’re counting the days till you can get back in your garden again. Watch Dirt Rich, the Movie…or at least the trailer.

You can find it online. Just Google “Youtube Dirt Rich the Movie”. Fantastic winter-watching about farming/ gardening basics and how this may all be in jeopardy. This movie explores strategies to pull carbon from the air and return it to the ground to revitalize the soil.

Rushing the Season: Best Christmas Trees The Fraser may be the perfect holiday tree. It's attractive 1" needles are silvery-green and soft to the touch. Because there is space between the branches, the Fraser is easier to decorate than some trees. The firm branches hold heavier ornaments. The trees grow to almost perfect shapes, and as long as the cut tree is kept properly wa- tered, the Frasier Fir has excellent needle retention. A Colorado Blue has a nice pyramidal shape with strong limbs that can hold heavy ornaments. The Blue Spruce is known for its lovely blue foliage which can also appear silvery. Concolor Fir. The National Christmas Tree Association notes that "Needles are usually 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch long, pointed or notched at the tip, bluish-green when young turning dull green with age ... As a Christmas tree, this fir has good foliage color, a pleasing natural shape and aroma, and good needle retention." White . Its branches are often used in garlands, wreaths, and centerpieces due to their long, feathery, soft needles. Though it is a beautiful tree, branches can be a bit too flexible to support heavier decorations. Its lush full- ness also makes it difficult to squeeze in ornaments. The White Pine needles last a long time when properly watered. A is beautiful Christmas tree with soft, shiny green needles. It may be difficult to decorate if the branches have been sheared into a perfect conical shape, leaving too little space between branches to hang decorations. Choose a Douglas Fir that is freshly cut and keep it well watered. Scotch Pine. Wear gloves when decorating it since its needles can be sharp as pins! Also, due to heavy shearing, there may be little space between branches for ornaments. The National Christmas Tree Association notes "the Scotch pine is known for its excellent needle retention and good keepability. It resists drying and if permitted to become dry does not drop its needles."