Texas A&M AgriLife Extension December,

2012 Volume 1, Hale County Master Issue 6 Gardeners

Ask the Agent/Master Gardener: Holiday Plant Myth Buster Edition

Every year, when the holidays roll around, extension agents and master gardeners often find themselves facing ques- tions about holiday plants. Let’s face it – many holiday traditions involve plants and plant life, so there are going to be questions. Given the number of old wives tales and urban legends surrounding holiday plants and their care, it’s a good thing that people ask questions. I’ll try to briefly (well, as briefly as I can) answer some common questions and dispel some common, pesky rumors. Here we go:

Question 1: How do I keep my (child/dog/cat/other creature I care deeply) about from eating the poisonous poin- settia? Answer: Take a moment and breathe deeply. There’s not as much to fear here as you think. Poinsettias have been much maligned throughout their history and their “toxicity” has been largely overblown. These plants do have a latex sap that may cause skin irritation if touched or stomach problems if ingested, but don’t expect little Timmy or Fido to fall over if they accidentally eat a leaf. In fact, the over 20,000 reported cases studied by the American Journal of Emergency Medicine showed no serious effects or fatalities among poinsettia taste testers.

s stem nded rou the The rs of flowe tus and s cac stma Chri

Question 2: How do I get my Christmas cactus to bloom? How do I keep it alive?

Answer: Are you sure you have a “Christmas Cactus”? I’m willing to bet a small sum that a majority of people, in fact, have a Thanksgiving Cactus. There are two major species of Schlumbergera cactus that bloom around the holi- days. Cultivars and crosses of Schlumbergera truncata are Thanksgiving cacti and can be identified by their spiky stems and zygomorphic (flat on the bottom – bilateral symmetry) flowers. The flower shape often leads to its nickname – the “Zygo cactus”. Schlumbergera russelliana was the major parent of a group of cacti known as the Buckleyi group, which are the true “Christmas Cacti”. They can be identified by their rounded stems and rounded (radial symmetry) flowers. Thanksgiving cacti are more commercially available because they are in bloom for the start of the shopping season and they have more upright (easier shipping) habit.

The zygo morphic flo th wers & spi e Thanksg ky stems of iving cactus

Now, to take care of them you have to realize that these are not desert cacti. These are rainforest cacti. Their native habitat is living in trees in Brazil, so you want to keep them in a very light, peaty soil mix. You’ll also want to let them dry slightly between watering’s, but don’t think that they like to live the life of dehydration – you do need to keep them watered. Their flowering is day length dependent. They are short-day plants (more accurately, they are long-night plants). For their flowers to begin forming, they need several treatments of long, uninterrupted night periods of at least 12 hours. This occurs naturally about mid-October, but you can delay flowering by using grow lights to lengthen the day. If you cactus does not flower, you need to move it to a spot where it gets at least 12 hours of relative darkness to initiate blooms (keep away from indoor light sources or windows near outdoor lights).

Question 3: Should I add bleach, aspirin, sugar, or other preservatives to my Christmas tree water? Answer: The short answer is NO! Many folks fall for the old urban legends of using additives to reduce fungus, pre- serve trees, etc. The National Christmas Tree Association (it’s a marketing group, not a social club for conifers) recom- mends using only fresh, clean tap water for your tree. Even the real “Myth Buster” guys agree. Municipal water is fine, as the low chlorine level will not harm the tree and will retard fungal/bacterial growth for a very short period (it evapo- rates pretty quickly).

By Lori Reed

ountiful Baskets debuted in Plainview to a sold- B out crowd of eager shoppers Saturday, Octo- ber 28. Much behind the scenes preparation was conducted by Mike Patrick and Kim Horne, Texas Master Gardeners. Our sincere thanks go out to those two and others who worked so diligently to ensure Plainview would become a distribu- tion site for the Bountiful Baskets program. A little background on the program for those who are unfamiliar with the project: Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op Program is a group of people who work together for mutual benefit. BBFC distributes produce baskets, organic produce baskets, artisan bread and sandwich bread every other week. This is a grassroots, all volunteer, no contracts, no catch co- operative. Since there are no employees at BBFG, the group pays rock bottom prices on food. This also means the co- op would not happen without volunteers. Volunteer opportunities include helping prepare the baskets, breaking down boxes, assisting with the distribution, and packing up. To help out, simply arrive an hour early, dressed and ready to work. Volunteer participants who assisted with the inaugural distribution included other Master Gardeners and many of the Hale County 4-H members. It took all of us working together to assemble the baskets, unload the semi-truck, divvy up the produce, and distribute the fruits and vegetables that came with the shipment. In addition to volunteers arriving an hour early, those who had made a basket contribution through their online account began lining up early as well. At each location there are 95 baskets available for pickup, and Hale County can proudly say we sold out on the first shipment! For more information and/or to participate in Bountiful Baskets, visit their website: bountifulbaskets.org

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3 Page 4 Master Gardeners of Hale County Volume 1, Issue 6

DecemberBiography 8th Disbursement—Mikeof Rita Cronholm Patrick

We have just completed our 3rd disbursement at the Plainview site. To date we have served 244 families with high quality, nutritious fruits & vegetables and saved them approximately $8,540! (Based on 244 baskets at $15 with an ap- proximate $50 retail value)

When we consistently hit our 95 basket capacity, we could potentially be serving 2,280 families over a period of a year, with food savings of $79,800! That’s a tremendous service to the citizens of Plainview, Hale County and the surrounding area. In spite of the problem with truck de- lays, I have heard nothing but good comments from the participants about the program and we have had tremen- dous support from volunteers (including 4-H kids) which we are very grateful for. We will have one more disbursement this year (basket orders to be turned in on 17th & 18th) with delivery on Saturday, Dec. 22.

Craisin-Pumpkin Bread 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin 1 cup vegetable oil on 2/3 cup water seas e he hol 4 large eggs is t e w f d s th o 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour se racy Bles spi 3 cups sugar engage on ch a c 2 teaspoon baking soda whi in ld love 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon wor 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup Craisins 1 cup raisins ½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick baking spray with flour. In a large bowl, add pumpkin, oil 2/3 cup water, & eggs; beat at medium speed with a mixer until combined. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves. Gradually add to pumpkin mixture, beating until smooth. Stir in cranberries, raisins & walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pans, bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans, & cool completely on wire racks.

4 Possum‐haw Holly (Ilex decidua) Dr.Dr. WilliamWilliam C.C. Welch,Welch, ProfessorProfessor && LandscapeLandscape HorticulturistHorticulturist TexasTexas A&MA&M AgriLifeAgriLife ExtensionExtension

Each year in November and December, there is a flurry of interest by consumers, customers, and gardeners in what they call the 'yaupon-like plant without any leaves'. Ilex decidua attracts so much attention because of its spectacular and unique presentation of red, orange, and yellow fruit, which appear when the foliage drops in November or early December. The colorful berries usually remain all winter unless they are removed by the cedar waxwing or one of the other nine species of birds known to feed on the fruit.

Possum-haw hollies are useful in the landscape as large shrubs or small trees, and may occur with single or multiple trunks. Female plants are preferred, since male selections are fruitless and provide little ornamental value.

Culture is easy. Possum-haws are native from East Texas to western regions of the state, and grow in a wide variety of soil and moisture conditions. They tolerate poor drainage quite well, but will thrive under fairly dry situations.

Availability is getting better, but expect some difficulty in locating nursery-grown plants. Some nurseries are now growing female selections from cuttings, which assures the fruit color and sex of the plant. In any area where native "yaupons" or similar hollies are present, there is usually no need to specifically purchase a male tree in order to effect pollination.

Seeds are easily propagated, but this often results in a high percentage of male plants. Determining their gender is not practical until plants are old enough to flower, which may be in 2 to 4 years.

If collecting specimens from their native habitat, two things should be kept in mind. First, select a plant with at least a few berries; second, unless you have access to large-scale digging equipment, choose a small plant. Possum-haws grow quickly once established; however, large collected plants can be slow to recover from transplanting. Ilex decidua is a beautiful and potentially useful small tree adapted to most of Texas. Increasing availability should make it a popular choice for many home owners.

5 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Low Tunnel Strawberry Test Site by Mike Patrick

Raised bed low tunnel test site on strawberries for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is ongoing. I planted a total of 60 plants (20 each of 3 varieties) on October 10. The original tunnel covering was 3 mil plastic which the wind blew down four times over five days. I upgraded to 6 mil which has worked out much better. I am currently working with the 23 sur- viving plants which all look pretty good and I am still making adjustments with the watering and fertilizing schedule. Even with my drip system, the loose soil media has posed a problem as even on a very low setting, water comes out at the bot- tom of my raised bed in less than an hour.

Black-Eyed Pea Pico de Gallo Submitted by: Mike Patrick (The first time I had this was on the “River Walk” in San Antonio. They called it Texas Caviar.)

4 cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained and without ham pieces 6 to 8 green onions, thinly sliced, white parts only 2 jalapenos, chopped 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/3 to 1/2 cup sherry vinegar (start with less and add more to taste) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped Sea Salt Pepper

Put everything in a bowl, give it a gentle stir, taste for seasonings, and put in the fridge for at least an hour. Taste again and serve.

Recipe by Ellise Pierce. For more recipes, go to http://www.cowboysindians.com and http://www.cowgirlchef.com

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Hale County Extension Office 225 Broadway, Suite 6 Plainview, Texas 79072 Phone: 806.291.5267 Fax: 806.291.5266 http://hale.agrilife.org

Hale County Master Gardeners

Feb 25th- Hale County Master Gardener education program orientation, 6:00 pm, Hale County Extension Office, Plainview, TX.

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