Newsletter High on the Desert Cochise County Master Gardener
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Newsletter High on the Desert Cochise County Master Gardener Vol. 20, No. 2 FEBRUARY 2009 The University of Arizona and U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating The Virtual Gardener—Ask a Master Gardener According to their mission statement, where they really shine is in diagnosing Cochise County Master Gardeners plant problems and suggesting solutions support the University of Arizona to them. Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Understand, however, that the descrip- Program by providing to citizens tion of the symptoms of a problem alone researched-based horticultural informa- are seldom definitive enough to allow a tion appropriate for Cochise County comprehensive diagnosis. Your doctor environments about gardening, food can’t tell you what’s causing your production, landscaping, native plants, stomach ache unless he knows some and environmental stewardship. One of additional information such as what Inside this issue: the principal ways Master Gardeners you’ve been eating, exactly where the provide this service is by answering pain is, what you’ve been doing lately, February Reminders 2 questions on these topics. and so on. Similarly, the Master Gar- What’s a Master Gardener 2 There are basically three ways you can dener usually won’t be able to diagnose In a Desert Garden 3 contact a Master Gardener with your the cause of your plant problem unless Cuttings ‘N’ Clippings 3 question: you can call the Extension he or she has some additional informa- Master Gardener Class 3 Office (520-458-8278 Ext. 2141) and tion, so be prepared to offer as much Cacti 101-Chapter 5 4 talk directly to a Master Gardener background information as possible to volunteer; you can drop by the Exten- allow a proper diagnosis. Agent’s Observations 5 sion office at the University of Arizona If there is damage to your plant, be South campus, 1140 N. Colombo in able to describe it in detail. Exactly what Sierra Vista and talk to a Master does the damage look like? Where is it Gardener face to face; or you can e-mail on the plant? How long has the damage your question to the Master Gardener been evident? Is the condition confined office at to a single plant or several? Are any http://ag.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/questio insects present? What do they look like? n.htm. Etc. Of course Master Gardeners will Be prepared to discuss the conditions answer general questions about plants, under which the plant is growing. How bugs, watering, fertilizing, and such, but (Continued on page 2) Cochise County Cooperative Extension www.ag.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/ 1140 N. Colombo, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 450 S. Haskell, Willcox, AZ 85643 (520) 458-8278, Ext. 2141 (520) 384-3594 P AGE 2 What is a (Continued from page 1) often does the plant get watered? Master Gardener How much? Has it been fertil- ized? What kind of fertilizer was The Master Gardener program be- used? How much? Has it been gan in King and Pierce Counties of sprayed with a pesticide? What Washington state in 1972 when an kind? What kind of soil is it over-worked Horticultural Extension growing in? How much sun does Agent, Dr. David Gibby, began train- it receive? Etc. ing volunteers to assist him in provid- These are just a sample of the ing support to the community. Dr. kinds of questions the Master and are using Google as your Gibby’s program was simple and ef- Gardener may ask to get the fective. In exchange for a promise to information necessary to search engine, here’s how to do it. Type the words you want to use donate a certain number of hours ser- diagnose your plant problem and vice, he gave volunteers specialized, suggest a solution. If you are as your search terms in the search box followed by a space and then university-level training in horticul- submitting your question by e- ture. Word of his success in recruit- mail, the form on the Web site this phrase: site:ag.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/ ing volunteer support soon spread to prompts you to supply the other communities and today Master additional information. Be sure pdf. Note that you shouldn’t leave a space after the colon. Gardener programs are flourishing to supply all that is requested and throughout the United States and appropriate. Until next time, happy surfing. Canada. Sometimes the Master Gar- In 1987 Horticulture Extension dener may also request you bring Gary A. Gruenhagen, Master Gardener Agent, Dr. Deborah Young, started a sample of the plant into the the Master Gardener program in office. A few conditions cannot Cochise County. The current agent, be properly identified without Robert Call, continues the program, microscopic or even chemical teaching the thirteen week Master analysis. If it is an insect or bug Gardener course yearly. Prospective problem they may request you February Master Gardeners who take the bring it into the office also. Reminders course study such topics as soil, pest Most of the time your ques- management, botany, gardening, tions can be answered immedi- ¨ Winter prune landscaping, and environmental stew- ately but sometimes the Master ¨ Prune roses ardship. Upon completion of the Gardener needs to research them ¨ Cold-moist stratify seeds course the person provides educa- and get back to you with an ¨ Plant bare-root trees tional leadership to the community answer. If Master Gardener ¨ Prepare spring planting beds by donating fifty hours of volunteer volunteers can’t answer the ¨ Clean and repair drip irriga- time. question, they will pass it along tion systems In the summer of 1996, Cochise to Rob Call, the Cochise County ¨ Finalize spring garden plans County Master Gardeners formed a Horticultural Extension Agent. ¨ Keep watering! non-profit organization to support the And if he can’t answer it, it will educational mission of the Coopera- be passed on to a specialist at the tive Extension. The goal of the University of Arizona or else- Cochise County Master Gardeners where. In any case, you will get Association is to promote food pro- an answer. duction, landscaping with native Before I wrap this up, I would plants, and environmental steward- like to give you a tip for search- Robert E. Call ship. ing past Cochise County Master Extension Agent, Horticulture For more information call the Co- Gardener newsletters. If you operative Extension offices in Sierra would like to search for a Carolyn Gruenhagen Editor Vista (520) 458-8278, Ext. 2141 or in particular topic in the newsletters Willcox (520) 384-3594. P AGE 3 In a Desert Garden Cuttings Arizona Blue Eyes – and look like tiny flattened morn- ‘N’ ing glories. They appear on the Evolvulus arizonicus end of the slender stalks, and Clippings there are lots of them. The plant Another little plant I really T The next CCMGA meeting starts blooming around the begin- like, in the morning glory fam- is 5:00 p.m. Thursday, February 5 ning of April and the flowers last ily, is Arizona Blue Eyes at the University of Arizona South till October. In winter it freezes (Convolvulaceae). It is nothing Campus Public Meeting Room. An back. I leave the dried up seed like a morning glory. The plant overview of the Cochise County stalks until it warms up, and then is not a vine. It is really very Master Gardeners will be pre- I cut it back. The plant does self- small, and only grows to one sented by Gary Gruenhagen. seed and I never know where it is th foot tall and wide. T The 16 High Desert Garden- going to pop up. It’s usually in When our house was built ing & Landscaping Conference areas I don’t like it to be, like my many years ago here in Ari- will be held at the Windemere Ho- walks. That tells me it likes com- zona, I inspected the yard to tel & Conference Center on Feb- pacted soil. Because it is so small see what would grow there ruary 12 & 13, 2009. There is and my yard is kind of wild and naturally. Of course, the devel- still time to register! natural, that really doesn’t bother oper had the lot scraped down T Congratulations to Bret Gallo- me. Actually, I have dug it up and to the red earth but several way who has been awarded a transplanted it on occasion. It is plants were already coming scholarship to the conference. His successful if you soak the soil the back. There were several winning essay will be published in day before and take the plant out stands of that little beauty in an upcoming Master Gardener with a clump of soil attached. my yard and I marked the spots Newsletter. Of course the plant is very that I remembered where there T A free fruit tree pruning work- drought tolerant and practically were. shop will be given Saturday, Feb- maintenance free. The only down- One cannot help to fall in ruary 14 from 10:00 a.m.—Noon side is as usual, it is not available love with this little guy. Its sky by Extension Agent, Rob Call. The in the nurseries here, but you blue flowers stood out so much location is 3401 E. Navaho, ap- might find it at the Farmers Mar- in my red clay, and it seemed proximately 3 miles South of the kets in Bisbee and Sierra Vista. Mall of Sierra Vista. Turn right on to be really hardy, surviving Choctaw, left on Pueblo, and right the harsh treatment it received. Angel Rutherford, Master Gardener The flowers are about ¾” wide on Navaho to the address.