Vol. 23, No. 12 Editors: Jean Murray/Lisa Slattery/Julie Stark December 2013 MG EVENTS Interesting Facts about Holiday Plants This article was originally published 02/09/09 Steering Committee Mtg. The poinsettia, Christmas cactus, and Extension Office mistletoe can be found in many homes December 3 • 6:30 pm during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The poinsettia and Christmas cactus are prized for their colorful flowers. Mistletoe is hung in the home for those wishing for a kiss. While the Winter Garden Fair Previews poinsettia, Christmas cactus, and Extension Office Conf. Rm mistletoe are recognized by nearly everyone, many individuals aren't Thursday, December 5 aware of interesting facts about these 6:00 - Straw Bale Gardening plants. 7:00 - Beautiful Bulbs All Year Long Poinsettia Monday, December 9 The poinsettia is native to Mexico and 5:00 - Fabulous Foliage cultivated by the Aztecs. The colorful Monday, December 16 bracts were used to make a reddish 5:00 - Extending Growing Season purple dye and the milky sap was used 6:00 - Hybrid Lilies to treat fevers. Poinsettias were first Tuesday, December 17 introduced in the U.S. by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the U.S. Ambassador to 6:00 Plants Deeply Rooted in Mexico from 1825-1829. Poinsett History Thursday, December 19 (article continued page 2) 7:00 - Successful Hanging Baskets and Containers What’s Inside... 8:00 - Green with Envy Interesting Facts About Holiday Plants— pages 1-2 Did You Know… —page 3 Lowe Park Greenhouse Update—page 4 "The gardening season officially begins on January 1st, and Report Your Hours—page 5 ends on December 31st." Winter Gardening Fair Previews ~ Marie Huston Scheduled—page 6 Coordinator Comments—page 7 Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine—page 8 Holiday Gardening Gift Ideas—page 9 December (continued from page 1) had plants sent to his home in South Carolina where he gave them to horticultural friends and botanical gardens. The colorful part of the poinsettia, (the plant's flowers), are actually modified leaves or bracts. The true flowers are yellow to green, button-like objects located in the center of the bracts. Poinsettias are short-day plants as they grow vegetatively during the long days of summer and produce flowers when days become shorter in the fall. In order for poinsettias to flower for Christmas, they must receive complete darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. each day from early October until the bracts show good color, usually around early December. The poinsettia is not poisonous, however, it is not intended for human or animal consumption. One potential health problem associated with the poinsettia occurs when individuals develop skin irritation from the milky sap that oozes from the plant’s stem if it is cut or broken. Christmas Cactus Holiday cactus is a more accurate name as a plant purchased during the holidays may be a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), a Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), or a hybrid. Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are similar in appearance. However, the stem segments on the Christmas cactus have scalloped edges, while the stem segments on the Thanksgiving cactus have 2-4 pointed teeth along their edges. Schlumbergera bridgesii and Schlumbergera truncata are native to the mountainous forests of southeastern Brazil. Holiday cacti are epiphytes-they grow in the crotches of trees and derive water and nutrition from rain, decaying organic matter, and filtered sunlight. The stems of holiday cacti are composed of flattened stem segments or phylloclades which carry on photosynthesis for the plant. Day-length and temperature control the flowering of both Schlumbergera species. Like the poinsettia, holiday cacti are short-day plants and will not bloom properly if exposed to artificial light at night. Flowers may also fail to develop if the plant is exposed to temps above 70 degrees F. Night temps of 60-65 degrees F with slightly warmer day temps are ideal for flower formation. Mistletoe Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant with small, leathery leaves and small, white berries. Mistletoe plants manufacture their own food, but must obtain water and minerals from the host plant. American mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum) is found growing in deciduous trees from New Jersey and southern Indiana southward to Florida and Texas. It is the state flower of Oklahoma. Mistletoe sold during the holiday season is from the wild and most are harvested in Oklahoma and Texas. Mistletoe fruit is poisonous so for safety reasons, most companies have replaced the fruit with artificial, plastic berries. The scientific name Phoradendron is Greek derived and literally means "thief of the tree." As you gaze upon the poinsettia, Christmas cactus, and mistletoe this holiday season, enjoy the beauty and traditions of these holiday plants. However, don't forget some of the interesting facts about these unique plants. By: Richard Jauron, Department of Horticulture 2 Germinator Did You Know… Have plastic plant pots around the house that you want to recycle? You can always return them to the nursery, or put them to good use around your home: Clean Fruits and Veggies: Place stuff you pick from the garden in clean pots and rinse off dirt with water from your outdoor tap. Let the water drain out the bottom holes before storing your bounty. Displace Dirt in a Larger Pot: When repotting a plant, turn a plastic pot upside down in the new, larger container and add soil around it. When you're done, pull out the plastic pot and there will be plenty of room inside the bigger container to place your plant's root ball Protect Blades: Flip seedling trays upside down and use the crevices to store saws or workshop knives so that the blades don't get damaged in storage. Lift a Paint Project Off the Ground: Use four or more pots to prop up a cabinet door, piece of trim, or other item you're painting so that you can reach every nook and cranny. Keep Twine Untangled: Put a ball of twine in a plastic pot, and pull the end through a hole in the bottom to keep it neat when using. Store Holiday Ornaments: Keep small decorations segregated by enclosing them in seedling trays: Place items in the bottom tray, invert the second tray on top of it, and seal with packing tape. For very small items, place in a single tray, top with a scrap piece of cardboard, and tape closed. Sift Salt Onto an Icy Spot: Stack two plastic pots, holding them so that there's an inch or so of space between their bottom surfaces, and fill the top one with rock salt. Shake the pots over the surface of your driveway or walkway. Using two pots prevents the salt from falling through the bottom holes too quickly. Encourage Kids to Save: Give your kids clean seedling trays and have them sort spare change: one section each for pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters Organize Hardware: Use seedling trays in drawers or on workbench to sort and store nuts, bolts, nails, and odds and ends. Article taken from: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20293256_20649536,00.html Want to contact a fellow Linn County Master Gardener or update your personal profile? http://mgquickfind.info/ December 3 Lowe Greenhouse Update—”Saturday Under Glass” By Phil Pfister The final Saturday Under Glass Workshop for the 2013 season at the Lowe Park Greenhouse was held on Saturday, November 16, 2013. The event was a hands on make a ‘Holiday Arrangement’ Workshop, where participants made arrangements using evergreens, and a variety of natural and painted dried plants and foliage, including various grasses, hydrangea blooms, sedums, heathers, dusty miller, holly and many other plants that can be found in our gardens, along the roadside, and at the park. Fifteen people participated in the workshop. Shelby Foley and Phil Pfister led the workshop, and Larry Dawson assisted. This was a fun event, and several asked that we repeat it again next year. 4 Germinator Report Your Hours From: Iowa Master Gardener Newsletter—November 2013 For 2013 the Master Gardener volunteer hours requirement to remain active has increased from 6 to 12 hours per year. By the end of 2013 all active MGs must complete at least 12 hours of volunteer service annually. The MG continuing education hour requirement has not changed from 6 hours required yearly. The average number of hours volunteered by Iowa Master Gardeners in 2012 was 41, so for most the expanded requirement should not be a concern. Recently the National Extension Master Gardner Task Force recommended establishing minimum national standards for Master Gardener service and continuing education. The recommendations are for 20 hours of service and 10 hours of continuing education annually. As you can see, Iowa currently does not meet those standards, even with the increase this past year. The State Master Gardener Advisory Committee is considering this recommendation, and would like your input on whether Iowa should adopt the proposed national Master Gardener service standards. In comparison to our neighbors, Iowa is lagging in Master Gardener volunteer service and continuing education. Here are the numbers for 2012: Iowa Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin # of active 2436 3400 2445 3064 MGs # volunteer 99,946 200,216 131,000 207,324 hours Ave. volunteer 41.0 58.9 53.6 67.7 hrs/MG Total Cont. ed. 20,042 42,660 34,000 67,094 hours Ave. cont. ed. 8.2 12.5 13.9 21.9 hrs/MG The numbers reported in Iowa are at least 25% less than our neighboring states in the Upper Midwest--both for volunteer service and continuing education hours. Let's make sure that ALL your hours for 2013 get reported! I suspect that many of you don't report everything that you do for the Master Gardener program.