MASTER GARDENERSDecember 2019 Issue

In this issue UT Extension Leads Project to Bring Free Broadband to Downtown Pikeville.............................................. 1 Recording hours........................................................ 1 Impact of the program thus far ................................ 1 Dates for 2020 .......................................................... 2 Soluble salts damaging to houseplants .................... 2 December Juniper .................................................... 3 January Gardening .................................................... 4 Short Rows ................................................................ 6

UT Extension Leads Project to Bring Free Broadband to Downtown Pikeville

In case you did not see the news release, UT Extension in Bledsoe County recently received grant funding to provide much-needed free wireless internet to downtown Pikeville, Tennessee, providing relief and enhanced opportunities to Bledsoe County residents, visitors and local businesses.

Read the full story at https://ag.tennessee.edu/news/Pages/NR-2019-11-PikevilleGrant.aspx

Recording hours As the year winds down make sure you have

recorded all your volunteer hours and your Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Impact of the program thus far $13,654.42

Total value of the economic impact of the Extension Master Gardener program in Sequatchie

and Bledsoe Counties 414 Hours entered value $9,358.28 127 hrs recorded for projects in Bledsoe Co. 287 hrs recorded for projects in Sequatchie Co.

as of December 3, 2019

For 2018 - 499 hours were reported valued at $11,047.87 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for SVMG members 181.5 hours have been reported thus far in 2019 Statewide - 223,157 hours volunteer hours have been reported valued at $5,058,973.00

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Dates for 2020 A full list of upcoming dates for 2020 will be included in the December Issue

• Quarterly meeting, February 1, 2020, Dunlap, Details to come • Soil Test Saturday, March 14 Pikeville, Farmer Market – details at the February Meeting • Soil Test Saturday, March 21, Dunlap – details at the February Meeting • 2020 Flower, Lawn and Garden Show "Plant a Smile", April 24-25, 9am - 5pm Both Days Cumberland

County Community Complex, 1398 Livingston Rd, Crossville, TN $3 adults, Children under 12 are free; Master Gardeners free entrance with badge https://www.ccmga.org/2020flags

• Quarterly meeting, April/May Pikeville • Quarterly meeting, July/August, Pikeville, Tomato Tasting • Steak and Potatoes Field Day, August 4, Plateau Research & Education Center, Crossville • Quarterly meeting, November 7, Dunlap

Soluble salts damaging to houseplants Check winter houseplants for brown leaf tips, wilting, dropping of lower leaves and little or no new

growth - all signs that your plant may be in trouble. Soluble salts can play havoc with houseplants and may even cause plant death if the salts are not

properly leached out, said Jan McNeilan, Oregon State University Extension Service consumer horticulture agent.

Soluble salts are minerals dissolved in water, McNeilan said. Fertilizer dissolved in water turns into a soluble salt. After water evaporates from the potting soil, the salts stay behind. As salts in the soil become more concentrated, plants find it harder and harder to take up water. If salts are allowed to build up to high levels, the plant takes water out of its root tips, causing death.

To combat this problem, be sure you water correctly. McNeilan recommends watering plants enough so that some water drains through the pot. Then empty the drip plate. Do not allow the pot to sit in water. If drained water is reabsorbed by the soil, the salts that were washed away are taken back into the soil.

"Salts can even be reabsorbed directly through a clay pot," McNeilan said. She suggests that houseplant owners leach plants every four to six months. To do this, water the soil

thoroughly, as you usually would. Then, after about five minutes, water again, letting excess water flow out the bottom drain holes. The first watering dissolves the fertilizer salts. The second washes the salt out of the soil.

If a layer of salts has formed a crust on top of the soil, be sure to remove the salt crust before you start to leach. Take care not to remove more than one inch of soil.

If the soluble salt level is extremely high, or if the pot is coated with a white salt residue, McNeilan advises repotting the plant in a clean container. Story Source Jan McNeilan February 2003 Source URL: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/soluble-salts-damaging-houseplants

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UT Gardens Plant of the Month

December Juniper Snipped Branches Make Fabulous Additions to Holiday Decorations Submitted by Carol Reese, UT Extension Western Region horticulturist

Got the winter blues? These wide spreading blue junipers can take you from

depressed to delighted. The other happy news is that they are easy care, low maintenance plants when properly sited.

That site would be sunny and well drained, with plenty of room for these shrubs to grow. Other site considerations would be where the pearlescent blue foliage provides eye-popping contrast for other winter interest selections, such as deciduous hollies with brilliant red berries, or other evergreen plants with gold or dark green foliage. Junipers make stunning backdrops for red-twigged dogwood or coral bark Japanese maple. You may also wish to consider placing them where a few snipped branches won’t be missed, as they make fabulous additions to holiday wreaths, swags or table centerpieces.

Most of the plant tags and online information about junipers grossly underestimate their mature size, especially since these durable shrubs can live quite a long time. Their

substantial bulk is not necessarily a drawback. It makes them candidates for including in perimeter plantings for privacy or for impact on the large-scale planting, so place accordingly.

The three junipers described in this article have similar growth habits, with plume-like branches flung from a central growing point, and while height may not be an issue in the gardener’s lifetime, the expanding width might make pruning necessary. It can be done judiciously and invisibly. Simply follow the “offending” branch back to its origin where it forks from the trunk or a larger branch then remove at that juncture. Repeat until the plant is reduced as needed, and the graceful feathery habit will be preserved.

‘Angelica Blue’ is a form of Chinese juniper, Juniperus chinensis. Its branching habit is nearly horizontal, so the height may stay fairly constant once it reaches 6 or 7 feet, but the width will continue to expand to 10 feet or more.

‘Holbert’ is another Chinese juniper and while similar to Angelica Blue, its feathery limbs are larger and have a more dramatic angle as they soar from the trunk. In our gardens in Jackson, it is about 8 feet tall and nearly twice that wide!

‘Grey Owl’ is thought to be a selection from the native eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana. Don’t let that name fool you, as the foliage is also a silvery blue. This form is usually listed as growing to 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide, but this information is ridiculously wrong. Its widespread use in the landscape over the years has demonstrated that it can reach 10 feet tall and wide.

‘Grey Guardian’ is a sport from ‘Grey Owl’ that has demonstrated a more compact growth habit with the same icy hue and a finer texture. It is advertised to be between 2 and 3 feet in height and have a dense spreading habit of 5 feet, but it has not been around long enough for anyone to know if those numbers are accurate over the long haul.

These junipers can be susceptible to bagworms. Bt is a very good and organic product when used early in the attack, so don’t let that one pest dissuade you from enjoying these plants. Their beauty will snap you out of the ho-ho-hum of December drear.

'Holbert' Chinese juniper fires feathery blue foliage toward the sky. Photo of specimen in the UT Gardens, Jackson, by C. Reese

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January Gardening It's really hard to get motivated to do much of anything outdoors, but there are a few tasks and chores

which you should do on those days when the weather is favorable! Indoor house plants • Amaryllis bulbs are out in abundance this time of year. If you didn't receive one for the holidays, go out and

buy one. These bulbs make a beautiful show indoors, and can help to make up for the loss of color now that the holiday decorations are being put away. Put your bulbs in a bright sunny location and water lightly until growth begins. Once you see signs of growth, make sure there is ample water but don't keep it saturated. Within six weeks, you should have a stunning bloom.

• Leftover poinsettias can keep their color long after the holidays are over, with just a little care. Remove the foil wraps and give them a basket or other basin to catch overflow water. Give them bright sunlight and even moisture and the colorful bracts can remain bright for months. When the color starts to fade, cut the plants back by half if they have grown leggy and treat them like a houseplant. Give them bright light and even moisture and wait for spring to move them outdoors.

Garden Planning • Design and plan the spring garden space. Early planning allows time to research plants' habits and

performances. Review notes and photographs from the previous year. • On warm days, take a look at the bare bones of your garden structure. See where plants can be placed,

which plants might need to be moved, and write down your thoughts and ideas for future reference when the planting season begins.

• Continue to feed the birds!

Perennials, annuals, and bulbs • Check your seed starting supplies and get everything on hand that you are going to need. • Start perennials, geraniums, snapdragons, sweet peas and pansies. Many other plants such as lobelia and

verbena also need to be started indoors by the end of the month to be ready for spring. • Start ordering early from mail order sources for best seed and plant selection. • Soil moisture levels should still be good, but do pay attention to containerized plants outdoors, which may

need some extra water, especially prior to a hard freeze. Pansies and other winter annuals are blooming well, provided you planted them early enough. We usually have periods of warmer weather throughout the winter, and when we do, consider adding a little extra fertilizer to your plants. Clip off the spent flowers to keep them blooming. Pansies and violas can freeze solid, then defrost and keep blooming.

• Hopefully you have planted all of your spring bulbs by now, but if you find a bag of bulbs that didn't get planted, plant them as soon as possible. Keep in mind that all spring bulbs must go through a chilling process of a minimum of twelve weeks to be able to grow tall and give you the best results. You can't hang on to those bulbs for another year they would dry out and be lost. If you planted early, you may have noticed the

“Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration.”

Lou Erickson

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foliage emerging. For many bulbs that is normal, and you need to avoid damaging it. Keep in mind some early bulbs early crocus and daffodils can start blooming in February so their foliage should begin to appear.

Shrubs and trees • Avoid the use of salt-based products on sidewalks and drives. Sand or cat litter provides good traction on

slick spots without damage to lawn, ornamentals, or concrete. • Take hardwood cuttings as well as from Roses. • If you have plants that need to be relocated to a different part of your landscape, we are smack dab in the

middle of the dormant period, so move at will. You may want to pick a day that is not terribly cold. Not only will it be easier on you, but also on your plants. Pay particular attention to the roots. The tops are acclimated to cold, and can take it, but the root system has been protected by soil and mulch, and is not particularly cold hardy. Wrap the root ball if the move is any distance, and get them replanted ASAP. Subjecting the roots to extended cold or drying out, can lead to damaged or even dead plants.

• Watch out for newly planted trees and shrubs, and water if needed. While the temperatures are colder, plants won't use as much water, nor will we lose it to evaporation, but some moisture may be needed if we don't get it naturally.

• Its always better to be prepared. In the event of winter damage to your outside shrubs, don't be too quick to prune. Any broken limbs or branches should be removed as quickly as you can, but if you simply have burned foliage, leave it alone until spring. Hopefully, any damage will be superficial, and the plants will bounce back on their own. If not, the damaged foliage can serve as a buffer in the event of more winter weather. Hopefully, this information will be simply reference material, and we won't have to use it this winter season.

Fruits and veggies • Prune Grapes. • Prune Fruit trees and spray with Lime Sulphur and Dormant Oil to prevent insects and diseases. • Spray Copper Spray to prevent Peach Leaf Curl. • If you had terrible insect problems in your vegetable garden this year particularly grubs, squash vine borers,

and other soil insects, tilling your garden in the winter can help to control them. Many of these insects burrow down in the ground and spend the winter in a larval stage. Tilling can bring them closer to the surface and low temperatures can help to kill them. Don't do this if the ground is too wet, but if the soil is workable, this can help to start the season off clean.

Lawn care: • Stay off frozen grass. • If you see greening up occurring in your warm-season lawns such as Bermuda, zoysia or St. Augustine, that

means winter weeds are establishing themselves. Using a 2,4-D broadleaf weed killer, can stop them in their tracks before they get large, bloom and set seeds.

• You may not have gotten to all the fallen leaves, raking can still be done this month. Shredded leaves can be added as a mulch to flower beds or even the vegetable garden.

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The Extension Master Gardener Program is a program of the University of Tennessee Extension

For more information contact: Sheldon Barker Extension Agent Sequatchie Co. 170 Church St

Dunlap, TN 37327 423-949-2611

Sequatchie.tennessee.edu facebook.com/UTExtension.Sequatchie

J. C. Rains

Extension Agent Bledsoe Co. PO Box 289

Pikeville, TN 37367 423-447-2451

Bledsoe.tennessee.edu facebook.com/utbledsoecounty

Useful links

Sequatchie Valley Master Gardening Program https://tiny.utk.edu/SVMG

TMG Volunteer Handbook https://extension.tennessee.edu/MasterGardener/Documents/W099-%20Volunteer.%20November.pdf

Short Rows Household plants

have become one of the leading causes of poison ingestions in children. A child’s natural curiosity attracts him/her to the shiny leaves and bright flowers. If given a chance, children will put plants in their mouths. Most plants are not seriously poisonous, but ingestion of large quantities of even non-poisonous plants may cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or vomiting. It is important to keep plants away from the reach of children. UT Extension has an information sheet that will help you in identifying plants in and around your home that may be potentially poisonous. If someone has eaten a plant, call the poison center before you attempt to treat at home. Only induce vomiting or give food or fluids on advice of the poison center. The plants listed in the publication are the ones most commonly asked about in the Tennessee region. If you have any further questions, please call the Tennessee Poison Center.

UT information sheet: https://ag.tennessee.edu/fcs/healthsafety/poison/poisonPlants.pdf

TN Poison Control Center: https://ww2.mc.vanderbilt.edu/poisoncenter/

Yes, a tomato plant is poisonous, only the fruit can be

eaten.