We state the mission of the University of Illinois Master Gardener program is "Helping Others Learn to Grow". We further note the purpose of the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener program is "to provide horticultural information specific to local climates, soils and plants, and training to the gardening public, based on University of Illinois research, when available." As part of the outreach efforts of University of Illinois Extension, Master Gardeners use horticultural education, applied research, and the resources of the University of Illinois to enhance the economy and the environment.

Fewer than 2% of active Master Gardeners receive awards annually. It is our pleasure to present our very own Cook/North Suburban Unit 2005 award winners:

Outstanding Sustained Master Gardener Award

• Greg Bartoshuk
• Gil Solarz

Outstanding Teamwork Award

Kids on Track Team Members

• Greg Bartoshuk
• Colleen Graudins
• Helen Henry
• Theresa Jones
• Susan Tobias
• Judy Rosedale
• Joyce Stemp
• Margaret Wiard

See page 3 or the Congrats! section for more information about these exceptional award winners. Our most sincere congratulations to our Outstanding Master Gardeners – we are all very proud of you!

- Yvonne Brown, Associate Director, Cook County Extension

Raking leaves is an autumn ritual that may make the gardener feel productive and virtuous, but it is not necessarily good for the trees and shrubs in the landscape. If leaves are bagged and carted off, the plant nutrients they contain cannot be cycled back into the soil as they would be in the natural habitats of your landscape plants. Annual mining of minerals from the root zone may eventually lead to nutrient imbalances, even when some of the mined minerals are replaced in the form of fertilizer. Leaves contain minerals (especially micronutrients like iron, zinc and copper) in proportions similar to those found in plant tissue. The fertilizer you apply may not.

From an ecological viewpoint, the best way to deal with leaves in the landscape is to mulch them where they fall and let them decompose to release their minerals to the underlying soil. Even in areas where turf is maintained among the trees, if leaves are chopped with a mulching mower, they can often be left to decompose into the turf. While the lawn may look less manicured than the neighbors' raked lawns for a month or so, by spring there will be little or no evidence of leaves. Generally, soil testing will reveal that turf areas routinely treated in this way will require less fertilization than areas where the leaves are removed.

In some cases, leaves may accumulate to a depth that, even after mulching will smother out the turf. If so, it is generally best to remove some of the leaves and shred them in another location. Shredding can be accomplished with a rotary mower, a chipper shredder or a leaf blower operated in reverse. The advantages of shredding are volume reduction (10:1) and faster decomposition due to the smaller particle size. Be sure to have a dust mask on hand before you start and follow the safety precautions in the operating manual that came with your shredding device. Shredded leaves can be used directly as mulch around trees and shrubs or composted. They provide an excellent carbon source for mixing with high nitrogen materials such as grass clippings in a compost pile.

Leaves, even when chopped, do not compost well by themselves because they contain too little nitrogen and they are hard to wet. Composting efficiency can be increased by mixing in nitrogen and a few scoops of garden soil. Nitrogen can be applied in the form of fertilizer, grass clippings, cottonseed hulls or manure if you are lucky enough to have a source. When using fertilizer materials, about 0.8 ounce of actual nitrogen per bushel of organic matter such as leaves is needed.

Since one cubic yard (3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft.) of leaves contains about 23 bushels, it would require about 18 ounces (1.1 lb) of nitrogen or about 5.5 pounds of a fertilizer containing 20 percent N. It is best to add fertilizer to the pile in several doses as the pile is turned to avoid overwhelming the microorganisms. The best way to build a leaf compost pile is to do it in 1 ft. deep layers. Apply some soil and nitrogen to each layer and spray it with water so it feels moist but not soggy. Then mix the layer with the previous layers with a pitchfork. Turning the pile several times in the fall and spring will greatly accelerate composting. The larger the pile, the longer into the winter it will heat.

While conventional composting creates the most valuable garden soil amendment, a lower input processing method will create "leaf mold," an excellent mulching material. Leaf mold is simply partially decomposed leaf matter. The easiest way to produce it is to place un-shredded leaves in an enclosure made from 3 ft. tall wire fence, wetting and packing the leaves as you go. Adding nitrogen and soil will speed up to decomposition, but if time is not an issue, the leaf mold should be an excellent mulching material by late spring if it is kept moist even without these inputs.

Regardless of the leaf processing method you choose, don't mine the minerals from the root zone under your stewardship. The plants in your landscape and garden will benefit greatly if you recycle the nutrients in your leaves rather than donating them to someone else.

- Chris Starbuck, Woody Ornamental Horticulture, UMC

Our Master Gardeners Helped Make Kinsch's Autumn Fun Fest A Success

We congratulate Master Gardener Volunteers Sharon Carroll, Mary McAlevy, Joyce Stemp, Debbie Templeton-Klein, and Judi Witzig for doing an excellent job of educating eager youngsters from the area.

The young people learned what seeds are about and what happens when they are planted in the ground, given water, light, nourishment, and space. It was an educational experience for all. Not only did the children learn from this experience, but our Master Gardeners also realized how attentive and knowledgeable even the youngest were about plants.

The Master Gardeners went above and beyond the call by volunteering to help whenever possible.

Our hats are off to all of you ladies for showing the true spirit of volunteerism for the University of Illinois Extension. Thank you.

To our Master Gardener Award Winners

Greg Bartoshuk: For the past 8 years, Greg Bartoshuk has developed a reputation as an outstanding Master Gardener. Throughout these years, he has committed himself to dispensing his knowledge to the community.

Since receiving his Outstanding Master Gardener award two years ago, he has devoted over 345 hours volunteering in the community. Greg Bartoshuk was awarded the Sustained Master Gardener Award at the Master Gardener Conference in Collinsville, IL.

Gil Solarz: Gil Solarz has spent three hours every Wednesday for more than the past decade at Friendship Park Conservatory in DesPlaines; our U of I Master Gardener hot line office. Gild helps answer questions regarding gardening problems for the community. Gil was the "founding father" of what is called the "Unclub" which consists of a group of Master Gardeners (all are welcome) who meet once a month over lunch to discuss gardening topics, news and enjoy each other's company. His positive attitude and wit are contagious.

Kids on Track: A team of eight University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners from our unit volunteered to teach summer campers from preschool to 6^th grade how to plant a vegetable garden at the Arlington Park Backstretch site.

One hundred children were enrolled at the summer camp backstretch. Our Master Gardeners shared gardening information and transformed an empty garden plot to a magnificent garden and helped the children to harvest the bounty of all their hard work.

The following Master Gardeners worked as a dedicated team to get this program off the ground and make it a resounding success. They are: Greg Bartoshuk, Helen Henry, Susan Tobias, Colleen Graudins, Judy Rosedale, Margaret Wiard, Theresa Jones and Joyce Stemp.

Digital Diagnostics

Digital Diagnostics has ended for this year. It will resume again in spring 2006. Keep watching future issues of Hort Happenings for exact date and time.

Fond memories remain of the lovely garden that Toby Koch has created all around her home and over her garage. Yes, Toby even had tomatoes and dahlias growing over her garage. She is such an enthusiastic gardener and it shows in the beautiful displays she has created.

For November/December

After a month of cold temperatures, pot up chives and bring indoors. Cut back and water.

• Cover garden tools with a light coating of oil to prevent rust
• Do not use salt to clear snow or ice away. Runoff will harm nearby plants.
• Over-wintering plants in containers? Loosely place wire mesh around the planter and fill the space with leaves.
• Continue to plant bulbs as long as ground isn't frozen.
• Move smaller containers with trees and shrubs to an unheated garage.
• Mulch perennial bed after ground is frozen.
• Keep Poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts.
• Cover your flowerbeds with Christmas tree branches for winter protection.
• Did you know live mistletoe stems, leaves and berries are poisonous? Keep away from children.
• Punch holes in foil around holiday plants to allow drainage.
• Use aluminum foil to line windowsills. The foil reflects light and provides extra light for houseplants.

- Source: www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/fallcolor