I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. It was really nice to spend time with my two oldest daughters who are students at SIU-Carbondale. We even got some wedding planning in. My son received his Eagle Scout ranking. And my youngest got some much needed R&R from school.

?Master Gardener Training begins Jan. 18th and continues each Wednesday through April 19th. If you can help with these days by either being here during the session or by coming in before hand and running off test, I would be eternally grateful.

?We have many things to do to get the office ready for the Spring rush-filing, making new binders, arranging and rearranging as well as answering questions.

•A Junior Master Gardener Leader is needed. Give me a call to find out more.

•Any Master Gardener willing to come to the Master Gardener Class to help set up, make sure the handouts are ready and grade test please call me to sign up.

•All Master Gardeners are welcome to sit in on the Master Gardener Training sessions. The schedule follows along with the reading assignment.

Poverty Simulation: Workshop to be held on Friday the 3^rd of Feb. from 1to 3PM. Call Brenda if you can help. To be held at Effingham High School and explanations given on site.

University of Illinois Extension

Master Gardener Meeting

Effingham County

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Purnima Shah called the meeting to order at 6:45 P.M. Attending were Purnima, Lyetta Awalt, Normalie Strickland, Kitty Simmons, Brenda Roedl and Rita Kemme.

Minutes: The minutes for the December meeting were read. Kitty moved to accept the minutes as read and Normalie seconded. Motion carried.

Financial Report: Kitty handed out the attached financial. There were neither expenses nor any income for the month, so it remained the same ($1,236.15). Cross finances of $459.41 have also remained the same. Lyetta moved to accept and Normalie seconded. Motion carried.

Old Business

Newspaper articles were discussed and topics given. Barb Brayfield will write 2 for the coming weeks and we will advertise the herb workshop. All America Selections for 2006 was mentioned as a topic and also drought resistant plants to prepare for a possible dry summer as well as grasses.

Brenda's Notes

Master Gardener Class: Classes will start Jan18th, 2006. This will be from 9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Anyone with time to help, please call Brenda. They will go through April 19^th, 2006. Please arrive at 8:30. If you can come only a portion of the day, that would be ok too. We have a possible 7 (one internet) from Effingham, 4 from Coles County, Clinton, 1, Clark 1 and Marion 2.

Tree Grant: Brenda applied for and we did receive a grant from Forever Trees to plant up to $2000.00 worth of trees at the cross. Final details will be worked out in Feb. Money is tied to service hours and donated monies, but the work already done and monies received as well as Cross volunteer hours will also be used to figure the 4000 needed so it should not be a problem. Our qualifications seem to be in order for the grant.

Rock: a decorative rock has been placed in the East flower bed by the Sunrise Rotary, to commemorate their work and also that of the U of I Master Gardeners.

New Business

Poverty Simulation: Workshop to be held on Friday the 3^rd of Feb. from 1to 3PM. Call Brenda if you can help. To be held at Effingham High School and explanations given on site.

Mt Vernon Herb Show: If you plan to go, please call the office and let Brenda know. We will pick up some herbs from there to show at our workshop and Brenda has grow lights down stairs we can use. Some of the herbs mentioned were chives, rosemary, lavender, basil, tarragon, mint, sage, oregano, and parley, and scented geraniums. If you have any or these already, and would be willing to bring them to our workshop, call Brenda. Dates are Feb. 10^th, 11^th and 12^th. Friday and Sat. workshops start at 10:00 and Sun. at 12:30. I found it on the web by searching Google for Mt. Vernon IL. Herb show and it gives a detail of the workshops to be held and the times.

Herb Workshop: No one has signed up as yet so we will need to get to advertising. We will need food for tasting as well as herb plants to show as mentioned above. Brenda will get with Barb to see what will be needed to make the pillows.

Telenets: Will be starting again on Feb. 07^th, 2006. Anyone interested in helping to show these please give Brenda a call. Dates are Feb.07^th, and 21^st, March 07^th, April 18^th, May 02^nd, and 16^th, for the winter session. The time is 1:00 although approx. ˝ hour is needed to set up equipment and the Telenet lasts approx. 1-1 ˝ hours.

Indianapolis Flower Show: Linda has found out that the dates are March 11^th through the 19^th. Cost is $7.00 in groups of 10 or more. Payable at the door. She would look into bus transportation if there is an interest. Due to the small attendance at the meeting, no motion was made but we may ask around and see if there would be an interest in going.

Top Soil: Linda had called Rita about some at their farm and Kitty will call her. This is needed at the cross

Adjourn

Kitty moved and Lyetta seconded that the meeting be adjourned. Meeting adjourned at 8:15. Next meeting will be on February 14^th, 2006. Planning for workshop. Please attend.................

Submitted by: Rita Kemme, secretary

Some of the most common and most damaging pests affecting houseplants are the spider mites. Fine webbing over yellowed leaves on houseplants often indicates a spider mite infestation.

Spider mites are very tiny animals that are not really insects but are more closely related to spiders and scorpions. Adults have four pairs of legs and are usually light yellow to red with dark spots.

Mites feed on plant juices and chlorophyll. Light feeding gives the leaves a mottled appearance with light areas where the chlorophyll has been removed. More heavily damaged leaves have a bronze cast with high infestations causing the leaves to turn yellow or gray and die.

Spider mites are extremely active and spin fine webbing where the leaf joins the stem, over the leaves and between the leaves. In bright light, they are easily seen as specks crawling along the webbing. Since the mites are so small, the webbing and off-color plants are usually noticed long before the mites are seen.

Another test is to shake a leaf over a piece of white paper. Watch the paper carefully to see if any dots start moving. If they do, you probably have mites.

Not all plants are susceptible to mites. Some that are susceptible include schefflera, cyclamen, palms, and citrus trees. Most philodendrons and ferns seem to be immune to mites.

Females lightly glue their round, almost colorless, eggs on the underside of the leaves. The eggs look like miniature pearls under a hand lens.

If mites are identified on the plant, immediately separate it from other plants. Check the surrounding plants carefully. If the infestation is severe, it may actually be better to discard the plant completely.

A thorough shower or rinsing will dislodge many of the mites from the leaves. Spraying the plant weekly with an insecticidal soap is the best practice. Rinse the plant forcefully with water about 30 minutes after spraying to remove the soap and any mite eggs on the foliage.

Miticides can also be sprayed weekly to kill the mites. Whether you use soap or a pesticide, two or three treatments are recommended to get adequate control.

Salt use on highways, sidewalks and driveways has increased over the years with greater emphasis on safety. Unfortunately, so has the damage to plants. Most de-icing salt is unrefined rock salt, containing about 98.5 percent sodium chloride. The remaining ingredients usually include calcium sulfate, magnesium chloride and some small rock particles. Municipalities sometimes use calcium chloride even though the cost is often 10 times greater than rock salt.

Salt injury symptoms resemble drought or scorch stress. Foliage can yellow and appear stunted. Leaf margins turn brown and curl. Some leaves may exhibit fall colors in July and August. Most damage starts occurring in the early spring as new growth starts. Evergreens react quickly and severely to salt injury. Needles will turn yellow and brown from the tip down in early spring.

An easy diagnostic tool is the location of injury. Most plants will suffer leaf or needle damage on the side of the plant facing the road, sidewalk or driveway. You can travel down some interstates and highways and notice the salt spray injury, which can travel several hundred yards. Salt causes plant damage in several ways.

First, salt attracts moisture. Just pour water in a saltshaker and watch the salt clump. Rock salt does the same in soils. High amounts of salt in the soil can give the appearance of drought conditions. When the salt dissolves, the sodium and chloride molecules separate. The roots absorb the chloride molecules, and the plant transports them up to the leaf margins and growing tips. Scorch-like conditions develop, with the growing points often dying. Sodium ions prevent the soil from clumping. The result is a heavily compacted soil that can't breathe or allow water movement. Roots can't function and may rot. Finally, excessive salt can tie up key nutrients such as magnesium and potassium, two important elements in chlorophyll production.

Obviously, the best way to reduce salt injury is to limit the amount of salt used for de-icing. But, this method might not be practical in terms of human and road safety. Calcium chloride is a safer alternative for plants, though the cost in terms of equipment, anti-caking agents and purchasing is prohibitive to most communities. It might be a good source, however, for homeowners with a few feet of sidewalk and driveway. Sand, small gravel and cinders provide adequate traction for cars and trucks. However, they provide little effect in melting snow or ice. Kitty litter is sometimes used for traction. However, avoid the clumping types as these become messy. Kitty litter can be a problem when tracked indoors on shoes.

Urea fertilizer (45-0-0) can also be used to melt ice and snow. But, remember that excessive fertilizer can also cause damage to plant roots and leaves as well

Most damage occurs from late-season applications of salt. Avoid using salt after March 1. Avoid piling salt-containing snow around plants. If unavoidable, flood or heavily irrigate the area in the spring to limit the salt buildup around roots. Just remember that too much water can cause as many problems as too much salt. Some plants are more tolerant of salt and can be used in areas where salt buildup is possible. Salt- tolerant plants include Norway maple, horsechestnut, birches, honeysuckle, spruces, poplars and aspens, white and red oak, Russian olive and Vanhoutte's spirea.

Plants that have a low tolerance to salt include red and sugar maple, alders, most pines and firs, Burning bush, dogwoods, lindens, yews, and viburnums. Healthy plants are able to withstand salt injury. Keep plants actively growing with a regular watering and fertilizing program.

The Perennial Plant Association has named Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Feuerhexe' (commonly known as 'Firewitch') 2006 Perennial Plant of the Year. The genus Dianthus contains annual, biennial and perennial species and includes plants with the common names of carnation, sweet Williams, and pinks. Cheddar Pink is the common name of this excellent sun-exposed perennial.

'Firewitch' is an evergreen selection with bluish-gray, silvery foliage. The flowers have been described as purplish-pink to magenta-pink. But regardless of which descriptor you feel fits, the flowers are bright and prolific, lasting for weeks! Being a member of the carnation genus, the flowers have a spicy clove-like fragrance. The first peak bloom time is mid-spring. Promptly shear off old blooms and you will be rewarded with a second flush in summer. Shear again and you should see flowers again in fall.

'Firewitch' is a low-growing, mat- forming alpine plant with narrow bluish-gray foliage that remains evergreen. The foliage height is 3 to 4 inches with flower stems reaching 8 inches. At bloom time, the brilliant flowers cover the plant. Hardy from USDA zones 3 to 9, it will perform well in Illinois gardens as long as it has well-drained soil. Plants placed in poorly drained soils will eventually deteriorate. Dianthus 'Firewitch' should be placed in full sun or in light shade if the garden is in a hot microclimate

This Cheddar Pink will be at home in many garden spots. It is excellent as a border edger, as a rock garden plant, planted in wall crevices, or as a ground cover on a sunny slope. It will easily fit in an herb garden, a formal border or a cottage garden. The Perennial Plant Association suggests a few plant combinations where 'Firewitch' will shine. Try it with Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) in the spring, followed by threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticiallata 'Moonbeam' or 'Zagreb'), and in the fall match it with plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides). This fall combo will offer you a double bonus. First, the bright blue plumbago flowers will compliment the color of the Dianthus foliage. But wait, the bronze/red fall color of plumbago looks great with the silvery foliage of 'Firewitch.'

The Perennial Plant of the Year program promotes the use of perennials. Four perennials are selected by the Perennial Plant of the Year committee from an extensive list of nominations made earlier by PPA members. Each year members cast their vote for one of the four selected plants with the following attributes: suitable for a wide range of climate types; low maintenance; easily propagated– easily comes true from seed or vegetative propagation; and exhibits multiple seasonal interest. Look for Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Feuerhexe' ('Firewitch') at your local garden center this spring. Let it prove to you that it is truly an award winner.

From hydrangeas to insect control to the top perennials for the landscape . . . you'll find it all at the 2006 Grounds Maintenance School, February 21 and 22 at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville. This two-day school is designed for those who work in commercial grounds keeping. The school includes 24 concurrent sessions, keynote presentations and a trade show.

Advance registration is $55 for one day and $70 for both days. But certified Master Gardeners get a discount rate–$30 for one day and $40 for both days! You must include with your registration a copy of your current I.D. card or a letter of active status from the local Extension unit leader.

For the discount rate, you must register by February 10, and your registration is not complete without payment. At-door registration is $75 for one day and $90 for both days. Walk-in registration does not include lunch and may not include a copy of the proceedings.

For complete details, log on to www.extension.uiuc.edu/madisonstclair

Master Gardener Trainees are Free