It's time to plan that garden and start those seeds! What you haven't got them ordered yet! It's almost too late!

Save your milk and 2 liter bottles for covers, so you can get them in the ground early. Hope you're also saving newspaper to mulch with. We are always planning, thinking, saving, putting' up or on the look out for–Gosh, there's never a dull moment for a gardener. Do we ever rest? Maybe after we have picked, washed, sliced or diced that first tomato , we sit and hold it in our mouth to savor its wonderful flavor.....Ah yes, that's our reward.

Plant Sale

Start thinking about the Plant Sale. If anyone would like to start some seeds for it I have some room downstairs under the lights. I have tomatoes for the nursing home growing there now.

- Brenda Roedl Natural ResourceEducator

University of Illinois Extension

Master Gardener Meeting

Effingham County

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Present at the meeting were Purnima Shah, Lyetta Awalt, Leslie Niebrugge, Brenda Roedl, and Rita Kemme. Call to order was at 7:15 by Purnima.

Minutes

Minutes were dispensed with since Dec. meeting was not a formal one.

Financial Report

Master Gardener Funds total $2550.43. The December dinner expenses have not been taken out. The Cross money is $901.52. Rita moved and Lyetta seconded that we approve report. Motion carried.

Old Business

None to report.

Brenda's Notes

Cross: Rita and Moe planted 220 bulbs on the south side of the building and on the west side of the cedars on Dec. 20^th. With the warm weather this week, they may be coming up. Brenda did a walk through and the swale seems to be taking care of the soggy conditions on the north side.

Office Help: filing needs to be done. New pages for the sign in book for hours, compile hours from last year and etc.

Master Gardeners: New program starts on the 16^th. Help is needed for each of the Wednesdays of the class.

Other: Telenets will begin on January 29^th; continue on Feb 12^th and Feb 26^th for the winter series. "Healthy Soil equals Healthy Plants" is the first, followed by "Carnivorous Plants" and "Climbers and Twiners, Vines for the Home Garden." The time is 1 P.M. Free to active Master Gardeners.

New Business

Brenda has a radio spot on the first Monday of the month on WCRA with William Bence. It airs at 8:05 A.M.

Our web site has been updated. All the newspaper columns, newsletters, minutes, and a new site that will help to diagnose problems have been added. Look under Hort on the site and enjoy often. Site is www.extension.uiuc.edu/effingham

Adjourn

Leslie moved and Lyetta seconded that the meeting be adjourned. Meeting adjourned at 8:15.

Next Meeting

February 12^th is the date for the next meeting. Mark you calendars now to attend. Election of officers at the March meeting and plant sale also coming soon. Start thinking what you will dig and bring.

Submitted by: Rita Kemme, secretary

- Rita Kemme

Flower seeds are often much smaller than vegetable seeds. Some are almost dust-like, and handling them is a real challenge. So when flower seeds fail to germinate, the fault is usually with the grower rather than the seed. Even professionals seldom have 100 percent success. You can assume that seed from any reliable seed house is viable.

Small seeded flowers such as begonias, impatiens, geraniums, salvia, petunias, and snapdragons need to be sown in February so that plants are large enough to set out on Mother's Day. Flower seeds need proper temperature, moisture, and oxygen to germinate. These requirements are a lot easier to provide indoors than in an outside flower bed.

Small, fragile seeds will die if they dry out during germination. To prevent seeds from being covered too deeply and smothered, they are often sprinkled over the top of the soil medium and watered in. A small greenhouse is best for growing your own plants, but few of us are fortunate enough to have one. The next best option is to use fluorescent lights in an area of your home where you can have some control over temperatures and where spilled water won't be a concern. A basement corner or an unused room works well.

Place several 40-watt cool white fluorescent tubes about 6 inches apart and 1 to 4 inches above the plant tops to provide enough light to keep the plants growing normally until it's time to move them outside. Give plants at least 12 hours of light per day.

In addition to light, you'll need to figure out some way to give the seeds the right temperature for germination. Sometimes, a plastic tent over the lights will hold sufficient heat around the seed flats.

Use a light, porous medium for germinating the seed. The ready-made brands from your local greenhouse or nursery work well. These mixes are usually sterilized to prevent damping off diseases.

Timing is often the most difficult decision for those of us starting annuals indoors. If you start too early, you'll need a lot of room and light to keep the plants spaced so they don't become leggy. If you start too late, plants end up being too small to set out, and you lose the advantage of the early start.

As a general rule, sow seeds of the slowest growing varieties (usually the small seeds) about 12 weeks before planting outdoors, which is right now. Fast-growing seeds such as marigolds can be sown as late as April 1 and still make sizeable plants by mid- to late-May.

Two flowers and one vegetable have been named All-America Selections (AAS) winners for 2008. Winners are selected after intense evaluation at trial gardens throughout the United States. Winners are awarded for unique characteristics such as abundant flowering, a different color or size, or disease and insect resistance.

Bedding Plant Winner

Osteospermum F1 'Asti White'

Pure white daisy flowers with blue centers are the main attraction for 'Asti White'. The large blooms are 2 to 2½ inches across. The plants reach about 17 to 20 inches tall and wide. This plant is drought tolerant, which makes it a good choice for our dry summers. It thrives in a sunny garden, and it can be planted weeks earlier than other tender annuals. 'Asti White' plants will also bloom and recover from a slight frost. The flowers remain open under cloudy conditions, unlike other daisy flowers that close. 'Asti White' plants even adapt well to containers, preferably 6-inch pots or larger.

Cool-Season

Bedding Plant Winner

Viola F1 'Skippy XL Plum-Gold'

The flowers on this winner are designed with plum shades surrounding the golden centers (face), which contain radiating black lines affectionately called whiskers. The blooms are small, about 1½ inches, but the number of blooms produced more than makes up for the size.

'Skippy XL Plum-Gold' won the AAS Award for its ability to grow a lavish number of blooms. In the North, this vigorous plant blooms from spring to the heat of summer. In the South, a fall planting may provide flowers throughout the winter.

The petite plant grows 6 to 8 inches tall and wide and is ideal for combination planters. Seed or bedding plants will be available in garden centers this spring or fall.

Vegetable Winner

Eggplant F1 'Hansel'

Best described as a miniature eggplant, 'Hansel' is small with finger-sized clusters of fruit. Just because of its smaller size, don't make the mistake of thinking it produces less fruit.

This strong plant, reaching less than 3 feet, produces clusters of three to six fruit. They mature early, about 55 days from transplanting into warm soil. This is about 10 days earlier than the comparison eggplant. If the 3-inch fruit clusters are left on the plant, they grow in size, but remain tender and non-bitter.

'Hansel' also grows well in containers. The plant fits nicely on smaller patios and decks yet still provides high yields of shiny purple eggplants ready to marinate and grill. 'Hansel' will be available as seed and young bedding plants. For complete information on the All-America Selections, log on to www.aaswinners.com.

The 2008 Small Fruit and Strawberry School is set for March 4 and 5 at the Mt. Vernon Holiday Inn. The two-day event features a wide array of educational sessions and a trade show of vendors offering products, supplies, and services to small fruit and strawberry growers.

The program includes presentations from University of Illinois, Ohio State University, Penn State University, and Midwestern growers.

The Small Fruit School is March 4 with sessions running from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Illinois Strawberry School is March 5 with sessions running 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

The registration fee is half price ($15) for Master Gardeners. Contact the U of I Dixon Springs Ag Center for details, 618-695-2441. Or, email Bronwyn Aly, baly@uiuc.edu, or Jeff Kindhart, jkindhar@uiuc.edu.

Snowdrop is one of the first signs of spring in our area. This small, hardy bulb produces white blooms in late January or early February, and it seems impervious to winter weather in Illinois.

The snowdrop has a pendant, six-petal flower. The three inner petals are always shorter than the outer petals. The inner petals are notched at the tip, with a green marking around this notch extending over the tip.

Once snowdrop is planted, it should be left alone for several years. The only reason to dig snowdrops is when you want to increase the planting. Unlike other bulbs that are dug after the foliage dies back, snowdrop is propagated by digging and dividing immediately after flowering while the foliage is still green. The bulbs should be replanted immediately after digging. Snowdrop is an excellent plant to use for any part of the garden. It can be used on the edge of woodland areas or in front of borders in bold numbers. Snowdrop also makes an excellent container plant. As cut flowers, snowdrops provide a long-lasting display of spring.

A volunteer weather program is looking for weather observers to measure precipitation in Effingham, Teutopolis, Vandalia, Shelbyville, Pana, Casey, and other communities throughout central and southeastern Illinois. The only requirements for participation are an enthusiasm for watching and reporting weather conditions and adesire to learn more about how the weather can affect and impact our lives. Jim Angel, State Climatologist and Steve Heilburg, CoCoRaHs will be presenting the program. March 20, 2008 at 7 PM at the U of I Extension Effingham County 1209 Wenthe Drive. Effingham

Is your houseplant soil "alive" with movement? You may have noticed various creatures when watering or repotting plants. The likely culprits are springtails, soil mites, or fungus gnats.

Springtails may be white, brown, or gray and are 1/16 to 1/4 inch long. They move by jumping or "springing" out of the pot. Springtails feed on the peat moss, leaf mold, and other decaying plant material in the soil mix.

Soil mites may be tiny and whitish, or larger and brownish in color. The size of these mites varies from pinpoint size that can barely be seen to large species almost 1/8 inch in diameter. If magnified, you see that they have eight legs instead of the six that springtails and other insects have.

Mites are most common near the surface of the potting soil and can be seen crawling on top of the soil or around the rim of the pot when the plant is watered.

Soil mites feed on decaying plant material in the soil mix. Some of the mites may be predators, feeding on the springtails and other mites that are present. Since these creatures do not feed on the plant, they are only a nuisance and will not affect the health of the plant.

Fungus gnats appear as white larvae about 1/8 inch long in the soil mix. They emerge from the pot as small, black flies about 1/8 inch long that fly around the home.

Fungus gnat larvae feed on decaying plant material in the soil mix, and will also feed on the roots of the plant and may kill seedlings or other young plants. Established plants are usually not harmed.

Springtails, soil mites, and fungus gnats can be controlled by allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. In other words, do not keep the soil moist. Repotting the plants using a sterile soil mix and a clean pot will also help eliminate these creatures.

Chemical control is not warranted in any of these situations.

Remember Chia pets? Those clay animals that you would germinate seeds on, and it looked as if the animals were growing hair? Kids can do the same thing with a nylon sock and grass seed.... resulting in a "Plant Head." Kids create faces on stuffed nylon socks and the 'Plant Heads' sprout grass seed for hair.

Materials: nylon knee high sock or hose, grass seed, damp moss,

plastic eyes, glue, waterproof markers or paint, and any other materials to add to the face.

Directions

1.Drop a handful of grass seed in the toe of the sock.

2.Fill the sock with damp peat moss until the sock is approximately the size of a baked potato.

3.Tie an overhand knot in the open end, close to the moss, to form a potato shape.

4.Glue eyes and add features (these can be sewn by older children, or drawn on with waterproof markers). Make sure the form is dry when gluing any parts to the sock.

5.Place the grass head over a container of water so it rests comfortably at the rim. Allow the knotted end to remain in the water to serve as a wick to dampen the moss and grass seed.

6.The seed should germinate in a few days.

When answering questions about plant selection for the home landscape, encourage clients to consider some of the many underused trees and shrubs that are suitable for Southern Illinois growing conditions.

Visit local nurseries and garden centers to see what's available and to familiarize yourself with the many ornamental characteristics different plants have to offer.

As you know, an ornamental characteristic of a tree or shrub refers to features like prolific bloom, flower color, berries that persist throughout the winter, attractive bark, or reliable fall color.

An ornamental characteristic is usually the reason you choose a specific tree or shrub, and it could be something as simple as nice glossy green leaves in the summer or a plant's evergreen nature.

Some of the most common plants are so popular because of their flowers. And although it may seem obvious to you, many homeowners are unaware of the different seasonal characteristics plants have to offer.

We often choose a plant that offers massive amounts of bloom like forsythia, or a long bloom season, like spirea. But also consider the many ornamental features that different plants offer throughout the four seasons. After all, choosing plants based only on bloom doesn't offer much to enjoy during the fall and winter months.

For example, a Redosier Dogwood, Cornus sanguinea, that features slender, upright, bright red to dark blood-red stems can really catch your attention when framed by snow.

A Winterberry Holly, Ilex verticillata, with its tremendous profusion of bright red fruits that persist throughout the winter can really perk up your spirits during the cold months.

What about plants that feature exfoliating bark? The Paperbark Maple, Acer griseum, grows to about 30 feet and as it ages, its rich, dark-brown bark peels back to expose a cinnamon color.

Eastern Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius, with deep purple foliage and new cultivars of boxwood with better resistance to winter burn were introduced several years ago.

There are just so many great plants that are suited to growing conditions in the southern part of Illinois–but they aren't used much in the home landscape.

Get ideas by shopping around, visiting botanical gardens, and looking through garden books–and then pass those ideas along to home horticulture clients. If you can't find that special plant you want, ask your local nursery or garden center if they can order it. A smart business owner wants to keep customers happy, and offering plants that are hard to find is one way to do that.

A good way to beat the winter blahs is to brush up on your gardening knowledge from indoors . . . or more specifically, from your computer. Check out the University of Illinois Extension website, Stepping Stones to Perennial Garden Design at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/gardendesign.

You'll learn about site assessment, garden style, perennial selection and placement, bed preparation, and garden maintenance. A sample plant list will help you think about perennials for each season of the year. And, you'll even find a suggested list of perennials for beginners.

This is an excellent website for improving your own knowledge and to use with clients who want to start a perennial garden.

Planning your vegetable garden during the winter months is a great way to prepare for the coming growing season. All you need is a piece of paper, a ruler, a pencil, eraser, and all your new seed catalogs. Consider these suggestions as you plan your garden:

nRun the rows north and south in order to give plants the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day.

nIf you have a slope in your garden, plant the rows across the slope, rather than along the slope, to help prevent

damaging water and wind erosion.

nPlant tall crops like corn, amaranth, and trellised plants along the north side of the garden so they will not cast shade on nearby plants in the garden.

nPlant straight rows since they are easier to mechanically cultivate and harvest.

nIf you want to include perennial crops like rhubarb or asparagus, it is best to plant them to one side of the garden so they will not interfere with the cultivation of the annual crops.

nFor herbs and leafy crops that are harvested often, place them where they can be conveniently gathered for

cooking–and provide a decorative effect for your garden.

Don't forget to add flowers to your vegetable garden. Not only do they add an attractive feature, but also many

nflowers such as calendula, pansy, nasturtium, rose, and daylily are edible. Other flowers such as marigold and fritillaria are thought to repel pests.

nGroup early maturing plants together. This allows you to plant one part of your garden at a time. Grouping in this manner also makes succession planting easier to maintain.

nSome crops can be intercropped to save space. For example, carrots and radish can be planted together. Because radish germinates and matures much faster than carrot, the radish helps break the soil crust for carrot germination. In addition, the radish marks the carrot row. After the radish has been harvested, the carrots are left to continue maturing.

nRemember that succession planting can be accomplished in two ways. You can have multiple plantings of one crop variety over time. This is a good method if you have a par ticular variety that you really like. Or, you can have a sin planting of a crop using multiple varieties, each with different days to maturity. This is a good method if you want to try lots of varieties and extend your harvest season at the same time.

- Elizabeth Wahle, horticulture specialist

This time of year, the winter blahs start to hit. But, you can help ward off the blahs by bringing spring into your home. How? Just snip some branches from your flowering shrubs and force them into bloom.

By now, many shrubs have flower buds that are formed and ready to bloom. That's partially due to the warm spell in early January. There has been sufficient cold weather to break dormancy, and now the buds just need warmth, moisture, and a little time to burst open.

The procedure to force buds into bloom is quite simple. Start by selecting branches that are loaded with flower buds. You can identify the flower buds because they are plumper and rounder than leaf buds. Select branches that have curves or bends in order to create interesting blooming arrangements. Or, if you prefer straight stems, cut those. Don't worry about slanting cuts or shredded stems. Ordinary cuts work fine.

Submerge the branches overnight in a deep pail or tub of warm water; or wrap them in a damp cloth and put them in a plastic bag for a few days. This moistening/soaking process loosens the bud scales and helps them fall away as the flowers expand.

After the moistening process is complete, stand the branches in a pail of water and place where the temperature can be controlled; 60 to 70 degrees is best for the developing flowers. Although the branches will force at higher temperatures, the color, size, and keeping quality of the blooms will be reduced. For this reason, it is also best to keep the branches out of direct sun.

As a general rule, plants that bloom early are easiest to force indoors. Also, the closer to the natural bloom time you cut the branches, the faster they will open.

Try some plants other than the old favorites of forsythia and pussy willow. Red maple has beautiful, red flowers. Catkins are also flowers, so try alder, birch, or hazel. The foliage of some trees is spectacular when forced indoors. Try horse chestnut, birch, or oak.

The chart below outlines the length of time it takes to coax flowers on branches of trees and shrubs. Start some every two weeks for a continuous display of color until spring.

- David Robson, horticulture educator

Q. Last summer, I planted a red maple. It is only 10 feet tall. A neighbor said there was a problem with planting young red maples because they get frost cracks. What is a frost crack and how do I protect my tree?

A. Young thin-bark trees such as red maple (Acer rubrum) are more prone to winter injuries called frost or freeze cracks and sunscald. There is confusion regarding what each exactly is.Frost or freeze cracks are longitudinal cracks in the trunks of trees. They occur when air temperatures drop substantially during the dormant period. These cracks appear on the south or southwest sides of trees where winter sun is strongest. The sun-side of the tree warms up during the daytime; then when shaded by a cloud or the sun setting, the cold air causes bark temperature to drop suddenly. The inner bark remains relatively warm while the outer bark rapidly contracts, causing vertical cracks or splits in the trunk.

Once a freeze crack occurs, it often appears annually, opening in winter and closing in spring, forming a frost rib. These cracks appear as raised black lines on the trunk.

Research has shown that cracks form along weak areas such as an old wound, a poorly pruned stub, or some type of internal decay. According to the Morton Arboretum, trees susceptible to cracks are London Plane, oak, Norway and red maple, horsechestnut, crabapple, walnut, linden, and willow.

Sunscald appears as an elongated canker on the trunk. It is also caused by rapid temperature fluctuations in the winter and develops on the south or southwest side of trees. Bark exposed to freezing temperatures at night can be injured when warmed during the day.

On sunny winter days, the sun-side of the trunk may exceed air temperatures by as much as 20 degrees.Sensitive cambial cells located directly under the bark are killed, causing the bark to eventually separate from underlying wood. At first, this area turns reddish-brown. The bark lifts and peels back in chunky patches exposing inner wood.

Sunscald damage is wider than thin frost/freeze cracks.Wrap the trunks and major branches of newly planted trees with burlap or commercially available tree wraps. Remove the wraps in the spring. Depending on the age of the tree, continue to wrap the tree for two to four seasons.

- Answer provided by Martha Smith, horticulture educator

Hosted by The Effingham County 4-H Llama Lleaders

Saturday, June 21, 2008

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

The Ol' Ring Place ~ Larry & Jo Ring

13956 E 1^st Ave. ~ Mason, IL 62443

(618) 686-7771 ~ llamajo@hotmail.com

A day of fun llama events for the whole 4-H family

Trees and shrubs are prone to injury throughout the year. But, a heavy snow or ice storm may bend branches to the point that you think something should be done.

Sometimes, the best thing is to do nothing. Branches naturally bend under the weight of ice and snow. Anyone who has swung on a limb or pulled it down to pick an apple realizes the elasticity of limbs.

But, bend a branch back too far and it breaks. Weak-wooden trees such as poplar, Siberian elm, willows, and silver maple suffer the most breakage during heavy snows or ice. Fast-growing trees including birches are also vulnerable. Similarly, trees with rot, decay, weak crotch angles (many of the ornamental pears), or V-shaped crotches (again, silver maples) easily split in severe weather.

Most heavy, wet snows don't accumulate to a sufficient degree to cause damage to single-trunk deciduous trees and shrubs. The problem usually occurs with multi-stemmed plants and evergreens. Ice alone, or coupled with the snow's weight, can cause problems. Old stems are more prone to injury than younger ones, much like people and bones. The thicker the bark, the less likely the limb will bend.

Evergreens also suffer under ice and heavy snowfall due to the increased surface area of the plant. Needles capture every flake or ice crystal. Broadleaf evergreens such as rhododendron, boxwood, and holly also have large leaf areas to capture ice and snow, increasing the weight load.

Some shade trees that retain seed pods (sweetgums) or leaves (many oaks) are prone to injury, although these two trees have stronger branch angles and wood.The same amount of snow may bend or break evergreen branches yet cause no damage on a leafless shade tree.

What To Do

Don't run out to brush away the snow with a broom or stick. This may cause more pressure on a limb and cause it to break. Your best option is to wait until the snow or ice melts. Many branches will return to their original position a couple of days after the snow or ice melts.

If branches have been bent out of shape, they can be propped or tied to higher branches now or in the spring before new growth appears. Within a month or two, the limb should be set, and you can remove the anchors or props. Evergreens may need to be pulled and anchored in the early spring as growth starts. However, do it carefully. If you pull too much and too fast, you can snap the top out.

Limbs that are broken or damaged by ice or snow should be carefully inspected before pruning or removal.

Realize that it's not important to remove branches at the moment unless they pose a hazard. While damaged branches may look bad, they aren't putting additional stress on the plant. Insects and diseases will not attack the plant during the winter months.

Most importantly, ask yourself if the tree or shrub is worth saving. If damage is severe, it might be better to replace the plant with a higher-quality tree or shrub.

If you want to attempt to save the plant, decide whether the work can be done from the ground with your pruners, saws, and loppers. If you need a ladder to climb into the tree, it might be best to call a professional. Certified arborists (www.isa-arbor.org) are trained to do what's best for the tree, and they can do work throughout the winter months. Make sure any person you hire is either insured or bonded.

Insurance and bonding certificates should be current and presented upon demand. This protects you from recourse if something happens during the pruning process.

- David Robson, horticulture educator

Q. I'm thinking about trying heirloom vegetables in my garden this year. What makes a plant an heirloom and is there anything special I need to know?

A. Many think of an heirloom vegetable as an old cultivar that has been passed down from generation to generation. But a more general definition of an heirloom vegetable could simply be an old cultivar that is open-pollinated.

Just how far back would a vegetable cultivar have to trace its ancestry to qualify as an heirloom? One defining time period could be the early 1950s when modern-day plant breeders introduced the first hybrids developed from inbred lines. Most cultivars in the heirloom category trace their ancestry prior to this time period. And, although there have been several open-pollinated cultivars developed after this time period, later cultivars in general are not considered heirlooms–yet.

Most heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated, meaning that a particular cultivar can be grown from seed and will reproduce seed that will look just like the parent, or "true-to-type." The term open-pollinated encompasses both self-fertilizing and cross-fertilizing crops. Flowers of self-fertilizing crops are fertilized by pollen from the same flower, and the resultant seed will produce 90 percent or more of offspring that are true-to-type. Examples of vegetable crops that are self-fertilizing are lettuce, beans, peas, and tomatoes.

With a cross-pollinated crop, the flower is fertilized from pollen of another flower. This could be between plants of the same species, or between individuals of different Examples of cross-fertilized vegetables are spinach, beets, carrots, sweet corn, cole crops, and cucurbits. Heirloom vegetable crops that are vegetatively propagated are an exception to the open-pollinated portion of the definition. Crops like potatoes, garlic, and asparagus are examples of vegetable crops that are maintained through vegetative propagation, even though they may have at first been maintained from seed. See page 18 for list of heirloom seed suppliers.

If you want to grow heirloom vegetables, below is a short list of seed suppliers and seed-saving networks and organizations.

AbuLife–Abundant Life Seed Foundation

P.O. Box 772

Port Townsend, WA 98368

Underwood Gardens, Ltd.

4N381 Maple Avenue

Bensenville, IL 60106

630-616-0268

Heirloom Seeds

P.O. Box 245

West Elizabeth, PA 15088-0245

412-384-7816

Heritage Seed Co.

HC78 Box 187

Star City, AR 71667

360-385-5660

(seed-saving organization)

Butterbrooke Farm

78 Barry Road

Oxford CT 06478-1529

203-888-2000

(seed-saving organization)

Seed Savers Exchange

3076 North Winn Road

Decorah IA 52101

319-382-5990

- Answers provided by Elizabeth Wahle, horticulture specialist