University of Illinois Extension

Master Gardener Meeting

Effingham County

Tuesday Oct. 14^th, 2008

President Normalie Strickland called the meeting to order at 6:45. Present at the meeting were Dorothy Niebrugge, Betty Boos, Leslie Niebrugge, Purnima Shah, Normalie and Rita Kemme.

Minutes: of the September 9^th meeting were read. Purnima motioned to accept and Betty seconded and the motion carried.

Financial Report: Not available.

Old Business: None to report.

New Business: October 25^th will be a chemistry fun day for the youth. 10 need to sign up for this to take place. Rita, Betty, and Dorothy all have previous engagements.

October 31^st at 9 A.M. at Evergreen Park for young folks; 52 at this time for Halloween pumpkin making. Normalie, Rita, Betty, and Dorothy thought they would be able to help.

Change of date for next meeting: October 28^th at the Extension. Nov. 11^th is Veterans so a change was made. Tom thought he might be able to attend this meeting.

Cross Work Day: Will be on October 27^th, Monday at 8:00 to 8:30 or when you can come to help with weeding, mulching etc. Please try to attend and help if even for a short time. Bring a friend too.

Christmas Party: December 10^th, a Wed. was the date chosen. Rita will call Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays, and Martin's to see it they will take reservations or cater in the case of Martin's. Larry, Dorothy, and Karen need to be called for any email notices as we do not have email addresses for them.

Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 8 P.M. with a motion by Dorothy and a second by Betty. Remember the next meeting will be on the 28^th of this month of October

- Rita Kemme

Geraniums are classified as tender perennials, not annuals. Because they do not survive our harsh winters, most geraniums are treated as annuals. But in frost-free climes, geraniums live outdoors year after year, developing woody stems.

Geraniums, like bluegrass, thrive when evening temperatures are cool. September and October are peak geranium-blooming months, which makes losing the plants to freezing temperatures all the more difficult.

But, there are a few ways geraniums can be saved and carried through the winter until next spring. Start by carefully checking plants and toss out any that appear leggy, soft, or have produced few blooms. It is foolish to try to save diseased plants.

Geraniums can be overwintered as actively growing plants or as dormant plants. As living plants, geraniums can be lifted from the garden, potted, and cared for as houseplants. They need bright light, preferably a southern exposure, and moderate 60- to 70-degree temperatures. Insufficient light or high temperatures will cause spindly, yellowish plants.

Bringing any plant indoors will cause a yellowing and dropping of many leaves. Even the brightest southern window cuts the available light by at least half.

Cuttings can be taken from plants in the garden this fall, rooted indoors, and grown as a houseplant until spring. Cuttings can be rooted in moist peat moss, sand, perlite, vermiculite, or one of the commercial artificial soil mixes such as Jiffy-Mix or Pro-Mix. Dip or dust the cut end with a rooting hormone available at garden centers or nurseries.

Geraniums can also be overwintered as dormant plants. The thick, fleshy stems are able to survive adverse conditions without leaves. Potted plants can be moved into a cool, dark place or in a heated garage and simply allowed to dry up. Keep them in a dormant state until they begin to show signs of new growth in the spring.

If stems begin to shrivel during the winter, add a little moisture, but not enough to cause sprouting. Usually,a light watering once a month will keep the plant alive.

Another time-honored method, but the toughest on the plants, is to hang the geraniums upside down in a paper bag. Plants are cut back to a foot, dug, and most of the soil shaken from the roots. The plants are then tied together, and bags are placed in a cool, dry location. If you use this method, occasionally check the plants throughout the winter and wet or mist if severe shriveling is noticed.

Next spring, repot or transplant all geraniums and set them outside after there is no longer any danger of frost.

Black walnut, a native to Illinois, is a tree that provides shade, early fall color, and beautiful timber. This tree also produces a nut crop highly prized for culinary character, adding a rich, distinct, somewhat tangy flavor to foods. Shelled black walnuts are expensive and sometimes difficult to find in stores, as compared to the more commonly available English walnut.

Collection time for walnuts begins late September to early October. Black walnuts should be harvested once they mature. The nut is mature when you can leave a finger depression on the outer husk. Most people wait until nuts start to drop before gathering, even though they mature well before that time. Dropped nuts are vulnerable to squirrel scavenging and lawnmower damage. There's another good reason to pick nuts while they are still on the tree. If left on the ground to decompose, the nutmeat becomes darker and stronger as the husk breaks down. The best quality nutmeat is light in color and has a milder flavor, and this requires that the husk be removed while it is still green and fresh.

There are many methods to remove green or partially decomposed husks. Most popular is piling the nuts up in a gravel driveway and driving over them a few times. The husk will slip off, but the shell will stay intact.

Another method is to drill a 1⅝-inch diameter hole in plywood or a thin board. Use a heavy hammer to force the nut through, shearing the husk off. A 2'x4' board and a hammer can be also be used to roll a husk off, as well as a heavy foot. Old-fashioned ear-corn shellers have also been used to remove husks.

When handling and removing crushed husks, always wear leather or rubber gloves; the brown juice stains from the husk are strong and persistent.

Once the husk is off, wash the nuts to remove excess juice and hull debris. Methods range from hosing the nuts down to agitation in a bucket. Old tub washing machines and small concrete mixers also work well for this task. Use a ratio of 1:3 nuts to water. If you use a concrete mixer, add a few 2- to 3-inch diameter rocks to help the cleaning process along. Unfilled nuts will float and can be removed.

After washing, the nuts need to be dried and cured. Without curing, nut moisture is high and flavor is poor. With proper curing, the quality and flavor will greatly improve. To dry, spread freshly husked and washed nuts out in thin layers in a well-ventilated area. This initial drying may take several weeks. Avoid excess drying, and do not put nuts in

direct sunlight to dry. The goal is to reach about 8 to 10 percent moisture. Once dry, nuts can be stored in mesh bags, burlap sacks, or baskets. Keep in a cool, dry place.

When it comes to cracking black walnuts, you may find that your hand-held nutcracker is not up to the job. A hammer, a block of wood, a vise, or big rocks are most commonly used to get the job done. There are special pressure-type crackers designed for black walnuts, which efficiently crack nuts end to end, one at a time. These can be worth the money if you want larger pieces, less crushing of the nutmeat, and higher crack-out percentages.

Another way to extract large pieces is to pre-condition or temper the nuts before cracking. Soak the nuts in water for one to two hours, then drain and keep the nuts moist overnight in an airtight container. The kernels will pick up moisture and become more flexible and not shatter as badly. If kernels still seem brittle, use a hot tap water soak just before cracking to enhance moisture uptake. When using a hammer or vise, always try to crack the nut across its widest dimension. Small nippers or wire cutters can be used to clip the shell interior to free half and quarter pieces. A nut pick will also help in extraction from shells.

Another approach is to crack many nuts at one time. Using a mallet and a burlap or heavy-duty sack, place about 100 nuts in it and strike until they are broken into a mass of shell and kernel fragments. Don't strike the sack too hard or the nuts will be crushed. The mass can then be sifted by screens to remove fines and large pieces that may need re-cracking. Follow this with hand separation. A good technique is to separate into free nutmeat pieces, shell fragments, pieces that need pick separation, and re-crack pieces. With practice, this can be an efficient method for large volumes of nuts.

Un-cracked and cured nuts will keep best in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Allow freshly extracted nutmeat to dry for a day or two before refrigerating in a moisture-proof container. Nutmeat can be frozen in jars or freezer bags, and will hold two or more years without loss of quality.

Tender flowering "bulbs" produce some of our most colorful summer blooms. Gladiolus, canna, tuberous begonia, and others are common throughout the U.S. These plants need special care because freezing kills them.

The bulbs (in reality tubers, rhizomes and corms, in addition to true bulbs) need to be dug up and stored indoors just like potatoes, onions, and carrots. Bulb harvest takes the same care as vegetable harvesting.

While the different flowering plants require different handling techniques, they all require the same care in handling.

Gladioli grow from corms. The corms should be dug once the foliage has matured or after frost. Carefully lift the corms from the ground to avoid losing the small cormels that will be future glads.

Cut the tips an inch above the corms and cure the corms for two to four weeks in a warm spot with good air circulation. Brush off any dried soil with a soft cloth.

Remove the old shriveled corm on the bottom of the new tan one.

Before storing the corms, dust them with an insecticide-fungicide mixture to prevent the corms from rotting and to control thrips. Store the corms in onion bags or old nylon stockings hung in a place with good air circulation and 35- to 45-degree temperatures.

Dahlias grow from tubers. Cut dahlia tops back to within 3 to 4 inches of the soil after the first frost. Dig carefully to avoid damaging the fleshy roots or breaking off the new eyes. Cure dahlias the same way as glads for one to three days. Keep as much of the soil attached as possible.

Store dahlias in a box or plastic bag packed with vermiculite, peat moss, or wood chips to prevent drying out. Dahlia tubers should be completely covered and stored at 35 to 45 degrees.

The tubers should be inspected several times throughout the winter. If they start to shrivel, lightly sprinkle the packing material with water. If conditions are too moist and roots start to rot, move the tubers to a drier place and remove rotted portions.

Treat canna roots similar to dahlia, except store them upside down in a shallow box. Cannas do not require covering. Hold the roots in 45- to 50-degree storage temperatures.

Tuberoses should be cut back after frost and their bulbs stored in sand or vermiculite-filled plastic bags at 55 to 60 degrees.

Peruvian daffodil bulbs should be dug before frost and stored upside down in vermiculite or dry sand. Store at the same temperature as tuberoses.

Check bulbs, tubers, corms, and roots throughout the storage season and make any necessary changes in their conditions so that they will make it through the winter in good shape.

Organic gardening experts from around the world will present five educational sessions to inspire you at Organic Gardening Day, Saturday, November 8, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Urbana.

This year's speakers include Lee Reich, from New Paltz, New York. Reich is a noted garden author, speaker, and former researcher with USDA and Cornell University. He'll be presenting tips on how to master the art of fearless pruning. Then he'll speak about how to grow native species which are adapted to our local climate as well as pests.

Terra Brockman from The Land Connection will speak about Food Democracy: 21st Century Victory Gardens.

Erin Meyer, the owner of Basil's Harvest, and Golda Ewalt, director of a dietetic internship program, will co-present a discussion and cooking demonstration featuring recipes, fresh herbs, and organic produce.

Abram Bicksler, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois working with John Masiunas on sustainable systems of vegetable production, will speak about companion planting.

In addition, there will be a retail area selling a broad spectrum of gardening products.

Advance registration of $59, which includes an organic lunch, must be received by October 31. Contact Carla Chapman, 217-333-7738; carlac@illinois.edu.

On-site registration on November 8 begins at 8 a.m. only as space allows and does not include lunch. The first educational session begins promptly at 9 a.m.

If you took your indoor houseplants outdoors for the summer, now is the time to start the process of bringing them back inside for the winter. Most of our indoor plants are tropical and grow where temperatures rarely drop below 40 degrees. You will need to bring your plants in before nighttime temperatures dip below 45 degrees.

Houseplants moved indoors face two challenges. They must adapt to a different growing environment, and they may harbor unwanted pests both in the soil and on the plant. The answer to both challenges is to isolate the plants in a brightly lit location for six weeks. Bringing them in without isolating or checking and treating for pests can result in pest problems spreading to other indoor plants.

Because conditions greatly differ between the inside and outside of your home, a gradual re-entry is recommended. Sudden changes in temperature, light, watering, and humidity can be traumatic to plants, often resulting in leaf drop, foliage discoloration, wilting, dieback, and even death. If daytime temps are still warm, you could bring the plants indoors overnight and set them back out during the day.

Indoor lighting is often the limiting factor for tropical plants. Tolerance of low light varies with each type of plant. Place plants in a bright area or provide supplemental lighting with gro-lights. Put the lights on timers set for 16 hours a day. Clean windows, both inside and out, to insure plants receive the maximum amount of possible light. Group together plants with similar light requirements. Regularly rotate plants so they don't lean in one direction towards the light and become lopsided.

Water less frequently. While outdoors, plants were exposed to drying conditions of wind and high temperatures. Indoors, they won't require as much water. Let the soil surface feel dry to the touch before watering again. If the weather is cloudy, plants won't be drying out as quickly, so monitor carefully.

Check for pests using an integrated pest management approach. Don't immediately reach for the spray bottle. Closely inspect plants for pests. Look on top and underneath foliage. Inspect stems and leaf axils where insects burrow. Hand remove pests, if possible, or brush pests with an alcohol-soaked swab to kill them. Wrap the container in a plastic bag, securing with a twist tie at the base of the plant and gently hose off the plant,

making sure to reach the underside of the foliage. Inspect the roots for hidden trespassers such as slugs or snails. Unwanted critters enter through the soil surface and the drainage hole. Keeping plants separated for six weeks will isolate any problems and give you a chance to manage pests with the least amount of chemical.

If all else fails, use a houseplant pesticide in a safe location according to the label instructions. If the plant is extremely unhealthy, it's probably best to throw it out and replace it next season.

Plants may appear a bit less robust at first so give them time to adjust. Expect some signs of stress as plants acclimate to their new environment. Some plants rebound quicker than others. Be patient, and you will once again be able to enjoy your houseplants year-round.

- Martha Smith, horticulture educator

During the winter months, deer can wreak havoc on a landscape. A hungry deer will eat about any vegetation and can put away more than 4 pounds of twiggy branches a day. Damage to trees and shrubs can be extensive, affecting plant shape and exposing bare wood to disease and insects.

The fall months bring another type of deer damage associated with the mating "rut." From early September through November, male deer are looking to clean their antlers of summer velvet, while at the same time marking territory during the breeding season. In addition to rubbing antlers against trees to remove velvet, buck deer assert themselves by thrashing and battering the tree for noise effect, and coating the twigs and bark with scent from glands in their face and underbody to mark territory.

Young trees, especially those 1 to 4 inches in diameter with smooth bark, are at risk— including maple, magnolias, and birch. Young, soft-wooded, pliable saplings, especially pine and bald cypress, are also targets and can quickly be reduced to stubs. Deer will continue rubbing even after the velvet is removed.

Tree damage involves shredding of bark from 1 to 4 feet up, exposing underlying wood. If rubbed all the way around, the trunk can be girdled. If small trees are bent over, main leaders and smaller limbs can be broken off. Usually the damage is done in a 24-hour period. Because this is also a territorial action, bucks may revisit trees they like in subsequent years. Keep in mind that a buck in rut is an unpredictable animal. With its sharp antlers, it is a clear danger; challenging the buck or attempting to scare it away may result in an attack.

So what can be done? Trim loose, shredded bark where it's not tightly connected to the trunk. Where the bark isn't loosened around the circumference, the tree might heal and continue to develop. Fully girdled trees will die. If limbs have been broken, the tree's structure may be altered. Prune broken branches to a strong side shoot or main branch or trunk. If the tip has been broken off, look for an un-damaged shoot close to the top of the tree that might be trained as a new leader. If nothing is done, the tree will re-sprout in the spring below the damaged area and become shrubby in growth and appearance. Over the course of the growing season, new bark will develop to cover exposed wood.

If the tree recovers, protect it next fall by wrapping the trunk with plastic trunk wraps, strips of rubber tubing, or hardware mesh. One or two steel posts set next to the tree will help deter rubbing action. Flared bases on posts should be set in-line with the trunk to reduce root damage when the post is driven in. Light gauge steel-type posts, 4 to 6 feet long, can be used to protect smaller trees. You can also make a temporary fence around large trees from September through November, using woven fencing or chicken wire.

Bars of soap hung in the tree and bags of human and pet hair have varying degrees of effectiveness in repelling deer; they work especially well to prevent browsing on young fruit trees. Pre-formulated and homemade spray-on repellents are one of the most common deer control techniques used for woody plants. The effectiveness of repellents is based on several factors. Rain and moisture dissipate some materials, so reapplication is needed. If food is extremely scarce, deer may simply ignore the repellents, despite the taste or odor. A deer in rut will likely disregard it altogether.

Deer can significantly damage new and young trees. Take steps now to protect them from rutting bucks. Correctively prune trees that do get damaged and pay attention to them next year—they may be revisited and damaged further.

- Tony Bratsch, horticulture educator

Fall is the only time spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips and daffodils can be planted. If you've never planted bulbs before, or if you just need a refresher, here are some basic tips to help insure success.

When—The best time to get bulbs into the ground is when soil temperatures fall below 60 degrees. That generally occurs in October.

Where—Bulbs can be planted in beds, in rock gardens, in ground covers, or under trees and shrubs. Most species prefer partial shade, so avoid planting them in areas that receive direct mid-day sun. Also, keep them away from heated basement walls.

How—For tulips, daffodils, or other large bulbs, the bed must be 8 inches deep and wide enough to accommodate 12 or more bulbs spaced 6 inches apart. Smaller bulbs such as crocuses and muscari require a bed that is 5 inches deep with bulbs spaced 3 inches apart.

Good drainage is essential for all spring-flowering bulbs. If your soil is mostly clay, mix in an organic material such as peat moss or compost in amounts up to 50 percent in volume. If your soil is mostly sand, add peat moss or compost in the same amount to increase water and nutrient-holding capacity.

Fertilization improves bulb performance and encourages bulbs to flower for several years without replacement. Two fertilizing methods are recommended for spring-flowering bulbs.

One method uses a sulfur-coated, slow-release complete fertilizer. It is applied to the rooting area at the rate of 1 rounded tablespoon per square foot at planting time.

The second method is a broadcast application of 8-8-8 (1 level tablespoon) or 10-10-10 (1 rounded teaspoon) fertilizer per square foot in the fall.

Place the bulbs in the bed, tips pointing upward and spaced as suggested above. Cover them with half the conditioned soil and thoroughly water the area. Add the remaining conditioned soil and soak the area again.

Cover the planted area with a 3-inch layer of mulch. Wood chips, peat moss, and bark are good choices because they do not mat. Keep the soil moist, particularly during dry spells.

- David Robson, horticulture educator

Q. Is there a best time of year to trim evergreens or shrubs? The evergreens I have are too large. They have to be trimmed back to the point that there are just branches and no green needles. Will they grow back?

A. It depends on what type of evergreen it is. Yews can be trimmed back any time except July through September. Spruces and firs should be pruned in the late spring (probably late May) when the new growth has started hardening off. Pines are often pruned when the new candle length is done shooting out, but before it becomes hard. You can usually cut the new growth back by one-half. This usually is in June. For most junipers, prune in the early spring before growth starts.

Realize that most evergreen trees are best left to their own nature, and pruning should only be done to correct deficiencies in shape or to remove dead limbs. If you are pruning to keep an evergreen tree small, prune at ground level, grind out the trunk, and plant a dwarf form instead.

- Answer provided by Davd Robson, U of I Extension horticulture educator