PG. 10 - PURDUE EXTENSION NEWS - January/February 2010
AG NEWS...
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engineering designs can be completed before next summer for waterway installation. Filter strips do not require a survey, but a site visit will be needed. Contracts for these CRP practices are for 10-15 years and include a maintenance agreement between the landowner and USDA. Information on CRP, as well as other USDA conservation programs, can be found at http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/ . The local USDA Service Center is located at 801 Anson Street in Salem. The phone number is 812-883-3006 and may be accessed at normal business hours.
SWCD Celebrating 64th Annual Meeting
The 64th Annual Meeting of the Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will be held Tuesday, January 19, 2010 beginning at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the New Hope United Methodist Church located off State Rd. 60, Salem. The meeting will begin with the traditional “Ham and Bean” meal followed by the business meeting, annual report, election of supervisor, conservation plaques will be presented for: Conservation / Master Farmer of the year, Conservation Teachers and Friends of Conservation and conclude with door prizes. Please call 883-3704 to make your reservations before January 15th.
HOME GARDENING Indiana Horticultural Congress The Indiana Horticultural Congress and Trade Show runs Tuesday -Thursday, January 19th – 21st at the Wyndam Hotel (formerly Adams Mark) in Indianapolis (2544 Executive Drive, Indianapolis). The Indiana Horticultural Congress is an educational meeting designed to meet the needs of fruit, vegetable, wine, organics and specialty crop growers and marketers in Indiana and surrounding states. All interested individuals are invited to attend. For more information or a registration form, contact the Extension office or visit www.inhortcongress.org
Mid-Winter Gardening Activities Increase humidity around houseplants by grouping plants together, placing them on a pebble-water tray or running a humidifier. Check stored produce and tender flower bulbs and roots for rot, shriveling or excess moisture. Remove and discard damaged material. Repot houseplants as they outgrow current pots. Most houseplants require less water in winter months because growth is slowed or stopped. Check soil for dryness before watering. Move houseplants to brighter windows, but don't place plants in drafty places or against cold windowpanes. Prevent bark-splitting of young and thinbarked trees, such as fruit and maple trees. Wrap trunks with tree wrap, or paint trunks with white latex (not oil-based) paint, particularly on the south- and southwest-facing sides. Check young trees for rodent injury on lower trunks. Prevent injury with hardware cloth or protective collars. Prune landscape plants in February, except early spring bloomers, which should
be pruned after flowers fade. Wood ashes from the fireplace can be spread in the garden, but don't overdo it. Wood ashes increase soil pH, and excess application can make some nutrients unavailable for plant uptake. Have soil tested to be certain of the pH before adding wood ash. Prepare or repair lawn and garden tools for the upcoming season. Start seeds indoors for cool-season vegetables in February so they will be ready for transplanting to the garden early in the season. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage seeds should be started five to seven weeks prior to transplanting. Test leftover garden seed for germination. Place 10 seeds between moist paper toweling or cover with a thin layer of soil. Keep seeds warm and moist. If less than six seeds germinate, then fresh seed should be purchased.
Pruning Newly Planted Fruit Trees Fruit trees planted this year should be pruned at planting to begin developing a strong structure of the main or scaffold limbs. This will help to prevent limbs from breaking over the years when the scaffolds carry a heavy fruit load. Apples, pears, and cherries: Young apple, pear and cherry trees are generally trained using the central leader system. The growth pattern for these trees is for a center branch to be dominant. Trees that have no branches or those that have only one or two small branches should be cut back so the tree is only about 30 inches high. This pruning will promote branch development along the tree trunk. The lowest branch should be about 20 inches above the soil level. Newly purchased trees that have already developed branches should be pruned so there are no more than two to four branches for permanent scaffolds, plus