Gardener News December 2013

Gardener News 16 Mount Bethel Road #123 Warren, NJ 07059

TAKE ONE

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Gardener News

December, 2013

Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 128

Christmas tree stand with a specialized role

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor

Tom Castronovo/Photo

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree stand is five feet tall. 10 feet wide by 10.5 feet deep. Its topped off with a five square-foot-pan that holds 90 gallons of water.

Christmas tree stands have been officially around since 1876. In that year, Hermann Albrecht of Philadelphia received U.S. Patent 183,100 and U.S. Patent 183,194 as two of the first Christmas tree stand patents issued in the United States.

Growers state that the secret to a long-lived natural Christmas tree is a fresh cut and a tree stand that holds a lot of water.

The Christmas tree stand that holds New York City’s most famous Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center is made of steel and was designed to sit level on a gentle sloping sidewalk. It’s placed on a round brass marker in the sidewalk just outside of the GE Building, which is an Art Deco skyscraper at 30 Rockefeller Plaza that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan.

The tree stand is five feet tall, 10 feet wide by 10.5 feet deep. It’s topped off with a five-square-foot pan that holds 90 gallons of water.

The 81st Annual Christmas tree is a 76 foot tall, 47 foot wide Norway spruce that has been donated by the Vargoshe Family from Shelton, Connecticut. The tree comes from the family’s front yard, just behind (Continued on Page 15)

2 December, r, 20133

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Gardener G Ga ard rde deeener ner News New Newss

Gardener News

December, 2013 3 Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Happy Holidays

The Eleventh and Twelfth Months

In the eleventh month, it was water, water, water.

I started to see symptoms of drought early on. In November, all I did was water.

I watered the mums, ornamental peppers, flowering cabbage, pachysandra, the trees and shrubs and the lawn.

The water problem started in October. Very little or no rain. The dry conditions continued into November.

Everything needs water to survive.

Mums, ornamental peppers and the flowering cabbage need a lot of water. You can never over-water a mum, in my opinion.

My pachysandra leaves started wilting, curling at the edges, and yellowing. The plants looked like they would in a drought-stricken summer.

The lawn was showing signs of wilting, darkening color, and I was leaving footprints after walking across the lawn. In some areas under the large oaks, the grass was simply drying up. It almost looked like there was a giant shadow under them from the canopy above. In some areas of the lawn, the ground began to crack.

Whenever possible, I tried to limit the foot traffic of any type on the lawn.

I’ve seen quite a few lawns in the Middlesex County area that are just plain brown. Drought stress will occur faster on turf stands with poor soil conditions underneath. Soil compaction, clay fill, high pH, and general poor conditions for root growth.

The only good thing that came out of it being dry was cleaning up the leaves. My RedMax backpack leaf blower moved them like a hot butter through a knife. I used my Stihl lightweight hand held blower in the garden beds. There is nothing that I hate more about yard work than cleaning up wet leaves.

If it stays dry into December, I will continue to water the pachysandra, trees and shrubs, if the ground does not freeze. I will just let the lawn go naturally dormant. I have faith that the lawn will come back because it is made up of Jonathan Green’s Black Beauty grass seed.

The trees and shrubs on the other hand need some extra-special attention. These are big-ticket items to replace if they die.

Symptoms of drought injury to trees can be sudden or may take up to two years to be revealed. Drought injury symptoms on tree leaves include wilting, curling at the edges, and yellowing. Often, drought stress may not kill a tree outright, but set it up for more serious secondary insect and disease infestations in following years.

In continued drought, leaves may be smaller than normal, drop prematurely or remain attached to the tree even though brown.

I have continued to saturate the soil around my deciduous trees within the “dripline” (the outer edges of the tree’s branches) to disperse water down toward the roots.

On my evergreens and shrubs I watered three to five feet beyond the dripline on all sides of them The objective is to water slowly, dispersing the flow of water to get the water deep down to the trees roots. Watering for short periods of time only encourages shallow rooting, which can lead to more drought damage.

A general rule of thumb is to use approximately 10 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter for each watering Even in years when drought is not a concern – winter watering is crucial, especially with evergreen trees!

Well-timed fall and winter watering may allow a tree to survive on less water than a regimen of plentiful water applications during the growing season. Tree roots continue to grow throughout the winter and need moisture to survive. Generally, water one to two times per month October through March on a warm day when the ground is not frozen. Use the same amount of water as during the summer months.

To conserve water, only water when the plant tells you to.

For the landscape’s sake, I hope it stays warm enough through December to keep the ground from freezing and we get a lot of rain instead of snow. Until them, I will continue to water. And I will remember to disconnect the hose and drain it after each watering. I learned this mistake a few years ago.

The twelfth month brings me to the subject of poinsettias.

After you have made your poinsettia selection at your favorite retailer, make sure it is wrapped properly because exposure to low temperatures even for a few minutes can damage the bracts and leaves. Try to place them in the front seat area of the car closest to the heat vents.

Once home, unwrap your poinsettia carefully and place in indirect light. Six hours of light daily is ideal.

Keep the plant from touching cold windows.

Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts from radiators, air registers or open doors and windows.

Ideally, poinsettias require daytime temperatures of 60 to 70°F and nighttime temperatures around 55°F. High temperatures will shorten the plant’s life. Move the plant to a cooler room at night, if possible.

Check the soil daily. Be sure to punch holes in foil so water can drain into a saucer. Water when soil is dry.

Allow water to drain into the saucer and discard excess water. Wilted plants will tend to drop bracts sooner.

Even poinsettias need water to survive.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

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As always, I hope you find the information in the Gardener News informative and enjoyable.

Until next time…Keep the “garden” in the Garden State.

-Tom Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

2013 NJ Flower and Garden Show Award Winning Water Display Garden

4 December, 2013

Gardener News

In the first three seasons of the year, New Jersey is known for its 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, strawberries, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, peaches, apples and pumpkins, as well as a whole host of flowers, plants, trees and shrubs.

In winter, too, agriculture is still very much active, but features a very different lineup. Starting the day after Thanksgiving, there is a fourth agriculture season that includes choose-and-cut Christmas trees, natural wreaths and poinsettias.

Poinsettias were first brought to America by Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. Minister to Mexico, where the plant grew wild as a tree. Poinsett was taken by its bold color and in 1825 sent the plant to the U.S., where it was propagated into a smaller size.

Poinsettias are associated with Christmas, partly because they were found naturally blooming for a short time around the Christmas holiday.

They are currently the most frequently sold and delivered Christmas decorations in America during the holiday season, according to an article on the history of the poinsettia on the website www. proflowers.com.

All through the winter, people can visit these wineries with their wines made from Jersey Fresh grapes and other fruits. The association has mapped out several wine trails throughout the state. Try one – or all. Here is the link to the wine growers’ website: bit.ly/ HunA3a.

Many things happen on our New Jersey farms in the winter time. Cleaning, prepping, propagating, working in the greenhouses. Keep Garden State agriculture in mind when looking for something fun to do any season of the year. Visit our Jersey Fresh website at www.jerseyfresh.nj.gov to find a list of activities, all in support of our New Jersey farming families.

NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

New Jersey Agriculture’s Four Seasons The poinsettia is considered of such importance in our country that National Poinsettia Day is commemorated annually on December 12. The day was created by an Act of Congress to enjoy the beauty of the plant, first introduced in the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett.

New Jersey has some large growers of poinsettias, who ship the plant throughout the state and country. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, in 2012 there were 50 growers who sold 1.3 million units valued at $6.7 million.

One of the largest poinsettia growers in the state is Kube Pak in Allentown. “Think more than red when considering a poinsettia purchase,� said John Swanekamp, a co-owner of the family-run business, started in 1957. “White, pinks, and multi-colored varieties abound,

as well as Painted and Glittered Poinsettias. Ask your local garden center or florist and they will be happy to provide you with a plant that blends in with any dÊcor. With minimal care, these holiday favorites will last until Valentine’s Day.�

Kube Pak produced more than 100,000 pots of poinsettias this year, which were sold to retailers throughout New Jersey and neighboring states.

Swanekamp said buying locally-sourced poinsettias ensures the plant has a longer shelf life than others that are shipped in from faraway places.

Hionis Greenhouses in Whitehouse Station is another large poinsettia grower in New Jersey. They sell red, white, pink, marble and white glitter poinsettias starting the week of Thanksgiving.

Poinsettias are easy to care for and should be watered only when dry to the touch. Locate

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Comic television star Larry Storch, known for his voice as Mr. Whoopee on Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, and his live-action role of the bumbling Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop, looks over the November Gardener News in Parsippany, New Jersey. Storch has had guest appearances on dozens of television shows as well, including Hennesey, Get Smart, Sergeant Bilko, Columbo, CHiPs, Fantasy Island, McCloud, Emergency!, The Flying Nun, Alias Smith and Jones, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, That Girl, The Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie, Gomer Pyle, Gilligan’s Island, The Doris Day Show, The Persuaders and All in the Family. It was recently announced that he would receive the 2013 Barrymore Award for Lifetime Achievement in Film and TV from the Fort Lee Film Commission on December 31.

the plant in a bright, cool place, avoiding drafts. Keep away from heating vents and other sources of heat, such as fireplaces and radiators.

To locate a nearby garden center, visit www.jerseygrown. nj.gov/retailers_info.html.

In addition to Christmas trees and poinsettias, wine is an important component of New Jersey agriculture’s “Fourth Season.�

To celebrate the holiday season and give people time to buy their Jersey wines for holiday gatherings and gifts, the New Jersey Wine Growers Association will host their annual Holiday Wine Trail Weekend November 29 through December 1. Various wineries around the state will participate with activities and special experiences that weekend.

Throughout the holiday season, the wineries offer tours and tastings.

Editor’s Note: Douglas H. Fisher is New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture. He is the department’s executive officer, secretary to the State Board of Agriculture and a member of the Governor’s cabinet. Secretary Fisher fulfills executive, management and administrative duties prescribed by law, executive order or gubernatorial direction. He can be reached at 609.292.3976. For more info, please visit: http://www. state.nj.us/agriculture

William Penn Grant supports Watershed Education in Camden &$0'(1 1- ĘŠ 7KH &DPGHQ &LW\ *DUGHQ &OXE &&*& LV pleased to announce a 2-year grant from the William Penn Foundation that will allow the Club to expand Watershed Education to children and adults in Camden, NJ and the Greater Philadelphia region.

A long-term partner, the William Penn Foundation has supported CCGC for over 25 years and provided the initial seed funding needed to begin CCGC’s 1st community garden program in 1985. Supporting a variety of environment initiatives at CCGC, one of the Foundation’s current priorities is addressing the toll of development and pollution on our local watersheds. More than 15 Million people (5% of the nation’s population) rely on the Delaware Watershed. Click here to read more about their watershed priority. The Foundation seeks to support watershed research and advance policies and practices, to protect and restore places of ecological significance, and to empower constituents to act.

The Camden City Garden Club will use their grant to engage 3,500 people in watershed education and restoration activities annually.

Through CCGC’s community gardening program, adults will learn about issues related to the watershed and how to address them, focusing primarily on existing community gardens that border waterways. Participants of the youth employment program will have training specifically related to watershed issues, which will be incorporated throughout their employment. Children will use the watershed to learn about science, civic participation and horticulture through local school programs and distance learning education. In addition, CCGC will establish an exhibit and activities at the Camden Children’s Garden that will provide hands-on learning. Lastly, the grant will allow CCGC to coordinate projects with other organizations concerned with watershed education and conservation and hopes the Camden Children’s Garden will serve as a hub on the regional trail network to introduce the public, particularly those using the waterfront trail, to local environment issues.

Gardener News

December, 2013 5

Agricultural Gala The Somerset County Board of Agriculture, which is made up in part of volunteers, individuals or representatives of corporations and associations willing to promote sustainable agriculture in Somerset County, or serve in recognition of their outstanding contributions to agriculture, held its annual dinner meeting and reception on Friday, November 1, at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Members of the Board advance, promote, enhance, assist, encourage, and support the presence, practice, and profitability of agriculture in all of its facets. They assist allied interests and businesses in serving the best interests and objectives of agriculture and provide a liaison between the N.J. Department of Agriculture, N.J. Farm Bureau, and Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension. Pictured at the reception from left to right are: Bob Goodman, Executive Dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Executive Director of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station; Michael Catania, Executive Director of Duke Farms; Ryck Suydam, President of the New Jersey Farm Bureau; and New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray.

Consumers have a choice about where they shop, how they shop and when they shop. More and more choices are becoming available in our area, which is great if you are a consumer of goods.

Competition is good generally because it makes everyone better. Even though the slices of the proverbial pie get smaller, it forces companies to find a niche, a specialty.

Competition is starting to come from unlikely places for those purveyors of goods that have physical buildings.

Internet-based sales of consumer goods were perfected by online retailers like Amazon. Amazon started as an online book seller in 1995 and in less than 20 years has reshaped the way people purchase books.

Neighborhood book stores were the first to feel the pinch and now companies like Barnes and Noble have scaled back bricks-and-mortar operations. Refusal to adjust to changes in the market has put Borders Bookstores out of business totally.

Amazon was sued by several well-known retailers over the years for what can be

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Passionate About Produce

By Paul Kneeland The King of Produce

Valued Options generalized as “unfair” claims or practices that were mostly all settled out of court. The giant would not be slowed down. Further diversification helped the company develop technologies like the Kindle, an electronic book reader that has morphed into a tablet with multiple uses. It also started many other specific topical websites that sell art, web services and publishing.

Now Amazon and others like Target have focused energies and millions of dollars to sell groceries and perishable products like meat and produce online. Some retail operators will ignore this movement and may end up like Borders or any number of companies that have lost business to Amazon. Others may gamble on consumers who like shopping for their

own food. Either way, the attention that is needed to help secure or increase current revenues will benefit consumers.

Convenience is a huge factor in the success of these businesses. Consumers can literally sit at their desks at work or home and order their groceries and have them delivered without finding time to get in the car, finding a parking space, navigating the aisles of a store, checking out and driving back home.

Navigating the website and unpacking the groceries would be the extent of the effort. Nowadays it is even easier with a mobile “App.” Consumers can order their groceries from wherever they may be without needing to sit in front of a computer.

In order to differentiate,

companies must sell a value to the consumer. Each has a target consumer and each has a specific go-to market focus. If the lack of time is very valuable to you, then you may opt for the online ordering. If price is the most important thing when making a purchase, you may prefer a price option and go to a discount store. If you like the experience that food shopping gives you and prefer to get some inspiration on what to cook, then that option may be the most value to you.

Recently at the Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention in New Orleans, I had the honor of being a student ambassador to a senior from Cornell. My job was to show her the many aspects of the produce business and help

make contacts with hiring companies that fit her desired position when she graduates in May. Being an Ag student, we talked a lot of food. In my mind, I saw young people as time-starved, given the pace of work and school today.

I figured for sure that she would prefer online grocery shopping. To my surprise, she told me that she spends two hours on average shopping for groceries at a physical store and she just loves it, loves looking at the food and picking out her own products.

Things are changing.

What people value most will be what drives the shopping experience in the future. It is really that simple.

Editor’s Note: Paul Kneeland is the Vice President of Floral, Meat, Produce and Seafood for Kings Food Markets, President of the Eastern Produce Council, and a board member of the Produce Marketing Association. He holds degrees in Business Management from Boston College as well as Northeastern University.

He can be reached at pkneeland@kingssm.com

6 December, 2013

Gardener News

Silver Pesticide Flag Bill passes in NJ Senate 75(1721 1- ĘŠ 7KH 1HZ -HUVH\ 6HQDWH SDVVHG 6HQDWH %LOO 1R RQ 0RQGD\ November 18, 2013. The vote was 24-11.

This bill requires every commercial pesticide applicator to use uniform silver flags to mark areas on which pesticides have been applied. The flags used must be silver in color, must be a uniform size and type, must provide information in English and Spanish, and must stay in place for a minimum of 72 hours after the pesticide application.

In addition, the bill would prohibit the use of silver flags to mark anything likely to be confused with a pesticide application. The exclusive color requirement is intended to distinguish pesticide flags from, among other things, those used for invisible dog fences, underground utility lines, septic tanks, and underground piping.

An identical bill has been received in the Assembly. It is Bill No. A-2791.

Visit the “Latest News & Press Releases� section on the home page of www.

GardenerNews.com to find out if this important piece of legislation has made its way through the Assembly in the 215th Legislature.

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Hitting the Sweet Spot I am sure that everyone has heard the expression “hitting the sweet spot.� And, as many of you are probably aware, the expression is derived from a baseball term which refers to a batter hitting the baseball with a certain part of the bat at just the right moment in the swing, which in turn causes the ball to project off the bat and travel for a great distance.

As anyone who has ever played baseball can attest, hitting the ball with this “sweet spot� is very hard to do. If the bat hits the ball just a little bit to the right or left or to the top or the bottom, the ball will not travel nearly as straight or as far and very likely will cause an intense vibration in the bat which can be very painful to the batter’s hands. In fact, it is very hard to hit the ball with this “sweet spot� even under optimal conditions during batting practice. But just try and do it when an opposing pitcher is trying his hardest to strike you out and you will realize how difficult it is to accomplish. Thus, hitting the ball with the sweet spot does not tend to happen all that often.

The use of this saying has grown to be a descriptive term in other sports (golf and tennis quickly come to mind), and has even spread into other areas of the English language. And yes, there can even be a sweet spot in agriculture. If I were asked to give an agricultural definition of “hitting the sweet spot,� it would be something along the lines of: “Growing a bountiful crop that has outstanding quality, and then being able to sell it into a marketplace where it demands a premium price.� As you can see by my definition, three key components have to occur together in order for this to happen. They are quality, quantity and marketability. And speaking as someone who has a little experience in this, these three factors do not often align themselves with each other.

Let’s first talk about the quantity of a crop. This is probably the easiest of the three to obtain. As long as a grower uses good growing practices and is at least somewhat lucky with the weather, he should be able to grow a crop with a decent yield. Of course, Mother Nature may have something to say about this and some ill-timed weather event such as a late or early frost, a windstorm, or an extended drought can all negatively affect the yield of a crop. For example, this season, we had a beautiful field of sunflowers that were a week away from harvest when the temperature dipped into the mid-20s one night. Needless to say, there was nothing left after that.

The quality of the crop is one area that is often overlooked by the general public. Especially when fruits and vegetables are involved, there can often be wide ranges in the quality of these crops. Size can be an important factor. A fantastic yield of small apples will only be worth what a juice processor will be willing to pay for them (and trust me, that is not much.) Conversely, a great yield of baseball bat-sized zucchini will be worth less than the apples. There are also other factors that can affect a crop’s quality. A couple of years ago, someone asked why we had not yet picked a field of tomatoes. What they couldn’t see was that an earlier rainstorm had caused most of the tomatoes to crack and they were essentially worthless.

The final leg of this equation, marketability, is usually the hardest to obtain. And the reason for this is fairly simple. That is because in order for prices to be high, there must usually be a scarcity.

And the largest causes of these scarcities are weather events and these events generally occur on a regional basis. So there is a good chance that if one farmer has a good crop, his neighbor does too. And when supply is high, prices tend to be low. As you can see, just as in baseball, “hitting the sweet spot� is hard to do. But when you hit it, boy is it enjoyable!

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is a current member of the Tewksbury Township Committee, and a former Mayor of Tewksbury Township. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture.

Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

Gardener News

December, 2013 7

A Wheel of Boughs for the Table and Garden December is typically a month for pause in our gardening efforts as we refocus to indoor holiday activities and fulfilling our shopping obligations. A few random leaves remain on the trees, but most of the deciduous plants are bare and the evergreen trees assume a more commanding role in the garden. Aside from their foliar attraction for the garden, evergreens provide foliar decorations for arrangements inside the home as well. Naturally, holly and pine trees provide attractive cuts for Holiday decorations, as does the Southern Magnolia.

However, if you are looking for something truly unique, consider the Wheel Tree, Trochodendron aralioides.

I first stumbled upon this plant over 30 years ago during a visit to Longwood Gardens.

I was enamored with its attractive vase-shaped habit and the option of another broadleaf evergreen for the garden. Each

time I return to Longwood, I pay that plant a visit and at no time has it ever looked tired or winter damaged, reaffirming my conviction that this truly is a good ‘tree’ for gardens in zone 6 and 7. Trochodendron is native to Japan, Southern Korea and Taiwan, where it can grow to a rather formidable size, often approaching 60’ tall and wide although 20’ is typical in the garden! It shares its family, the Trochodendraceae, with only one other genus and Trochodendron itself is limited to only one species; a small family indeed! The etymology of Trochodendron actually translates into its common name: Trochus is from the Greek for Wheel while Dendron is for tree, hence Wheeltree. The name was developed from the radial arrangement of the foliage around the stems, much like the arrangement of the wooden spokes on a carriage wheel. The species epithet of aralioides refers to the resemblance of the flower arrangement to the genus Aralia. Long used as an ornamental in Asia, the

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first European to ‘discover’ Trochodendron was P.F. von Siebold during his travels of Nagasaki Japan in the 1820’s and it was first described by Siebold and JG Zuccarini in 1839 in Volume 1 of their book, Flora Japonica.

Trochodendron is among the most primitive of Angiosperms or flowering plants, but it is not as ancient as was originally suspected. All woody Angiosperms trunks have a central core of dead material called xylem, which is responsible for the passage of water and minerals up the stems to the foliage. Xylem is composed of two types of hollow cells: tracheids and vessel cells. Both are technically ‘dead’, but tracheids are long and provide a much thinner tube for water passage. This narrow passage and the physics of capillary action is partly responsible for the water column remaining unbroken, allowing the foliage to remain hydrated. Vessels are shorter and fatter, allowing water to climb a plant at a much faster rate. Interestingly,

Trochodendron lacks vessel cells, initially imparting the idea that the plant developed early in the age of flower plants.

However, it has since been hypothesized that the plant most likely abandoned these vessel cells, with the ambient environmental pressures at that time pushing for a xylem of only tracheids.

Morphology aside, Trochodendron is a beautiful plant for the garden. The foliage is lanceolate or canoeshaped, upwards of 6” long and 3” wide, with a deep lustrous green appearance throughout the growing season and hints of purple during the winter. The foliage is clustered in the wheel-like appearance at the ends of the current season’s growth. Flowers are light green in color and are produced in clusters of 10-20 along a modified panicle in May. The flowers are apetalous, but are surrounded by an attractive whirl of 40-70 stamens, yielding a subtle, yet eye-catching display.

Plants with glossy, deep green foliage typically require

Garden Shopping

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shade as a requisite for success.

In reality, Trochodendron is equally successful in sun as in shade although it becomes more ‘leggy’ in deep shade.

The key is for the soil to be well-drained. A unique and beautiful evergreen for the table and the garden during this holiday season, Trochodendron desperately needs more widespread use in NJ Gardens!

Editor’s Note: Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth; is the managing director of the Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum; an adjunct professor in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; regularly participates in the Rutgers – Continuing Education Program; and the immediate past-president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium.

He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu For to us a child is born, To us a son is given, And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace There will be no end. (Isaiah 9:6-7) Enjoy the beauty of the season. Shop local and find the best poinsettias and holiday plants only at your neighborhood Garden Center.

A very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukka to all! Blessings of health and happiness in 2014.

Til next time, Leslie Editor’s Note: Leslie Barlow is co-owner of Barlow Flower Farm in Sea Girt, NJ, one of the largest retail growers in NJ since 1983. She has appeared on News 12 NJ and has been a guest speaker at local garden clubs. She is a Certified Staging Professional™ with a specialty in Curb Appeal. She has been gardening for many years and is always at trade shows hunting for useful accessories for the home garden. For product information she can be reached at 732-449-9189 or lbarlow@ barlowflowerfarm.com.

8 December, 2013 A young person asked me this question the other day and my immediate thought was a heck of a lot of bird seed, sunflower seeds and suet that I put out.

But, not knowing what the naturally frozen terra firma has to offer them, I went to my local Cooperative Extension office and asked them. This is what they told me: It depends on the species. Some, like the Northern Cardinal (I have a couple pairs of these), survive on the berries that are left on the bushes. Some, like nuthatches and some woodpeckers, have stored seeds under the bark of trees. If the snow is not too deep, the birds can still scratch it away and glean grain from agricultural fields.

Many birds will eat snow in order to get sufficient water in the winter, when their normal water sources are frozen.

There is also a freeze/thaw cycle that creates puddles during the day from which they can catch a drink. Only raptors get their moisture from their food supply.

Many seed and grain eating birds either migrate or they get the majority of their food from human sources, I am excited to announce that we are changing the focus and name of my column. Starting this month, The Outdoor Room is now The NJLCA Today. Our goal is to raise awareness about the opportunities, value and importance of working with a professional landscape contractor and for landscape contractors to understand what it means to be an industry professional.

As someone who has been involved in the “Green Industry” for over 35 years, working as a laborer in high school, graduating from Cook College with a BS (CC’86), in Landscape Architecture, running my own design/build business and now in my current position as Executive Director of The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) and Green Industry Consultant. I have seen the landscape industry evolve from its roots of providing basic services such as mowing grass, edging beds and blowing off leaves, into becoming a multibillion dollar industry in New Jersey.

We have become highly sophisticated in our business management practices and offer a diversity of services to homeowners, facility managers, condo associations and municipalities.

Unlike yesteryear’s “mow and blow

Gardener News The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

“What Do My Backyard Buddies Eat in Winter?” like me. I have cardinals, blue jays, mourning doves, woodpeckers and a host of smaller birds that call my backyard their winter smorgasbord.

Anyway, let’s get back to what the best natural winter wildlife foods are characterized by and there are two qualities: persistence on the branch or vine, and low appeal during fall. Persistent berries are those that remain on the plant long into winter, such as hawthorne, hackberry, Russian olive, Siberian crab, mountain ash, American cranberry, sumac, snowberry and bittersweet.

Many of these same berries are initially unpalatable for wildlife and require freezing and thawing before they are desirable. Berries that persist into late winter are extremely

important because they are available at a time when other natural (or unnatural) food supplies are limited or covered by snow. Songbirds and game birds alike benefit the greatest from this type of natural food source.

Other plants, which produce acorns or nuts, provide a quality food source for species like wild turkeys and wood ducks. These plants include bur oak, black walnut, and beaked hazel. Winterfruiting, native plants, like winged sumac, hackberry, and highbush cranberry, provide both shelter and a good source of food for wintering birds.

Like most creatures, birds require three things for winter survival: shelter, food, and water. This made me think of my squirrels that I also have a number of feeding stations

for. In late fall, I watched them bury sunflower seeds and corn kernels all over the yard and thought to myself, when the ground is frozen and covered with a possible two to three feet of snow....how is this going to work? Once again, I call the Cooperative Extension office for advice; Squirrels employ two different practices for stocking their winter pantry. One method is known as “scatter-hoarding,” in which the animal places a handful of nuts and seeds in numerous locations. That way, if another critter finds one stash, chances are their remaining stores will stay hidden. The other method is “larder-hoarding,” when a squirrel will select just a few locations and store a mother lode within each. So how do they find their stockpile?

Creating Outdoor Spaces

By Jody Shilan, MLA Landscape Designer

Changing with the Times landscaper,” seen driving a beat up pickup truck with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, sporting hippie-like long hair and torn rock concert T-shirt, today’s landscape contractor is well educated and highly businesslike. He may have one truck and a few employees or a fleet and hundreds of employees.

His vehicles are properly inspected, insured and adorned with state mandated lettering, including proper registration and licensing numbers. These trucks are driven by licensed and legal employees who are well-groomed and well-trained.

Upon arrival at a jobsite, they can be seen wearing matching uniforms embossed with a company logo. They will certainly be hard to miss since they should be wearing neon green reflective clothing along with the latest OSHA-approved safety gear. Their equipment is obviously well-maintained and properly tied, helping to reduce

the risk of accidents on the road.

When parked at a property, you will see orange construction cones properly placed in the front and rear of their truck and trailer, providing a safe work zone for themselves while alerting drivers passing by to slow down and proceed with caution, helping to keep everybody safe and sound.

As the industry has matured and professionalism has increased, so has the diversity of services offered by today’s landscape professional. Although specific services vary from company to company, the industry itself is broken up into several main categories. There is traditional lawn maintenance, which includes weekly lawn cuttings, bed edging and blowing, as well as spring and fall clean-ups.

Next is lawn care. This includes seasonal applications that help keep your lawn healthy and green.

These days, there are synthetic solutions, organic solutions and a

hybrid of the two with new ones emerging every day. Along with these new lawn care solutions are landscape professionals educating themselves through continuing education classes, short courses and landscape association meetings.

There is also tree and shrub care. This can include fertilization and deep-root feedings, trimming and selective pruning, and protective applications such as anti-desiccants or animal control sprays. Lastly, for those of you who love to have seasonal color but either have a black thumb or just don’t have the time to maintain your perennials and annuals, many landscape contractors provide traditional garden maintenance services.

Whether it’s adding some seasonal color to your containers, deadheading, fertilizing or dividing your flowers, there is nothing like having a professional gardener tend to these colorful

Current data suggests three possibilities: the use of smell, the use of landmarks, or perhaps least likely, relying on a darn good memory.

Most of the research seemed to corroborate the smell theory. Some squirrels have been observed digging up seeds through many feet of snow. Despite all their careful planning, the industrious squirrel population never finds all the nuts they’ve buried, and their undiscovered stashes help to propagate the world’s forests. In effect, the animals are working to replenish and ensure their food supply for generations to come. How’s that for shrewd resource management? And, one of the reasons I care about squirrels when so many others do not.

When was the last time YOU planted a tree?

Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

Editors Note: Richard Perkins is an avid horticulturist, a member of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and the Seacoast Writers Association.

He can be reached at perkinsphoto7@aol.com additions in your landscape.

On the construction side of the industry there is what is known as design/build. These companies or divisions in a company can design and build everything from simple front yard foundation plantings to complex property master plans, including swimming pools, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens and mature plantings.

Design/build contractors can help you solve grading and drainage problems and /or provide lighting and irrigation services either directly or with a subcontractor.

Although you may not see today’s landscape professional wearing a suit and tie to work just yet, they are certainly not wearing ripped jeans and a T-shirt either.

Editors Note: Jody Shilan is the owner of Jody Shilan Designs in Wyckoff, where he provides landscape design and consulting services for homeowners and landscape contractors. He earned his bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture from Cook College, Rutgers University and his masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Currently, he is Executive Director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). He can be reached at 201-783-2844 or jshilan@gmail.com.

Gardener Gard rde dener News Newss New

December, mber, r, 2013 2013 9

Media Christmas tree Frenzy in New Jersey

Tom Castronovo/Photo

The Search for What Makes a Tasty Tomato

IN FEBURARY SAVE THE DATE

EM E

for NJ’s Garden Event of the Year!

TH

Tomatoes are a $2 billion crop in the United States, but a common complaint is that the varieties in supermarkets often lack the flavor of locally grown varieties. To improve flavor, breeders need to know more about the types of tomatoes that hold the greatest potential for enhancing taste.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) molecular biologist Joanne Labate and plant geneticist Larry Robertson at Geneva, N.Y., worked with Dilip Panthee of North Carolina State University to explore tomato’s diversity in a study designed to help breeders develop tastier tomatoes.

Labate and Robertson work at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Plant Genetic Resources Unit at Geneva.

ARS is USDA’s principal intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.

The team raised 173 varieties on test plots in North Carolina, trained 10 volunteers in sensory analysis, and asked them to rate the varieties on a scale of one to five in four sensory areas: odor, taste, flavor, and texture. The varieties were selected from the approximately 6,000 accessions in the ARS Tomato Germplasm Collection in Geneva

ENJOY

14

USDA ARS Information Staff

because they represent a cross-section of the world’s tomato diversity.

The results, published in Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization (2013), represent one of the most comprehensive efforts to date for identifying sources for boosting flavor among commercial varieties and lines used for breeding. They also are a treasure trove for breeders, offering a comprehensive set of rankings on flavor qualities, sweetness, vitamin C content, sugar and acid content, and other characteristics.

The findings show that although thousands of compounds go into determining flavor and other characteristics, two components play a key role: the amounts of sugar and acid. There also was a positive correlation between sweetness and flavor. The sweeter the tomato, the more flavor it contained.

The findings are good news for breeders because they show a lot of variation and a broad range of possibilities for adjusting sugar levels and developing more flavorful tomatoes. Breeding to enhance flavor shouldn’t be that difficult because both sugar and acid content can be reliably and inexpensively measured, according to the researchers.

Editor’s Note: Dennis O’Brien works for the Agricultural Research Service, USDA. He can be reached at (301) 504-1636 or by emailing newsservice@ars.usda.gov

20

By Dennis O'Brien

For the first time, the White House Christmas trees have been selected from a New Jersey farm.

Four Douglas firs, between nine and 10 feet tall, were picked on October 31, 2013 from Wyckoff’s, a 172-acre farm now being run by the family’s seventh generation, in White Township.

John Wyckoff and his family got the honor after winning a contest on August 10, 2013 through the trade group, the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA).

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher welcomed White House Chief Usher Angella Reid, White House Chief Groundskeeper Dale Haney and Chief Horticulturist Jim Adams to the farm.

John Wyckoff held a 10-foot measuring stick as Haney, Reid and Adams surveyed the trees, while the media tagged along.

When the White House officials saw one they liked, Wyckoff tagged it with a ribbon.

On August 1, the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association selected Wyckoff’s Christmas Tree Farm’s Blue Spruce as the 2013 Grand Champion in their annual Christmas tree contest.

To enter NCTA’s national contest, growers must first win their state/regional competitions in the previous 12 months. While this is their first time to be Grand Champions of the NCTA contest, the Wyckoff’s are no strangers to winning their state competitions. Their farm was New Jersey Grand Champion in 2013, 2012, 2011, 2008, 2007, 1999, 1992, 1990 and 1978.

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10 December, 2013 There are many forces that affect the plants we grow and maintain. Soil structure, texture and drainage are key. Nutrient levels and the mineral content are more factors.

Some of the most harmful can be extremes of weather.

We have endured some of the most profound weather events in our history and yet our plants and landscape infrastructure have survived remarkably well. Drought or heavy amounts of rainfall can both create damage that may not show up for years.

This all sounds daunting to those who maintain plants, and it is. However, there are tools which can assist these caregivers in these tasks.

Aside from the mechanical and cultural practices, which include soil testing and amendments, as well as installing physical drainage and changing grades, there are ways available to manage pests and prevent potential damage.

Pest management in landscape situations should rely on prudent use of control measures. Proper identification is the first step.

There are many variables in the development of plants and pests. Keying into the It’s December, what could your lawn need from you now anyway?

Not much, so consider this a gift from me for the Holidays!

I hope you all are very proud of your lawn, perhaps you don’t have the best lawn in town, but I hope you give yourself a grade of at least a “B”? Oooh, I heard some groans, have you been bad to your lawn? You’re not going to get any gifts this year!

Let’s look back at what you might have done differently this past year and how we can improve for next year. If you are not happy with your lawn, why not?

Do you have too many bare spots? This is an indication of using poor-quality grass seed and also problems with the soil. Perhaps it is compacted or has a low soil pH value. Have you considered renting an aerator to relieve compaction?

How long have you lived at your house and you still have not taken a soil test? If the soil quality is poor, are

Gardener News The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

How Do We Know What Nature Has in Store? life cycle of the target pest will ensure control when the pest is most vulnerable.

For this reason, using the calendar to schedule pest control measures and applications can prove to be wasteful and will result in the overuse of these procedures, chemical or otherwise.

The best control of pests is achieved by monitoring their development. This is a costly venture when the amount of possible pests is taken into account.

Using a system to anticipate pest activity is a way to more accurately target pests. The use of Phenology, the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena related to climate, and Growing Degree Days (GDD), which is used to measure the amount of heat that has accumulated in a given season, creates such a system. Insects and

plants both need a certain amount of consistent heat accumulation before they will go through the various stages of development.

Scientists have known for years that this data could be tracked, and therefore the growth predicted.

Since most insects’ and plants’ development is limited below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, this is usually set as the base temperature.

GDDs on a given day are then calculated by adding the maximum and minimum temperature, divided by two and subtracting the base temperature. This would give you the GDD number.

The exact base temperature will vary between insects and plants as well; however this system has proven to be much more accurate in predicting plant and insect activity than the calendar method. Generally, March 1

is used as a starting date in our area and the cumulative GDD’s would then be used to predict activity. For example, the gypsy moth hatch will occur between 90 and 100 GDD. This would then be tracked on a growth calendar with a running total GDD’s.

Phenology is the study of plant growth related to the climate. Factors which influence this study include temperature, length of the day and moisture. Events such as bud break, leafing out, flowering and fruiting can be related to GDD’s.

This correlation is then used to predict when a pest may appear in the landscape and when it is most susceptible to control. The plants that are used as hosts are called indicator plants. They are generally common to a wide range, hardy and easily recognized. An example of this system would be the

Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Your lawn needs a break! you still going to try to grow a lawn there or add some topsoil or calcium to improve the soil? Have you tried using organic products to help build up the soil quality and stimulate microbial action? I just heard one homeowner bought 3,000 worms on line and spread them all over their lawn, I assume by hand and not with a spreader! That is one way to improve your soil, but there are other quality lawn soil enhancers on the market to help this problem if you are scared of handling earthworms.

Is the area where you are trying to grow a lawn too shaded or suffering from the lack of water? It

was very dry this fall for a number of months and many lawns have had a tough time.

There was a great lack of moisture in this fall weather.

All grass needs some level of sunlight to survive. Will you consider trimming some tree branches or removing trees this winter? Do you need to invest in an irrigation system? Most lawns are not irrigated at all and do very well once you establish a healthy environment to grow grass.

Are you using the wrong grass seed mixture for the area where you are having trouble growing grass? I hope not. Most grass seed mixtures are formulated to survive best based on the

name given, like Full Sun or Dense Shade. In hotdry sunny areas, Tall Fescue holds up very well. Perennial Ryegrass gives you quick cover to control erosion and establish a new lawn fast or even get some grass to grown in early-spring when the weather is cold. Kentucky Bluegrass has the uncanny ability to spread and fill in bare spots over time due to their root systems. Fine Fescues such as Creeping, Chewings or Hard, work very well in shaded areas. A combination of these grasses actually gives nice diversity to many areas of your lawn.

Have you ever tried seeding grass seed right into the snow?

Eastern tent caterpillar which is in an early larva stage and most vulnerable between 100-200 GDD. This coincides with the Saucer Magnolia being in early bloom.

There are formulas for just about all insects and indicator plants for each time period. The Rutgers Extension Service can provide more information on these numbers and there are many resources available to assist you in compiling a list to be used as historical data to develop your own tracking.

This system lends itself to an Integrated Pest Management system, as it helps identify when the timing is right for breakouts as well as giving fair warning for what to look out for. As you can see, a system such as this can be a guide for the prudent use of control measures, as well as a fascinating way to investigate and understand nature.

Editor’s Note: Evan Dickerson is owner of Dickerson Landscape Contractors and NaturesPro of North Plainfield. He has been pioneering the organic approach to plant health since 1972. Evan can be reached at 908-753-1490 I know you want to watch football, but what about all the leaves covering your lawn? Please rake them up to avoid snow mold problems on your grass. Did you wash out your spreader well and lubricate moving parts with some WD-40? What about your mower, did you put it away without draining the oil or perhaps getting the blade sharpened for next year?

Ask the neighbor down the street who does have the best lawn in town what lawn care program he followed. Maybe he thought of something we didn’t.

Remember, New Jersey blackout dates do not allow you to apply fertilizer between November 15 and March 1!

Have a very happy holiday season, best wishes to you all of you for the New Year.

Editor’s Note: Todd Pretz is Vice President of Jonathan Green, a leading supplier of lawn and garden products in the northeast. For more information, please visit: www.jonathangreen.com

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December, 2013 13

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December, 2013 15

Christmas tree stand with a specialized role (Continued from Page 1)

their mailbox. After it was harvested, the ring count came in at 57. Once on the crane, it weighed in at 21,600 pounds.

It is wrapped in about five miles of LED lights with 45,000 bulbs, topped with a 550-pound, LEDpowered Swarovski star studded with 25,000 crystals and one million facets. It has no other ornaments.

This year, the tree will be lit on Wednesday, December 4, 2013. Tens of thousands will crowd the sidewalks for the event and hundreds of millions will watch it lit live across the globe on NBC and its affiliates. The tree will Tom Castronovo/Photo remain lit and can be The tree glides through the air past the Vargoshe Family viewed until 11 p.m. on January 7, 2014. mailbox on its way to the truck that will carry it to The tree will then be Rockefeller Center. cut and milled into lumber, which will then be donated If you have a Norway Center to consider, please Norway spruce that is in the to Habitat for Humanity, a spruce that you would visit www.rockefellercenter. later years of its life cycle, He measuring at least 75 feet charity that builds homes like Erik Pauzé, the head com/submit-a-tree/. for needy families. gardener at Rockefeller has historically selected a tall and 45 feet in diameter.

All submissions require a photograph of the tree that shows its full height and includes a person to indicate scale. Any details on the tree, including its approximate age and any related family stories, are greatly appreciated. If there is interest in exploring your tree more closely, he will be in touch with you.

Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

Christie Administration Announces 2014 Outstanding Young Farmer, Seeks Application for 2015 Honoree (TRENTON) – Mitchell Jones, a Warren County hay and grain producer, has been named New Jersey’s 2014 Outstanding Young Farmer by the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture.

Jones, 36, will be presented with his award at the February 2014 New Jersey State Agricultural Convention in Atlantic City.

“Mitchell Jones’ conservation practices have earned him federal and state recognition and enabled him to serve as a trainer to teach others about soil and water conservation on farms,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher. “He is a wonderful example of our innovative and hard-working state farmers.

It is with great pride we honor Mitchell with the Outstanding Young Farmer Award.”

Jones is a first-generation farmer, whose father worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of U.S. Department of Agriculture. After graduating from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy, he rented small parcels of farmland. He expanded his rental properties and now owns a small farm. His future plans are to purchase additional ground so he is not entirely reliant on rented property.

“As I began to farm my own parcels, my father’s work with NRCS influenced how I treated the land and I tried to increase conservation measures,” said Jones.

“This is how I got started and where my passion for agriculture was cultivated.”

Jones has served as President, Vice President and Treasurer of the Warren County Board of Agriculture; Secretary and Treasurer of Rutgers University Board of Managers; Warren County Fair Director; has served as a delegate to the State Agricultural Convention; is active in the Warren and Warren Pomona Granges; and served on the Warren County Economic Development Advisory Council.

Jones, an FFA member in high school, has been a soil judging coach for the Belvidere High School FFA for 13 years.

New Jersey annually recognizes the outstanding achievements of a young farmer who is an upstanding leader, respected agriculturalist and is active in community or faith organizations. The Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Year 2015 Outstanding Young Farmer (OYF) Award. The submission deadline for nominations is January 15, 2014.

Nominees must be farm operators, deriving a minimum of two-thirds of their income from farming and must be between the ages of 21-40, not becoming 41 prior to January 1, 2015. Candidates who have a financial interest in the farm operation (a sole proprietor, partner, or a corporation) will receive higher ranking in the OYF judging process. However, nominees may also include salaried farm managers and employees who are actively involved in policy and management decisions.

Submission of a financial statement is not required for state competition.

A panel of five judges reviews each nominee’s application based on the following criteria: progress in their agricultural career (50 percent of the total score); soil and water conservation practices (25 percent of the total score); and contribution to his/her community, state and nation (25 percent of the total score).

Any individual or organization can nominate deserving young farmers’ names. Persons who have been nominated in the past or previous state winners who did not make it to the National competition can be re-nominated. However, these candidates must still meet the eligibility criteria.

Since the first award was presented, eight New Jersey farmers’ names have been named National Outstanding Young Farmer: Abbott Lee (1985), James B. Giamarese (1989), Robert Von Thun, Jr. (2001), Jeffrey VanderGroef (2005), H. William Sytsema (2009), Richard Norz (2010), John Melick (2011) and Paul “Duce” Tallamy II (2012).

The OYF program is the oldest farmer recognition program in the United States, with the first group of national winners selected in 1955. The goals of the OYF program are to foster better urban-rural relations through the understanding of farmers’ challenges, as well as the appreciation of their contributions and achievements; to bring about a greater interest in farmers/ranchers; and to help build an urban awareness of the farmers’ importance and impact on America’s economy. The OYF program encourages a greater interest in agriculture through the appreciation of the farmers’ contributions and achievements and recognizes local citizens’ contributions and encourages better urban-rural relations. The National OYF program is sponsored by Deere & Company, supported by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of County Agriculture Agents (NACAA), and is administered by the Outstanding Farmers of America (OFA) Fraternity.

For more information on the state’s Outstanding Young Farmer program, visit: www.nj.gov/agriculture/about/sba/cover.html or call Karen Kritz, OYF Program Manager at (609) 984-2506 or email Karen.Kritz@ag.state.nj.us.

16 December, 2013

CASE FILES

From the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County Garden Help Line

By Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Union County Agricultural Agent and Master Gardeners, MC Schwartz and James Keane Q. I am looking forward to visiting flower shows this winter. I enjoy the colorful blooming bulb displays. Is there any way I can force bulbs to bloom in my home this winter?

A. Yes, you can force spring-flowering bulbs to bloom for indoor enjoyment. Tulips, Daffodils (Narcissus) and Hyacinths are among favorite spring-flowering bulbs that can be tricked into blooming early.

The natural growth cycle for these bulbs is that in the late-summer, they are dormant. As soil temperatures cool in the early-fall, the root system begins to grow until cold weather stops or slows root growth. When warm weather returns in the spring, the shoot growth begins. These bulbs flower quickly. After flowering, the leaves continue to grow and photosynthesize, storing up food in the bulb.

The foliage dies back, and the growth cycle begins again, with dormancy in the late-summer. The trick to forcing bulbs to bloom early is to speed up this growth cycle.

You can start forcing bulbs in late-September to December, depending on when you want the flowers to bloom. Staggering your start times will give you flowers to enjoy December through April. It takes 12 to13 weeks to force bulbs to bloom, so count backyards from your target bloom date for your start date. If the bulbs are “pre-cooled,” stored at 45º F -50ºF for a few weeks before potting them up, you can include the “pre-cool” time in the 12-to-13-week period.

Purchase high-quality top-size bulbs for forcing. There are varieties of bulbs that respond better to forcing than others. Visit with your favorite garden center or catalogue for recommended varieties for forcing and the time that they bloom. Some examples of Daffodils that can be forced now (December) for March/April blooms are: Dutch Master and Prize Winner (yellow flowers); Accent, Fortune or Magnet (bi-color flowers); and Ice Follies or Mount Hood (white). Hyacinth varieties that will bloom in March/April are: Blue Jacket or Blue Star (blue flowers); Lady Derby, Marconi or Pink Pearl (pink); and Carnegie, Polar Giant or White Pearl (white). There are many new varieties that are suitable for forcing.

Use sterilized clay or plastic pots to force the bulbs in. Fill the pots two to three inches deep with potting mix. A 2:1 ratio of peat moss to clean sand or perlite is a good mix as it drains well and supports the bulbs. Do not use fertilizer when planting the bulbs. The bulb has enough food reserves to grow.

Using fertilizer at this point may increase salt levels in the pot.

Use one variety of bulb per pot. Mixing varieties will give you blooms at different times not looking as attractive as a mass of blooms. Gently, but firmly place the basal end (flat part where the roots grow from) into the soil, leaving the tip of the bulb exposed. Don’t bury the entire bulb in potting mix.

Leaving the top quarter inch of the pot clear makes watering easier.

If you are planting tulips, place the flat side of the bulb next to the side of the pot, as the largest leaf will sprout from that side. It creates a nice look for the arrangement of tulip flowers. Use one Hyacinth bulb per four inch pot or three bulbs per six inch pot. In a larger-diameter pot, you can place Hyacinth bulbs next to each other. Hyacinth bulbs have oxalic acid, which may irritate some people’s skin. Rinse the bulbs with water before handling and wear gloves when working with these bulbs.

Once you have finished planting the bulbs in the containers, water the potting mix. You will need to water occasionally to prevent the mix from drying out. Avoid over-watering, as the bulbs could rot if the potting mix is too wet.

Now you are ready to start the “cooling period,” which will be 12 to 13 weeks depending on the cooling time requirement of the variety of bulbs you are growing, the size of the bulbs, the number of bulbs in the container and the start date. The bulbs need to be kept at temperatures of 35º F- 48ºF during this period. Where should the “cooling period” take place?

One option is to use a cold frame outdoors, but the pots must be mulched in to prevent the bulbs from freezing. On warm, sunny days, temperatures may rise in the cold frame, tricking the bulb into starting growth too soon – even for forcing! Open the frames to keep the temperatures cool on these days.

Another option is an unheated attic or cellar. The vegetable drawer in a refrigerator could also be used. If using the refrigerator, place a plastic bag with holes in it over the pot. Do not put any fruits or vegetables in the drawer with the pots. The fruits naturally emit ethylene gas, which will prevent flower buds from forming.

Check the pots to make sure they do not dry out. Once the appropriate “cooling period” time has elapsed, gradually bring the pots into a warmer location. Check the roots, they should be visible and sturdy. The first week, keep the bulbs at 50ºF-60º F as the leaves begin to grow. When the leaves are six inches long, the pot can be moved into warmer temperatures of 68ºF and a sunny location. It may take three to four weeks for the blooms to appear. When the bulbs are flowering, moving the pot back to cooler temperatures will help prolong the bloom time. Enjoy your home-made flower show!

Editor’s Note: The Union County Master Gardener’s HELP LINE fields hundreds of citizen inquiries a year – offering assistance with their indoor as well as outdoor gardening and pest-control questions. Responses to resident phone calls and on-site visits comply with current Rutgers NJ Agricultural Experiment Station recommendations. Union County residents can call (908) 6549852 or email mastergardeners@ucnj.org for assistance. A complete listing of Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) offices where you can contact a Master Gardener in your area can be found on page 22 of the Gardener News. Free RCE fact sheets are available at www.njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs

Gardener News

Gardener News This past October was a very exciting month for me. There is no denying that my favorite tree is Ginkgo. The obvious answers as to why would be its perseverance over time, remarkable yellow fall color, deeply furrowed bark and its unique fanlike foliage. Ginkgo biloba has been around since the dinosaurs and is able to adapt to just about any environment, including the concrete jungle of Manhattan. For me, though, my fascination came when I was introduced to this tree at a very young age.

A competitive runner in my youth, I competed in a cross-country race, in my early teens in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, New York.

At the end, we were all given T-shirts littered with different types of leaves on them. I asked my father, who I would later lose when I was still young, what the funny leaf was….

“Ginkgo” he replied.

The beginning of October, my wife and I spent a few days in Sonoma and Napa California. Traveling with my long-time friend and mentor Tony Maiello from Metropolitan Plant Exchange and his friend, soon to be ours, Brenda Levron, we took in the sights and imbibed some of nature’s best offerings.

Three of the four traveling here are involved in the garden center industry, thus plants are very important to us. Tony picked a few of the wineries we visited, one offering great wines and a remarkable garden.

Enjoying their famed Brut de Noirs (Bubbles) we took in all the great design that the late Thomas Church had left for us. Rare plants with an emphasis on leaf color and texture, it was a Parrotia tree’s emergence of fall color I think I will remember most.

And while this garden and winery offered a complete experience, nurturing much of what we hold dear, it was the driveway at Far Niente in Napa Valley that had me speechless. Acacia Drive, the road leading to this winery’s gate, set the scene. A slightly

December, 2013 17 Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

Ginkgolicious curvaceous allée of nearly 200 Autumn Gold Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba “Autumn Gold” backed with fields of cabernet sauvignon was a goose-bump experience.

Thankfully, I was there to enjoy it fully with my wife and friend. I later learned that Gil Nickel, past owner

underwritten and hosted by Sotheby’s, the evening’s distinguished lecturer was Professor Peter Crane.

“Sotheby’s is a global auctioneer of authenticated fine art, decorative art and jewelry. The company operates in three segments: Auction, Finance and

Sciences, a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and he was knighted in the U.K. for services to horticulture and conservation. This evening had me with my friend, wingman and longtime mentor John Stella. I invited John to attend this

Robert LaHoff, left; Professor Sir Peter Crane, FRS, center; and John Stella of Far Niente, helped run his family’s business, Greenleaf Nursery in Oklahoma, with his brother.

Today Greenleaf Nursery is one of the largest commercial nurseries in the United States. Clearly a man with a vision who knew plants, this family apparently reveres Ginkgo the way I do. Can you imagine an allée of Ginkgo, in the autumn months, offering up their butteryellow fall foliage in the succession of nearly 200…I can now!

As a member of The New York Botanical Garden, I learned of an event being held in midOctober. Fast-forward to Sotheby’s on October 16 in New York City. Generously

Dealer” (The New York Times). Inspired by the historic Ginkgo that has thrived in London’s Kew Gardens since the 1760s, Professor Peter Crane was there to talk about Ginkgos and in so doing made reference to his work Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot. Professor Crane’s impressive resume includes: Distinguished Counsellor to the Board of The New York Botanical Garden, Dean and Professor of Botany at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, past director of the Field Museum in Chicago and from 1999-2006, and director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and

lecture a month in advance and we both sat embedded amongst some 300 people.

Professor Crane opened by posing the question: If the celebrated Ginkgo in Kew could talk… what would it say? After all it has seen George III and watched over Virginia Woolf’s shoulder as she wrote about wisteria.

Ginkgo biloba, with its elegant yet simple leaf, has two lobes in adolescence, yet as it matures the leaf seems to be entire. Professor Crane went on to describe Ginkgo’s common names; duck foot, referring to its leaf, and silver apricot, referencing the seed. And while the fleshiness of the seed can have an overwhelming odor as it decays, Frank Lloyd Wright, despite his said

constant complaining, built his home around it, yielding to his Ginkgo’s presence.

Crane could offer no explanation as to the reason for the pungent smell of female fruit, however he did make reference to a reproductive aberration stating male trees could produce seeds on rare occasions… a most curious fact. At one time, there were many species of Ginkgo, but we are now left with only one. Even the southern hemisphere had its share, complete with deeply divided lobes on their leaves.

Indeed, Tyrannosaurus rex ran amongst these prehistoric trees and believe it or not they look much the same way today as they did then. Ginkgo is seen as a symbol of hope, surviving the atomic bomb. Today Ginkgo is a success story for conservation. It can be seen as a brand and it crosses generations. In so doing, it has been coined the grandfather grandchild tree.

Gardening is an exercise in patience (Martha Stewart Living October 2013 Page 140). No group of words could better describe this deciduous conifer that looked extinction in the face, smiled and with the help of people came back stronger than ever. Looking ahead, Andrew Bell, Ph.D., the curator of woody plants at Chicago’s Botanic Garden, even has Ginkgo listed as a tree for 2050.

A study of suitable trees for a warming Midwestern climate, Ginkgo’s future looks reassuring.

Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff is co-owner of Hall’s Garden Center and Florist in Union County, a member of the Union County Board of Agriculture, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, the American Boxwood Society, the European Boxwood Society, a members of the ReevesReed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society, a member of the NJ Plants Trade Show Advisory Board, and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers. He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

18 December, 2013

Gardener News

Winter is upon us and this is the time of year we spend most of our time indoors.

The indoor plant category is a huge part of the horticulture industry. The selection is wonderful. There are flowering plants like Kalanchoe, Cyclamen, Bromeliads, African Violets, Primrose, Ranunuculus, Spathyphullum, and Orchids, to name a few.

There are thousands of tropical plants to choose from that can be placed on table tops or desk areas, or there are larger floor plants. For example, if you have areas of low light, you may want to choose plants like Spathyphyllum, also known as Peace Plants, Bromeliads, ZZ plants, Aglonemas, Silver Queens, and Snake Plants. There are two types of Palms that do fantastic in low-light areas. These two palms are called Kentia Palms and Raphis or Lady Palms. These two types also do not require a lot of water.

Here are a few plants that do well in medium-light locations, Shefleras, Areca Palms and Majesty Palms, Aboricolas, many varieties in the Draceana family, like Marginata or Massangeana

requirements and some plants are easier than others.

For best results when shopping for a houseplant, pick one that matches your room’s available light. Look at the plant label to see its group, or just ask your local retailer.

After determining the right amount of light, you need to know a little bit about watering. Stick your finger right into the soil to a depth of two inches. Then gently pull it out. You should be able to feel if the soil is dry, slightly moist or very wet. If possible, water your plants in the morning and use tepid (slightly warm) water.

As a rule of thumb, houseplants should be fed every other week in spring, summer and early fall. As light levels diminish, your plant will need less fertilization – once a month or less.

A quick reminder to everyone out there. Many people are still not in their homes and may never be able to return to the places they called home. Please remember them during this holiday season however you can.

On to what’s going on with the area north and south of Lavallette and the barrier island. Construction is abundant and everywhere. Roads are being ripped up, sewers are being redone, houses are being lifted , rebuilt and repaired everywhere you look and it is generally very busy down here. The restaurant, as well as many other businesses, are open for business up and down the coast. A few minor traffic delays are inevitable, but you can still get through to the majority of places you know and love. It is also quite amazing to see all the changes taking place. Some of it will take a little getting used to for some, but much of the landscape has remained unchanged. The Seaside boardwalk seems to be moving along quickly as well. So if you have a day off over the holidays, take a ride out and check it out for yourself.

Has everyone noticed the large amounts of new brands of beers at your local liquor store or watering hole? Not your standard Bud, Miller or Coors. These beers are part of the craft beer influx. The trend/fad/ craze has been growing steadily over the past several years. You may remember micro-breweries not too many years back were a big hit. It was the first time in years that there was a major new flood of beers onto the market. Growing up, Heineken, Bass, Corona, Newcastle, Sam Adams, Anchor Steam, etc. were the

The Professional Grower

By Tim Hionis Greenhouse Specialist

You can enjoy plants indoors, too Canes, also known as Corn Plants, and the Janet Craig, to name a few.

Some very nice indoor flowering plants that prefer medium light are Florist Azaleas, Mini Roses, Calandivas, Chrysanthemums, and Reiger Begonias.

Plants that will benefit from high-light locations are Draceana Lemon/Lime warneckii, Ficus, Flowering Gardenias, Jasmine, and most citrus plants.

Keep in mind that there can be many different varieties of plants in the same family. For instance, the Ficus has the Benjemini (this is the traditional Ficus you may know of) or the Ficus Lyrata, also known as the Fig Leaf Ficus and the Ficus Alii. These can come in many different forms, from a bush to a tree. They can also have a braided trunk as

well. There are many varieties of Palms as well. Be careful of your selection, though, as some may require more light than others and require different watering.

Plants and flowers have been proven to provide many health benefits. These benefits include cleaner air because they act like nature’s air filters by removing pollutants and toxins. They absorb carbon dioxide and their natural bi-product is oxygen.

Plants and flowers also have many mood-boosting capabilities. They can also boost productivity in the workplace. They also help provide retailers with a more inviting shopping experience.

Plants and flowers add warmth to any environment. When I say warmth, I do not mean temperature, I mean it adds an inviting feeling.

Why is it when you go to visit someone in the hospital, you bring a bouquet or plant with a getwell-soon message on it? Why are there flowers in funeral homes?

Why do retailers load up on flowers for the holidays? Many retail establishments like malls and department stores fill open areas with Poinsettias around the holidays.

By dressing up your surroundings indoors, you can help trick the mind into thinking you have a tropical oasis inside your own home, instead of needing to hop on the first plane to someplace warm to help get away from the dreary winter.

Most importantly, all plants need some form of light, water and fertilizer to grow and flourish.

Different plants have different

From the Deep

By Craig Korb Executive Chef

Season’s greetings from the Jersey Shore! norm and considered fancy and high end. Now the techniques and styles of beer-making have gone back to the roots or origins of beer-making, the art of beer-making. Brewing in small batches, adhering to certain standards, processes, limiting the amounts of certain common ingredients in more mass-produced beers and just plain bringing it back to its true artisanal nature.

While I agree with most of that, it is hard to know which beer is the one for you. There are plenty of places you can pick up a mixed six-pack or even try a flight of craft beers at a local bar or restaurant to check it out. There will always be the diehard person who remains brand loyal forever, and I respect that. It’s just way too much fun to check out some of the new flavors, styles and ways people are creating beer nowadays.

There is also a ton of literature available as well, on-line or even at your local store. The Claw, not unlike most establishments, has added these craft beers to their taps.

We put in three new taps over a year ago just to offer these types of beer, which we change based on season and availability often. We also recently had our first craft beer

dinner, which featured five different styles of beer paired with five food courses, including the recipe I’m leaving you with this month. I hope you enjoy it and good luck! It is a bit trickier and more time consuming than most of my recipes but makes a great football snack or cold weather appetizer. Again, Happy Holidays to all and stay healthy and safe.

P.S- Do the pork a day in advance to make this much easier.

Slow roasted pulled pork crispy spring roll (Yield-a lot! This will make enough appetizer rolls, depending on size, for at least 10-12 people) 1 pork butt, picnic shoulder, bone or no bone, (about 3-4 lbs.) large roasting pan with tight fitting lid 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme 2-3 bay leaves salt and pepper can of beer of your liking -place all ingredients in roasting pan and season liberally with salt and pepper -place in a 210 degree oven for approximately 12 hours or until falling apart when pressed upon -let cool for at least an hour or more with the lid off -drain any of the liquid

-shred by hand into long shreds or chop into smaller pieces and pull apart For the spring rollsshredded pork from above, may have some leftover (add a little bbq sauce and make a great sandwich or two) 1 pkg.(number of wrappers may vary, check package) of spring roll wrappers approximately 4”x4”, available in most super markets enough oil for frying, Wesson is fine one large frying pan with high sides 1 Tablespoon minced, fresh ginger 1 cup thinly sliced fresh green cabbage 1 jar of Hoisin sauce for dipping (Hoisin is a plum flavored Asian style sauce available in most super markets in the Asian foods section) 1 Tablespoon, plus a small handful for dusting, of corn starch 1 Tablespoon water 1 bunch scallions, bottom and top inch removed, thinly sliced -combine the corn starch and water in a small container with a tight lid and shake to combine -combine shredded pork, cabbage and ginger in a bowl until mixed

Editor’s Note: Tim Hionis has been growing plants for over 20 years, and is co-owner of Hionis Greenhouses and Garden Center in Whitehouse Station, NJ. He can be reached by calling (908) 534-7710.

-on a clean work surface or cutting board lightly dust with cornstarch -place 1 of the spring roll wrappers on the dusted surface, corner toward you -place about 2 Tablespoons of the pork mixture on the middle of the wrapper -gather both sides and fold to meet on the center -next, gently roll the bottom corner towards the center and tuck over the side pieces, over the mound of pork and tuck and roll like a cylinder until just a small corner remains unrolled -using the tip of your finger, spread a small amount of the corn starch and water mix onto the part of the wrapper that remains unrolled -finish rolling, the corn starch and water will act as the glue to hold the cylinder closed -place on a lightly corn starchcovered surface and repeat with the rest of the wrappers -heat enough oil in the fry pan, about 1 inch, to 350 degrees -fry spring rolls in small batches, turning until all sides are golden brown, drain and serve hot with the hoisin sauce and sliced scallions as a garnish.

Editor’s Note: Craig Korb is executive chef at The Crab’s Claw Inn, Lavallette, New Jersey. He has an Associates degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelors degree in Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University.

For more information visit www.TheCrabsClaw.com or phone (732) 793-4447.

Gardener News SEBS Faculty Honored with 2013 “Inventor of the Yearâ€? Award 1(: %5816:,&. 1- ĘŠ :LWK R\VWHU EHGV DQG FUDQEHUU\ bogs as their laboratory, two SEBS researchers are using genetics to improve breeds for the shellfish and cranberry industry, respectively. Ximing Guo and Nicholi Vorsa are recipients of a 2013 “Inventor of the Yearâ€? Award from the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame.

Ximing Guo, scientist with the Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, is being recognized for his work in genomic studies of oysters towards a better understanding of the genome organization and inheritance of economically important traits. In New Jersey and much of the mid-Atlantic region, native eastern oysters have been devastated by diseases. Rutgers NJAES has been selectively breeding oysters for disease resistance since the early 1960s and its oyster strains have shown strong resistance to one disease, but not to other new diseases. The Pacific oyster is a close sister species of the native eastern oyster and its genome provides a valuable catalog and map of genes that affect oyster biology. Using the Pacific oyster genome as a reference, Guo, who works out of the Haskin Shellfish Research Lab, and colleagues are decoding the genome of the native eastern oyster to identify the genes responsible for disease resistance. This will advance the field of genetics and Rutgers’ selective breeding of farmed oysters and other molluscs.

Nicholi Vorsa, director of the Philip E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension, initiated the Rutgers cranberry program in 1985 to improve yield, fruit quality and genetic diversity of cranberries. The New Jersey cranberry industry has long relied on a few widely used varieties with a narrow genetic base. With almost thirty years of experience breeding cranberries, with hundreds of crosses and evaluation of more than 20,000 plant progenies, Vorsa has released three improved varieties for use by cranberry growers, Crimson Queen, Demoranville and Mullica Queen. All three of these unique and improved cranberry varieties are gaining acceptance by growers for their improved qualities and performance.

Source: Rutgers Office of Communications

December, 2013 19

New Jersey’s Pollinators

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey The excitement generated by the GCNJ’s new Butterflies & BeeGAP Project has been phenomenal, and this is just the beginning stages of our campaign to educate the public on the need to be invested in reversing our pollinator population’s decline.

It falls on us to spread the word by example and to disseminate information, sponsor workshops and speakers, provide materials and nesting sites and be aware of the array of pollinators at our doorsteps.

New Jersey has between 300 and 400 species of native bees with over 4,000 species of native bees residing in North America. Butterflies, honeybees, wasps and other insects round out our list of important pollinators, since one-third of our food supply depends on the combined efforts of these friends.

The past several weeks has seen a whirlwind of activity as we reached out to like-minded organizations, attended programs on bees, embarked on speaking engagements to spread the word about our butterflies and bees and to formulate strategy in publicizing the critical importance of growing our pollinator population.

One of the first steps, as outlined in the October issue of Gardener News, was to nominate the Black Swallowtail as New Jersey’s State Butterfly, as New Jersey is in the minority of states that do not have an official State Butterfly. The GCNJ was thrilled to have the support of the North Jersey Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association in this endeavor, and Wade Wander, President, provided us with stunning photos of the beautiful Black Swallowtail and its gorgeous caterpillar to include in our request.

We drafted a letter to State Sen. Christopher “Kip� Bateman, of the 16th District, to sponsor legislation to have the Black

Swallowtail designated as the New Jersey State Butterfly. Members of the Neshanic Garden Club also emailed and phoned Sen. Bateman’s office in support of this legislation. Sen. Bateman’s reply was swift with his email message saying, “He is happy to introduce this legislation,� and asked us to provide additional information to draft this bill.

Just following the steps involved in seeing a bill become law will be an excellent educational tool for our school children to follow and experience being a part of the whole democratic process. By “Googling� NJ Legislative Process, you can see the 11 steps necessary to getting a bill passed in our New Jersey State Legislature.

Back in 1948, the Garden Club of New Jersey was asked by our State Forester, Charles Wilber, to designate an official state tree for New Jersey.

The GCNJ and others had championed the red oak for this distinction for years and then-Assemblywoman Grace Freeman presented the tree bill prepared and sponsored by the GCNJ which concluded with the red oak, Quercus borealis maxima, becoming New Jersey’s official State Tree in 1950. Continuing in this tradition of implementing noteworthy legislation on behalf of the citizens of this great Garden State of ours satisfies our goals of promoting gardening, the environment, and protecting our flora and fauna.

The upcoming New Jersey Flower and Garden Show to be held at the NJ Convention Center at Raritan Center in Edison February 13-16, 2014 will give us an opportunity to showcase our pollinators and demonstrate to the public how everyone can do their part by providing a garden oasis including nesting sites, houses, plant material, with a special emphasis on native plants.

We received a generous donation of 1,000 seed packets of herbs, flowers

and veggies, along with 15 Mason Bee houses from Gardener’s Supply Company in Burlington, Vt., to help in this endeavor.

Diana Kazazis, GCNJ State Flower Show Chair (“Sea to Shining Sea� that is held as part of the above mentioned NJ Flower and Garden Show) told me about the U.S. Forestry’s website that has fabulous pollinator posters that can be downloaded and used to enhance pollinator programs and projects run by schools, garden clubs and agricultural industry educators.

The GCNJ garden clubs are encouraged to add a Butterflies & BeeGAP Project committee and several have done so already. Rockaway Valley Garden Club has promoted native plants for the health and diversity of wildlife for over 50 years and has embraced our new project wholeheartedly, as has Navesink Garden Club in Red Bank. The Garden Club of Mountain Lakes has made this project the centerpiece of their website, with links to the Crown Bees website (National Garden Clubs, Inc.’s partner in BeeGAP--Gardeners Adding Pollinators), and Gardener’s Supply Company’s website (click on Outdoor Living and Backyard Habitat) for articles, videos and instructions on introducing solitary native bees to your yards, parks and community gardens. Make A Difference!

Editor’s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Community Garden Chair and new Butterflies & BeeGAP Chair for the Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., and is a National Garden Clubs, Inc., Accredited Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is also Program Chair for Neshanic Garden Club and can be reached by emailing jeannieg42@earthlink. net Garden Club of New Jersey’s website is: www. gardenclubofnewjersey. com and phone number is: 732-249-0947.

20 December, 2013 Rutgers Master Gardeners Honored by State Association %5,'*(:$7(5 1- ĘŠ 7KH 5XWJHUV 8QLYHUVLW\ 0DVWHU *DUGHQHU Program, a volunteer organization of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, annually recognizes the outstanding volunteer work done by members of each county organization. In Somerset and Hunterdon Counties the Seeds to Salad Team was recently honored at the 29th Annual Rutgers Master Gardeners Association Conference for the work the team accomplished in local elementary schools. Bedminster resident Dave Johnson was also honored for his outstanding work at Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm.

The Seeds to Salad program, led by Whitehouse Station resident Lona Nonni, have volunteers working in four different elementary schools in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties throughout the academic year. With help from these Rutgers Master Gardeners, teachers and parent volunteers enable the very young students to learn about nutrition, soil, earthworms, rainfall and insects as they plant and harvest a bounty of edible vegetables. The team members, Ellen Kaplan, Marilyn Hulme, Beverly Pranzatelli, Joanne Karpinich, Carolyn Taylor, Anita Sawczuk and Barbara Pinzur, love to hear the students rave about the yummy tastes of the vegetables they nurtured from tiny seeds to a bountiful harvest at the “salad fest� party held at the close of each school year.

Dave Johnson became a certified Rutgers Master Gardener in 2003 and since has devoted more than 1500 volunteer service hours to various volunteer activities. Dave came from a farming family and after retiring as Director of Materials Research at Bell Laboratories he came “back� to farming as a team leader at the Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown.

At the Farm, Dave’s team of 28 Master Gardeners help support 18 fruit and vegetable projects on 14 acres. Dave has been the Tour Guide Coordinator for the Tomato Tastings tours and has even been known to cut lumber from trees to make much needed tomato stakes!

The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Somerset and Hunterdon Counties are justifiably proud of the accomplishments of their fellow Master Gardeners.

Anyone interested in more information about the Rutgers Master Gardener program can contact the local county Rutgers Cooperative Extension office; Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.

Gardener News

Christmas in New Jersey, Part II Last month I introduced you to the inner workings of the organization that I preside over, the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association.

As promised, Part II of my two-part series will focus on everything you need to know should you decide to partake in the magical experience of cutting your own Christmas tree. Each year, thousands of families visit one of the hundreds of farms scattered throughout the state in search of the perfect tree and the priceless memories which will last a lifetime.

Before you pack the kids in the car and head out to a farm, there are many tips and pointers I am here to offer to you. The first thing you should do is measure the height of your ceilings.

The tree that you choose should be at least a foot shorter than your ceiling to allow a little space for the star on the top and the stand on the bottom.

Another measurement to take is the width of available space where the tree will be displayed. You don’t want to get home with a tree that won’t fit in your chosen space.

To decide which farm to visit I highly suggest you log onto www. njchristmastrees.org. This site is owned and maintained by the NJCTGA. You will find the “Where can I find a tree?� icon, click on it, and a listing of tree farms throughout the state will appear by county. Once you find a farm that appears to fit your needs, CALL AHEAD. Each farm has different business hours and some are only open on weekends. By calling ahead you can find out the current conditions, what species of trees are available and how many, and most importantly the current weather forecast. Dress accordingly. Wear a pair of boots or shoes that you wouldn’t mind getting a little dirty. Even on the nicest of days, the weather can turn in the blink of an eye, so be prepared.

New Jersey Christmas tree farms grow a wide variety of tree types.

This is one of the great things about tree hunting in the garden state. Firs, spruces and pines are the most common trees that are available to you. They all are great types of trees. We have many customers who try a different type of tree each year, and some just stick with what they know. Do you want a fragrant tree? Try a Douglas fir or Concolor fir. Is your tree going to stay up for over a month? A Fraser fir has the best needle retention. Do you want a tree that has a nice blue color?

Try a Colorado blue spruce. Do you want a tree that has strong branches to hold heavy ornaments? Try a Norway spruce. Do you want a tree that is soft

to the touch? A white pine may work for you. Whatever type of tree you choose to cut this year, you know it is fresh because you cut it. If for some reason you don’t want to cut your own but still want to visit a farm and experience the magic of Christmas, fear not. Many farms, including my own, have a dedicated area for trees which are on display and were just harvested from the fields. Either way, every farm has something great to offer.

Once you get your tree home, it must be taken care of if you want it to hold its needles. If your tree has been cut for more than an hour or two, I recommend a fresh cut of a half of an inch off of the bottom of the tree before placing the tree in the stand.

Once in the stand, the tree will begin to take up the water which is in the stand. Here is the secret to keeping your tree looking good: NEVER LET THE WATER IN THE STAND GO BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE TREE. If this happens the bottom seals up almost instantly and the tree will no longer absorb water and stay fresh. This is the number-one thing that I preach to my customers. Check the water level in the stand and turn the lights off each night before you retire for the evening. You’ll be glad you did and so will your tree. I am often asked if putting anything in the water such as aspirin, soda, etc. will help the tree. These are tall tales and there is no scientific evidence that adding any kind of tree preservative will help your tree remain fresh. Warm or cold water in the stand doesn’t make a difference either. The only things you need to do are to check your water level daily and keep your tree away from any heat source such as a radiator or fireplace.

You should never block a fire exit with your tree.

Should you visit one of the wonderful Christmas tree farms in New Jersey this season, I wish you the best of luck in your search for the perfect tree and magical family experience. Dress warm and don’t forget your camera. Merry Christmas.

Editor’s Note: Chris Nicholson is owner of the Hidden Pond Tree Farm in Mendham, Morris County, New Jersey, a special place where Christmas grows all year long.

He is also President of the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association, an organization of growers, professionals and allied industry leaders dedicated to the advancement of the latest information in the production, promotion and marketing of Christmas trees and related products. Nicholson can be reached by calling 973-865-6362 or by emailing him at cnicho6345@aol.com

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Educational Seminars & Pesticide Credits for NJ/NY/PA 100s of Suppliers Save Money on Show Specials Network with Peers Boost Your Business & Bottom Line 2012 NJ Blueberry Statistics New Jersey ranked fourth in the nation in the production of cultivated blueberries in 2012. Michigan was ranked first. The total value of the 2012 blueberry crop in New Jersey was $80.8 million, down 15 percent from the previous year. Harvested acres and yield were down respectively. Utilized production was down 17 percent from 2011 to 51.5 million pounds. Prices showed a 3 percent increase. The overall season average price was $1.57 per pound, up 4 cents from the previous year. The average fresh market price was $1.64 per pound, while the processing price was $1.21 per pound. The processing price per pound was 9 cents below the 2011 price level of $1.30 per pound.

The area harvested, at 7,500 acres, was down 200 acres from 2011. The state average yield was 6,870 pounds per acre, compared to 8,050 pounds in 2011 and 6,530 pounds per acre in 2010.

Atlantic and Burlington Counties accounted for 95 percent of the area harvested and 97 percent of New Jersey’s utilized production. The top blueberry producing county in New Jersey was Atlantic County, with 6,000 acres harvested and an average yield of 7,630 pounds per acre. Utilized production for Atlantic County was 45.8 million pounds.

Burlington County producers harvested 1,100 acres with an average yield of 3,730 pounds per acre and utilized production of 4.1 million pounds.

Source: USDA/NASS/NJFO

New Census of Agriculture Release Date :$6+,1*721 '& ĘŠ 7KH 8 6 'HSDUWPHQW RI $JULFXOWXUHÂśV National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will release preliminary results of the 2012 Census of Agriculture on February 20, 2014. The release, which will provide an initial look at national and state findings, will take place at the Ag Outlook Forum. NASS will release the full Census results at a later date and is working to set a revised schedule that ensures the highest-quality data. The release date was delayed by the work stoppage caused by the lapse in federal funding in October 2013 .

For more information contact Sue King, 202-690-8122 or sue.king@nass.usda.gov.

22 December, 2013

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Facebook.com/GardenerNews Van Vleck House & Gardens Celebrates Successful Capital Campaign 0217&/$,5 1- ĘŠ 2QH RI 0RQWFODLUÂśV XQLTXH FRPPXQLW\ LQVWLWXWLRQV LV FHOHEUDWLQJ WKH VXFFHVVIXO completion of a five-year, multi-million-dollar capital campaign that is making Van Vleck House & Gardens a more accessible and valuable resource to the community.

The Pathways to the Future campaign has already completed significant improvements to the 5.8-acre historic property, including improved pathways, new gardens, an education and visitor center, extensive signage, and more accessible facilities. A reception on October 19 gave campaign donors an opportunity to celebrate the opening of the classroom and visitor center and see many of the new improvements, all of which are available for public use.

In 2006, a Master Plan for the property was created by Rodney Robinson Landscape Architects, commissioned by the Van Vleck Board of Management with a generous grant from the Helm Family Foundation. The plan provided a roadmap for a campaign that has been supported by nearly 200 contributors. “We are very grateful to our supporters and volunteers who not only helped us reach our fundraising goals but have quickly implemented our improvements and done it all under budget,� said Marisabel Raymond, Campaign Chair. “This has allowed us to include significant resources to provide for the ongoing maintenance and improvement of our gardens and educational resources.�

The campaign was led by Jacqueline McMullen (Honorary Chair), Marisabel Raymond (Chair), Marianne Smith and Brenda Bingham (Vice Chairs) and a committee of volunteers that included many who have helped transform the Van Vleck home into a place for public enjoyment.

Each year, thousands of visitors come to Van Vleck to explore the gardens, participate in environmental, educational and horticultural programs, and attend concerts, festivals and non-profit events. The capital improvements make these even more accessible and assure the continued use of the property by the community.

The implementation of the master plan improvements already include a new gate and entrance on North Mountain Avenue, extensive new signage that enhances a self-guided cell phone tour, renovations to the Education Center, a new Visitor Center, and handicapped-accessible bathrooms. The Tennis Court Garden, the first garden created by the Campaign in 2008, features plantings of year-round interest. A new Winter Garden features foliage of winter interest. Remaining upgrades will include more accessible pathways and garden improvements.

Van Vleck House & Gardens is owned by The Montclair Foundation and serves as a resource for the Montclair community, both as green space and as a facility used by non-profits. It also provides a venue for music performances and the arts. Following its donation to the Montclair Foundation by the Van Vleck family in 1993, the property has been preserved and improved as an open space and community resource. The grounds are open to the public without charge every day of the year from dawn to dusk. Van Vleck House & Gardens draws on the support of hundreds of donors and volunteers and receives no local taxpayer support.

Gardener News The Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper Number 128 Published Monthly Contact Information Phone: 908.604.4444 Fax: 908.647.5459 Website: www.GardenerNews.com E-Mail: Mail@GardenerNews.com Staff Executive Editor/ Publisher . . . .

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If you dispose of dead leaves and other plant material this fall by burning them, be very careful to keep poison ivy, oak, and sumac leaves, twigs, and vines out of the fire. The plants’ toxin, urushiol, is stable at high temperatures, and the plant particles dispersed in the smoke are both allergenic and irritant. While burning firewood this winter, be sure to inspect the wood pile for the presence of poison ivy vines that may have gotten mixed in. A section of a poison ivy vine may even cling to an individual piece of wood. If you see a vine in with your firewood that has hairy looking roots, be sure to carefully remove it and the pieces of wood it was attached to. Removing wood that has been contaminated with poison ivy can save you from a wintertime case of the infamous poison ivy itch.

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