2013 December Gifted Gardener

Gifted Gardener D E C E M B E R

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Bringing the outdoor greenery indoors for the holidays

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Disease 4 resistant apples first line of defense for home orchardists Poinsettia 6 Facts University 8 of Kentucky College of Agriculture, food and Environment has a new Dean Control9 ling Moles Keeping Greenery Fresh

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KENTUCKY FRUIT & VEGETABLE CONFERENCE HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE If you have ever thought about growing a crop on your land for income a perfect place to learn about what works is the 2014 Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference and Trade Show. This event will have something for everyone interested in fruit and vegetable production. This year’s event convenes January 6, 2014 at Lexington’s Embassy Suites Hotel, and concludes around 5 p.m. January 7. Preconference sessions will be offered in the evening on Sunday, January 5.

The conference is jointly sponsored by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Kentucky State University and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Highlights -Pre-conference Tree Fruit and Small Fruit Round Table Discussions -Sessions on Farmers’ Markets, Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Production, High Tunnels, Small Fruit Production, Organic Production, the Grape and Wine Short Course, Direct Marketing, and Agritourism -Many excellent out-of-state speakers this year including: Dr. Brad Bergefurd and Dr. Gary Gao, Extension Horticulturists, Ohio State

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University; Dr. Lewis Jett, State Commercial Horticulture Specialist, West Virginia University; Nicolas Donck, Crystal Organics Farm, Covington, GA; Dr. David Lockwood and Dr. Annette Wszelaki, Extension Fruit and Vegetable Specialists, respectively, from the University of Tennessee -The KVS will have an optional Celebration of Kentucky Wines Monday evening.

-Exhibitor and Grower Luncheon and Conference Luncheon featuring Kentucky Proud products.

-The Kentucky Farmers Market Association will have their reception and Annual Meeting Monday evening -We will have a Trading Post bulletin board to sell used equipment. If you are looking for equipment buyers, bring along a description containing your name, phone number and the equipment price.

Registration WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO PRE-REGISTER by FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2013. The $30 meeting registration fee. The conference program and registration sheets are available online. http://www.kyvga.org/fruitvegconference2014.pdf

WOODY PLANTS When gathering live greenery from your shrubs and trees, remember that you are actually pruning the plants.

BRINGING THE OUTDOOR GREENERY INDOORS FOR THE HOLIDAYS Decorating the house with fresh greenery is one of the oldest winter holiday traditions. Evergreens have been a part of winter festivals since ancient times.

Evergreens are used to represent everlasting life and hope for the return of spring.

Southerners have been decorating with greenery since colonial days, although the custom was not common in the Northern United States until the 1800s. Churches were decorated elaborately with garlands of holly, ivy, mountain laurel and mistletoe hung from the roof, the walls, the pews, pulpit and sometimes the altar.

Lavender, rose petals and herbs such as rosemary and bay were scattered for scent. Homes were decorated in a simpler fashion with greenery and boughs in the window frames andholly sprigs stuck to the glass with wax.

Today, decorating for the holidays with fresh greenery is more prevalent than ever. Greenery such as cedar, ivy, pine and holly 2

add a fresh look and natural scent to our homes.

Gathering Greenery The first and often the best place to look for holiday greenery may be in your own landscape. Greenery gathered from your own garden will be far fresher than any that you can buy. You may also have a variety of unusual greenery that would be difficult to find for purchase.

When gathering live greenery from your shrubs and trees, remember that you are actually pruning the plants. Consider carefully which branches to cut and which ones to leave. Distribute the cuts evenly around the plant in order to preserve its natural form.

Types of Greenery Many different kinds of greenery can be used for holiday decorations. Pines, firs and cedars are good to use for indoor decoration since they dry out slowly and hold their needles best at warm interior temperatures. They may last for several weeks if properly treated and cared for. Hemlock, spruces and most

broadleaf evergreens will last longer ifused outdoors.

Below are some suggested varieties to use in holiday decorating.

White Pine: This soft, bluish-green, long-needled pine has excellent needle retention but wilts visibly if dry. It is readily available as premade garland and wreaths.

Virginia Pine: This native pine has shorter, coarser needles, and is longlasting, with excellent needle retention.

Virginia pine is readily available.

Junipers: Fragrant, short, green or silver-blue foliage that may be adorned with small blue berries. The needles are often sticky. Red cedar is a native juniper and is readily available.

True Cedars: Deodar cedar, blue atlas cedar, and cedar-of-Lebanon all have a wonderful fragrance. If small male cones are present, spray them with lacquer or acrylic to prevent the messy release of pollen at room temperature.

Firs: All firs have wonderful scent and good tolerance of hot, dry indoor conditions. The needles are short and flat with excellent color and needle retention. Fraser fir wreaths and swags are commonly available from commercial sources.

Spruce: Wreaths are the main use for spruce greens. The branches are stiff with short, sharp needles. Blue spruce is especially attractive because of its color, and it holds its needles better than other spruce. Needle retention is poorer on spruce than on other conifer greens.

Ivy: This vigorous vine is readily available in many yards. It makes an excellent green for holiday arrangements. The cut ends must be kept in water, or the ivy will quickly wilt.

Holly: This most traditional holiday green comes in several forms, both green and variegated. Female plants display bright red berries. Make sure that holly does not freeze after cutting, or the leaves and berries may blacken.

Mountain Laurel: This is a traditional evergreen in the South for wreaths and garlands. As with other broad-leaved evergreens, however, laurel holds up best when used outdoors.

Boxwood: This small-leafed shrub is a longtime favorite for fine-textured wreaths and garland. It has an aroma that is either loved or hated. Be sure of your reaction before using it indoors.

Magnolia: The large leaves are a glossy, dark green that contrast well with the velvety, brown undersides. Magnolia leaves make stunning wreaths and bases for large decorations. The leaves hold up very well even without water.

Some other excellent evergreens that can be used for holiday greenery include: • Arborvitae • Ligustrum • Pittosporum • Podocarpus • Viburnum • Leyland Cypress • Nandina • Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) • Hemlock

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FRUITS

DISEASE RESISTANT APPLES FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE FOR HOME ORCHARDISTS

BY KATIE PRATT Priscilla is just one of the disease-resistant cultivars available to Kentucky orchardists.

Apple trees are popular additions to home landscapes because of their fruit production. Howev-

Gauthier, extension plant pathologist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

“Although backyards do not have the immense disease pressure experienced in commercial orchards, a proactive diseasecontrol program is still essen-

“Apple production requires a dedicated gardener and often a preventative spray schedule,

PHOTO: John Strang, UK extension professor for horticulture er, many home gardeners are not prepared for the onslaught of diseases that bombard the trees every year. To minimize risk of disease and reduce reliance on preventative fungicide applications, home gardeners may consider selecting disease resistant cultivars, said Nicole Ward 4

tial,” Gauthier said. “Apple production requires a dedicated gardener and often a preventative spray schedule, which could include 10 or more fungicide applications throughout the growing season. Without some type of preventative program, disease loss will be extremely high.”

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FLOWERS

Poinsettia Facts

Poinsettias are not poisonous.

There are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias available today

10 Interesting Facts About Poinsettias No flower says Christmas like the beautiful poinsettia. Learn a few facts about this traditional Christmas plant.

Poinsettias are part of the Euphorbiaceae or Spurge family. Botanically, the plant is known as Euphorbia pulcherrima.

Many plants in the Euphorbiaceae family ooze a milky sap. Some people with latex aller(Continued from page 4)

Some of the most destructive diseases affecting apples include fire blight, apple scab, cedar apple rust and powdery mildew. Fire blight and cedar apple rust are the most prevalent. Fire blight causes twig and branch dieback, which can result in death of the entire tree within two to three years. Cedar apple rust causes leaf drop and fruit infections.

Infected fruit are inedible, and leaf drop for three years in a row may stress a tree to the point of death.

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gies have had a skin reaction (most likely to the sap) after touching the leaves. For pets, the poinsettia sap may cause mild irritation or nausea.

Probably best to keep pets away from the plant, especially puppies and kittens.

Poinsettias are not poisonous. A study at Ohio State University showed that a 50-pound child would have to eat more than 500 leaves to have any harmful effect. Plus poinsettia leaves have an awful taste. You might

“It is safe to say that nearly every homeowner will see some damage from those two diseases on a regular basis,” Gauthier said. “In years with warm, rainy springs, trees can become severely damaged.”

Selection of disease-resistant apple cultivars will provide some disease resistance in Kentucky and reduce numbers of required fungicide applications. Gauthier recommends Enterprise, Liberty, Priscilla and Winecrisp. A full list of disease-resistant

want to keep your pets from snacking on poinsettia leaves. Eating the leaves can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

tall.

There are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias available today.

Poinsettias come in colors like the traditional red, white, pink, burgundy, marbled and speckled.

The showy colored parts of poinsettias that most people think of as the flowers are actually colored bracts (modified leaves).

Poinsettias have also been called the lobster flower and the flameleaf flower, due to the red color.

The Paul Ecke Ranch in California grows over 70% of all Poinsettias purchased in the United States and does about 50% of the world-wide sales of Poinsettias.

Joel Roberts Poinsett introduced the poinsettia plant to the United States from Mexico. Poinsett was a botanist, physician and the first United States Ambassador to Mexico.

In Mexico the poinsettia is a perennial shrub that will grow 10-15 feet

cultivar recommendations for Kentucky is available on Gauthier’s blog athttp:// nicolewarduk.blogspot.com/2012/01/ disease-resistant-apple-cultivars.html, intheUK plant pathology fact sheet titledSimplified Backyard Apple Spray Guides athttp://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/ plantpathology/ext_files/PPFShtml/PPFSFR-T-18.pdf and in the Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide athttp:// www2.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/ plantpathology/ext_files/PPFShtml/ HomeFruitB591.pdf.

While many of the recommended cultivars are disease resistant, they have little resistance to insects. Home gardeners wanting to minimize insecticide applica-

December 12th is Poinsettia Day, which marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett in 1851. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/poinsettia/ facts.cfm

tions may want to bag individual fruit when they are roughly an inch in diameter. Ric Bessin, UK extension entomologist, authored a fact sheet on how to bag fruit.

ENTFACT 218: Bagging Apples: Alternative Pest Management for Hobbyists is available online at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/ entomology/entfacts/ef218.asp.

Information also is available in UK extension publication ID-21: Disease and Insect Control for Homegrown Fruit in Kentucky, Including Organic Alternatives athttp:// www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id21/ id21.pdf.

All UK publications are also available through offices of the UK Cooperative Extension Service.

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LEARNING

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT HAS A NEW DEAN ported her candidacy for dean.

I am very

Citing a compelling vision for the future of the college and a national reputation for leadership, University of Kentucky Provost Christine Riordan Tuesday announced that Nancy Cox has accepted the position as dean of the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

honored to represent, serve and support the UK Ag community, including its outstanding students, faculty, staff and an extension system known throughout the Commonwealth for its commitment to service," Cox said.

The appointment is subject to approval by the UK Board of Trustees at its December meeting.

Cox will replace Scott Smith, who has led the college since 2001. He plans to return to the faculty, where he has been a member of 35 years. Cox is currently associate dean of research in the college, a position she has held since 2001 when she came to UK from Mississippi State University.

She is widely regarded as a leader in the field, serving on several national policy boards and organizations and has close ties to both civic and agricultural leaders throughout the Commonwealth, which enthusiastically sup-

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President Eli Capilouto praised both Cox and Smith, saying that the "UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is widely known as one of the leading colleges in the country. That's, in large part, because of the leadership of Scott Smith and his senior team, including Nancy Cox. I want to thank Dean Smith for his long service and leadership. I am excited about the prospect of Nancy's continued leadership both on our campus and in the Commonwealth, where she is so respected."

"We are fortunate to have found someone with the rare combination of skills, intellect and reputation of Dr. Nancy Cox," Riordan said in announcing the selection.

"She is widely known and highly regarded throughout Kentucky for her knowledge and relationships with agriculture, political, and civic leaders. At the same time, she is renowned nationally in helping lead the research and administrative efforts of one of the country's premier colleges of agriculture, including an extension service treasured throughout the Commonwealth."

Among many duties, Cox oversees the college’s research portfolio, which includes $25 million in external awards in Fiscal Year 2012. She currently represents the college on most Kentucky agricultural commodity boards, was the founding administrator of UK’s growing Ag Equine Pro-

grams, and has been the key administrator in innovative alliances with private industry such as Alltech.

On the national level, she serves or has served on key federal policy boards such as the American Society of Animal Science and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Advisory Board for Research.

"I am very honored to represent, serve and support the UK Ag community, including its outstanding students, faculty, staff and an extension system known throughout the Commonwealth for its commitment to service," Cox said. "During interviews for this position, I was impressed once again by the pivotal role the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and its stakeholders play in the economy of the Commonwealth.

I look forward to building on that legacy of engagement."

Riordan also thanked Smith for his long tenure as dean, which included leading the college in confronting pivotal issues such as Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome and the end of the tobacco price support program.

Riordan said "UK is fortunate that Dean Smith will continue in our faculty ranks, providing his guidance to students, faculty and staff in the college and throughout the university."

Department of Entomology Chair John J. Obrycki, who co-chaired the search committee that helped select Cox, said, “Dr. Nancy Cox impressed the members of the search committee with her breadth of knowledge, administrative experience, and understanding of the land-grant mission of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky. She stressed the need for a shared vision of the future of the newly renamed college and how we will address the diverse needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Riordan said Cox begins her tenure as dean on Jan. 1.

CONTROLLING MOLES Moles are a perennial problem in the lawns of central Kentucky homes. In the last 10 years the products have changed but not the method. As a beloved and recently passed turf specialist (Dr. A. J. Powell) used to say “a dead mole is a gone mole”. Eradication is the name of the game here and in his day it was commonly the harpoon trap that would do the trick but today it’s something else that ends the moles reign of terror.

Back a few years ago Dr. Tom Barnes conducted a study comparing several techniques of mole eradication. His findings discovered that several of the old methods or popular items for sell on store shelves simply do not work. Some may drive them away for a short while but eventually they become use to it and they return.

The product that turned out to work the best is a earthworm shaped bait that is placed in the varmints run (or path). The bait contains the active ingredient called Bromethalin and is lethal when it is ingested by the rodent. For this product to work effectively you first have to identify its main feeding run.

To do this you simply roll the lawn down and watch to see which one pops back up first.

In this first reopened run you will pull back the sod an reveal the subterranean path. In this path you will place the bait and trust the varmint will take it.

Some things to remember: Devise a way to keep the wanted animals from unearthing the bait since it is highly toxic to both cats and dogs.

There will generally be another mole take over the abandoned runs so you will have to stay diligent.

Grubs are not a favorite food of the mole so it is not a grub problem.

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Now taking applications for the and 2014 Master Gardener Classes. For more information and an application call the Nelson County Extension office.

What is the Master Gardener Program:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bardstown-Farmers-Market/199299616780198

http://honeyofablog.blogspot.com/

http://kentuckyhomegardens.blogspot.com/

Horticulture Education Program Leadership development Volunteer Based Organization What to Expect: Topics will include botany, soil science, entomology, plant pathology, Fruit and Vegetable growing, Tree care, plus several other topics.

Seasonal Reminders Cost of the class is $60 and will include a very detailed Classes will usually last between 2 and 3 hours.

manual and many other reference materials.

The classes will begin in late January and run through March of 2014. We will decide on day and time by majority rule.

Please let us know your interest in the program by Dec. 20.

KEEPING GREENERY FRESH Use clean, sharp cutters to cut branches and immediately put cut ends into water until ready to use.

Crush the ends of woody stems to allow the cutting to take in more water.

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THAT’S AN IDEA

New spring

Keep greenery out of sunlight.

Immerse greenery in water overnight before arranging. This allows the cuttings to absorb the maximum amount of moisture. • Allow the foliage to dry and then spray it with an antitranspirant, such as Wilt-pruf, to help seal in moisture. Note: Do not use antitranspirants on juniper berries, cedar or blue spruce. The product can damage the wax coating that gives these plants their distinctive color.

Keep completed wreaths, garlands and arrangements in a cool location until use.

Display fresh greenery and fruits out of the sun and away from heat.

bulbs should be planted now Remove Strawberries should be covered by now with straw.

Final Turf fertilization should be done by mid December.

Insulation is your best friend when lowering energy bills Hybrid Tea roses should be cut back to 18” this fall and mulched over the graft union

mummified fruit from fruit trees to lessen the disease load next season We test your soil and its free.

Begin odering fruit tree varieties soon since the good ones go fast.

Plan to replace greenery and fruits throughout the holiday season if they become less than fresh.

Locate and mark perennials for spring division.

Now is the

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture

best time of year to prune trees

Phone: 502-348-9204 Fax: 502-348-9270 email: robsmith@uky.edu Website: http://nelson.ca.uky.edu/ @hortagentrob NelsonCounty Extension

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RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

University of Kentucky Nelson County 317 South Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

Cooperative Extension Service

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