Grow Organically

If you are looking for a one-stop resource on organic vegetable disease and insect control, check out the Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management. This publication, while intended for commercial organic vegetable growers, points out cultural, biological, and chemical controls for common insects and diseases that trouble commercial crops and home gardens alike.

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pp/resourceguide/

Giant Hogweed:

Do Not Touch this Plant!

Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantagazzianum, is a non-native plant with irritating sap. The sap, combines with moisture or sweat, and in the presence of sunlight causes stinging, burning, blistering rashes, that can lead to scarring and blindness.

Brought in as an ornamental garden plant, it has spread to natural areas, following watercourses and popping up along stream beds. It is often confused with our native Cow Parsnip, Heracleum lanatum, which also triggers the same type of skin reaction (Photophytodermatitis).

If you see this noxious plant or suspect that what you are looking at is Giant Hogweed, please call us here at Cornell Cooperative Extension. Often a digital photo can help us eliminate look-alike confusion. If it is Giant Hogweed, we can then confirm its location and report it to the proper authorities.

For more information, visit this NYS Department of Environmental Conservation website with maps, photos and links:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html

or this link from Cornell Cooperative Extension:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/ghpestalertcce.pdf

MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERs

2010 PLANT SALE

*

MAY 15 FROM 8:30 AM TO 12:30 PM

AT TILLY FOSTER FARM, BREWSTER, NY

Just in Time for Spring Planting –

Annual Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County

Fund Raiser for Community Education Programs

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County will hold its annual MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS 2010 PLANT SALE on Saturday, May 15 from 8:30 am to 12:30 p.m. The popular and much anticipated sale to benefit CCE/Putnam’s program of community outreach and education again takes place at Tilly Foster Farm on Route 312 (between Route 6 and I-84) in Brewster.

The MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS 2010 PLANT SALE is noted for its superior quality plants that are priced to sell. These plants, selected for their ability to thrive in Putnam gardens, include a wide array of vegetables, annuals, herbs and perennials from the Master Gardener Volunteers’ personal collections.

Highlights include:

• A new addition to the 2010 sale will be a gardening supply stand featuring a fun selection of implements, tools and gifts chosen to delight gardening enthusiasts.

• FREE soil pH testing and texture analysis will be conducted.

• FREE gardening advice regardless of how extensive.

The MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS 2010 PLANT SALE benefits the community outreach and education programs sponsored by Cornell Cooperate Extension of Putnam County. Master Gardener Volunteers play an active role in helping CCE/Putnam accomplish its mission through educating home gardeners of all ages on a variety of gardening related issues such as improving the home landscape and garden, integrated pest management, wildlife management, water conservation and many more concerns and obstacles confronting today’s gardener.

No matter one’s age, from gardening novice to seasoned old hand, the MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS 2010 PLANT SALE has plants for everyone. So, come on down to this favorite once a year community event.

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For additional information call 845-278-6738 or go online to the Putnam County Web site of the Cornell Cooperative Extension at www.cce.cornell.edu/putnam.

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Check us out online. For gardening tips and trends, what’s happening around the neighborhood and just good old friendly gossip, be sure to visit CCE/Putnam’s new gardening blog at cceputnam.blogspot.com and join our FaceBook page at Master Gardener Volunteers of Putnam County, New York.

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For additional press information and downloadable photos, please contact:

Pat Madigan, CCE/Putnam, at (845) 278-6738 or PCM6@cornell.edu

*artwork courtesy: www.wrightmoore.com

Master Gardener Volunteers offer Scholarships to Putnam Students

Brewster, NY -- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County Master Gardener Volunteers have announced that two scholarships of $500 will be awarded this year. Residents of Putnam County who are graduating seniors are eligible to apply for the scholarships for the study of Plant Science, Horticulture, Floriculture, Architectural Landscape Design, Forestry, Botany or other environmentally related programs.

Students must be Putnam County residents but can attend any high school or be home-schooled. Awardees must plan to pursue advanced education in a recognized institution of higher learning.

More details about the scholarship, the application form and eligibility criteria are available through high schools’ guidance offices and online at www.cce.cornell.edu/putnam. We encourage all students who meet the criteria to apply for these scholarships.

Together with the professional horticulture staff of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Master Gardener Volunteers offer adult education workshops, staff the daily (9-12) Horticulture Hotline, answer plant and insect questions at the Cold Spring Farmers Market, host plant sales and work with gardeners at the Tilly Foster Farm Community Garden. Master Gardener volunteers help link Putnam County residents with science-based information from Cornell University and other land-grant colleges to help people use natural resources wisely, to become more confident home gardeners, and to landscape with the environment in mind.

For more information on the scholarship:

Master Gardener Volunteers of Putnam County Scholarship Committee

Cathy Croft, Chair, 54 Enoch Crosby Road, Brewster, NY 10509

cathycroft@comcast.net; 845-279-6925

Fabulous website all about water

Learn everything aboutwater you ever wanted to know - probably more -- at http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/

World's Most Useful Tree?

An amazing find about the Moringa tree (tropical, unfortunately) which provides food, oil, erosion control and seeds that can remove bacteria from water! Read all about it at
http://www.wateronline.com/article.mvc/Worlds-Most-Useful-Tree-Provides-Low-Cost-0001?user=2076826&source=nl:26921

--Dianne Olsen

During A Long Snowy Winter -- Why Not BONSAI????

INTERVIEW WITH BONSAI ENTHUSIAST MIKE IVANY

Q. Why bonsai?

Why any hobby? Learning, doing, loving, sharing…


Q. How did you get started?

I had a yen for plants since I was a four-year-old kid, and whenever I saw a bonsai tree I was mesmerized. At about age 30 I saw a newspaper ad for a bonsai class that was to be given at a local nature center. I signed up, learned the basics, and went home from the class with my first little potted baby. The rest is history.


Q. Do you have a bonsai specialty?

I now specialize in Japanese maple trees. I think they are the best choice for bonsai in the Northeast since they are hardy, tough, and have beautiful leaves that constantly change colors during the growing season, and take to training in containers readily. They also flower, and have the little propeller fruit that add a lot of color and interest. Of course, they are most famous for their fall leaf colors, which, with most Japanese maples, are spectacular.


Q. Any special tips you recommend for the beginner?

Yes! Make sure you find a course on bonsai so that you can learn the basics, thereby avoiding the killing of too many babies at the outset. Helpful courses are also available on videos these days.

And join a local bonsai club, where you can talk to more experienced enthusiasts, pick up plants, tools and books at low prices when they have auctions and sales. You can also buy plants from club members.


Q. What is the meaning behind the art of bonsai?

Natural beauty, miniaturized to fit in smaller spaces and grown in containers.


Q. Did bonsai originate in Japan?

Good question. This is being debated all the time. At this time, it is generally accepted in the US that potted plants, and their training, actually began in India, and then migrated to China at some point. The Japanese picked it up from the Chinese, probably during the 16th or the 17th centuries. They refined the process, and codified it as an art form. American soldiers, during and after World War II, came into contact with bonsai in Japan, and brought little trees back to the US. Bonsai took off in the US sometime in the early 1970’s, sparked by a book written by the Japanese bonsai master Yuji Yoshimura. He wrote the first extensive book about bonsai propagation in the English language.


Q. Are there different approaches to bonsai in different cultures, e.g. Japan and China?

Since bonsai is global now, mostly the same types of plants are used by bonsai enthusiasts everywhere. But where the Japanese try to develop a tree’s design so that it looks like a totally natural tree in miniature, the Chinese tend to highlight unusual, and sometimes contorted designs, with strange curves, a lot of exposed roots, and, frequently, an over-supply of leaves.

It is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Both groups of trees are miniaturized, both are potted, both are carefully trained, and developed over many years. But no matter what the design, nature adds something special to a tree. An aura that comes with age that often eclipses the actual design.


Q. How can bonsai plants be incorporated into a northeast perennial garden?

Bonsai, by definition, are “potted plants” so they do not grow directly in the ground. But, plants in the garden can be cut back and trained so that they remain smallish -- and look interesting -- mostly using the same techniques as are used with bonsai. Technically they cannot be considered bonsai.

Also, in the garden a plant with a bonsai’s dimensions will hardly be visible. Bonsai are for looking at and appreciating up close. They are the main show, not part of the landscape.

Of course, your bonsai will be very happy to spend the warm season out of doors in a prominent spot with the right cultural requirements.


Q. Bonsai versus cats or dogs; which offers a more rewarding experience?

All of them, except that bonsai do not have to be walked, there is no kitty litter, and no seasonal shots. On the other hand, bonsai trees do require training and maintenance work, particularly in the spring.



Mike Ivany is a dedicated bonsai enthusiast with nearly 30 years experience cultivating his babies on his Yonkers apartment terrace overlooking the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades beyond. He is a former vice president of the Yama Ki Bonsai Society that meets monthly in Greenwich, CT, and is an auctioneer at the organization’s annual fundraising gala. He has cultivated hundreds of plants and now tends to a collection of nearly 40 trees of all ages. Mike is a graduate of the New York Botanical Garden’s Landscape Design Program.

Yama Ki Bonsai Society: http://www.yamakibonsai.org.

Contact Mike at mivany@x-strap.com.

This interview was conducted and edited by Tim Fisher, Master Gardener Volunteer.

Try this website for info about snow-damaged trees

Care and Pruning of Damaged Trees - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

--Dianne Olsen

Plants send out for food

Scientists have found that when rice plants are growing in phosphorus-poor soil, their root hairs grow longer, in an attempt to find more phosphorus! Read the full article at
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100217093938.htm
-Dianne Olsen

Hudson River Neighbors?

Get free Trees for Tributaries

Do you have a stream or wetland area on your property that is part of the Hudson River watershed? You may be eligible for free tree and shrub seedlings through the DEC and Hudson River Estuaries Program's "Trees for Tribs." Do you think your property qualifies? Check out this site: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/43668.html for general information about the program. And look here for a map of the Hudson River tributary system: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/hregpmap08.pdf

But hurry! Application deadline is March 1st:

Applications can be found at:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/hrewtftap.pdf

Bird calls online

Heard my first spring call this morning. Here's a fabulous website for bird calls! Just click and listen - this will help the Backyard Bird Count and all through the birding season.
http://www.enature.com/birding/audio.asp

See the insect - see the damage

This is one of the best websites around - look at the plant the insect feeds on, then you can click the link for a fact sheet and/or see the picture of the insect and its damage. Go Maine!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/faculty/pritts/BerryDoc/strawberry/flowersandfruit/images/img0058.jpg&imgrefurl=http://pmo.umext.maine.edu/homeowner/homeownerIPM-host.htm&usg=__Uy10teJGjrWT7L6Xc9szl9POG0I=&h=469&w=714&sz=154&hl=en&start=43&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=hFyHQ3gGD4l1kM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtwo%2Bspotted%2Bspider%2Bmites%2Bcornell%26imgtbs%3Ds%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGIC_enUS309US309%26sa%3DN%26start%3D42%26um%3D1

--Dianne Olsen

Snow and winds? How to move snow off tender plants

If we have heavy, wet snow, the branches of evergreens may be bent and broken. Shake the branches gently to loosen the snow but don't shake them so hard they pop up. You can cut branches that are broken but don't do any pruning now.

Is it spring if I had my hands in the soil?

Yesterday I spent a happy hour or so taking cuttings of Pelargonium and Plectranthus that were in 4-packs and potting them up into 4-inch pots. The cuttings had rooted nicely and I'm hoping they are all happy in their new, bigger homes.
--Dianne Olsen

Invasives in catalogs?

Most plant catalogs and on-line businesses deal in reputably grown items, but a few are selling plants that are either officially invasive or are termed "thugs" in our gardens. Code words to watch for?

• Spreads fast
• Great for erosion control
• Covers ground
• Fast growing
• Assertive
• Grows a lush hedge in only two years
• Forms dense colonies
• “You can’t kill it!”
If you see these phrases in plant descriptions, stay away!

Giant hogweed in Mahopc (Croton Falls Road)
two years ago - has been controlled by Highway Dept. Sold
in the U.S. as an ornamental plant since the
1920s!

Cornell Chronicle: Figs kill when wasps don't pollinate

Cornell Chronicle: Figs kill when wasps don't pollinate

As horticulturists, we often recommend that gardeners give plants what they need to help them thrive. You know, shade for shade-loving plants; acid soil for acid-soil-loving plants. But who knew plants could kill if they're not satisfied?

Growing Any Interesting Veggies?

Renee's Garden Catalog came in this week with some beautiful and very interesting vegetables. Some are pretty enough for the front garden! Check out a cutting lettuce called "Sea of Red" and a pretty contaimer lettuce, "Sweetie Baby Romaine." Also look at a yellow haricot vert, French-style string bean that is a pale gold color. http://www.reneesgarden.com/

Will you be growing anything fabulous this year? Let us know and we can keep track of your success with you!

Spring Garden School March 6

Just what you need - a day of garden learning just in time to prepare your vegetable and landscape gardens for a bountiful, beautiful season. Four classes will get you started:

• Seed Starting
• All-Natural Pest Control
• Animals-Animals
• Garden Design Basics

Just $15 per person and you can save $5 by bringing a friend. Register two people for $25. The fee includes all classes, handouts, hands-on learning and great fun! Download registration form at http://www.cce.cornell.edu/putnam

-- Dianne Olsen

Cornell Small Farms Program is looking for an Extension Associate

The Cornell Small Farms Program is seeking an Extension Associate to join our staff. To view the position description online, visit http://www.hr.cornell.edu/jobs/ Then, click on: External Applicants > Faculty and Non-Faculty Instruction,Research & Extension Positions > Job Number 11761-Extension Associate. Interviews will begin late January.

Plants can "feel" temperatures changing

Just as many researchers use white mice in labs, plant researcher use the Arabidopsis thaliana because its simple life form can show significant changes in pH, soil nutrients, air pollution and more. Scientists in the United Kingdom used it recently to show that plants can not only sense temperature change but also adapt to these changes by certain movements in the way their DNA is packaged. The research may result in being able to breed plants resistant to heat or cold. For the full story:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107132543.htm

--Dianne Olsen

Planning on Tomatoes this year: Late Blight Q & A

The seed catalogs are rolling in, and with them comes a gardener's hope and excitement . . . a "this'll be the best garden ever" enthusiasm. If last year's tomato troubles are getting you down, follow this link to a short article on Late Blight, from the Northeastern IPM center, and learn how and where the pathogen overwinters, and which tomato varieties are currently believed to be most resistant.

http://northeastipm.org/newsandreports/2009fall/Fall09_LateBlight.html

Rank your favorite vegetables

The Cornell Citizen Science folk have put together a fabulous website to help home gardeners share their successes (and failures) in the vegetable garden. Find out what other people are growing and share your stories of tasty tomatoes and bouncing bean harvests. http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/

Cornell Tested Veggies

Vegetable gardening was so frustrating last year! Rain, rain and more rain and late blight of tomato . . . and that was just the headlines. Try again this year - it will definitely be better. To help gardeners pick the most successful hybrids, Cornell tests hundreds each year. The list of the best for 2010 is available now at http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/vegetables/vegvar.pdf