MASTER GARDENERSJuly 2019 Issue

In this issue Hours reported ......................................................... 1 What is it? ................................................................. 1 Dates for 2019 .......................................................... 2 Area Happenings ...................................................... 2 What is it? Answered................................................ 2 July: Chastetree ........................................................ 3 August Garden Tips .................................................. 4 Short Rows ................................................................ 5

Hours reported As of May 31, 2019 Total Volunteer Hours Reported: 142.05 Total Hours Value: $3,147.83 Total Project Miles reported: 662 Total Miles Value: $304.52 Based on values determined by University of Tennessee mileage reimbursement. $0.47/mile Total Value: $3,452.35 Total Direct Contacts by Master Gardeners 559

What is it? Golden Delicious apples

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Dates for 2019 • Quarterly Meeting, July 20, 2019, Dunlap, Mountain Valley Bank Summit Room 9:00 AM Central • Sequatchie Co. fce July picnic. July 25, 2019, at Mountain Valley Bank Summit Room with experts from

TWRA as speakers. The program will be at 11:30 CDST or if you want to come for lunch at 11:00 bring a covered dish. So join them July 25 and learn more about local wildlife.

• UT Arboretum Butterfly Festival August 3, 2019, Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, UT Arboretum Auditorium, Oak Ridge 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Eastern Everyone interested in both butterflies and beautiful landscapes is invited to attend the Butterfly Festival hosted by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society. The family friendly event hosts various speakers and activities for adults and children. Registration information to be announced. http://forestry.tennessee.edu/events.htm

• Steak and Potato Field Day August 6, 2019, 8:00 AM Crossville, Plateau Research & Education Center • 11th Annual Fall Gardeners' Festival August 27, 2019, UT Gardens Crossville, Plateau Research & Education

Center • Quarterly Meeting November 2, 2019, Pikeville • Western Region Conference October 11 and 12, 2019 hosted by Hardeman County at Lone Oaks in

Middleton, TN

Area Happenings Hamilton County MG 3rd Saturday Classes The Education Committee of the MGHC offers classes on varying topics on the third Saturday morning each month from February through November. These classes are open to the public and are generally free. Classes are at AG Center, 6183 Adamson Circle, Chattanooga, TN Upcoming classes:

• July 20, “Camelias” • August 17, “History of Plant Names” • September 21, “Hosta and Other Shade Loving Plants • October 29, “Edible Landscaping” • November 16, “Wreath Making Class”

Visit http://mghc.org/education-committee-classes/ for more details and to register

Cumberland County Master Gardeners Association Crossville, TN The 2019 Classes in the Garden Series has 3 to 4 classes per month throughout the year. Check out the full list along with times and fees at: https://www.ccmga.org/ or for a program flyer https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/975cb3_864a7bb11e6242a191e552f9101a0006.pdf

What is it? Answered There can be several causes of deformed apples. The first thing to do is cut open one or more of the

symptomatic fruits and see if there are any worms inside, such as coddling moth or plum curculio. If you do not see worms inside, the damage may have been from tarnished plant bugs or other insects feeding on the surface of the fruits as they were developing. Also, boron deficiency can cause deformity and corking of fruit. The key -soil test and follow a spray schedule as found at https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/SP307-D.pdf or https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/PB1622.pdf

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UT Gardens Plant of the Month

July: Chastetree An Ancient Shrub Makes a Comeback in Southern Gardens Submitted by Carol Reese, UT Extension Western Region horticulturist, and Richard Gibson, assistant horticulturist, UT Gardens, Jackson

Ancient chastetrees, also called Vitex agnus-castus, can be found at old homes across the South, a testimonial to its durability. A couple of decades ago old homesteads were about the only place you might run across them, as they were considered passé and were no longer carried in garden centers. Fortunately, chastetrees have gone through a revival in popularity, and many forms are currently available in the trade. A variety of growth habits, from small trees to rounded shrubs, will suit many landscapes. Terminal bloom panicles are usually in shades of blue, purple or lilac, but white- and pink-blooming forms can also be found.

Although its other attributes are plenty, the bloom time for this plant has been extended later in the year in some of the newer cultivars, making chastetree an even more garden-worthy plant. It is also extremely drought tolerant once established and has no pests or disease issues.

Another endearing quality of this plant is the back story. Chastetree earned its name because it was said to be an herb

given to monks to suppress their sex drive and thus help to keep them chaste. It was also strewn into the beds of women whose husbands were away in war to help cool their lust.

The plant’s Latin name acknowledges the story, with ‘agnus’ being derived from the Greek word ‘hagnos’ meaning pure or virginal, and the Latin word ‘castus’ meaning chaste and moral.

If you peruse herbal products sold in drugstores that are intended to help women with a variety of hormone-based disorders, you will find chastetree listed as an ingredient, and in a small number of reputable double-blind studies, it has been shown to have some efficacy. This does not confirm the plant’s storied reputation for suppressing the libido, but it does hint that there is some effect on human hormone levels.

Plant this deciduous shrub in full sun and well-drained soil. Larger cultivars can be limbed up to form small trees, and dwarf cultivars make rounded shrubs that range from 3 feet to several feet tall. When needed, chastetree size can be controlled by pruning back as it will bloom on new growth. This is an asset that allows it to be used as a cutback shrub in regions of Tennessee where it is marginally hardy. Even in warmer parts of Tennessee, there may be dieback during years of severe winter, but regrowth from roots can be expected from well-established plants.

Some fairly common cultivars include: • Blue Puffball™ (First Editions®), deep blue blooms, 3- to 4-feet tall and wide • Delta Blues™ (First Editions®), purple blooms, 10 feet tall • Blue Diddley® (Proven Winners®), purple blooms, 7 feet tall • ‘Shoal Creek’, purple bloom,15 feet tall with 12-inch inflorescences

Gardeners in colder parts of Tennessee may wish to try a different species of chastetree, Vitex negundo, which is hardier by several degrees.

Chastetrees are experiencing a revival in popularity because of trheir beautiful blooms and a variety of other pleasing

traits. This specimen of ‘Delta Blues’ chastetree can be seen adjacent to the flag circle in front of the West Tennessee

AgResearch a and Education Center in Jackson. Photo by C. Reese, courtesy UTIA.

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August Garden Tips August is peak time for backyard gardeners. There’s an abundance to harvest and plenty to do. “It’s a great

month to be out in your garden, both enjoying the fruits of your labor and starting to prepare for the fall growing season and for next year,” says Jason Reeves, research horticulturist and garden curator at the University of Tennessee Gardens in Jackson.

Reeves’ tips for August include: • Begin collecting seed of annuals and perennials for next year's garden. Cut seed heads and place in brown

paper bags to dry, labeling each bag with the name of the plant. • Sow pansies, ornamental kale and cabbage, and Swiss chard seed in a good quality potting medium. After

seedlings develop true leaves, transplant them into individual cell packs or pots. Feed with a water-soluble fertilizer. By late September or early October they should be ready to transplant into the garden.

• For late crops of beets, carrots, collards, kale, lettuce, spinach, turnips, mustard and radish, sow seeds before the middle of the month. Transplants of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and onions can be planted mid to late August.

• Stop watering amaryllis bulbs late this month and place them in a dry location. After leaves turn yellow, remove the foliage and store bulbs in a cool, dry and dark site for about two months. If need be, repot bulbs so that the top one-half to two-thirds of each is above the soil. Water and place indoors in a well-lit area. The bulbs should bloom in six to eight weeks.

• Divide and transplant iris during the month of August. Cut back the foliage by two-thirds, dig and divide rhizomes, removing any dead portions. Check for iris borers and replant in a sunny, well drained location with one-third of the rhizome above the existing soil level. Water well.

• August is also a good time to dig and divide daylilies, using a sharp shovel to split the clumps into desirable sizes. Cut back foliage to five inches and replant in a sunny location.

• During dry spells, continue to mow the lawn on the high-level setting. • Avoid pruning trees and shrubs starting in late August. Particularly hedging plants such as boxwood,

hemlock and hollies — since doing so this late in the season can stimulate new growth that will not harden off before frost. If spring-flowering shrubs are pruned now you will be sacrificing next year's flowers. Delay pruning any tree or shrub until the plant is dormant. Any major pruning should be done in late winter.

• And most important as the mercury continues to climb this month, sit back and enjoy the bounty from the garden. The UT Gardens include plant collections located in Knoxville, Jackson and Crossville. Designated as the

official botanical garden for the State of Tennessee, the collections are part of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Their mission is to foster appreciation, education and stewardship of plants through garden displays, educational programs and research trials. The gardens are open during all seasons and free to the public. See http://utgardens.tennessee.edu for more information.

“Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration.”

Lou Erickson

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The Extension Master Gardener Program is a programs of the University of Tennessee Extension

For more information contact: Sheldon Barker Extension Agent Sequatchie Co. 170 Church St

Dunlap, TN 37327 423-949-2611

Sequatchie.tennessee.edu facebook.com/UTExtension.Sequatchie

J. C. Rains

Extension Agent Bledsoe Co. PO Box 289

Pikeville, TN 37367 423-447-2451

Bledsoe.tennessee.edu facebook.com/utbledsoecounty

Useful links

Tennessee Extension Master Gardening Program https://extension.tennessee.edu/MasterGardener

Reporting hours On-line

https://temg.tennessee.edu

TMG Volunteer Handbook https://extension.tennessee.edu/MasterGardener/Documents/W099-%20Volunteer.%20November.pdf

Short Rows More on Ticks

A new UT Extension Publication of the Asian longhorned tick which was recently found in Tennessee. https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W826.pdf Other resources listed in the publication • tn.gov/agriculture/news/2019/5/24/invasive-

tick-detected-in-tennessee.html • http://cdc.gov/ticks/longhorned-tick/index.htm • http://linvasivespeciesinfo.gov/profile/asian-

longhorned-tick • http://fonseca-lab.com/research/global-health-

the-tick-that-binds-us-all • http://cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html

DYI Hummingbird nectar Source: Audubon.org https://www.audubon.org/news/how-make-hummingbird-nectar?ms=digital-eng-email-ea-x-engagement_20190612_engagement_message_medium&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=engagement_20190612_engagement_message&utm_content=medium

Materials: • 1/4 cup refined white sugar [Ed. note: Please do use refined white sugar. Honey can promote dangerous fungal growth. Organic, natural, and raw sugars contain levels of iron that could be harmful. Plain white table sugar is sucrose, which, when mixed with water, very closely mimics the chemical composition of natural nectar.] • 1 cup boiling water • Bowl • Spoon Note: There's no need for red dye here. Red coloring is not necessary and the chemicals could prove to be harmful to the birds.

Steps: 1. Mix sugar and boiling water until sugar is

dissolved. 2. Cool and fill feeder. 3. Hang up your feeder outside and wait for

the hummingbirds to come.