nueces agrilife org · to receive the coveted “earth-kind” designation. it is also a texas...

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MG GAZETTE MISSION:

The mission of the association shall be to organize and promote volunteer efforts that Support Extension programs advancing sound horticultural practices in Nueces County.

Nueces Master Gardeners, Inc. Issue 10 October 2015

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HTTP://NUECES.AGRILIFE.ORG

MG Officers and Elect 2015

President

Deborah Holliday [email protected]

(956) 433-7110

El leElect Elect

Debra Martin

(361) 815-1867

Vice President Alene Burch

[email protected] (361) 334-1021

Elect Thorunn Kelley (361) 985-9818

Secretary Linda Lamprecht


Elect Beth Spirko

(610) 349-1099

Treasurer/ Bookkeeper

Theresa Stelzig


Elect Suzy Murray (361) 816-2464

Publicity & Parliamentarian

Carlos Valdez (361) 946-6123

Gazette Editor Jenny Mohundro

[email protected] or [email protected]

(361) 816-4646

Ex-Officio

Norma Hernandez


Members-at-large

DeAnna Baumgartner, Carlos Valdez, Sandra Williams

State Directors Jenny Mohundro, Betty Rogers Alternate: Huxley Smith

Volunteer Hrs. Coordinator

Betty Rogers


Extension Office

Lisa Martinez


MG Helpline

(361) 767-5250

Common Name Chinese Pistache

Botanical Name Pistacia chinensis

OctoberTopics

MG Officers President’s Corner Happenings Agent’s Notes Meeting Lunch Meeting Dates Plant Auction Help Tips From Betty Birthdays Botanical Garden

Classes Volunteer

Opportunities Meeting Hours MG’s In Action Bus Trip New MG’s Intern Class

Schedule Attention, MG’s Farmer’s Market Watering Small

Spaces Autumn Quote Church Made Out of

Trees

A great South Texas tree is the Chinese Pistache, a great shade tree for Texas. It was the first shade tree to receive the coveted “Earth-Kind” designation. It is also a Texas SuperStar™, which means it has met all the grueling requirements for superior growing. Another plus is that it has spectacular fall color and is an extremely tough, durable and adaptable medium-size tree for the Gulf Coast. It is a rather slow growing tree and looks awkward as an adolescent, needing some pruning to help shape it. At maturity, it reaches 40-50 feet and is magnificent with its brilliant red color in the fall, something we don’t see that much in the Coastal Bend. http://www.wwnrockport.com/2012/08/gardening-tips-for-september-in-texas.html

mailto:[email protected]


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:

Other Happenings

October ‘15

Thur. Oct. 1 *Orchidology Class, 7pm, BG, 852-2100 *Rose Society, 7pm, GC, 853-7554 Sat. Oct. 3 *”Fall Planting for Trees & Shrubs”, 10am, Gills on Airline, 992-9674 *”Creative Composting” seminar, 10am, BG, 852-2100 *Aransas/San Pat MG Fall Plant Sale, 9am-1pm, 892 Airport Rd, Rockport, 361-790-0103 Wed. Oct. 7 *Coastal Bend Cacti & Succulent Society, 7pm, GC, 852-7700 *”Turfgrass and IPM” MG Intern Class, 1pm, BG, 767-5217 Sat. Oct. 10 *”Lawn Care & Weed Control for Fall”, 10am, Gills on Airline, 992-9674 *”Cool Herbs for Cool Weather”, 10am, BG, 852-2100 Tue. Oct. 13 *Garden Council, 6:30pm, covered dish, GC, 537-8231 *”South Texas Native Plants & Attracting Wildlife” MG Intern Class, 11-4pm, BG, 767-5217 Tue. Oct. 13 thru Thu. Oct. 15 *Ag Awareness, RMB Fairgrounds, 767-5223 Wed. Oct. 14 *Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group, 10am, ACISD Maintenance Dept., 619 N. Live Oak St., Room 14, Rockport, 361-790-0103 Sat. Oct. 17 *”More Fun With Containers”, 10am, Gills on Airline, 992-9674 *”Working Natives into Existing Landscapes”, seminar, 10am, BG, 852-2100 Tue. Oct. 20 *MG Executive and General Meetings, 10am and 12Noon, GC, 956-433-7110 *Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardener Association, 10am, 892 Airport Rd., Rockport, 361-790-0103 *”Butterfly Walk and Talk” brown bag, 12-1pm, Rockport Extension, 892 Airport Rd., 361-790-0103 Wed. Oct. 21 *”Identifying Plant Problems” MG Intern Class, 1pm, Robstown Extension, 767-5217 *Plumeria Society, 6:30pm, GC, 813-9616 Thur. Oct. 22 *Bonsai Society, 7pm, GC, 992-0009 *Bromeliad Society, 7pm, GC, 658-8650 Wed. Oct. 28 *”Rainwater Harvesting & Irrigation” MG Intern Class, 1pm, Robstown Extension, 767-5217 Fri. Oct. 30 *”Moonlight in the Gardens”, 5:30pm, BG, 852-2100 BG=Botanical Gardens GC=Garden Center (Greely Senior Center) Remember! You get CE credits for the program portion of horticulture-based meetings that you attend even if they are not Master Gardener Meetings.

September Review - September was a busy month for our Master Gardener chapter. Seed packing, bed building, and delivery of plants to the Learning to Grow schools was priority one. Thank you, volunteers. And special thanks to members who volunteered to be school mentors. It's rewarding to encourage a beleaguered coach to cultivate plants and nurture vegetable beds. It's fun when you get down in the dirt with a bunch of 4th graders or teach a high school student how to use a shovel. Next time you see DeAnna Baumgartner thank her for all the hard work and generosity she devotes to kids in the Learning to Grow program. The fall Home & Garden Show was our other large event this month. As always, it was a great opportunity for MG's to showcase our expertise to a larger audience. I was happy to see so many of our Interns and regular members volunteering. Thank you!! We're looking for new ideas to make our booth and Kids Zone more appealing, so please submit your opinions to me via email. A review and discussion of the H&G show will be on the agenda at the Board's final 2015 workshop on Oct 14. October Outlook - October 6, member excursion to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Call or email Debbie Martin to reserve your seat and deli lunch. See more details elsewhere in this issue of the Gazette. AG Awareness is October 13, 14, and 15 at the Borchard Fairgrounds in Robstown from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. each day. There are still slots available to volunteer to learn how to present Salad in a Pot and Good Bugs/Bad Bugs to third graders. Presentations are 20 minutes long, and the kids rotate among several stations along the way. Great for Interns and others to get youth hours. Members can email Lisa or Helen Orsak to sign up, or catch the sign up sheet at the intern class next week.

Members-Only plant sale and auction is scheduled for October 20. There will be a limited combined board/general meeting at 10 a.m. followed by Meet and Greet at 11:30 (food will be ready at 11:30). The auction will begin at noon. Jason Ott, Nueces County Ag Agent, is guest Auctioneer. Come and join us. Bring a food dish to pass and enjoy the fun while adding to your plant collection. Bring plant donations to Ray High School on any Tuesday or Thursday, 9-11 a.m., (except for Oct 6) before the sale. Email or call me for pickup, or bring your plants early (between 8 and 11 a.m.) the day of the sale. 2015 is winding down - Finance Committee wrap up meeting is October 7 at 10 am at the Botanical Gardens Education Station building. Thank you, Sandra Williams, for serving so capably this year as chair of the committee. Executive Committee is having their final workshop on Wednesday, October 14, at the Robstown Extension office, from 10 - noon. The Board will discuss the Home & Garden Show, Intern graduation, and other committee business to set a smooth transition to next year's administration. Happy Fall, ya’ll!

President’s Corner

Deb Holliday

President 2015

Nueces Master Gardeners, Inc.

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October Meeting Potluck

NOTICE: Lunch now begins at 11:30. Please deliver your dishes early To volunteer for future lunches, contact

Rita Phillips 991-0750 or email

[email protected]

o volunteer for future dates,

contact Rita Phillips 991-0750 or e-mail [email protected]

As MGs (students and interns included), you are a member of the Garden Council. Please plan to attend those meetings. The meeting itself does not count for hours, but if there is a program MGs can count that for CE time. Students and interns do not receive credit but will receive knowledge and make new friends.

Make Your HOURS Count TIPS FROM BETTY ROGERS

Nueces Master Gardeners, As some of you may know, I will no longer serve as your horticulture agent in Nueces County. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I will be returning to West Texas. I want to tell you that I have never been more pleased to work with a group of volunteers than the Nueces Master Gardeners. You are well positioned with the leadership you currently have and the leadership that you will enjoy in 2016. I expect to see great things from the Nueces Master Gardeners in the years to come. I must say too that I love you all...well most of you (just kidding). I will have the same email so you may contact me if you wish to. However, if you have a programmatic issue or question that is related to your role as an Extension volunteer, please contact Jason Ott. You are fortunate in that Jason will be your coordinating agent again during the interim. I want to challenge you to focus on your mission, have lots of fun and try to reach much further than you think you can. If you do these things, you are going to be pleasantly surprised at what you will accomplish.

Thank you Jeff Floyd Texas AgriLife Extension Service County Extension Agent-Horticulture

Agent’s Notes

Jeff Floyd, CEA- Horticulture Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Nueces County

Next MG General Meeting

October 20th at Greely Garden Center

8:00-11:30 Members may bring plants & food

Combined Executive & General Meeting

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

11:30 noon – Potluck Lunch Meet & Greet

12:00-2:00 p.m.

Help For The MG Plant Auction Members can drop off plant and garden item donations any Tuesday or Thursday, except Oct. 6, 9-11:00 a.m. at Ray High school and stay to help with plants. Items can also be delivered to the Garden Senior Center Monday afternoon, October 19, 3-4:30 p.m. or 8:00-11:30 a.m. on the morning of the plant sale, October 20th.

Master Gardener

Annual

Plant Auction

2:00-3:00 p.m. cleannup


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Ongoing: Ray High School Greenhouse

Behind Ray H.S., Staples & Texan Trail

Tuesday MG Workday 9:00-11:00

Ongoing: Food Bank Project “Outgrow

Hunger” 826 Krill Dr. (Navigation

then right on Savage Lane to Krill).

Tuesdays 7:30a.m. (Except MG meeting day

then Wednesday) Contact: Mary Lambert

813-7596 or e-mail her at

[email protected]

Ongoing: Nature Conservatory, Mondays, 4:00pm

& Blucher Park 5:00 pm

until sundown (Behind the Main Library)

Bring gloves, bug spray, plus a bag lunch &

a chair if you plan to stay for our Chat &

Chew time.

Contact: Karen Smith 877-9723

Ongoing: Courtyard Maintenance at the

Senior Garden Center, 1st Monday,

9:15 a.m. Contact: Betty Whitt 991-5375

Ongoing: Botanical Gardens,

Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m.

If gate not open, go through neighborhood to

access back gate or fence.

Contact: Jessica Latimer 993-6013 Areas to work:

1. Hummingbird Garden

2. Butterfly Garden (new)

3. Sensory Garden

4. Earth Kind Garden

Check With

Michael,

Carol, Billy, or

Brenda for

work tasks.

10/03 John Martin Class 23 10/16 Thorunn Kelley Class 22 10/16 Dennis Britton Class 21 10/17 Sue Bequet Class 16

September 15th

MG Meeting Hours

Volunteer Hours

Executive Meeting = 2.0 hours

Master Gardener Meeting =1 hour

Time Traveled = Figure your own

Continuing Education Hours

Program: = .5 hours

Report all hours by the last day of the month or before.

BOTANICAL GARDEN EVENTS CREATIVE COMPOSTING Saturday, October 3, 10-noon Learn the basics of composting and practical ways to recycle your kitchen scraps and landscape debris into “Gardener’s Gold” from Nueces Master Gardener Bob Becquet . COOL HERBS FOR COOL WEATHER Saturday, October 20, 10-noon Staff Horticulturist Carol Krank and her Master Gardener “herbies” will walk you through the variety of herbs that you can grow in cool season months to spice up your holiday recipes. WORKING NATIVES INTO EXISTING LANDSCAPES Saturday, October 17, 10-noon Landscape Designer Kathy Hubner of Gill Landscape Nursery will give you suggestions on native plants for local landscapes that you creatively incorporate into existing traditional landscapes without starting from scratch.

Moonlight In The Gardens 2015

Friday, October 30th , 5:30 p.m.

Astronomical Spirits, Stellar Spirits, Best Steak on the Planet, Saturn’s Sweets,

Entertainment: Jupiter’s Jazz Bar, Starlight Silent Auction,

Grand Jupiter Blackboard Auction, Heavenly Butterfly Release,

Lunar Illuminations, Music & Dancing with FLASHBACK

$85 members $100 non-members

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SEED PACKING FOR SCHOOL PLANTING BEDS

DeAnna Baumgartner directs

her troops.

A Job Well Done!

Gary Martin works to repair beds at Luther Jones Elementary School.

Class 26 Interns Michael Bishop, Patty Sawyer, & Maire Kelly building beds at Garcia Elementary.

Master Gardeners and Interns join in the seed packing party.

INTERN 26 CLASSES

Ray Greenhouse Team

BED BUILDING CONTINUES

Carlos Valdez, Jill Barris, Alene Burch, Patty Sawyer, and Beverly Leach at Ray.

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2015 FALL HOME & GARDEN SHOW

Nueces Master Gardeners are a big presence at the Home & Garden Show. Kids Zone, information tables and stage presentations on garden topics attract many visitors. MG’s and Interns staff the various areas.

Experienced Master Gardeners take the opportunity to mentor new Class 26 Interns in how to field questions and market the MG Classes, Programs, and Services.

The Home and Garden Show was a great opportunity for our youngest interns to show their skills and impress the Master Gardeners working along-side them.

Master Gardeners always enjoy the chance to visit and get better acquainted with seasoned and new members.

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Master Gardener Bus Trip

October 6th SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDENS

$20 w/ Botanical Garden Membership Card $25 w/o Botanical Garden Membership

Includes a Deli Sandwich Box Lunch Payment accepted on the bus.

Also come prepared for a stop at a nursery!

Departure 6:00 a.m. SAM’S CLUB parking lot – SPID, Corpus Christi Places & 6:30 a.m. WALMART parking lot – Hwy. 77, Calallen Times: NOTE: Bus leaves at posted time. DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND!

Congratulations

To Our Newest Certified

Nueces Master Gardeners

John

Slusarz

Class 25

Brenda Bishop

Class 26

Transfer

Important Meeting Dates

Oct. 7 Finance Committee, 10am - Botanical Gardens Education Station Bldg.

Oct. 14 MG Executive Committee 10am - Noon Robstown Extension Office

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2015 Texas Master Gardener Trainee Class Schedule Nueces County

Location Date Class

Instructor(s) Pre Class Assignment

Botanical Gardens 8545 S. Staples St.,

Corpus Christi

10/07/15 Wednesday

Turfgrass & Integrated Pest Management 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm.

Dr. Casey Reynolds Assistant professor & Extension

Turfgrass Specialist

Read Chap 8


Corpus Christi

10/13/15 Tuesday

South Texas Native plants & Attracting Wildlife 11:00am-3:00pm

Ernie Schertz – joint class Aransas Master Gardener &

Master Naturalist

710 E. Main St. Robstown

10/21/15 Wednesday

Identifying Plant Problems Hands on class

1:00 pm – 4:30 pm.

Dr. William Johnson County Extension Agent,

Galveston County

Read Chap 4

710 E. Main St. Robstown

10/28/15 Wednesday

Rainwater Harvesting & Irrigation:

Hands on class

Dr. Dotty Woodson Extension Program Specialist

Review Chap 2 pp. 11 & 12, and read Chap 7 pp. 22, 23,

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Corpus Christi

11/04/15 Wednesday

Tree/Palm Planting & Maintenance

1:00 pm – 4:30 pm.

Ginger Easton-Smith County Extension Agent,

Aransas County

Read Chap 1 pp. 12-24 & chap 7 pp 17


Corpus Christi

11/11/15 Wednesday

Landscape Design & Plant Selection

1:00 pm – 4:30 pm.

Kathy Hubner, Landscape Designer @

Gill’s Landscape & Nursery

Read Chap 7


Corpus Christi

11/18/15 Wednesday

Wrap-up 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm.

Jeff Floyd & Nueces Master Gardeners

None

New Location

The Downtown Farmer’s Market

Has a New Location

The Art Center of South Texas 100 N. Shoreline Drive

Corpus Christi TX

Every Wednesday 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability,

genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

Attention Master Gardeners: You are welcome to attend Intern Class Sessions to earn Education Hours and to support our Interns. However, please remember that these classes are first and foremost for the Interns. Please sit near the back so that the interns have seats nearest the lecturers or demonstrations and do not dominate conversation or the valuable time of the instructors teaching the classes. Also, please be considerate and do not carry on personal conversations during the lecture.

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WATERING SMALL SPACES

Watering those small areas is a pain. You know what I mean, it’s those odd little areas that are away from the other watering areas, most likely they are surrounded by concrete and are only 2’x6’ or 4’x8’ or 3’x5’ or whatever. No matter how many watering devices you have, there is never one that is “just right” for the small watering task at hand. And everything you have tried results in half the water going where you don’t need it. So you end up holding the hose for 15 or 20 minutes while you contemplate life.

Through trial and error I am using a contrivance that has made my watering of those small spaces as easy as possible. It is just an oscillating sprinkler with a leader hose and an inline hose shut off valve at the end. But it gives me tremendous flexibility when I am watering any of my many different sized smaller spaces. I have almost pinpoint control so I don’t have water running down the driveway, sidewalk or into areas that don’t need the water.

The type of oscillating sprinkler that is used is the key to small area watering. The sprinkler should have highly flexible adjustment capability to both the oscillation and the width of coverage. Oscillation involves two functions; the area that is covered as the unit is in its back and forth movement and the angle that is covered. Shown below are some examples of the type of oscillation/angle flexibility that a sprinkler used for small areas should have.

The width of the spray should also be highly adjustable; from a width of less than two feet to almost a full 180 degrees. Yes, there are sprinklers locally out there with all these wonderful abilities – you just have to seek them out, and they are only around $20. The other critical component that makes this process work is the hose inline shut off valve. To effectively use the shut off valve I would recommend attaching it to the end of a short leader hose, of about 6’, and then

attaching the leader hose to the sprinkler. The valve would then be attached between the leader hose and your main watering hose. Using this device you won’t be running back and forth to the faucet to control volume. You will be close enough to the sprinkler to see the spray

pattern, but far enough away not to get wet. There are many types of these valves on the market at local nursery’s or big box hardware stores. They allow for precise control over the volume of water flowing to the sprinkler and therefore the distance the sprinkler spray will travel. Another part of this set up that I find invaluable, for this and any other watering chore, are the hose quick-

connects. All of my watering devices have quick-connect attachments. They make the transition from hand sprayer to sprinkler to soaker hose painless and easy. My personal experience has me leaning towards the plastic version of the quick-connect. They have proven to me that they work better for a longer period; less leakage, easier to attach/remove, don’t corrode as much and as a

bonus they are cheaper than the metal versions.

By John Slusarz

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The final piece to this ensemble is the watering timer. Set it and forget it. That’s a phrase that is so appropriate when you are watering. Having these devices attached to your outdoor outlets will allow you to tend to your watering chores at your convenience. They let you be assured that the right amount of water is being distributed without the constant concern about turning the water off. It will also make sure you won’t be lying in bed at night and wondering, “Did I turn the sprinkler off?” The assembly from above has also proven very useful when planting new plants, bushes or trees that require extra watering as they settle in. Once the sprinkler is set it is only a matter of turning the water (or timer) on and the daily, or more frequent, watering is done. Then leave the sprinkler in place for the next watering series as the water pattern has been set and flow volume is already established, through the inline shutoff valve.

It would be worthwhile having a cultivated

garden if only to see what autumn does to it.

----Alfred Austin

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For some people, the worship of nature & the divine go hand in hand. They see the overwhelming beauty in the world

around them & can’t help but see the hand of some other worldly force at work.

Brian Cox, a New Zealand native, spent years traveling the world & studying many different houses of worship. He’s

also the owner of Tree Locations, a company that moves & plants large trees. So when he returned home, he knew

exactly what he wanted to do to build his own monument to spirituality.

The Church Made Out Of Trees

It’s The Most Enchanting Place In The World!

1. In 2011, Brian Began work on the Tree Church, which took him 4

years to complete.

2. Brian used steel frames to make the skeleton of this beautiful

church.

3. He used a wide variety of trees and plants to create different

textures and forms.

4. He was careful to make sure the canopy never got too dense, so

that sunlight would always illuminate the church.

Designed to show how an instant garden can be created using a Tree-Spade, the Tree Church gardens and

Labyrinth walk is a welcomed retreat from society. Trees used in the construction of the Church are:

Alnus Imperialis – Cut Leaf Alder ( Roof Canopy ) Acer Globosum

Leptospernum – Copper Sheen ( Walls ) Thuja Pyramidalis

Carnelia Black Tie

The Tree Church and Labyrinth are set in 3 acres of Gardens in Ohaupo, New Zealand.

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5. For the walls he used Copper Sheen trees, because the

color of their bark is so similar to stone.

6. When it was finished, Brian decided that everyone should

be able to enjoy the church, so he opened it up to the public.

7. Brian’s own nephew was recently married in the church.

8. The building requires a lot of upkeep – it takes over 8 hours

of pruning and mowing to get it ready for visitors. But it’s

worth it!

9. “Visitors have said that they find the Tree Church relaxing and that their worries disappear,” Brian says. “I find that sort of feedback

immensely rewarding.”

Cox carefully selected from a wide variety of trees for his beautiful church. Some have stone-colored trunks, while, others, with sparse foliage, ensure that his church will always be illuminated by sunlight. His secret is that he owns a gardening company called Tree Locations, which replants whole, live trees using enormous mechanized spades. This allowed him to plant live trees in any way he wanted, completing this church (and the iron frame supporting it) in only 4 years. http://boredomtherapy.com/tree-church/

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Jeff Floyd, CEA- Horticulture Editor: Jenny Mohundro Disclaimer - the information herein is for informational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Master Gardeners is implied. Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating ******************************************************** Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, service, or accommodation in order to participate in any Extension event are encouraged to contact their County Extension Office at 361-767-5217 at least one week in advance of the program in order for proper arrangements to be made. ************** In the event of a name, address or phone number change please contact the office at: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 710 E. Main, Suite 1, Attn: Horticulture

nueces agrilife org · to receive the coveted “earth-kind” designation. it is also a texas...

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