Delaware County Master Gardeners

News for Delaware County Master Gardeners

Vol. 13 No. 6 June, 2008

Thanks to Gerri Eunson for the thorough planning of our annual bus trip. We had a beautiful day and everyone enjoyed the gardens at River Farm and the many interesting sites at Mount Vernon.

The Speakers’ Bureau has been especially busy this spring, and many thanks to Joe and the committee members who have traveled throughout the county for presentations. The speakers often receive donations to the Master Gardener organization. This year so far they have collected more than $1000 in donations and registration fees. This revenue has been used to purchase the laptop in the MG office and also a new multimedia projector. If you would like to be a part of the Speakers’ Bureau or have a topic you would like to see added to our list, please contact Joe.

The Public Relations and Publicity Committee is trying to get photos of all of the Master Gardeners individually and in community groups. Please work with them to complete this project. Bridgette Anderson is taking the pictures and organizing them on a Flicker web site. These pictures will then be available when we do press releases and feature articles about Master Gardener activities.

Please submit or record your volunteer hours, contacts, and advanced training time for the second quarter. Thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with the reporting. If you haven’t been submitting hours, please get them in as soon as possible.

Ron Gatto recommended the Tree Pruning Guide Animation that you can find at http://www.arborday.org/pruning. I found it very informative, and easy to follow. You will take a second look at your landscape trees after viewing the animated guide.

Darlene Delany, Bridgette Anderson, Patty Rahi and I cut, loaded, and delivered several loads of bamboo shoots to Smedley Park. All of that bamboo has been picked up, but, being bamboo, there is plenty more! If you missed the bamboo but would still like to have some for garden stakes( or wherever your imagination takes you), I shall direct you to the source in Rose Valley, and you are welcome to cut whatever you need. The property belongs to a church, and they are hoping to get the bamboo grove under some control. Please contact me for more information.

Congratulations to Mary Evans, class of 2001, voted “Volunteer of the Year” by the Broomall Presbyterian Village staff and residents.. Mary has chaired a Horticultural Therapy program there since 2002. Twice each month she and her committee plan an activity for the residents interested in gardening. Thanks to Mary and the volunteers who have worked with her these last six years.

Farmer John’s Market in Aston has invited us to set up a Q&A table and Master Gardener display at the market during the gardening season. We have chosen to be there on week-ends as they are the busiest times at the market. If you would like to be involved please contact me or Chuck McLaughlin.

The MG Board approved a new project at our June meeting. Marion Yaglinski will be the project leader for the Environmental Stewardship Committee. Jeanne Skinner, Kathy Hornberger, and Bev Kostek are committee members. You’ll be hearing from them soon!

While preparing my Second Saturday talk last month on Invasive Plants, I came across several references to a disease that has been attacking multi flora rose, an exotic plant introduced to the US in the latter part of the 19th century as a rootstock for ornamental roses. This disease called Rose Rosette Disease (RRD), also known as witches’ broom of rose, is lethal to the multi flora rose.

Photo Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

RRD is possibly caused by a virus and spread by a certain species of wingless mite (not the red spider mite!). To those of you who have experience trying to eradicate this highly invasive species, your response of ‘Good riddance!’ is certainly appropriate. Unfortunately, there is a downside to this naturally occurring biological control. The disease is potentially lethal to ornamental roses and cultivars, so nursery growers and gardeners who love roses, like many of you, should be concerned.

Symptoms of RRD can be highly variable, depending on rose species or cultivar that has been infected. However, several are illustrative of what you may encounter:

• In the early stage the undersides of leaf veins exhibit a red pigmentation that is followed by rapid increase of vegetative stems, also red in color, that are more succulent than normal.
• Leaves become deformed, crinkled, and brittle with yellow and red coloration.
• Leaves eventually become very small, petioles shorten, and lateral buds grow, producing short, red shoots à the witches’ broom.
• Infected cultivated roses develop less severe symptoms but are known to produce thickened, succulent stems with an overabundance of thorns.

The disease is typically transmitted in only two ways: (1) by grafting or (2) by a mite that travels passively in the wind. Disease transmission by the mite generally occurs May through mid-July, :with symptoms of new infections appearing in mid-July, so gardeners be on the lookout.:

There is no magic bullet for the eradication of RRD, but if you discover that your roses have contracted this disease, IPM can help. The first step is to remove any roses with symptoms. This includes bagging and discarding the whole plant, rootstock too. The second step is to plant ornamental roses as far away from stands of multi flora rose as possible, particularly not downwind from them, because the mites are blown by wind currents. New plants should also be spaced far enough apart so that canes and leaves do not touch. This prevents the vector mites from crawling from one plant to the next. :

A third step involves controlling the wingless mites transmitting the disease. Weekly sprayings of horticultural oil and insecticidal soap during June and July may help. Application of pesticides like Avid can help reduce risk of spread but should never be used as the sole means of RRD control. An integrated approach is the most ecologically beneficial strategy. :

Although RRD could be used as a bio control for multi flora rose, and would definitely cut costs for eradication and be an environmentally friendly way for reducing the use of pesticides, proceed with caution. You don’t want to infect your roses or those of your neighbors! :

For more information and pictures, check the following web site:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/plantdiseasefs/

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10 Ways to Go Organic in the Garden
by Joe Daniels

Does the term "organic gardening" sound like it means a lot of extra work to you? Not to worry!  Here are 10 easy steps to get you growing green, and probably you already do most of them already.   1. Getting Started Improve your soil, let plants and mulch crowd out the weeds, practice good garden sanitation and grow a diversity of plants. 2. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch You'll reduce weeds, save water and nourish the soil.

3. Choose the right plants
Pick hardy varieties that can stand up to disease, pests, and dry weather. Choose many types of plants because too many of the same kind makes your garden vulnerable to pests and disease.

4. Don't panic at the first sign of a pest.
Just because you see aphids doesn't mean you have to grab a bottle of bug spray. If the damage is only minor, there's no need to act. Sometimes natural predators or a weather change will fix the problem.

5. Skip the pesticides
Broad-spectrum or nonselective pesticides kill almost any critter they touch, including the good bugs that prey on the bad bugs. Don't use fungicide either, unless you know for sure what's wrong with an ailing plant.

6. Let good critters get rid of the bad.
Birds, ladybugs, spiders, dragonflies, damselflies, wasps, parasitic nematodes, praying mantis and worms eat harmful insects. Snakes, cats and dogs will help rid your garden of rodents and nocturnal pests like raccoons.

7. Accept that weeds happen
It's nearly impossible to get your lawn completely weed-free, so quit trying. Besides, weeds aren't all bad, some attract beneficial insects.

8. Use natural fertilizers
Synthetic fertilizers kill the soil microorganisms that help fight pests and disease. And no product on the shelf is as good as cheap as fertilizer you can make yourself with yard waste and kitchen scraps...Compost, Compost, and Compost.

9. Use water wisely
Save water by knowing how and when to water your plants.

10. Go Native
Pick plants that are adapted to our climate and soil. Native plants resist pests and disease and won't need much help from you to thrive.

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Hints From Delilah

Bleach or other white, plastic bottles are great to use as plant markers when cut into strips. The top of the bottle can be used as a funnel to fill cylindrical bird feeders or as a funnel to put gas or oil in your mower.

If you want to save seed from your Hellebores, and it’s easy to miss catching them when they pop open, tie a small paper bag over the seed head when it turns brown. When the stem turns brown, cut the stem and hang it upside down in a dry place. Shake the bag every now and then to hear if the seed has fallen. You can removed the debris and store the seed in the bag until you’re ready to plant them. They take about 3 years to mature enough to bloom.

Use old tee shirts to tie up tomato plants. Cut the shirt from the bottom up to the sleeves at a slight angle to make a long strip to cut as you choose. Nylon stockings (or pantyhose) - cut across the leg and then cut to permit tying, they make gentle ties for plants. The feet are good to store bulbs in.

Turn old flattened pillows into kneeling pads by folding them in half and place them in plastic bags and seal with masking tape.

When we run out of tarps, use old bed sheets to haul away leaves. They’re lighter and can also be used to protect plants from frost.

Save your used aluminum foil and its box to store small pieces in. When crumpled, they can act as soil and rust remover from tools and may also sharpen them up a little.

Save old garden hose to cut into smaller pieces with rope run through them to protect the bark from being rubbed while holding an errant shrub or small tree in place.

Steel wool or steel wool soap pads are good for cleaning tools with rust or pitch on them. Use with water being certain that the tool is completely dry before storing. Use a bit of vegetable oil on them to prevent further rusting,

Salad oil will help to remove pitch gums from pruning shears and wooden handles. The oil will dissolve the pitch and protect the blades.

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Earth Notes by Marion Yaglinski Bio diversity—Keep It Going

Why should we care about protecting bio diversity? Is it really that important? Yes!

We live in an interconnected and interdependent biologically diverse world. Every single species has an important role to play in life on Earth. Bio diversity is our foundation. It’s essential for our very life.

The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat all depends on the Earth’s bio diversity. Trees play an important role in absorbing greenhouse gases and cleaning the air we breathe. Rivers and watersheds provide the clean water that we drink. Plants and animals provide us with food and medicine.

Bio diversity is necessary for a healthy planet. It allows the ecosystem to prevent and recover from a variety of disasters. Rich soil, clean air, clean water, abundant forests and the rich bio diversity of species on our planet are essential for our life.

As home gardeners, we play an important role in nurturing and protecting bio diversity. The choice to create a native plant area in our gardens can make the difference between life and death for many species, including our pollinators. We need our bees! No pollinators--no flower or crop fertilization.

Here are a few other choices you can make to increase bio diversity on your land:

Stop using pesticides. Pesticides pollute our soil and water supply—and kill beneficial insects as well as the pesky ones we’re trying to eliminate.

Put up a bird feeder and birdbath to attract birds to your yard. They’All help take care of the insect problem.

Use less fertilizer and water by reducing the size of your lawn. Plant native plants in its place.

Use an electric lawnmower—it will not pollute the environment. And your neighbors will love the dramatic reduction in noise. Check out the cordless Newton mower http://www.neutonpower.com
Black & Decker also makes an electric cordless mower.

Install a shallow pond in a sunny area. All it takes is eighteen inches of water to make the local wildlife happy.

For more information about what you can do to protect bio diversity, go to Conservation International at http://investigate.conservation.org

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The History of Vanilla

Vanilla has an enchanting history that intertwines with our other great love: chocolate.  In fact, during the 1500's, King Montezuma of the Aztec's secret drink, called "Chocolatl," was flavored primarily with vanilla pods, creating an early and seemingly everlasting bond between the aromatic flavoring and the famous cocoa bean. When the famous explorer, Hernando Cortez, returned from the East Central Coast of Mexico, he brought vanilla along with his gold, silver and other riches. He taught the Spaniards the wonders of the chocolate drink of the great Montezuma, and it quickly became the preferred beverage for royalty - and the very rich.

Enthusiasts in many regions tried to cultivate vanilla plants, but the orchids never bore fruit. The French tired of sourcing their vanilla from Spain, and took plants down to the settlement of the Bourbon Islands, including Madagascar. These plants flourished, yet still would not produce the valuable vanilla pods.

This was a mystery to all until 1836, when a Belgian botanist known as Charles Morren hypothesized and proved that common insects native to the area simply could not pollinate the orchid flower. He observed that a tiny bee called the Melipone, found only in the vanilla districts of Mexico, is uniquely equipped to pollinate the flowers. The bee, however, could not survive out of its native country. Morren then began hand-pollinating the blossoms to see if the fruit could be produced in this manner. The results were successful.

  Piggy-backing on Morren's discovery, a method was developed by Edmund Albius, a former slave in Madagascar, incorporating the use of a bamboo splinter to pollinate the vanilla blossom. This method is still in use in present day.

  Hand pollination is a pain-staking job. Each individual flower must be held with one hand while a small pointed stick is used to pry it open to reach the pollen. The pollen on the tip of the stick is brushed across the stigma to fertilize the flower. Each flower lasts less than a day, so the pollinators must go through the vines daily throughout the two-month blooming period. Throughout the course of the day, they will hand-pollinate between 1,000 and 2,000 orchid flowers. In today's time, vanilla is grown primarily in 8 different areas of the world. Madagascar is the world's largest producer, with varieties also growing in Tahiti, Indonesia, and Mexico. 

The Top 8 Vanilla Producing Regions

As you can see in the below map, there are 8 primary regions that produce Vanilla: Madagascar, Indonesia, Mexico, Tahiti, Uganda, India, Papa New Guinea and Costa Rica. Madagascar comes in first, with Indonesia following in the second position. The total percentage of vanilla produced from these two countries is an amazing 90%.

Tahitian vanilla is the name for vanilla from French Polynesia, or vanilla tahitensis. This species is descended from vanilla planifolia that was introduced to Tahiti before mutating into a distinct species. It is now classified as a separate species as it's considerably different in appearance and flavor from Bourbon vanilla. It is similar, however, to vanilla Pompona, a variety of vanilla rarely used commercially, but that has religious and cultural significance with the Totonacas of Mexico, the first cultivators of vanilla. They consider Pompona the queen of vanilla, and she is always planted in a prominent place wherever vanilla is grown.

Tahitian vanilla is sweeter and fruitier and has less natural vanillin than Bourbon and Mexican vanilla. Instead, it contains heliotropin (anis aldehyde), which is unique to its species. This gives it a more cherry-like, licorice, or raisiny taste. It has a very floral fragrance, the bean is very moist, and fatter than Bourbon vanilla, and contains fewer seeds inside its pod.

Bourbon vanilla or Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, produced from vanilla planifolia plants introduced from the Americas, is the term used for vanilla from Indian Ocean islands such as Madagascar, the Comoros, and Réunion, formerly the Île Bourbon. In the 1800s, the French developed large plantations on Réunion, known then as the Île Bourbon, which is how the name Bourbon came into being. This fine species is considered to be one of the world's greatest vanillas, alongside Tahitian vanilla beans from Tahiti, offering creamy sweet flavors with a melodic, drowsy finish.

Papua New Guinea vanillas are the same, gorgeous, gourmet beans that come from either Tahiti or Madagascar, depending on the species, cured in the same traditional manner. The only difference is visual: they can be somewhat shorter than the originals, but offer the same flavors. A great option!

Indonesian vanilla, depending on how it is cured and dried, can be much like Bourbon vanilla, or can have very distinctive differences. The flavor is slightly floral with fruity tones. It is very important to remember when purchasing your vanilla that some growers harvest their beans too early and use a short-term curing process that gives the vanilla a more woody, phenolic flavor. As the early harvest keeps the beans from fully developing their flavor profile, it can be harsher and not as flavorful. Premium grade Indonesian vanilla, however, is truly excellent.

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Words to Weed Through
by Tracey L. Carson

Unexpected Encore of Petals

While treating herself to a nice lunch at the Waldorf- Astoria in New York City during February of 2003, clerical worker and aspiring actress, Nancy Lawlor, was blossom struck by the beauty of the immense, luxurious floral arrangements. Being awe-inspired, she went into pursuit mode until she found the hotel’s manager. Her question…”What happens to these gorgeous massive installations after their lobby duty?” The answer was…”Nothing”. This moment of truth led to the organization now known as The FlowerPower Foundation. Within days of her accosting of the Waldorf’s manager, Nancy had given away “$2,000 worth of roses to the patients of a nearby hospital”.

Once a temp-worker, now the founder and president of a growing bi-coastal non-profit organization, Nancy has taken recycling to another level. This 35 year old, now dubbed “Floral Philanthropist”, has formed a force of volunteer workers in New York City and Los Angeles, whose mission is to “re-purpose” flowers to benefit the terminally ill, sick, and elderly. Some of the many locations that they deliver these blessings and smiles to include Alzheimer facilities, hospice care centers, and nursing homes.

After grand events and swanky affairs, including everything from corporate seminars to celebrity nuptials, Nancy and her teams dart in and pounce on the floral arrangements. They divide, group, and re-assemble, creating fabulous bouquets of joy. After a Lincoln Center Spring gala celebration, the FlowerPower volunteer workers rescued enough flowers to make 340 bouquets, as well as 265 flower bunches following the Horticultural Society of New York’s annual function. The recipients of the bountiful gifts reside in places like the Ronald McDonald House, New York City’s Veterans Hospital, the Santa Monica Rape Crisis Center, and assisted living establishments such as the Carnegie East House. FlowerPower “intends to expand their mission of uniting and healing generations throughout America one city at a time”. Nancy says that the work she does is “a calling – not a job”. The team as a whole state that they are “passionate about altering our society’s culture by transforming the way we relate to our elders, sick, and dying”. Since its formation, FlowerPower has saved about $2,500,000 worth of flowers from being thrown into the trash, and has “turned them into heart opening experiences for the receivers and the givers”. According to NBC’s Chief Environmental Correspondent, Anne Thompson, this organization has been successful at “recycling beauty to create love, hope, and abundance in unexpected places”.

To learn more about the FlowerPower Foundation, and maybe how you can help, visit their web site at: http://flowerpowerfoundation.org/

“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us” ~Iris Murdoch

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Merry Place

In conjunction with a community compost workshop at Merry Place on Glendale Road in Havertown, Girl Scout Troop 57109 planted flowers on April 18th. As part of the "Adopt a Park" badge the girls also learned about composting and recycling and then cleaned up trash and planted flowers at Merry Place. The compost workshop was given by Delaware Master Gardeners Janae Alberts and Marianne Martin, who then assisted the girls with planting.

Calling All Master Gardeners
by Delilah Foldes

The Plant Exchange and Picnic are this month but “Fall Fest” will be here sooner than we think.

I have been asked to provide a display of ideas for reusing materials before recycling them as we did for the 2007 Home Gardener School. The demographics of Fall Fest are different than the HGS, so the material we used before will be new to those attending. If anyone can reproduce some of these ideas for display or can show other ways to reuse items before recycling, please let me know. The items shown at ‘07 HGS were well received.