20646 e n ers - University of Maryland Extension · Even if you have the beautiful printed version of this guide, there’s a new website you should know about: . This website appears

Charle

s County

Maste

r Gard

eners

Univ

ersity

of M

ary

land E

xte

nsio

n

Charle

s County

Offic

e

9375 C

hesa

peake S

treet S

uite

119

La P

lata

Mary

land 2

0646

Univ

ersity

of M

ary

land E

xte

nsio

n p

rogra

ms a

re

open to

all c

itizens w

ithout re

gard

to ra

ce

colo

r gender d

isability

relig

ion a

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xual

orie

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2

Cindi Barnhart Editor Jessica Milstead Copy Editor Betsy Parbuoni PDF Editor Jessi Thibault Art Mail Carol Teets Writer Mail

Janet McGrane Calendar Elaine Miller Mail Anna Haugh Mail Larry Martin Mail Karol Dyson Advisor

THE COMPOST

Published quarterly by the Charles County Master Gardeners

University of Maryland Extension Charles County Office 9375

Chesapeake Street Suite 119 La Plata MD 20646

Phone 301-934-5403mdash301-753-8195

Cover March 1 Advanced Training with Dr Gouin on Composting and Fertilizer

SPRING 2012

Did You Know

From Carol Teets Class of 2003

In the Fall of 2011 the St Marys Arboretum Association was formed

The Arboretums primary purpose is to beautify and better the grounds

of St Marys College For more information and a Calendar of Events

go to wwwsmcmeduarboretumindexhtmlThey even have a walk-

ing tour of the campus that can be accessed on your smart phone To

download the Arboretum Walking Tour Map go to wwwsmcmedu

arboretumtourhtml

From Jessica Milstead Class of 2002

Are you a fan of the Fish amp Wildlife Servicersquos Native Plants for Wild-

life Habitat and Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Water-

shed Even if you have the beautiful printed version of this guide

therersquos a new website you should know about

wwwnativeplantcenternet This website appears to have the same

content as the book but itrsquos searchable and some of the information

is a bit more detailed

As best I can judge theyrsquore using the same photos as in the book but

theyrsquore larger and clearer Itrsquos easier to get a sense of what the plant

actually looks like This one is going onto my Favorites list

23

INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE COMPOST

Submit articles photos reports and other items to Cindi Barnhart by June 1 2012

for publication in the Summer 2012 newsletter Submit calendar items to Janet

McGrane by June 1 2012 Articles and pictures may also be submitted at any time

for future publication

SPRING 2012

Did You Know 2

The Right Plant in the Right Place Aids IPM 3

Dr Frank Gouin Is a Fount of Information 4

Projects

Detention Center Spring Garden Begins Again 9

Project Briefs Dr Samuel Mudd House Nature Walks with Jessica 9

Green School Partnership 10

Christmas In April 11

Spring Summer Events 12

Staging the Scene For the Annual Plant Sale 13

Great Gardening With Advice from Dr Gouin 14

Bay-Wise 15

Have You Ever Heard of a Straw Bale Garden 18

Reporting Time Increments Under An Hour 19

MG Statewide Advanced Training mdash April thru June 20

Save The Date mdash MG Annual Training Day 22

Compost A collection of unattractive materials

that when mixed together and properly treated

becomes something useful and enriching

22

PLANT DISEASES - ONE DAY WORKSHOPS (offered at different locations)

Location Wye Research and Education Center Queenstown MD- Date Tuesday June 12 930 am-330 pm Registration Deadline June 5

Location University of MD Extension Derwood MD Date September 5 Registration Deadline August 29 Instructor David Clement PhD Regional Specialist in Plant Patholo-gy Home and Garden Information Center University of Maryland Ex-tension Registration Fee $35 Class limit 25

(Continued from page 21)

SAVE THE DATE MG ANNUAL TRAINING DAY

Wednesday May 23 2012 830 am-415 pm University of Maryland College Park

bull 33 wonderful workshops to choose from

bull Laugh with the HGIC Players bull You can stay in one building the entire day if you choose

bull Pre-order and pick up all of your MG branded merchandise bull Enjoy the fabulous trade show and purchase plants

books jewelry and more

Parking breakfast and lunch included

$69 if you register by 43012 ($79 after that date)

You must have all MG Merchandise orders in by April 30

Register online mastergardenerumdedu click on Annual Training Day on the left

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN and full descriptions of every class listed here and other available classes are found at the state MG website mastergardenerumdedu Click on ldquoAdvanced Trainingrdquo on the left side of the page

TRAINING

3

Pauline Spurlock Sally Hopp Mary Sims Mike Vitanovec and Mary Grant look and listen while Dr Mike Raupp (standing) educates our group on IPM

The Right Plant in the Right Space Aids IPM By Sue Brewer Class of 2008 Synthetic pesticides DDT Orthene

and Sevin were developed as

chemical weapons in World War II

and re-purposed for insect con-

trol After the book The Silent

Spring was written by Rachel Car-

son scientists took a better look

at DDT and eventually it was re-

moved from the retail market Dr

Mike shared a story of one of his

professors who used to eat DDT

crystals in front of his classes to

show that the chemical in low

concentrations was not toxic He

explained that as plankton ate the

DDT it became more concentrated

in their ldquobodiesrdquo And as one spe-

cies after another ate a smaller

organism on the food chain the

(Continued on page 16)

On Friday February 24 2012

Master Gardeners were invited by

Barbie Walter to sit in on one of

the MG Training classes held at

the Social Services Building at 200

Kent Ave in La Plata Dr Mike

Raupp of the Department of En-

tomology at UMD was giving a

lecture on Integrated Pest Man-

agement (IPM)

Dr Mike said that the first infor-

mation related to monitoring an

insect pest on non-food crops can

be traced back to E Leopold

Trouvelot who brought the gypsy

moth to America in the 1860rsquos to

use them in a ldquosilk making planrdquo

that failed The gypsy moths are

still with us

Photo

by C

indi Barn

hart

4

Dr Frank Gouin Is a Fount of Information

to evaluate the moisture content

of the compost pile He said to

completely wet a sponge and

then squeeze it out The feel of

the sponge at this point is about

50 moisture If sponge feels dry

you have below 40 moisture If

sponge is still dripping you have

60 or more moisture Then feel

your compost Dr G said he had

been doing this test for moisture

for more than 50 years and he

still has all his fingers intact

Yard waste is the most common

addition to the home compost

pile Dr G shared that a 20-251

ratio of carbon to nitrogen is the

most effective He mentioned

that home gardeners have diffi-

culty balancing the ratio due to

the fact that grass clippings and


Composting started out as a hit or

miss proposition until the Clean

Water Act was enacted in 1968

Then it turned into a science In-

creased population and density of

cities began to demand creative

solutions for waste treatment and

so composting became big busi-

ness

REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPOSTING

TO WORK

Humans need around 21 oxygen

to survive compared to the 2-5

oxygen needed by the micro-

organisms in compost to work

properly A steady supply of oxy-

gen is accomplished by turning the

compost frequently

Between 40 and 60 moisture is

also critical for compost success

Dr G described the ldquospongerdquo test

By Sue Brewer Class of 2008

Photo by Cindi Barnhart Dr Frank Gouin speaks to a table of our new trainees at his March 1 training on Composting and Fertilizer

21

SHADE TREES

Two Locations Same Instructor

Location Annapolis- St Margarets Church Dates Thursdays July 19 26 and August 2 Times 6-9pm Registration Fees $45 Registration Deadline July 3

Location Baltimore City -Cylburn Arboretum Dates Wednesdays July 18 25 and August 1 Times 6-9pm Registration Fees $45 Registration Deadline July 11 Instructor Wanda MacLachlan Area Extension Educator

WOODY PLANT CERTIFICATION

To get the Master Gardener Woody Plant Level II Certification you must complete the following 5 courses One Plant IDTaxonomy class and each of the four classes of Land-scape Horticulture 200 Common Landscape Plants Evergreen Trees and Shrubs Flowering Shrubs Ornamental Trees and Vines Shade Trees It is recommended that you take the IDTaxonomy course first but you can take the courses in any order and at any location

ENTOMOLOGY ECOLOGICAL IPM

Location Robinson Nature Center Columbia MD Dates Thursdays June 7 and June 14 Time 930 am-330 pm Instructor Michael J Raupp PhD Professor and Extension Special-ist Entomology University of Maryland Registration Fee $49 Registration Deadline May 31



TRAINING

20

WOODY PLANT LEVEL II CERTIFICATE CLASSES Three of the four courses in the ldquoLandscape Horticulture 200 Common Landscape Plantsrdquo will be offered this spring and summer in the series Flowering Shrubs Ornamental Trees and Vines (2 locations) and Shade Trees (2 locations)

FLOWERING SHRUBS

Location Baltimore County Extension Center Dates Wednesdays May 30 June 6 and June 13 (Field trip on 613) Time 930 am-1230 pm Instructor Wanda MacLachlan Area Extension Educator Registration Fees $45 Registration Deadline May 23

ORNAMENTAL TREES AND VINES

Two locations (same basic class different locations speakers and field trips) Location Charlotte Hall Library (St Marys county) Dates Tuesday June 5 June 12 amp June 19 (field trip) Times 10 am-1 pm Instructor Bob Stewart UME Educator Retired Registration Fees $45 Registration Deadline May 30 2012

Location Harford County Extension Dates Wednesday June 20 Thursday June 21 10 am-1 pm Friday June 22 9 am-12 noon- Field trips to- Manor View Farms and Ladew Topiary Garden Instructor Steve Dubik MG Coordinator Montgomery County and Professor Montgomery College Registration Fees $48 (includes admission fees) Registration Deadline June 14 2012 Suggested Textbook Michael Dirrrsquos Manual of Woody Landscape Plants Their Identification Ornamental Characteristics


MG STATEWIDE ADVANCED TRAINING May June and August 2012

5

downed leaves often donrsquot occur

at the same time He shared that

commercial applications often

collect fall leaves in wind piles

rows about 20 feet apart The

next spring they make wind piles

of grass clippings between the

piles of leaves When the length

of these rows matches they mix

them and add water and an inoc-

ulate (medium which delivers

active micro-organisms to the

new pilehelliphe suggests previous

compost as a source for this) He

said that if a person mixed a

bushel of shredded leaves and a

bushel of grass clippings the re-

sult would be a ratio of 35-401

carbon to nitrogen

Compost needs a pH of 58 to 73

to be effective

Phosphorus must be present for

compost to work

CHALLENGES WHEN BEGINNING

TO COMPOST

Inoculate is needed to get start-

ed Dr G suggested getting your

hands on some previously com-

posted material to begin this pro-

cess or it will take a long time for

micro-organisms to build up on

their own This lengthens the

time necessary for the pile to

break down the organic material

Trying to introduce water on dry

(Continued from page 4) leaves is difficult They are hy-

drophobic Dr G suggests filling

a 5 gallon bucket with water and

adding frac14 cup of the cheapest

dish detergent you can find He

said that it is also helpful to add

a couple shovels full of garden

soil This mix helps the water

adhere to the leaves making for

a more effective composting pro-

cess He also mentioned that if

you can shred or break down the

leaves composting is more effi-

cient Dr G said he used to en-

list his children and their friends

for this process He raked the

leaves and had the kids run

through jump on and generally

break down the leaves

DO NOT put yeast sawdust lime

or fireplace ash on a compost

pile For different reasons each

interferes with composting pro-

cess

Efficient compost piles can get

quite hot Be sure to turn the

pile often and keep the water

level high so the pile doesnrsquot

burn

Generally dog and cat waste

should not be used in compost

piles due to the danger of hook-

worms If your compost tempera-

ture is 155 degrees or higher you

can compost dog and cat waste

weeds and tomatoes This tem-(Continued on page 6)

GOUIN

6

perature is high enough to kill

typhoid diphtheria worms

weeds and seeds Warning 155

degrees is very unusual in a back-

yard compost pile

Cardboard can be composted in

small amounts The glue used in

cardboard contains boron which

can be tolerated in small

amounts by plants

Compost barrels work well in

warm weather but in cold weath-

er the organisms cease to work

The barrel must be brought into a

warm place in the winter to keep

functioning eg a barn

MULCH

Dr G warns about using hard-

wood or softwood mulches on

shallow rooted plants such as

azaleas rhododendrons box-

wood perennials or annuals

Many mulches are newly shred-

ded materials and so leach nutri-

ents from the soil or deposit a

large amount of manganese as is

the case with hardwood chips He

named Big Red Mulch as one of

the worst as it comes from un-

treated shredded pallets

Shredded leaves can be used to

mulch but for best results depos-

it the leaves on the surface do

not mix with soil An inch to an

inch and a half is adequate

(Continued from page 5) He mentioned that his preference

for weed control is to avoid

mulch altogether and apply horti-

cultural vinegar which is 20 ace-

tic acid He said the vinegar is

very effective in controlling

weeds and it has low buffering so

it does not injure plants He

named AM Leonard or Fleisch-

mans online as sources of this

special vinegar It is NOT the

same as the vinegar we get in the

supermarket

Pine needles are OK to use for

mulch for acid loving plants

Rubber mulch is OK to use as it

leaches very little into the soil

Shredded cedar mulch is no bet-

ter than other mulch despite its

tendency to repel insects Dr G

said that the only major insects it

discourages are termites and ter-

mites do not live in mulch due to

the small size of mulch pieces

Using grass clippings increases

nitrogen in soil but use sparingly

as thick applications donrsquot get

enough oxygen This causes the

grass to go anaerobic and smell

Do not use white marble or blue

stones to mulch shallow rooted

plants like azaleas rhododen-

drons boxwoods annuals or per-

ennials as these stones deposit

excess calcium that can kill or

weaken the plants (Continued on page 7)

GOUIN

19

According to the University of

Maryland Master Gardeners

ldquoIf someone reports 25 hours the

report will show that they have

25 hours You can report any

number with up to two digits after

the decimal Therefore 25 50

and 75 are no problem and will

show up on reports with the deci-

malsrdquo You can now report your

volunteer activity hours in incre-

ments of less than one hour

Your Volunteer Activity Logs for

the first quarter ending March

31 2012 are due in the Exten-

sion Office

Your logs can be mailed dropped

off at the Extension Office or

faxed

Mail your volunteer log to

University of Maryland Extension Attn Charles County Master Gardeners 9375 Chesapeake Street Suite 119 La Plata MD 20646

Fax (301) 753-1857

Please do not email your hours

Listed below are some volunteer

activity codes to use as your ref-

erence

BAYWISE - 5

CAMP MERRICK - 8

CHRISTMAS IN APRIL - 7

CC DETENTION CENTER - 8

DR MUDD PROJECT - 9

NANJEMOY CREEK ndash 4

NEWSLETTER (COMPOST-- 11

PLANT SALE ndash 11

T STONE HS Green Partnership

(teaching classes) ndash 6


(green school advisory) - 7

ARTS FEST ndash 10

Reporting Time Increments Under An Hour By Pauline C Spurlock

Record Keeper

Table and Staging Materials Drop-off April 21 ndash April 28

Plant Drop-off April 29 - May 4 by 1200 noon

Plant Sale Day May 5

Please pick up your tables and materials at Barbiersquos after the sale by

6 pm on Saturday May 5

(Continued from page 18) STAGING

18

By Brenda Elmore Class of 2011 Irsquom really kind of curious about

it so I think Irsquoll give it a try and

let you know how itrsquos going in the

next Compost It might not be so

crazy after all because before I

joined the Master Gardeners last

year I had never heard of com-

posting a cow (Dr Gouin UMD) or

growing potatoes in a laundry

basket or growing salad in a box

Gardeners get pretty creative

with their gardening and thatrsquos

part of the fun So someone show

me where to buy some bales of

straw and Irsquoll see what happens

Happy gardening to you

Looking for something a little dif-

ferent Look into horticulturist

Joel Karstenrsquos method of garden-

ing His email is jo-

elkarstencomcastnet You can

take a look at what his gardens

look like at the website

wwwstrawbalegardenscom Un-

fortunately he teaches his meth-

ods in Minnesota and Wisconsin

but he has authored a book de-

tailing how to garden without

weeds without pesticides and

with very little bending so itrsquos

good for seniors and the disabled

Have You Ever Heard of a Straw Bale Garden

Plant Sale Day Barbie has been

gracious enough to allow us to

use her yard as the staging area

for a week and we donrsquot want

her to regret being so generous

So if you lend things make sure

you understand that we are just

borrowing them and that you or

your representative must take

back the items by Saturday even-

ing That is why it is important

that you label them with your

name and phone number before

you drop them off Thanks in ad-

vance for your help in continuing

to make our Master Gardener

Plant Sale a red-hot success


All staging items need to be deliv-

ered to Barbiersquos house April 21-

28 the week before plants begin

to be dropped off People will be

dropping off their plants during

the entire week (April 29-May 4)

before the sale and we will need

the ldquotablesrdquo set up before the

plants arrive If you would like to

help set things up on April 28

please let me know by email or

phone so that I can contact you

with more information

One last thing--just as what goes

up must come down everything

you lend us for the plant sale

must be retrieved from Barbiersquos

yard by the end of the day on


7

If using compost Dr G suggests

5 compost application to plants

This amounts to an inch to an

inch and a half layer At room

temperature this is a release

rate of 8-9 nitrogen which is the

same as applying 50 pounds of

nitrogen per acre You donrsquot need

fertilizer if this is done annually

Bio Cycle is a magazine that Dr

Gouin recommended to find

sources of compost for home ap-

plication They track sources He

mentioned Compro Leaf Gro

Argrow and Leaf Pro

If you notice small leaves or red

blotching on azaleas look at

trace elements Often hardwood

mulch leaves a manganese toxici-

ty in the soil

Home compost is good to use as

mulch but Dr G warns that 1 to

15 inches is adequate as a deep-

er application can cause it to be-

come slimy

Dr G noted that compost has 3

naturally occurring fungicides in

it It can help to protect plants

FERTILIZERS

Dried blood plant meal sea-

weed inorganic forms of nitro-

gen Nutricoat and Plantcoat all

have uses in the garden Some

fertilizers have nitrogen which

(Continued from page 6) releases over an extended time

frame

Fertilizers with coated nitrogen

make the nitrogen slow release

but the other nutrients are avail-

able immediately

If you use a fertilizer with high

magnesium donrsquot use lime with it

for a container application This

combination is acceptable in a

field application

In a ldquourea formrdquo fertilizer nitro-

gen is usually mixed with formal-

dehyde Bacteria in the soil neu-

tralize the toxicity of the formal-

dehyde

CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity)

refers to the amount of organic

material available in soil A sandy

soil for example would have low

CEC due to the limited organic

materials Clay soil has a higher

CEC It does take a lot more ferti-

lizer and lime to make a change

but the clay soil retains the nutri-

ents for a much longer time

Itrsquos CRITICAL to have a soil sam-

ple done before putting fertilizer

down Dr Gouin suggests cores of

6 inches for a lawn area He sug-

gests that you take at least half

a dozen samples mix them to-

gether and then dry them out He

sends a half pint of this soil for

testing He uses A amp L Labs in (Continued on page 8)

GOUIN

8

are often combined in a single

bed Dr Gouin recommends using

an inch to an inch and a half of

compost instead of fertilizer

around the plants He explained

that since compost has a range of

nutrients in it different plants

can take what they need It is

more forgiving

Dr G suggests that you plant a

cover crop in your vegetable gar-

den to replenish lost nitrogen

Rye is very effective It is turned

under at the beginning of the sea-

son

Shallow rooted plants such as hol-

lies boxwood and azaleas root in

the upper 3 inches of soil They

need potassium and magnesium

to thrive Dr G suggested using

Epsom salts as a source of nutri-

ents if needed but did not say

how much to apply

One of the MGs shared a lawn

problem with a ring of dead grass

forming in a very established sun-

ny lawn Dr G said it sounded

like a ldquofairy ringrdquo and could be

treated by applying an inch or 2

of compost and rototilling it into

the soil

If azaleas are not thriving Dr G

said an application of Epsom salts

will most likely improve their ap-

pearance He recommends 2 ta-


Richmond at a cost of $13 per

sample Results come back within

a week and show not only nutri-

ents but also CEC He also said

that if you are testing the soil for

shallow rooted plants like azaleas

only take 3ldquo soil samples which is

where their roots lie If testing

around a tree test at the drip

line NOT near the trunk

He discussed Osmocote and the

importance of using an 18-6-12

ratio fertilizer for container

plants

He mentioned that new EPA regu-

lations limit the use of phospho-

rus to new lawn applications and

documented deficiencies

GENERAL PLANT TIPSQUESTIONS

When growing asparagus let the

plant die naturally As the plant

dies it transfers any nitrogen to

its roots to ensure a strong crop

of spears for the next season

General plants grow best in pH of

65

Azaleas blueberries Japanese

holly rhododendron and leucothe

grow best in pH of 50 These

plants are susceptible to nitrate

toxicity when ammonium nitrate

fertilizers are used on them in-

stead of ammonium sulfate

Since plants of mixed varieties

(Continued from page 7) GOUIN

17

If you would like more information on a project please contact the

project leader by referring to your Membership Directory

put an acid-loving plant in an ar-

ea that has been limed you de-

crease the plantrsquos ability to fight

off pests

Keeping a garden journal can also

be an important tool Keep one

for several years listing plants

problems bloom dates etc This

can help you see patterns and act

to protect plants before problems

develop

A discussion of degree days fol-

lowed Basically a degree day

measures units of temperature

accumulated above a certain

threshold Since bugs are regulat-

ed by temperature researchers

can determine certain patterns

based on degree days For exam-

ple a certain number of degree

days have to occur before plants

bloom or insects breed For more

information about this topic go

to wwwipmnetumdedu

Dr Mike ended by repeating that

if people put the right plant in

the right conditions many prob-

lems can be avoided He also of-

fered 4 controls that make up the

basis for IPM

(Continued from page 16) Cultural or sanitation controls mdash

Keep your garden area clean and

free of debris or diseased plants

Only put discarded garden debris

in a compost heap if the internal

temperature rises to 140 degrees

to kill diseases and weed seeds

Another suggestion was to put

waste in a black trash bag and

leave it in the sun for a few days

so the heat generated in the bag

is 140 degrees or above

Mechanical or physical controls mdash

A lot can be said for wearing

gloves and picking pests off of the

plants and squishing them Also

floating row covers can be effec-

tive in some cases

Biological controls can be used

Chemical controls a last resort mdash

He mentioned that the Emerald

ash borer needed chemicals to

control it He recommended that

products with soap and oil be

used first since their effective-

ness is short lived He also sug-

gested Bt (Bacillus thuringensis)

for the control of caterpillars on

tomatoes

IPM

16

euonymus

Trees with problems are peach

crabapple apple flowering cher-

ry and American dogwood

Trees that are relatively pest free

are hickory tulip poplar white

oak black gum and black locust

He said that viburnum arborvi-

tae barberry and yew are mostly

pest free

While insects are a major issue in

our area Dr Mike showed us

studies conducted at UMD 30

years ago that showed the same

insects were pests that we

stillsee now Basically he said

that if we can identify character-

istics and damage done by 10 in-

sects we will be able to assist the

community with 76 of the dam-

age done to their plants These

include spider mites azalea lace

bug scales dogwood borer Jap-

anese beetle aphids bagworms

galls boxwood leaf miner and

arborvitae leaf miner

Regular monitoring of your plants

is very important You need to

check for insects diseases

weeds air flow between plants

water levels and beneficial or-

ganisms The single most effec-

tive way to protect plants is to

make sure you put the right plant

in the right spot Example If you


concentration became higher and

higher until it was toxic

Dr Mike warned about using

broadcast sprays in our gardens

He gave the example of someone

spraying for aphids The spray

they used for aphids was effective

on the adult aphids but the spray

also killed beneficial insects that

ate aphids So the gardener actu-

ally ended up with a worse aphid

problem due to the fact that when

the baby aphids hatched there

were none of their normal preda-

tors alive so they thrived

IPM basically trades poison for

knowledge The steps in develop-

ing an IPM Program are

Development of an IPM policy Designation of pest management roles Establishment of IPM objectives Knowledge of key pests plants and locations (Master Gardener Expertise) Setting decision making guide-lines Intervention and Evaluation

Dr Mike described the main trees

and shrubs with problems and

explained that many of the varie-

ties are very old and have been

bred for their fruit thus screening

out plants with natural immunity

to insects and diseases Shrubs

with multiple problems are fire-

thorn lilac boxwood roses and

(Continued from page 3) IPM

9

Plans are already underway for

the Spring vegetable garden at

the Detention Center Mr Mer-

chant the project coordinator for

the Detention Center has con-

tacted both Mr Robey and Mr

Goldsmith of Charles County Pub-

lic Works for rototilling and ob-

taining County compost The

seeds will have been purchased

by the time you read this with

plant varieties selected by both

the Detention Center and Master

Gardeners Mr Merchant expects

at least 8 students to be joining

us for class and lab work because

of a change in the selection poli-

cy The new design last year for

trenching was very successful and

Charles County Detention Center

Horticultural Education

Contact Gale Kladitis

Detention Center Spring Garden Begins Again By Gale Kladitis Class of 2008 allowed retention of water to the

garden rather than runoff and will

be incorporated in this yearrsquos lay-

out The Spring classes will all be

held on Wednesdays from 9 am

to 1130 am starting May 9 I

have received many emails from

our cleared Master Gardeners in-

terested in continuing with our

program Please be assured that

all who wish to join us can The

vegetable garden does not re-

quire a clearance and if you have

not decided to commit you might

be interested in coming by on

Wednesdays at 10 am and taking

a look I am looking forward to

the new students and the vegeta-

ble garden this year

Dr Samuel Mudd House

Ongoing

Contact Beth Bonifant

You may want to join the team of

MGs who maintain the herb garden

and surrounding landscape at the

Dr Samuel Mudd House in Waldorf

April through OctoberNovember

Nature Walks with Jessica

Ongoing

Contact Jessica Milstead

These are ongoing walks as the

seasons allow The walks do count

as Advanced Training for Master

Gardeners and are open to all

Interns See Calendar for dates

10

Green School Partnership

Thomas Stone High School

Ongoing


protection with Agribond or some

similar material

Gale advises against planting to-

matoes too close together as this

seems to promote early blight She

also advises soaking the soilless

medium for 24 hours before you

start your seedlings as the medi-

um can be ldquohydrophobicrdquo mean-

ing it resists absorbing water until

it is already damp similar to try-

ing to get a dry sponge to absorb

water before it is dampened

Gale had tips for using moonflower

seeds to grow annual vines that

will cover or climb profusely but

can be disposed of when the

leaves have fallen so that you will

get a neater look all season round

Before planting the seeds which

are covered with a hard shell you

need to clip off one end (she uses

nail clippers) and then soak the

seeds This insures germination

She advises soaking spinach seeds

before planting as well

Being from Indiana it had never

occurred to me that I was far

enough south to grow peanuts but (Continued on page 11)

On Monday March 5 Gale Kladitis

presented a lesson on growing

plants from seeds and cold crops

to the Thomas Stone Garden

Club

Galersquos methods have been honed

by experience during her long

gardening career

Her advice on seeding was slightly

different than what yoursquoll see on

the back of a Burpee seed pack

She prefers the method of sowing

seeds directly on the planting

medium with the seeds overlaid

in a straight line As the seedlings

begin to sprout and grow which

they do in profusion she gently

pulls out a clump of seedlings

teases the rootlets apart and

plants each strong little plant in

its own container Peat pots

cardboard egg cartons or other

such material can be used The

trick is not to let your seedlings

grow too long in their first home

or they may become leggy They

need to be hardened off and

planted where they will stay If

planted early they will require

By Brenda Elmore Class of 2011

GOUIN ADVICE

the process some of the practices

we take for granted as gardeners

were shown to be counterproduc-

tive

Take mulch for example---yes

just take it away You are much

better off spreading 1-2 inches of

compost around your plants than

you are spreading 2-3 inches of

mulch Hardwood mulch is the

most damaging causing magnesi-

um toxicity His advice Introduce

the above-mentioned amount of

compost around your plants and

if you must mulch use relatively

fine pine mulch to a depth of only

an inch or so And that is just for

show Marble chips No way

Their chemistry is wrong too

Use pea gravel which comes from

granite which wonrsquot harm the

soil Having mulch stood on its

(Continued from page 14) ear was a bit hard for some of us

to take but whatever Dr Gouin

tells you you can take it to the

bank

Knowledgeable informative and

just plain entertaining Dr Gouin

keeps a room full of gardeners

raptly attentive It was a delight-

ful way to spend the morning and

now since it is so nice outside

Irsquom going out to put what I

learned into practice Thank you

Barbie Walter for inviting Dr

Gouin to address our groupmdashit was

well received as always and we

look forward hopefully to seeing

him again next year

Dr Gouinrsquos book Enough Said

was offered for sale for $2000 It

is available from the Annapolis

Horticulture Society If interested

check online at

wwwAnnapolisHorticultureorg

By Cindi Barnhart Class of 2003

At our MG Membership meeting

on February 28 10 people ex-

pressed an interest in Bay-Wise

Certification training We will

contact Wanda MacLachlan Area

Extension Educator when we have

20 attendees have selected

three dates and have a venue to

schedule a training

Additionally we will strive to have

a number of Master Gardener

homes Bay-Wise certified this year

Go to wwwbaywiseumdedu for

more information on Bay-Wise

15

14

about it Miracle-Gro is a 20-20-20

fertilizer It is primarily recom-

mended for fertilizing potted

plants every 2 to 3 weeks at 1 ta-

blespoon per gallon of water It

can be used for gardens as a start-

er solution but is more expensive

than granular fertilizers

blespoons of Epsom salts per gal-

lon of water per plant up to 2

feet height or spread Double

that for large plants and apply

one gallon of solution per plant

We never got back to the MG

question regarding the use of Mir-

acle-Gro This is what Dr G said


Great Gardening With Advice from Dr Gouin By Brenda Elmore Class of 2011

GOUIN

March came in like a lamb this

year And to celebrate this early

spring Master Gardeners and In-

terns were invited to a workshop

with Dr Francis Gouin pronounced

ldquogoinrsquordquo) a renowned agricultural

research scientist who has spent

the last forty years turning com-

posting from an art into a science

based on years of fieldwork

(literally) and his knowledge and

love of chemistry

It is always a pleasure to listen to

what Dr Gouin has to say be-

cause you come away with new

knowledge that you can put to use

in your own garden This is the

man who invented the formula for

Osmocote plant fertilizer with

the proper proportions of timed-

release nitrogen phosphorus and

potassium so that people could

successfully garden in containers

Dr Gouin in retirement does

more than most people do before

retirement He has helped peo-

ple businesses government

agencies and industries figure

out how to grow plants better

improve soil repurpose waste

and compost just about anything

He doesnrsquot just consult he ana-

lyzes problems then uses science

and experiments to solve the

problems often blazing trails

into new agricultural practice

For someone so famous and

knowledgeable he is very open

and accessible to his audience

He is especially fond of Master

Gardeners since he developed

the program here in Maryland At

the workshop lots of questions

were asked and answered and in


11

Contact the project leader by referring to your

Membership Directory

houses this year) then on April 27

(the day before the event) there

are volunteers needed to make

plant selections and pick up

mulch The actual work is per-

formed on April 28th Its a great

day out in the community and it

is a kickoff for the MG Interns

from the Class of 2012

Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets

By Carol Teets Class of 2003

This interaction in the community

provides us many opportunities to

teach and learn in the landscape

There are several ways to volun-

teer for this project Prior to the

event day a team of Master Gar-

deners will perform site visits to

each of the homes (there are 18

Our Ninth Annual Christmas in April for MGs

Gale can and does You need to

buy the unprocessed peanuts in

the shell shell them and plant

them in gypsum-enriched soil

Gale repurposes old sheetrock for

this by peeling off the paper ex-

terior and grinding the interior

into white powder which is then

plowed into the soil of her peanut

bed

Gale also has tips for using grass

cuttings rather than just leaving

them on the lawn She packs them

around her plant rows where they

prevent weeds from growing At

the end of the growing season she

(Continued from page 10) plows them into the soil where

they both aerate and enrich the

soil for the next yearrsquos garden

Gale left the youth with a lot

more know-how and it left me the

same It also left me itching to

get out there and start gardening

Between the Clubrsquos sponsor sci-

ence teacher Tim Chase and Gale

our own Garden Guru these are

some very lucky kids who will

have the know-how to become

excellent gardeners when they

grow up and have gardens of their

own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April

14 Saturday 10 amndash12 pm Plant Walk US National Arbore-

tum Fern Valley contact Jessica Milstead

24 Tuesday 10 am Membership Meeting Extension Office

Open to all MGs

28 Saturday Christmas In April contact Carol Teets

28 Saturday 12 pmndash5 pm Celebrate La Plata and Smart

Earth Day La Plata Town Hall

May

4 Friday Plant Sale staging and work group contacts are

Jessica Milstead Louise Kearns and Sue Brewer

Contact one of these MGs concerning plant donations

5 Saturday 8 amndash100 pm Farmers Market La Plata and

PD Brown Memorial Library Waldorf For information and

to volunteer contact Gale Kladitis (La Plata) and Terry Thir

(Waldorf)

9 Wednesday 9 amndash1130 am CC Detention Center classes

begin contact Gale Kladitis

15 Tuesday Newcombrsquos Wild Flower Identification and Key

Walk Time and Location TBA contact Jessica Milstead

Rain date May 17

16 Wednesday 9 amndash1130 am CC Detention Center class

22 Tuesday 10 am Membership Meeting Location TBA

Open to all MGs

23 Wednesday MG Annual Training Day in College Park

Maryland See page 22




Spring Summer Events

13


Staging the Scene For the Annual Plant Sale

As we begin to gear up for anoth-

er busy spring of Master Gardener

projects it isnrsquot too early to

begin thinking of the underpin-

nings needed for the Plant Sale

on May 5 Once again we will be

collecting all of the plants at Bar-

bie Walterrsquos house and this

means that we will need boards

old doors sheets of plywood

sawhorses and folding tables

These will need to be set up as

tables placed in shade or sun

ready for the beautiful donated

plants as they arrive

Start checking your garage your

shed your storeroom and see

what you can find that could be

used as good stable support for

the plants we will collect and

then transport to our two sale

sites PD Brown Library in Wal-

dorf and the Farmersrsquo Market in

the Courthouse Parking lot in

LaPlata


June


6 Wednesday Plant Walk Time and Location TBA contact

Jessica Milstead Rain date June 13




Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs

(Continued from page 12) EVENTS

2

Cindi Barnhart Editor Jessica Milstead Copy Editor Betsy Parbuoni PDF Editor Jessi Thibault Art Mail Carol Teets Writer Mail

Janet McGrane Calendar Elaine Miller Mail Anna Haugh Mail Larry Martin Mail Karol Dyson Advisor

THE COMPOST

Published quarterly by the Charles County Master Gardeners

University of Maryland Extension Charles County Office 9375

Chesapeake Street Suite 119 La Plata MD 20646

Phone 301-934-5403mdash301-753-8195

Cover March 1 Advanced Training with Dr Gouin on Composting and Fertilizer

SPRING 2012

Did You Know

From Carol Teets Class of 2003

In the Fall of 2011 the St Marys Arboretum Association was formed

The Arboretums primary purpose is to beautify and better the grounds

of St Marys College For more information and a Calendar of Events

go to wwwsmcmeduarboretumindexhtmlThey even have a walk-

ing tour of the campus that can be accessed on your smart phone To

download the Arboretum Walking Tour Map go to wwwsmcmedu

arboretumtourhtml

From Jessica Milstead Class of 2002

Are you a fan of the Fish amp Wildlife Servicersquos Native Plants for Wild-

life Habitat and Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Water-

shed Even if you have the beautiful printed version of this guide

therersquos a new website you should know about

wwwnativeplantcenternet This website appears to have the same

content as the book but itrsquos searchable and some of the information

is a bit more detailed

As best I can judge theyrsquore using the same photos as in the book but

theyrsquore larger and clearer Itrsquos easier to get a sense of what the plant

actually looks like This one is going onto my Favorites list

23

INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE COMPOST

Submit articles photos reports and other items to Cindi Barnhart by June 1 2012

for publication in the Summer 2012 newsletter Submit calendar items to Janet

McGrane by June 1 2012 Articles and pictures may also be submitted at any time

for future publication

SPRING 2012

Did You Know 2

The Right Plant in the Right Place Aids IPM 3

Dr Frank Gouin Is a Fount of Information 4

Projects

Detention Center Spring Garden Begins Again 9

Project Briefs Dr Samuel Mudd House Nature Walks with Jessica 9

Green School Partnership 10

Christmas In April 11

Spring Summer Events 12

Staging the Scene For the Annual Plant Sale 13

Great Gardening With Advice from Dr Gouin 14

Bay-Wise 15

Have You Ever Heard of a Straw Bale Garden 18

Reporting Time Increments Under An Hour 19

MG Statewide Advanced Training mdash April thru June 20

Save The Date mdash MG Annual Training Day 22

Compost A collection of unattractive materials

that when mixed together and properly treated

becomes something useful and enriching

22
















TRAINING

3































agement (IPM)









still with us

Photo

by C

indi Barn

hart

4
































ness


TO WORK







compost frequently






21

SHADE TREES










TRAINING

20


FLOWERING SHRUBS







5



















carbon to nitrogen


to be effective


compost to work


TO COMPOST


































cess





burn








GOUIN

6





yard compost pile





amounts by plants







MULCH































supermarket
























GOUIN

19
















sion Office



faxed



Fax (301) 753-1857




erence

BAYWISE - 5

CAMP MERRICK - 8



DR MUDD PROJECT - 9



PLANT SALE ndash 11





ARTS FEST ndash 10


Record Keeper







18






































































7















Argrow and Leaf Pro





ty in the soil





come slimy




FERTILIZERS







frame




able immediately





field application





dehyde




















GOUIN

8









more forgiving






son








how much to apply








the soil



















plants












65










17






off pests







develop













to wwwipmnetumdedu






basis for IPM


















tive in some cases











tomatoes

IPM

16

euonymus









pest free
























































9











































Ongoing








Ongoing







10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


22
















TRAINING

3































agement (IPM)









still with us

Photo

by C

indi Barn

hart

4
































ness


TO WORK







compost frequently






21

SHADE TREES










TRAINING

20


FLOWERING SHRUBS







5



















carbon to nitrogen


to be effective


compost to work


TO COMPOST


































cess





burn








GOUIN

6





yard compost pile





amounts by plants







MULCH































supermarket
























GOUIN

19
















sion Office



faxed



Fax (301) 753-1857




erence

BAYWISE - 5

CAMP MERRICK - 8



DR MUDD PROJECT - 9



PLANT SALE ndash 11





ARTS FEST ndash 10


Record Keeper







18






































































7















Argrow and Leaf Pro





ty in the soil





come slimy




FERTILIZERS







frame




able immediately





field application





dehyde




















GOUIN

8









more forgiving






son








how much to apply








the soil



















plants












65










17






off pests







develop













to wwwipmnetumdedu






basis for IPM


















tive in some cases











tomatoes

IPM

16

euonymus









pest free
























































9











































Ongoing








Ongoing







10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


4
































ness


TO WORK







compost frequently






21

SHADE TREES










TRAINING

20


FLOWERING SHRUBS







5



















carbon to nitrogen


to be effective


compost to work


TO COMPOST


































cess





burn








GOUIN

6





yard compost pile





amounts by plants







MULCH































supermarket
























GOUIN

19
















sion Office



faxed



Fax (301) 753-1857




erence

BAYWISE - 5

CAMP MERRICK - 8



DR MUDD PROJECT - 9



PLANT SALE ndash 11





ARTS FEST ndash 10


Record Keeper







18






































































7















Argrow and Leaf Pro





ty in the soil





come slimy




FERTILIZERS







frame




able immediately





field application





dehyde




















GOUIN

8









more forgiving






son








how much to apply








the soil



















plants












65










17






off pests







develop













to wwwipmnetumdedu






basis for IPM


















tive in some cases











tomatoes

IPM

16

euonymus









pest free
























































9











































Ongoing








Ongoing







10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


20


FLOWERING SHRUBS







5



















carbon to nitrogen


to be effective


compost to work


TO COMPOST


































cess





burn








GOUIN

6





yard compost pile





amounts by plants







MULCH































supermarket
























GOUIN

19
















sion Office



faxed



Fax (301) 753-1857




erence

BAYWISE - 5

CAMP MERRICK - 8



DR MUDD PROJECT - 9



PLANT SALE ndash 11





ARTS FEST ndash 10


Record Keeper







18






































































7















Argrow and Leaf Pro





ty in the soil





come slimy




FERTILIZERS







frame




able immediately





field application





dehyde




















GOUIN

8









more forgiving






son








how much to apply








the soil



















plants












65










17






off pests







develop













to wwwipmnetumdedu






basis for IPM


















tive in some cases











tomatoes

IPM

16

euonymus









pest free
























































9











































Ongoing








Ongoing







10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


6





yard compost pile





amounts by plants







MULCH































supermarket
























GOUIN

19
















sion Office



faxed



Fax (301) 753-1857




erence

BAYWISE - 5

CAMP MERRICK - 8



DR MUDD PROJECT - 9



PLANT SALE ndash 11





ARTS FEST ndash 10


Record Keeper







18






































































7















Argrow and Leaf Pro





ty in the soil





come slimy




FERTILIZERS







frame




able immediately





field application





dehyde




















GOUIN

8









more forgiving






son








how much to apply








the soil



















plants












65










17






off pests







develop













to wwwipmnetumdedu






basis for IPM


















tive in some cases











tomatoes

IPM

16

euonymus









pest free
























































9











































Ongoing








Ongoing







10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


18






































































7















Argrow and Leaf Pro





ty in the soil





come slimy




FERTILIZERS







frame




able immediately





field application





dehyde




















GOUIN

8









more forgiving






son








how much to apply








the soil



















plants












65










17






off pests







develop













to wwwipmnetumdedu






basis for IPM


















tive in some cases











tomatoes

IPM

16

euonymus









pest free
























































9











































Ongoing








Ongoing







10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


8









more forgiving






son








how much to apply








the soil



















plants












65










17






off pests







develop













to wwwipmnetumdedu






basis for IPM


















tive in some cases











tomatoes

IPM

16

euonymus









pest free
























































9











































Ongoing








Ongoing







10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


16

euonymus









pest free
























































9











































Ongoing








Ongoing







10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


10



Ongoing



similar material
































Club



gardening career























GOUIN ADVICE




tive






















bank













him again next year





check online at











schedule a training






15

14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


14



















GOUIN












love of chemistry


































11












Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact Carol Teets




















bed





















own

PARTNERSHIP

12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


12

April




Open to all MGs




May







(Waldorf)





Rain date May 17



Open to all MGs







13



























LaPlata


June







Open to all MGs

July


Open to all MGs

August


Open to all MGs


Documents

20646 e n ers - University of Maryland Extension · Even if you have the beautiful printed version of this guide, there’s a new website you should know about: . This website appears