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Table of Contents:
Gardening to Enhance Your
Child’s Education
The Other Side of Mistletoe
A Gardener’s Version of
The Night Before
Christmas
Timely Gardening Tips for
Marion County
Upcoming Events
Published by Norma Samuel
UF/IFAS Extension Marion County
Horticulture Agent
MARION COUNTY GOVERNMNT
December 2015
Timely Gardening Tips
for MARION COUNTY by Josephine Leyte-Vidal, UF/IFAS
Extension Marion County Master Gardener
We are now entering frost
season. Be ready to cover
your tender plants. Have
light blankets, towels, or
lightweight row cover that
will reach the ground
around the plant. Do not
use plastic sheets which
will freeze any leaf it
touches.
Now that the trees are
dropping their leaves look
for globes of dark-green
colored leaves. This may be
Mistletoe. Sadly, something
that we cherish for stealing
kisses is considered “Tree
Cancer”. Mistletoe roots
are inside the branch on
which they sit. In order to
(continued on next page)
Gardening to Enhance Your Child’s Education by Clara Weary-Davis, Master Gardener Trainee
When you think of gardening, what do you think of? Have you ever considered how gardening may increase and enhance your child’s interest in reading, writing, math, social studies and science? Gardening may provide an outlet for children to relax and unwind from the stresses of schoolwork and high stakes testing. Gardening is a great exercise, a wonderful life skill and it promotes healthy eating habits. We can foster memorable family moments with our children as well as our grandchildren. Gardening may be just the thing to enhance and spark your child’s education and academic interest.
Students are reading many different genres of text and are required to read and write about complex informational text. Think about various forms of reading you can expose your child to through gardening. Vegetable packets, plant tag labels can be used to teach children map and weather skills. The farmer’s almanacs provides a wealth of information and is a great resource to teach reading, math and science skills. Books about gardening,
insects, and weather are resources that can aid in enhancing your child’s reading skills. Shopping for used books at garage sales can teach your child the importance of economy shopping. A trip to your local farm or nursery can be a wonderful family outing. Encourage your child to write or draw about your new and exciting endeavor with gardening.
You may say I don’t have space for a garden, don’t let this hinder you. Be creative, start small. Build a planter or two; you will be utilizing math, drawing, and writing when creating your planters. Metal cans or five gallon buckets are feasible. Don’t forget to drill holes in the bottom for good drainage. A small window box or flower pots are alternatives. Try recyclables, such as plastic milk jugs, two-liter bottles, or water bottles. Paper towel rolls can create an experimental vertical garden. I’ve seen vegetable gardens growing in small plastic kiddie pools. The possibilities are endless.
Source: stockphoto.com
get rid of it you need to cut
the branch off at about two
feet from the clump. This
ensures that you remove all
the offensive roots.
Winter maintenance can
begin now. Fertilize annuals
and bulbs already growing.
Spread leaves or pine
needles as mulch instead of
putting them in the dump.
Control scale with a spray of
insecticidal soap and Volck
oil. Divide and replant
grasses and ground covers.
Search out and kill invasive
vines.
If you have vegetable
seedlings in the garden,
gallon milk jugs with their
bottoms cut out make
excellent mini greenhouses.
Place over each seedling and
remove the cap. Heat from
the soil will be trapped and
the plastic will allow sun to
pass through.
Page 2
Timely Gardening Tips for
MARION COUNTY by Josephine Leyte-Vidal, UF/IFAS
Extension Marion County Master Gardener (continued from page 1)
So now you are ready to plant your garden, here are a few tips and suggestions for starting your garden. Start with the right plants in the right place. You will need to plant your garden where it will receive the proper sunlight, six or more hours a day of full sun should be sufficient for the average vegetable garden. Know what you would like to plant. Soil testing would be very beneficial. You can have your soil tested at the IFAS Extension Soils Lab at a very modest cost of $7.00 per sample. Most gardens thrive best with a soil pH of 5.5-7.0. Depending on the results of your soil test, the Master Gardeners can recommend which plants are best. Adding organic matter to your garden, such as animal manure, rotted leaves or compost would be a great addition to any garden. Proper watering and fertilizing are important factors too. Include plants that will attract beneficial insects. Lady beetles, praying mantis and bees are just a few.
The pride, self-esteem, and confidence that gardening can bring are priceless. Gardening may be just what your child needs to enhance their educational future while giving them the life skills that will last a lifetime.
Gardening to Enhance Your Child’s Education by Clara Weary-Davis, Master Gardener Trainee
(continued from Page 1)
Source: Stockphoto.com
Survives
Transplanting
Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage,
Cauliflower, Collards, Kale,
Kohlrabi, Lettuce
Transplant
with Care
Celery, Mustard
Use
Seeds
Carrots, Onions, Radish
The Other Side of Mistletoe by Linda Johnson and Anne Lambrecht, Master Gardeners
UPCOMING
LECTURES/EVENTS: Educational seminars and events
are presented by UF/IFAS
Extension Agents and/or
Master Gardeners.
Unless otherwise indicated, to
pre-register, please call
352-671-8400 or e-mail [email protected].
Page 3
Ever see those round green clumps up in the trees in winter? They are mostly in the live oaks and many times in the dead live oaks. That’s mistletoe. Yes, the green clumps with the white or red berries that are a part of our holiday decorations. Mistletoe is a popular plant every Christmas season because it was considered a symbol of love and friendship in Norse mythology. Mistletoe was sacred to the Druids and kissing beneath it echoes its ancient fertility symbolism. The Druids believed that because the plant was growing from dead branches, and stayed
alive throughout the winter, it must have mystical and life giving powers. They were not aware of the true nature of the plant.
Mistletoe is a parasite. Actually, it is a hemi-parasite which means it primarily feeds off of other plants or trees (it loves oaks), but the plant can use photosynthesis to sustain itself if necessary. Mistletoe grows from New Jersey to Florida. It is also the state flower of Oklahoma.
Mistletoe has pointy, green, leathery leaves with waxy berries that are either red or white. The berries are eaten by birds and sometimes the birds leave their seed-laden droppings on a tree branch. This is when the attack begins. Within six weeks the mistletoe plant begins attaching to and penetrating the branch of the oak by a structure called the ‘haustorium’ through which it absorbs water and nutrients from the host tree. Healthy trees can tolerate a few mistletoe branch infections. But heavily infested trees may be weakened, stunted, or even killed, especially if they are stressed by other problems such as drought or disease. In order to remove this parasite from the tree’s system, you need to cut at least 18 inches down from where the mistletoe branch attaches or it will simply grow back.
Mistletoe does have a positive aspect though. It provides high quality food and habitat for a wide range of animals. Many birds eat mistletoe berries and use the plant for nesting sites. Mistletoe flowers are an important starter food source for bees early in the spring, and a broad array of animals depend on the leaves and young shoots for food. So, in addition to being a lowly parasite, it turns out mistletoe’s benefits could balance its detrimental effects.
So when someone holds a branch of mistletoe over your head (and the fake stuff doesn’t count), go ahead and smooch away. I, for one, am going to put it all around the house. Hopefully your significant other will get the hint.
December
Master the
Possibilities Series:
Kitchen Gardens December 11, 2015
9:00—10:30 a.m.
On Top of the World
8415 SW 80th St, Ocala
Ask the Experts: Dunnellon Farmers
Market December 11, 2015
4:00—7:00 p.m.
Ernie Mills Park
Bostick Rd, Dunnellon
Source: hort.uga.org
Source: hort.uga.edu
Page 5
For those of you born in December—your birth flower is the Narcissus. Formality, sweetness, self admiration, and egotism, are all represented by the Narcissus flower. The name is derived from the Greek mythology of Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection in a stream. Transfixed by the stream, the gods believed he would die of starvation so they changed him into the flower to stay there forever. Narcissus are mostly native to the Mediterranean region, but a few species are found through central Asia
to China.
A Gardener’s Version of
The Night Before Christmas By Karen Geisler, Originally published in the Gardener, Nov-Dec 1983
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the yard the branches were bare and the ground frozen hard;
The roses were dormant and mulched all around to protect them from damage if frost heaves the ground.
The perennials were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of 5-10-5 danced in their heads.
The new-planted shrubs, had been soaked by the hose to settle their roots for the long winter's doze;
And out on the lawn, the new fallen snow protected the roots of the grasses below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear but a truck full of gifts of gardening gear. Saint Nick was the driver - the jolly old elf
and he winked as he said, "I'm a gardener myself. I've brought wilt-pruf, rootone, and gibberellin, too.
Please try them and see what they do. To start new plants, a propagating kit.
Sparkling new shears, for the old apple tree. To seed your new lawn, I've a patented sower;
in case it should grow, here's a new power mower. For seed-planting days, I've a trowel and a dibble,
and a roll of wire mesh if the rabbits should nibble. For the feminine gardener, some gadgets she loves;
plant stakes, a sprinkler, and waterproof gloves; A chemical agent for the compost pit, and for pH detecting, a soil testing kit.
And last but not least, some well-rotted manure. A green Christmas year round, these gifts will ensure."
Then jolly Saint Nick, having emptied his load, started his truck and took to the road.
And I heard him exclaim through the motor's loud hum
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a green thumb!"
Page 4
UPCOMING
LECTURES/EVENTS:
January
Dunnellon Satellite
Plant Clinic January 5, 2016
10:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.
Dunnellon Public Library
20351 Robinson Rd, Dunnellon
Master the
Possibilities Series Florida-Friendly Landscaping™
January 8, 2016
10:00-11:30 a.m.
On Top of the World
8415 SW 80th St, Ocala
Ask the Experts: Dunnellon Farmers
Market January 8, 2016
4:00—7:00 p.m.
Ernie Mills Park
Bostick Rd, Dunnellon
Dunnellon Library Trees and Shrubs for
Central Florida January 19, 2016
2:00—3:00 p.m.
Dunnellon Public Library
20351 Robinson Rd, Dunnellon
Page 5
Florida-Friendly Landscaping™
Book of the Month Sale
Each month, we will be offering
one of the books available in the
Extension Bookstore at a
substantial discount
(sorry, walk-ins only).
December’s offering is
Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening
for Small and Large Spaces
By Susan Morrison & Rebecca Sweet
Regularly $19.95—on sale for $11.97
40% off until the end of December
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LVZWQPV
N. Samuel Norma Samuel, Ph.D. Urban Horticulture Extension Agent III Master Gardener Coordinator
Page 6
Items below are
available for purchase at
the UF/IFAS Extension Marion County. We also
have many other items
available in our Shop Extension store. The
store is open Mon-Fri
from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Please come to see these
environmentally-friendly
products, as well as many
other agricultural-related
items.
Foundation for the Gator Nation
An Equal Opportunity Institution
The Master Gardener Plant Clinic will be closed for two weeks starting on Monday, December 21st to allow our
volunteers to spend time with their families
during the holiday season.
The Plant Clinic will reopen on Monday, January 4th at 10 a.m.
to assist you with your gardening questions.
2016 Plant Clinic Hours
Monday—Friday
10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
352-671-8400