GEORGIA CHRISTMAS TREE ASSOCIATION, INC.

TREE TALKJune 2011 Edition

Chuck and Charles Berry set up a booth at the Governor’s Ag Day Celebra-tion in Atlanta this past March. We sat up a GCTA booth at the event

which was attended by over 700 school children and elected officials from across the state.

Published by the Georgia Christmas Tree Association, 120 Cordele Hwy, Hawkinsville GA 31036

Volume 26, No. 2, June 2011

Association Of-ficers

President--

Chuck Berry -- 2010185 McCord St. Covington GA 30014. 770-786-1370 Email:berryplace~yahoo.com

President Elect --

Greg Smith -- 20112375 Old Kings Bridge Rd.Nicholson GA 30565 706-757-3560 Email: gjasmith~windstream.net

First Vice President --

Vacant

Past President --

Tommy Thompson -- 20121829 Prospect Rd, Law-renceville, GA 30043. 770.513.2552. Email: tstrees~bellsouth.net

Executive Director --

Linda Wilson -- 2008120 Cordele Rd, Hawkins-ville, GA 31036. 478-919-TREE (8733)Email:treefarm~pstel.net

National Director --

Gordon Hunter 201114680 Wood Rd, Milton, GA 30004. 770-475-0713 Email: gordonhunter~bellsouth.net

Northern Directors Liz Kinsey--20127171 Jot-em-Down Rd, Gainesville, GA 30506 770-887-5541

Position vacant -- 2011

Central Directors

Position vacant -- 2013

Jim Butler -- 20123850 Hwy 81 West, Hamp-ton, GA 30228Email: jim~christmastreehome.com

Southern Directors

Rick Palmer 20116899 Thompson Pond Rd. Tarrytown GA 30470, 912-529-3702 Email: secretforest~planttel.net

Lacy Jackson 20103452 Pateville Rd, Cordele, GA 31015 229-273-5748

Webmaster: Jim Butler 3850 Hwy 81 West, Hamp-ton, GA 30228, 770-707-0584 Email: jim~christmastreehome.com

Tree Talk Editor

Natalie Cooper, 40 Spring St, Buford, GA 30518, 404-642-1101, Email: twougaalums~bellsouth.net

Tree Talk assistants:

Advertising Sales: Denise Thompson, 770-513-2552, Email: tstrees~bellsouth.net Printing, Coy Dillahunty, 770.884.0022, Email: dillahuc~bellsouth.net

Advertising RatesFull page ---- $150.00! Page ------ 75.00⅓ Page ------ 65.00" Page ------- 45.00Rates given are for black & white ad copy. Spot color or color strip $10.00 additional. Full color ads are available at double the base price. Con-tracts on four or more con-secutive ads are discounted 10%. New ad submission deadlines are the 1st of month preceding the issue date. For design assistance contact Coy Dillahunty, 770-884-0022 Email:dillahuc~bellsouth.net

Published Quarterly, March, June, September, and

December.

Georgia Christmas Tree As-sociation, Inc.

120 Cordele Rd, Hawkins-ville, GA 31036

Phone 478-230-3646Email: treefarm~pstel.net

Visit our web site atwww.gacta.com

Established 1961Note:

Volume numbers on this issue corrected to reflect first issue as volume 1, number 1 was printed in March 1986. Numbers were correct to 2000. No newsletter printed in 1990. Volume No.

Should reflect year but have not for last 10.

Table of Content

______________________________Advertiser Index 4

_____________________Association Presidents Letter 5

________________Plant Propagation by Stem Cuttings: 6

Rooting Hormone — How to Use Rooting Hormone to Propa-_________________________________gate Plants 10

Propagation and Care of Leyland Cypress as Christmas Trees 11

____________So You're Thinking About Buying a Greenhouse 16

__________________The Most Important Greenhouse Supply 22

______________________Executive Director Report 26

_______________________________________Expense Report 27

_______________________Association 2011 Meeting 28

_______________________25 Years Ago-June 1986 Newsletter 29

_____________________Association Membership Application 36

***

Editor’s Note: This issue will focus on propagation of Ley-land Cypress.

3

Advertiser Index

Bass Trees & Supply - - - - - 37

Byron Lakeview Nursery, LLC - - - 21

Cinco Plastics, Inc. - - - - - 15

Evans Christmas Products - - - - 11

Fraser Knoll, (Wagoner’s) - - - - 14

Kelco Industries - - - - - - 9

Oak Pond Nursery, LLC - - - - 22

Southern Christmas Trees, Nursery & Plantation (Bill Murray) - - 35

Tim Mitchell’s Yule Stand System - - 28

Veldsma & Sons, Inc. - - - - - 18

***

Please note our new GCTA phone number is (478) 919-TREE (8733)!

4

Association Presidents Letter

Chuck Berry

The grass is growing and so are the Christmas trees. I hope all is well at your farm and with your families. The summer heat is on the way and with it comes the dry weather. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone af-fected by the tornados and severe storms that passed through the South a few weeks back.

The GCTA has been working hard the last few months to promote our product. As I have said before, the Choose and Cut Christmas Tree no longer sales itself, we have to do our part to educate the public on its advan-tages over the artificial tree. These advantages not only include the fresh-ness and the smell, but also the adventure in cutting your own Christmas tree.

Agritourism has become a major ag related industry in the state. Charles Berry is currently serving on the Agritourism Advisory Committee for Commissioner Gary Black and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. His appointment will ensure that the Christmas tree industry in Georgia has a front seat when it comes to promoting the adventure portion of the Choose and Cut Christmas Tree farm.

Also, Charles Berry and I attended the Governor’s Ag Day Celebration in Atlanta this past March. We sat up a GCTA booth at the event which was attended by over 700 school children and elected officials from across the state. We distributed pencils, the Choose and Cut Guide, and the latest copy of Tree Talk.

Remember to mark your calendars for the GCTA Annual Meeting this Sep-tember at Brumby and White’s farm in South Georgia. Additional informa-tion will follow later in the summer. Stay cool and good luck with your weed control and trimming. Please call if you have any questions.

Chuck Berry 770-602-6003 ***

5

Plant Propagation

by Stem Cuttings:

Instructions for the Home Gardener

Provided by NC State University

Erv Evans, Extension Associate

Frank A. Blazich, Professor

Department of Horticultural Science

Propagation by stem cuttings is the most commonly used method to propagate many woody ornamental plants. Stem cuttings of many favorite shrubs are quite easy to root. Typically, stem cuttings of tree species are more difficult to root. However, cuttings from trees such as crape myrtles, some elms, and birches can be rooted.

A greenhouse is not necessary for suc-cessful propagation by stem cuttings; however, maintaining high humidity around the cutting is critical. If rooting only a few cuttings, you can use a flower pot (Figure 1). Maintain high humidity by covering the pot with a bottomless milk jug or by placing the pot into a clear plas-tic bag. Cuttings can also be placed in plastic trays covered with clear plastic stretched over a wire frame (Figure 2). Trays must have holes in the bottoms for drainage. The plastic will help keep the humidity high and reduce water loss from the cuttings.

If you need more elaborate facilities, you can construct a small hoop frame and/or use an intermittent mist system.

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2 Horticulture Information Leaflets 404 and 405 describe how this can be accom-plished. Another bulletin that may be helpful is AG-426 (A Small Backyard Greenhouse for the Home Gardener).Types of Stem Cuttings

The four main types of stem cuttings are herbaceous, softwood, semi-hardwood, and hardwood. These terms reflect the growth stage of the stock plant, which is one of the most important factors influ-encing whether or not cuttings will root. Calendar dates are useful only as guide-lines. Refer to Table 1 for more informa-tion on the best time to root stem cuttings of particular ornamental plants.

6

Stem Cuttings on Common Christ-mas Tree Types

Cedar (Cedrus spp.) Semi-hardwood and Hardwood

Fir (Abies spp.): Softwood and Hardwood

Leyland Cypress (x Cupressocy-paris leylandii): Semi-hardwood and Hardwood

Pine - Eastern White (Pinus stro-bus): Hardwood

Spruce (Picea spp.): Softwood and Hardwood

Herbaceous cuttings are made from non-woody, herbaceous plants such as coleus, chrysanthemums, and dahlia. A 3- to 5-inch piece of stem is cut from the parent plant. The leaves on the lower one-third to one-half of the stem are removed. A high percentage of the cuttings root, and they do so quickly.

Softwood cuttings are prepared from soft, succulent, new growth of woody plants, just as it begins to harden (ma-ture). Shoots are suitable for making softwood cuttings when they can be snapped easily when bent and when they still have a gradation of leaf size (oldest leaves are mature while newest leaves are still small). For most woody plants, this stage occurs in May, June, or July. The soft shoots are quite tender, and extra care must be taken to keep them from drying out. The extra effort pays off, be-cause they root quickly.

Semi-hardwood cuttings are usually prepared from partially mature wood of the current season’s growth, just after a flush of growth. This type of cutting nor-

mally is made from mid-July to early fall. The wood is reasonably firm and the leaves of mature size. Many broadleaf ev-ergreen shrubs and some conifers are propagated by this method.

Hardwood cuttings are taken from dormant, mature stems in late fall, win-ter, or early spring. Plants generally are fully dormant with no obvious signs of active growth. The wood is firm and does not bend easily. Hardwood cuttings are used most often for deciduous shrubs but can be used for many evergreens. Exam-ples of plants propagated at the hard-wood stage include forsythia, privet, fig, grape, and spirea.

The three types of hardwood cuttings are straight, mallet, and heel (Figure 3). A straight cutting is the most commonly used stem cutting. Mallet and heel cut-tings are used for plants that might oth-erwise be more difficult to root. For the heel cutting, a small section of older wood is included at the base of the cutting. For the mallet cutting, an entire section of older stem wood is included.

Figure 3.

7

Procedures for Rooting Stem Cut-tings

Cuttings should generally consist of the current or past season’s growth. Avoid material with flower buds if possible. Remove any flowers and flower buds when preparing cuttings so the cutting’s energy can be used in producing new roots rather than flowers. Take cuttings from healthy, disease-free plants, pref-erably from the upper part of the plant.

The fertility status of the stock (parent) plant can influence rooting. Avoid taking cuttings from plants that show symptoms of mineral nutrient deficiency. Con-versely, plants that have been fertilized heavily, particularly with nitrogen, may not root well. The stock plant should not be under moisture stress. In general, cut-tings taken from young plants root in higher percentages than cuttings taken from older, more mature plants. Cuttings from lateral shoots often root better than cuttings from terminal shoots.

Early morning is the best time to take cuttings, because the plant is fully turgid. It is important to keep the cuttings cool and moist until they are stuck. An ice chest or dark plastic bag with wet paper towels may be used to store cuttings. If there will be a delay in sticking cuttings, store them in a plastic bag in a refrigera-tor.

While terminal parts of the stem are best, a long shoot can be divided into several cuttings. Cuttings are generally 4 to 6 inches long. Use a sharp, thin-bladed pocket knife or sharp pruning shears. If necessary, dip the cutting tool in rubbing alcohol or a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water to prevent transmitting dis-

eases from infected plant parts to healthy ones.

Remove the leaves from the lower one-third to one-half of the cutting (Figure 4). On large-leafed plants, the remaining leaves may be cut in half to reduce water loss and conserve space. Species difficult to root should be wounded.

Figure 4.

Treating cuttings with root-promoting compounds can be a valuable tool in stimulating rooting of some plants that might otherwise be difficult to root. Pre-vent possible contamination of the entire supply of rooting hormone by putting some in a separate container before treat-ing cuttings. Any material that remains after treatment should be discarded and not returned to the original container. Be sure to tap the cuttings to remove excess hormone when using a powder formula-tion.

The rooting medium should be sterile, low in fertility, and well-drained to pro-vide sufficient aeration. It should also re-tain enough moisture so that watering does not have to be done too frequently. Materials commonly used are coarse sand, a mixture of one part peat and one part perlite (by volume), or one part peat

8

and one part sand (by volume). Vermicu-lite by itself is not recommended, because it compacts and tends to hold too much moisture. Media should be watered while being used.

Insert the cuttings one-third to one-half their length into the medium. Maintain the vertical orientation of the stem (do not insert the cuttings upside down). Make sure the buds are pointed up. Space cuttings just far enough apart to allow all leaves to receive sunlight. Water again after inserting the cuttings if the contain-ers or frames are 3 or more inches in depth. Cover the cuttings with plastic and place in indirect light. Avoid direct sun. Keep the medium moist until the cuttings have rooted. Rooting will be improved if the cuttings are misted on a regular basis.

Rooting time varies with the type of cutting, the species being rooted, and environmental conditions. Coni-fers require more time than broad-leaf plants. Late fall or early winter is a good time to root conifers. Once rooted, they may be left in the root-ing structure until spring.

Newly rooted cuttings should not be transplanted directly into the land-scape. Instead, transplant them into containers or into a bed. Growing them to a larger size before trans-planting to a permanent location will increase the chances for survival.

For Further Reading

• Bryant, G. 1995. Propagation Handbook. Stackpole Books: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylva-nia.

• Dirr, M. A. and C. W. Heuser, Jr. 1987. The Reference Man-ual of Woody Plant Propaga-

tion: From Seed to Tissue Culture. Varsity Press: Athens, Georgia.

• Hartmann, H. T., D. E. Kester, F. T. Davies and R. L. Geneve. 1996. Plant Propagation, Principles and Practices. 6th ed. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

• McMillan Browse, P. D. A. 1978. Plant Propagation. Simon and Schuster: New York.

• Toogood, A. 1993. Plant Propaga-tion Made Easy. Timber Press: Portland, Oregon.

***

9

Rooting Hormone

— How to Use

Rooting Hormone

to Propagate PlantsBy Jon VanZile

Rooting hormone for plants is wonderful stuff. When used correctly, it dramatically increases the odds of success with propa-gation. It can be used on ornamental plants, as well as corms and bulbs.

What is Rooting Hormone?

Rooting hormones were discovered in the 1930s by Dutch scientists. Today, the most common rooting hormone is a chemical called indole-3-butyric acid, or I3B. It is available in both liquid and powder forms. However, home growers rarely require the liquid form because their volume is so low. As a result, the most common product available in garden centers is the powdered rooting hormone.

Which Cuttings Can I Use?

Rooting hormone will work on a variety of cuttings, including new growth, brittle stems, woody stems, and others. It's also very useful for grafting, and will dramati-cally increase the success of grafted plants.

Steps to Using Powdered Rooting Hormone

1. Remove the cutting from the parent plant. Use only cuttings from vigorous and healthy plants, and make sure the growing tip is between 2 inches and 8 inches long. The cutting should be taken near a node at the end. Remove

any leaves or flowers from the node, and if it's a hardwood cutting, lightly score the cutting.

2. Moisten the cutting lightly. However, if you're using a rough cutting, like a wood cutting, it is not necessary to moisten it.

3. Dip the cutting into the powder. Im-merse the cutting into the powder slightly higher than the planting depth. Shake the excess powder off by lightly tapping the cutting against the edge of the container.

4. Plant the cutting in any high-quality potting medium. Make sure the hole is wide enough that the rooting hormone is rubbed off as you sink the cutting into the soil. Do not allow rooting hormone onto nearby plants or cut-tings as it might be toxic to established plants.

5. Tamp down the soil around the cut-ting to remove air pockets. Keep the cutting warm (at least 60ºF) and moist. Many plants will root better if they are kept out of direct sunlight.

Using Rooting Hormone on Bulbs and Corms

Rooting hormone is also effective as stimulating root production on corms and bulbs. Simply put the bulb or corm in a plastic bag with a small quantity of root-ing hormone and shake it to coat with a light layer. Plant.

Cautions with Rooting HormoneRooting hormone is effective, but it is a hazardous material. Some manufacturers recommend against using rooting hor-mone on food plants, so check the label

10

cautions to make sure the variety you're using is safe for food plants. Also, do not dispose of excess rooting hormone in ar-eas where it can contaminate water sup-plies or soil. It should be treated like any bioactive chemical and disposed of in a solid waste facility.

***

Propagation and Care of Leyland Cypress as

Christmas TreesPrinted from Bugwood

University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry

http://www.bugwood.org/Christmas/index.html

Propagation

Leyland cypress do not produce viable seed, thus the rooting of vegetative cut-tings is currently the best method for propagation. Selection of appropriate specimen trees from which to take cut-tings is a key first step. Select trees with an acceptable natural Christmas tree form. Cultivars with lateral branches aris-ing at the base of the tree and growing up vertically as tall as the terminal shoot are likely to develop double stems and should be avoided. Foliage color will also vary by cultivar. Most growers prefer the cultivar `Leighton Green' which has rich green fo-liage.

Selection of cutting material is critical. The age of the tree, location within the tree crown, and time of year are all factors to be considered. Generally, the most suc-cessful and consistent rooting is achieved with cuttings taken from trees less than 10 years old, or from new shoot growth on older trees. Cuttings should be 6 to 8 inches long and show some brown colora-

11

tion in the lower part of the stem. Janu-ary, February or March are the best months to take cuttings. Rooting may be successful at other times of the year, but rooting percentage will be low. After cut-tings are taken, keep them cool and moist and process as soon as possible. Do not let cuttings heat up by leaving them in the sun or bunched together.

Have the containers prepared so cuttings can be rapidly processed. Initial rooting can be done in small volume containers like 2! in. square rose pots, or containers of comparable size provided they have sufficient drainage. Fill the containers with a porous rooting media such as a 1:1 peat-perlite mixture. Make a two inch deep hole in the media to accept the cut-ting.

Prepare the cuttings by pruning them to approximately six inches long, and strip

the leaves off the bottom two inches of the stem. Dip the base of each cutting, or groups of cuttings, into water and then into a rooting hormone powder contain-ing 0.8% Indole 3-butyric acid (IBA).

This is a formulation commercially avail-able for hard-to-root woody plants. Tap off excess powder, place the cuttings into containers and firm in place. Quick dips for two to three seconds in an alcohol so-lution containing 0.3 to 0.8% IBA have also been successfully used.

12

Maintain the cuttings in a warm, humid environment. A good target temperature to maintain the cuttings is 68°F. A mist system on a timer, set to deliver 5 to 10 seconds of mist at 4 to 5 minute intervals, will maintain high humidity surrounding the cuttings. A greenhouse is ideal for propagation, but containers can be draped with plastic to maintain temperature and humidity. An alternative method is to fill a one or five gallon plastic bucket with root-ing, media, and stick the cuttings into the media. Be sure to put drain holes in the bottom of the bucket. Then, put several boards vertically on the inside edges of the bucket and lay plastic over them, creating a miniature greenhouse.

Root development can be monitored by carefully slipping the cutting and media

from the container. As soon as roots are visible, begin weekly applications of a di-lute liquid 20-20-20 fertilizer solution. It will take about three months to suffi-ciently root cuttings.

Once cuttings have been rooted, they need to be transplanted into larger containers such as six-inch or one-gallon pots. Cut-tings transplanted to one-gallon pots gen-erally show better growth.

Ground pine bark with coarse sand or a commercial greenhouse soil mix can be used as a soil mix. Two teaspoons of a slow release 18-6-12 fertilizer should be added to the containers after repotting. Maintain the repotted cuttings in a green-house or shadehouse until they are ready for out planting into the field, in approxi-mately 6 to 9 months.

Time of year of out planting to the field can be critical. Generally outplanting is done in the spring after the danger of

13

frost. Some growers have successfully outplanted in the fall, winter, and early spring, while other have lost transplants due to killing frost. Plants are most sus-ceptible to freeze damage when taken di-rectly from the greenhouse or shadehouse without allowing them to harden off. Be-fore outplanting, cut back on both water and fertilizer and set plants outdoors for lengthening periods of time each day for a total of one to two months. If danger of frost exists during this hardening off pe-riod, cover or return plants to greenhouse or shadehouse to protect them from freez-ing. Roots are especially susceptible to freeze damage while in containers since they freeze more quickly than when they are in the field. Avoid pruning plants dur-ing this period.

Once Leyland cypress transplants become established in the field, they exhibit a

good degree of cold hardiness. An out-planting at the Georgia Experiment Sta-tion in Griffin survived, without injury, when a low temperature of - 8 degrees F was recorded on January 21, 1985.

***

14

15

So You're Thinking About

Buying a Greenhouse

Editors Note: My dad bought a ‘Little Greenhouse’ years ago from ACF Green-

houses. Their website is www.littlgreenhouse.com and this is

some information they provide on choos-ing a greenhouse to fit your needs.

Selecting a Site for Your Green-house Choosing the right site for your green-house will not only determine how well it works as a greenhouse, but how much you will enjoy it. There are several factors to consider in choosing your site.

1. Sunlight

If the greenhouse is going to be used pri-marily for starting seeds and transplants or plant propagation in the summer, place it in partial shade to minimize heat buildup. You can use a shade cloth to con-trol the amount of sunlight reaching the interior if a partially shaded site is not available. If the greenhouse will be used for growing in late fall and winter, or growing plants to maturity, it will need maximum exposure to the sun. It should receive a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight everyday. It is best to position the greenhouse with the ends facing east and west. This will provide more heat gain from the sun during the winter and create less shadowing in the greenhouse. If the southern exposure is restricted, but open to the east, southeast, southwest, or west, turn the greenhouse to the winter sun. Remember the difference in sun angles from summer to winter (the sun is much lower in the winter).

Sometimes a shade tree can be an advan-tage, providing some shade for the green-house during the hot summer and letting the sun in after losing its leaves in the fall. The problem with overhanging trees is one of falling branches that can damage your greenhouse.

2. Accessibility

You want your greenhouse to be easily used. A good site should be sheltered from high winds and easily accessible from your home and garden. Remember the need to move soil, plants, fertilizer, and yourself to and from the greenhouse. Ac-cess to utilities such as electricity and wa-ter are important requirements to re-member also when selecting your site.

3. Weather

Many regions have chronic weather prob-lems such as heavy rain, snow, and/or strong winds. Heavy rains may cause drainage problems in and around the greenhouse. To avoid standing water, choose a spot on high well-drained ground or install a drainage system before the greenhouse is erected. Snow is usually not a problem as long as you provide ade-quate insulation and heating. Strong winds can be a real problem. In cold weather, winds blowing over a greenhouse

16

can drain it of its interior heat escalating energy costs. Windbreaks are your most effective weapon. A windbreak is an ob-stacle that "breaks" up the force of the wind. Trees, shrubs, fences, and other structures can all be effective windbreaks. Remember that a windbreak can also ob-struct light. Try to locate one where it will block the least amount of light.

4. Ease of construction and maintenance

A level, well drained site will obviously be easier to work with and maintain than a low, swampy, or sloped area. It is also a good idea to locate your greenhouse away from children's play areas. What's the Best Material for Green-houses?

There really is no best material for a greenhouse. It is hard to know what's best when there are so many different materi-als used to make greenhouses. Aluminum, galvanized steel, wood, PVC, glass, fiber-glass, polycarbonate, polyethylene, etc. They all have their place in green-house construction. Your needs and budget will determine which is best for you. Greenhouse Coverings

Most important is the covering. It will de-termine the amount and type of light reaching your plants, the overall appear-ance of your greenhouse, its safety, ease of maintenance, and longevity.

Greenhouse Covering Insulation (R) Val-ues• 4 mil polyethylene: 0.83 • 4 mm twinwall polycarbonate: 1.43• 6 mil polyethylene: 0.87• 6 mm twinwall polycarbonate: 1.54

• 6 mil poly double layer (inflated): 1.43• 8 mm twinwall polycarbonate: 1.61• 11 mil woven polyethylene: 0.95 • 10 mm twinwall polycarbonate: 1.89• 3 mm glass (single layer): 0.95• 16 mm 5 wall polycarbonate: 3.03• Two layers of glass (insulated): 2.0• Fiberglass or polycarbonate (single

layer): 0.83

R value is a commercial unit used to measure the effectiveness of thermal in-sulation. A larger number represents a higher insulation value and therefore greater heating and cooling efficiency.Specific, brand-name, product R values may vary slightly from these figures.

- Glass -

The traditional greenhouse covering, pre-ferred for its permanence and beauty. Glass is one of the least efficient materials for retaining heat, because it transmits heat and cold quickly and has very little insulating value (that's why it is used in cooking utensils and thermometers). Greenhouse glass should be double or tri-ple strength to increase heating efficiency and decrease breakage which can be dan-gerous when installing as well as a prob-lem in the completed greenhouse. Glass is much heavier than other cover-ings, requiring more substantial framing. Other disadvantages include: it doesn't diffuse light, so there's a risk of burning plants; glass breaks more easily than the plastic coverings (important if you have hailstorms, trees nearby, kids that play baseball, etc.); and finally, slight devia-tions from horizontal and vertical frame alignment or settling of the foundation can crack it. Most glass greenhouses use either engineered aluminum, steel, or laminated wood frames with full foundations. Never install glass on breezy

17

days. Because of the need for many smaller, overlapping, glass segments in these greenhouses, site selection should take wind into consideration. Air (heat) leakage is greater in glass greenhouses be-cause of the many panes needed. If you are unsure about your building tal-ents, you might do well to avoid glass as the frame must be absolutely square and rigid. If you must have glass, consider hir-ing a contractor for your installation.

- Plastics -

These coverings include fiberglass, poly-carbonate, acrylic sheets, and polyethyl-ene film. All plastics resist hailstone dam-age and are shatterproof, a distinct advan-tage over glass. Rigid plastics are stiff, but not brittle. They can be flexed to fit over a curved surface and are available in large sheets. This reduces the number of poten-tial air leaks by reducing the number of joints in the covering.

Fiberglass

The first of the practical replacements for glass, fiberglass usually comes in rolls or corrugated sheets and is translucent rather than transparent. You can't see through it but light transmission is roughly equal to glass. Fiberglass diffuses light that passes through it creating a vir-tually shadowless greenhouse. Fiberglass retains heat more efficiently than glass (but not as well as insulated plastics like multiwall polycarbonate or two layers of inflated polyethylene film) while transmit-ting less heat into the greenhouse, a bene-fit in both winter and summer. Its corrugated form allows overlapping sides to seal well but its undulating ends can make for difficult joints. Aesthetically, the corrugations tend to detract from the structure and grime can collect in valleys. Greenhouse fiberglass is UV protected by a gel coat that will eventually be baked off by the sun lasting only about 6 years be-fore turning yellow. When this happens, dirt accumulates among the glass fibers and becomes very unsightly.

18

Polycarbonate

One of the newest covering options, UV treated polycarbonate provides much of the clarity of glass and is stronger and more resistant to impact than other cover-ings. It is also more resistant to fire than other plastics. View picture of polycar-bonatePolycarbonate is available in several dif-ferent thicknesses and normally comes in single, double, and triple walled sheets with many structural walls separating its two flat sides. Single wall polycarbonate is the least expensive and is generally used for its attractive appearance, but it lacks the strength, heat retention, and light dif-fusing properties of double and triple wall polycarbonate. The multiwall structure gives it greater strength and superior in-sulating values with the air space built into the product. Multiwall polycarbonate also provides your greenhouse with an even diffused light that minimizes shadow and is optimal for growing plants. Another advantage of polycarbonate is its +15 year lifespan in most areas. Triple wall is rather expensive compared to other cover-ing options, but it will pay for itself in re-duced heating costs in cold climates that require frequent heating. The Hobby Gar-dener greenhouses are covered with a unique single wall polycarbonate. Double walled polycarbonate is used to cover the Sunshine, EasyGrow, and Juliana green-houses. Cross Country greenhouses are available with double or 5 walled polycar-bonate options.

Polyethylene Film

A favorite of commercial growers (about 90 % of all greenhouse sq. footage in the USA) because of its simplicity of mainte-nance. Use it for 3 to 5 years (life depends

on poly thickness and UV treatment used) then recover with new poly. Used in sin-gle thickness, polyethylene film is good for simple cold frames and greenhouses used for starting seeds and other seasonal needs. When two layers are used, and the space between is inflated by a fan creating insulated air space, the polyethylene film retains heat more efficiently than glass houses, saving roughly 40% in heating costs. Drawbacks to polyethylene film include a relatively short lifespan vs. other cover-ings, possibilities of rips and tears, and a translucent appearance much like fiberglass. Polyethylene's low cost, ease of replacement, high light transmission, and good heat retention have made it a favorite of nurserymen and commercial growers.There are differences in polyethylene film. Cheap, thin films sold at many hardware stores and home centers are unsuitable for greenhouse use. Those films are de-signed as vapor barriers in home con-struction and other "interior" uses. Greenhouse polyethylene films are spe-cially coated for protection from UV (ul-traviolet) rays which shorten the lifespan of unprotected film. There's a minimal cost difference and a considerable differ-ence in performance on your greenhouse. The Little Greenhouses use an advanced thermal film which cuts heating costs up to 15% at night by reflecting thermal heat released from plants back into the green-house and diffuses incoming light similar to more expensive polycarbonate coverings. The FlowerHouse greenhouses use a new woven polyethylene which is more durable. Greenhouse Frames

Most greenhouse frames are made from wood, aluminum, galvanized steel, and

19

PVC. Which material is right for you de-pends a great deal upon where and how you will be using your greenhouse.

Galvanized Steel

Most commercial greenhouses have gal-vanized steel frames because they are long-lasting, low cost, and require less framework (thus less shadowing) than any other framing material thanks to steel's natural strength. Steel's greatest value in greenhouse construction is its strength. You want as much light to enter your greenhouse as possible and steel frames can be thinner than others, creating less shadow. Its other big advantage is its low cost. Steel greenhouses are normally cov-ered with polyethylene film because most frames are not designed to accommodate rigid panels without additional hardware. Be sure that any steel tube greenhouse you purchase is made with heavy-duty galvanized or stainless tubing which is made for outdoor construction purposes to protect it from a greenhouse's normal humid and corrosive (fertilizer salts) at-mosphere.Galvanized metals will eventually wear off their protective finish and rust from high humidity levels present in a greenhouse. Steel is much heavier than aluminum and generally requires additional hardware to mount a rigid covering to it.

Aluminum

Aluminum is used primarily in conjunc-tion with glass or polycarbonate in archi-tectural sunspaces and hobby green-houses. It can be anodized in a variety of colors and has low maintenance require-ments. Because of its higher initial cost, aluminum is most often used with glass and rigid plastic coverings in structures like the EasyGrow, Juliana, and Cross

Country greenhouses. Aluminum is the longest lasting of all of the framing mate-rials mentioned because it will never rust, rot, or break down from UV rays.Aluminum does not have the strength of steel so frame members either must be larger or more numerous. Look for engi-neered shapes in aluminum that are de-signed to increase frame strength, because you want as little frame shadowing as pos-sible while not sacrificing the integrity of your greenhouse's frame.

Wood

Wood is most commonly used either for sunrooms or in homemade greenhouses. They are popular because of their attrac-tive look, the ease in which accessories can be added to them, and the low amount of heat loss they produce com-pared to similar size metal frames. Wood frame structures are most often covered with a rigid plastic or glass. Though very attractive in sunspaces, wood has a lim-ited lifetime in a greenhouse's damp at-mosphere before it starts to deteriorate. Redwood (used in the Sun-shine greenhouse frames) or cedar is rec-ommended because of their natural resis-tance to the elements and insects. Apply-ing a chemical sealant or stain to the wood periodically can also greatly increase the life of the material.Wood frames are generally larger and heavier than equivalent metal frames which increases the amount of shadow in the greenhouse. Wood hobby houses are generally small scale with a limited ability to expand once construction is complete.

Plastic

Over the last 10 to 15 years plastic hobby greenhouses have become increasingly popular. The main advantages of these

20

greenhouses is their low cost, portability, and ease of installation. Plastic is gener-ally used to construct smaller structures because it is not as rigid as metal or wood, but the introduction of options like metal wire supports (included in Little Green-houses) compensates for what plastic lacks in strength. Plastic frames have be-come increasingly popular because of the low amount of heat loss they produce compared to similar size metal frames. This is because plastic is a poor heat con-ductor like wood.The main drawback to a plastic frame is that ultraviolet rays from the sun will eventually cause the plastic to deteriorate even if it is a UV protected material. UV protected PVC materials generally have a 20 year or better life. Plastic frames are

also normally larger than equivalent metal frames which increases the amount of shadow in the greenhouse.

***

21

The Most Important

Greenhouse Sup-

ply

What you may ask is the most important accessory you need to have for your greenhouse. A heater? Proper ventilation? While these may be necessary to provide the temperatures you want to maintain in the greenhouse, you are operating in the blind if you do not have a min/max ther-mometer to show you what temperatures your plants are experiencing in the green-house when you are not there. A min/max thermometer records daily high and low temperatures in the greenhouse. This is vital information that can tell you if your heating and/or cooling equipment is sized correctly and working properly in your greenhouse. Some thermometers also re-cord highs and lows for humidity as well. This is a helpful feature for plants that re-quire specific humidity levels like orchids.

Ventilation / Cooling

Ventilation is the single most important requirement for a greenhouse. It has two important purposes: providing fresh air, mainly carbon dioxide, to plants and cool-ing for the greenhouse. Without good ven-

tilation, a greenhouse is nothing more than a solar furnace. Greenhouses are really designed to store heat from the sun during the day creating a warmer tem-perature in the greenhouse versus outside of it. This makes cooling a greenhouse on a hot day a difficult task that can not be accomplished without a good ventilation system. Cooling in the summer can be ac-complished most easily with a combina-tion of shade, proper ventilation, and an evaporative cooling system like a misting system, fogger, or evaporative cooler. Shading and evaporative cooling are dis-cussed below. Even using all of the items mentioned above you can expect a green-house to still not be much cooler if any than the outside temperature in hot hu-mid areas.

22

An exhaust fan ventilation system usually consists of a fan setup to blow hot stale air out of the greenhouse and bring fresh cooler air inside the greenhouse via intake shutters mounted on the opposite end of the structure (Shown in picture). Plants require fresh air year round which is why it is important to have equipment with op-tions like louvered fans, motorized shut-ters, and variable speed motors that will help prevent heat loss when it is cold out-side. An exhaust fan system should be able to make a complete change of air in 1 to 3 minutes (about 1 minute or less for small greenhouses, 2 to 3 minutes is ac-ceptable for large commercial size green-houses) in summer to keep temperatures in the greenhouse at a reasonable level. If you aren't sure what size fan or shutters you need, use our Fan & Shutter Size Cal-culator.

Many people use roof and/or side vents to supply fresh air to plants and cool their greenhouse. This is ideal for venting dur-ing cold months, because if used with automatic vent openers, fresh air can be supplied to plants gradually reducing any "temperature shock" to plants. HAF circu-lation fans are highly recommended for use with side and/or roof mounted vent systems. These fans move air throughout the greenhouse eliminating hot and cold spots which is useful when venting or heating your greenhouse. The increased air movement helps to expel hot air out of the window vents and provide fresh air for plants. If additional air movement and/or cooling is needed, an evaporative cooler should be installed. It will provide active ventilation like a fan system bringing in cooler air and exhausting the hotter air through existing roof vents. Evaporative coolers can also be used with exhaust shutters like in the diagram below.

Evaporative Cooler with Exhaust Shutters Evaporative Cooler with Roof Vents

Unless you plan on staying in your green-house 24 hours a day 7 days a week, you should consider automating your ventila-tion system. Forgetting to vent your greenhouse one hot day could fry every plant in it. Thermostatic controls and so-lar powered autovents will also maintain a more consistent temperature in your greenhouse which promotes healthier plant growth. In hot climates shading and misting equipment may be necessary to hold the greenhouse's temperature in check. Winter ventilation needs are lower.

Heating

The heating requirements of a greenhouse

23

depend on the desired temperature for the plants grown, the location and construc-tion of the greenhouse, and the total out-side exposed area of the structure. Much of the daily heat requirement may come from the sun, but if you want your green-house to be more than a few degrees above the outside temperature at night, you will need to provide it with a heat source. The heating system must be ade-quate to maintain the desired day or night temperature. Heating systems can be fu-eled by electricity, gas, oil, or wood. The choice of a heating system and fuel de-pends on what is locally available, the production requirements of the plants, cost, and individual choice. Heating re-quirements for your greenhouse can be determined with our Heater BTU Calcula-tor.If you're using your greenhouse to start seedlings and root cuttings in the spring, supplemental heating probably will not be necessary. In mild climates, 12' x 12' and smaller model hobby greenhouses can be adequately heated with electric heaters (make sure electric heaters are not ex-posed to water to avoid a dangerous shock). An electric heater is clean, effi-cient, and easy to install and maintain. Small gas heaters will also work well in hobby greenhouses. With larger size greenhouses and cold climates where temperatures regularly fall below freezing, larger gas greenhouse heaters are most commonly used because it is cheaper to heat with gas than electric in most areas. A highly recommended item for use with any greenhouse heating system is a heat circulation fan. They gently move the hot-ter air in the peak of the greenhouse to plant level helping to maintain an even temperature in the greenhouse and in-creasing the efficiency of your heating sys-tem. For safety purposes, and to prevent harmful gases from contacting plants, all

gas, oil, and wood burning systems must be properly vented to the outside. Use fresh-air vents to supply oxygen for burn-ers for complete combustion. If you use an unvented gas heater in your greenhouse, it is recommended that natural "indicator" plants like tomatoes, impatiens, and salvia be placed near the heater. These plants are very sensitive to gases produced from combustion in gas heaters and will have malformed leaves and stems and/or pre-maturely lose flowers before other plants if the gases are not being vented properly. Also, look for safety features like auto-matic overheat controls when purchasing a heater. Portable kerosene heaters used in homes are risky because some plants are sensitive to gases formed when the fuel is burned.

Misting and Watering

Misting and fog systems have a variety of uses in a greenhouse. It is important to determine what you want to accomplish with a misting system before purchasing one. Humidity: It is important to maintain a healthy humidity level (50% to 70%) in a greenhouse. This is healthy for the plants and higher humidity levels also helps re-duce the watering frequency of plants in the greenhouse. When the greenhouse is vented, essential moisture is lost, and plants are more likely to dry out and wilt. Fog and Misting systems with fine nozzles are very effective at providing additional humidity because their smaller water par-ticles evaporate more quickly. Evaporative Cooling: Misting systems are a great low cost solution to help cool greenhouses with a fine mist that lowers air tempera-tures when it evaporates. Smaller nozzles work best for cooling also. The down side to misting is not all of the mist will evapo-rate, and water will collect on plants (This is a desired effect if you want to mist in

24

plants and provide cooling). An evapora-tive cooler is the most effective cooling solution offered other than installing an air conditioning system. It is a closed sys-tem that keeps water inside the cooler and only exhausts the cooled air into the greenhouse. Watering: Cuttings and seed-lings are commonly watered with small overhead sprinkler or misting systems or mist nozzles for hoses because watering with a regular wand or watering can may disturb the surrounding soil causing plants to take longer to root. If a misting system is used, larger misting nozzles like our 3 gph poly mist nozzles are needed for cuttings and seedlings to make sure the soil is properly saturated. Overhead sprinkler systems are useful for watering most types of established plants in a greenhouse as well. Drip systems are an effective way to water larger plants with-out wetting the foliage. Another advantage to drip systems is that they use very little water when compared to overhead water-ing systems.

Shading

Shade Covers are the way professional growers keep their greenhouses cool dur-ing those long hot summers. They block a percentage of the sun's rays from entering the greenhouse which can reduce tem-peratures over 20% alone. Shade covers are relatively inexpensive and also provide shade for plants that don't grow well in full sun. The amount of shading necessary varies depending on greenhouse location, your local climate, and the light require-ments of the plants in the greenhouse. Most greenhouse shade cloths fall in the 45% to 70% shade range. When buying a shade cover remember, more is not always better. Excessive shading can slow plant growth and cause plants to stretch.

Flooring

The floor of your greenhouse is both func-tional and aesthetic. It forms the surface you walk on and helps complete the image of the greenhouse. The walkway and the area under the benches are usually two different materials. The walkway should form a firm nonskid surface for walking, be easy to clean, and be durable enough to withstand constant moisture and dirt. Common materials used for a walkway include concrete, brick, stone, gravel, wood slats, and ground bark. The area under the benches is usually covered by a porous material that can be dampened to help provide humidity and should allow easy drainage of water. For under bench areas, consider gravel, sawdust, ground bark, or any other porous material. You will want to lay a sheet of woven weed barrier under the floor covering to prevent weed growth, because weeds harbor many pests and diseases.

Benches

You will want benches in your green-house. They make a world of difference in the ease of gardening and add a lot of ex-tra working space to your greenhouse. Benches also provide the area under them with plenty of shade which is an ideal en-vironment for many plants. Greenhouse bench tops should have an open design which allows water to drain and fresh air to flow through them.

Lighting

If your growing area or the season does not provide your plants with enough light, you may need to provide artificial lighting.

***

25

Executive Director

Report

Linda Wilson

Report from the Executive DirectorGeorgia Christmas Tree Association

May 15, 2011

Seems like we just put away everything from Christmas and here it is spring. It can’t be time to trim trees again already, can it??? A small comfort to me is that I know there are a lot of you out there tun-ing up the trimmers, sharpening the knives and heading out to the fields along with me.

The fall meeting is planned for Saturday, September 24. It is being hosted by J.H. White and Mike Brumby at their farm in Tifton. For those of you that have never been to their farm you are in for a treat. J.H. is a genius with machines. He has de-signed sprayer adaptations for weed con-trol that my husband came home and cop-ied. It made that job a lot easier. They have established many systems that make their farm seem to run effortlessly. You will be receiving information for registra-tion next month. Make sure you mark this date. Last year, Earl and Esther raised the bar for hosting meetings. I think J.H. and Mike are up for it.

The fall meeting will focus on many issues surrounding Christmas tree growing, such as: a three-tiered approach to shaping, the latest in tip moth control, the war against Leyland Cypress blight, a grafting update, and a lucrative solution to too many large trees. And a little talk about “timing may not be everything, but it sure helps.”

I am not able to attend the spring confer-ence this month because of Grandma duty, but I will miss seeing many of you. There are a lot of things on the agenda that would be helpful to us here on our farm. We are fortunate they are hosting such an event in our state. If it’s not too late, try to get there.

Don’t forget to check your personal in-formation on the website to see if you have paid your dues for 2011. It’s easy to forget, that’s why I bring it up so often. I will send the list of members paid for 2011 to the National Association, June 1. If you aren’t current, you won’t get a listing with farm information on their website. We pay a fee per member so it’s important that we only include active members.

I wish you all happy trimming, spraying and mowing. I look forward to seeing you all in September.

Respectfully,Linda WilsonExecutive OfficerGeorgia Christmas Tree Association

***

26

Expense Report

Cash Flow - YTD

1/1/2011 through 5/17/2011 INFLOWS Dues 2,439.00 Sales Ads 2,670.50 TOTAL INFLOWS 5,109.50 OUTFLOWS Ad Sales Commission 237.70 Bookkeeping 800.00 Corporation Registration State 50.00 Efile Tax 7.98 Gifts 67.98 Grant Expense 476.92 Phones 30.00 Postage 90.07 Reimburse For National Director Expenses 600.00 Supplies 1,874.94 Tree Talk Editor 90.00 Tree Talk Expenses 1,065.21 TOTAL OUTFLOWS 5,390.80

The total amount of money in checking includes approximately $7000 from the grant. Also, supplies are high this quarter because Coy was able to pur-chase ink for our printers at a great discount so we bought a little ahead.

***

27

Association 2011 Meeting

The Association meeting for 2011 is scheduled for September 24, 2011 at Tifton. Loca-tion of morning session not set, likely at college. Afternoon farm tour will be at Mike Brumby and J.H. White’s farm just north of Tifton off I-75 at Chula-Brookfield exit, go-ing east about 3 miles. Mike sent me some topics that they are working on. They always have something of interest to show.

1. A lucrative solution to too many big trees.2. A 3-tiered approach to shaping.3. The latest in Tip Moth control.4. The war against leyland cypress blight.5. Grafting update.6. Timing may not be everything, but it sure helps.

Linda will have a mail out to membership later either by email or regular mail and de-tails surely will be available for September issue of Tree Talk. Also info will be available on the Association web site www.gacta.com Follow link to Meeting info in box down left side of page.

***

28

25 Years Ago-June 1986 Newsletter

A copy of all 6 pages with more info at end of newsletter.

29

30

31

32

33

34

About the history newsletters. I have wanted to get the history on a computer disk for several years. I started this project about 5 years ago using a scanner we had at the time and got most of the newsletters and some other documents copied. Since I no longer have the daily duties to keep up with all the paperwork I have tried to get some more stuff copied. I think I now have all Newsletters that are to be found on a computer disk. I can copy this and have them available to anyone that wants a copy of all newslet-ters. They are sorted by date but not indexed as to content. In 1996 one issue has an in-dex of articles in the previous 10 years. It takes some time for the disk to copy and I don’t want to burn a bunch of extras but if you give me an email or call me I can get one made for anyone that wants a copy of their own by the September meeting and deliver them there for $1.00 each. Postage & packaging to mail would run the cost up to $3.00 each. These disks are in PDF format readable by any PC or Apple Computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader. The reader program is free for download. Newer operating systems have a reader program built in. Coy Dillahunty, gacta~bellsouth.net or phone 770-884-0022.

The print above looks like mimeograph from typewriter and the original used green ink. I had to straighten the copy and convert to black to get it good enough to reprint. The disk versions would be still in green and not straight on the page. They can be read on computer especially if you increase type size.

***

35

Association Membership ApplicationThis application for membership can be filled out on Association web site and submitted or if you do not have access to internet, mail this form to address at top of form.

36

37

Georgia Christmas Tree Association120 Cordele HwyHawkinsville GA 31036

38