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Contents: Page • Plant of the Month: Quaking Aspen Tree 1-3 • Water-Wise Plant of the Month: 4 & 6 --Blue Chalk Plants • Five Tips For Growing Succulents 5-6 • Raising Shasta Daisies 7-8 • Care & Maintenance of Shastas 8 • Wildlife Friendly Vegetable Gardener (Book) 8 • August Honey-Do List 9-10 • August MG Birthdays 11 • Thanks for the Goodies 11 • Timeline for September 2014 Magazine Info 11 • MG Contact Information: Keep Current 11 • Reminder: Monthly MG Meeting 11 • Got Ideas? (For MG Magazine) 11 • Save the Date Contacts 11 • West Nile Virus: Info For New Mexico 12-13 • Did You Know? All About Ducks 13 • Sustainability & Golf 14-17 • Our Lord’s Candle Yucca 17 • Rangeland Grasses: … Hall’s Panicgrass 18 • … Vine Mesquite 18 • Invasive/Noxious Weeds: Alfombrilla 19 Vegetable & Fruit Articles • Okra Lovers Unite! 20 • Dry Your Own Herbs 21 • Using Dried Herbs To Make Flavored Oils 21 • Growing Heirloom Squash 22 • Easy Ways To Keep Melons Pest-Free 23 • MG Monthly Meeting Minutes 24-25 • MG Hotline Duty Information 25 !

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Doña Ana County Master Gardener Monthly Magazine • Doña Ana County • U.S. Department of Agriculture • NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences!

Doña Ana County Cooperative Extension Office 530 North Church Street, Las Cruces, NM 88001 Phone: (575) 525-6649 Fax: (575) 525-6652 MG Program Administrator: Jeff Anderson Editor: Ann Shine-Ring, Certified Master Gardener !Magazines can be downloaded at the NMSU website: http://aces.nmsu.edu/damg

!AUGUST 2014 ! Vol. 15, Issue 8 Plant-of-the-Month

Master Gardener Hotline Contact Data (July 1 to July 31, 2014)

# Total Contacts 31 Geographic Area Subject of Inquiry # Telephone Calls 31 Las Cruces 26 Animals/Wildlife 1 Lawns 2 # Emails 0 Doña Ana 2 Disease 1 Shrubs 5 # Issues Addressed 56 Fairacres 1 Fertilizer 1 Soil 7 Ethnicity of Contacts Mesilla 2 Flowers 0 Trees 11 Asian Male 0 Herbicides 0 Veggies 1 Hispanic Females 4 Insecticides 0 Weeds 1 Hispanic Males 8 Insects 17 Misc. 2 Non-Hispanic Females 12 Irrigation 7 Arsenic Non-Hispanic Males 7

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Aspen is common on all aspects in the western mountains of the U.S. and grows well wherever soil moisture is not limited. However, the best stands in the Southwest are more frequently found on the northerly slopes where more favorable moisture conditions prevail.

Aspen is a small to medium-sized tree that won't overwhelm smaller yards so typical of today's urban subdivisions. However, while it grows fast and provides your landscape with an early-finished look, Aspen is affected by numerous insects, diseases and cultural problems.

Aspen’s best features are that it has attractive bark, its leaves tremble in the slightest breeze and it can develop good fall foliage color. Aspens are often located on burned areas and serve as a nurse crop to conifers that eventually replace them. These trees spread readily from suckers and root sprouts; and, in fact, a grove of Aspens in Utah is the largest known living organism on Earth, covering thousands of acres.

Quaking Aspens are often confused with birch trees. Although Aspen are somewhat similar in appearance to some species of birch, birch trees belong to an entirely different family of trees. Birch plants are famous for having bark that peels back like paper—Aspen bark does not peel! While Aspen leaves are perfectly flat, birch leaves are slightly "V" shaped and more elongated than Quaking Aspen leaves.

Article Continues on Page 2

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QUAKING ASPEN (Populus tremuloides)

Quaking Aspen is the most widely distributed native tree in North America. Its name refers to the leaves, which tremble in the slightest breeze. Often, the Aspen can be confused with the birch tree that has a similar looking bark.

Aspen is common in the higher mountains of the western two-thirds of New Mexico. It is a member of the Salicaceae or Willow family.

Doña Ana County Master Gardener Monthly Magazine—August 2014

Quaking Aspen—Continued from Front Page

Aspen Leaves Aspen Drooping Catkins INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT ASPENS: • All of the Aspens typically grow in large clonal colonies,

derived from a single seedling that spreads by means of root suckers. New stems in the colony may appear at up to 98–131 feet from the parent tree. Each individual tree can live for 40–150 years above ground, but the root system of the colony is long-lived. In some cases, this is for thousands of years, sending up new trunks as the older trunks die off above ground. One such colony in Utah, given the nickname of "Pando", is estimated to be 80,000 years old, making it possibly the oldest living colony of Aspens. Some Aspen colonies become very large over time, spreading about 3.3 feet per year, eventually covering many acres. These plants are able to survive forest fires, because the roots are below the heat of the fire, with new sprouts growing after the fire burns out.

• The white bark of the Aspen is one identifying characteristic of this tree, but the bark is special for more reasons than just its unique appearance. The bark layer of Quaking Aspens carries out photosynthesis, a task usually reserved for tree leaves. In winter, when other deciduous trees are mostly dormant, Quaking Aspens are able to keep producing sugar for energy.

• Quaking Aspen grows on many soil types, especially sandy and gravelly slopes, and it is quick to generate in disturbed sites where there is bare soil. This fast-growing tree is short-lived and pure stands are gradually replaced by slower-growing species.

• Aspen stands are preferred cover for deer and elk and contribute feed to these animals and also to squirrels, rabbits, beaver, and other mammals. Deer, moose, and elk seek shade from Aspen groves in summer. These same animals consume bark, leaves, buds, and twigs of Quaking Aspen throughout the year. Ruffed grouse is especially dependent on this plant for food and nesting habitat. Aspen is also the tree of choice for the European beaver.

• Quaking Aspen wood is white and soft, but fairly strong, and has low flammability, which makes it safer to use than most other woods. It’s used to make paper, particle board, furniture, and hamster bedding. Because of its low flammability, it is also used for making matches and paper. Shredded Aspen wood is used for packing and stuffing, sometimes called excelsior (wood wool).


Quaking Aspen Tree FACTS

Family: Salicaceae (Willow Family) Botanical Name: Populus tremuloides Other Names: Trembling aspen, Golden aspen, Mountain aspen, Popple,

Poplar, Trembling poplar Description: A small to medium-sized tree with attractive white bark; its leaves tremble in the slightest breeze; tree has good fall foliage color. Elevation: Grows in Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico, 6,500 to

10,000 feet Hardiness: Zones 3-8 but only where summers are not too hot, and

usually requires sharply cold winters to grow best. Habitat & Range: Most widely distributed tree species in North America. It grows in Alaska and Canada and south to Mexico. It withstands such a wide range in climatic conditions by growing at lower altitudes in the north and higher altitudes in the south. Conspicuously absent from the U.S. Southeast, because there are no high elevation mountains to act as habitat. Height & Width: 40 feet to 70 feet, but rarely taller than 50 feet, and seldom

more than 20 inches in diameter. Space at 20-30 ft. wide. Growth Rate: A fast-growing, tough tree, requiring little maintenance. Fruit: 1/4-inch long; narrowly conical, light green capsules in drooping catkins (capsules). In midsummer, capsules burst open and release extremely light, cottony seeds that are easily wind-borne. However, seeds are rarely produced in the West, where propagation is primarily by root sprouts. Seeds: Good seed crops produced every 4-5 years, with light crops in most intervening years. Some open-grown clones may produce seeds annually, beginning at age 2 or 3. The minimum age for large seed crops is 10 to 20; the optimum is 50 to 70. Seeds are very light, 5,500 to 8,000 clean seeds per gram (156,000 to 250,000/oz). Leaves: Broad, nearly round, leaves (1’-3’) with pointed apex, and finely serrated edges, which are attached to the limbs with a flattened petiole or stem. Leaves shiny green above, dull green beneath, and turn golden yellow in fall. Bark: Almost white, smooth, and thin (See photo above.) Wood: Aspen wood is white and soft, but fairly strong, and has low flammability. It is also a popular animal bedding, since it lacks the phenols associated with pine and juniper, which are thought to cause respiratory system ailments in some animals. Heat-treated Aspen is a popular material for the interiors of a sauna. Used as thin roofing slats in Russia. Roots: Seedlings initially have a short taproot, but a heart root system develops on deep, well-drained soils. If rooting depth is restricted, a flat root system develops regardless of regeneration origin Sun Exposure: Full sun; seedlings growth impeded by shade. Soil Needs: Grows in many soil types, esp. sandy and gravelly slopes. Watering Needs: Once established, can grow well in semi-arid conditions. Propagation: Aspen reproduce not only by seed but also by extensive suckering. An Aspen grove starts as suckers shoot off the roots of a mother tree, which arrived at the site by seed. This suckering habit can be a nuisance in the urban landscape, coming up in lawns and gardens. Pests/Disease: Aspen is susceptible to a large number of diseases. Wildlife: Provides food and shelter to a wide variety of animals.


Quaking Aspen—Continued from Page 2 Interesting Features of Quaking Aspen (Continued From Page 2): • Aspen wood is also a popular animal bedding, since it lacks the

phenols associated with pine and juniper, which are thought to cause respiratory system ailments in some animals. Heat-treated Aspen makes particularly good sauna benches and playground structures because the wood surface does not splinter.

• While standing trees sometimes tend to rot from the heart outward, the dry timber of Aspens weathers very well, becoming silvery-grey and resistant to rotting and warping, and has traditionally been used for rural construction in the northwestern regions of Russia (especially for roofing, in the form of thin slats).

• “Quaking Aspen are virtually impossible to kill. Individual stems can be destroyed by humans, wildlife, and disease, but the below ground root system is resistant to almost all of these factors. Pocket gophers, which feed on roots, seem to be one of the few creatures able to curtail the growth of Aspen groves.”

The other major inhibitor of Aspen growth is fire suppression. Quaking Aspens require intense sunlight to grow, but when other trees spring up in the forest, aspen stems are shaded out. Fire reduces canopy cover and allows for the continued growth of quaking aspens. While the root system will survive with little care, proper management of the stems aboveground is important, since both people and wildlife make use of the trees”. (Source: Quaking Aspen, by D.A. Perala on USDA Plant Database)

• Aspen reproduce not only by seed but also by extensive suckering. An Aspen grove starts as suckers shoot off the roots of a mother tree, which arrived at the site by seed. This suckering habit can be a nuisance in the urban landscape, coming up in lawns and gardens.

• Aspens are short-lived trees, as expected from their role in forest ecology. In the urban landscape, even properly cared-for Aspen may not reach 20 years.

• Life spans can be shortened further by one or more of several insects or diseases that attack Aspen. Fungal diseases, such as Cytospora or other cankers, which attack the trunk, are common, as are diseases of the foliage such as rusts, or leaf spots. Of the many insects that attack urban plantings of Aspen, oystershell scale, aphids and Aspen twiggall fly are most prevalent. (For in-depth information about Aspen disease and pests, refer to Quaking Aspen, by D.A. Perala on USDA Plant Database.)

• Despite the abundance of Aspen seed and its high germinative capacity, few Aspen seedlings survive in nature because of the short period of seed viability, unfavorable moisture during seed dispersal, high soil surface temperatures, fungi, adverse diurnal temperature fluctuations during initial seedling growth, and the unfavorable chemical balance of some seedbeds.

• Aspen plants produce tissue that emits chemicals toxic to most insect pests, but beetle borers and caterpillars still occasionally attack Quaking Aspens. (For more information on how to deal with these pests, please refer to “Insects on Quaking Aspens by Cat Carson on SF Gate.)

• Aspen forests allow more water or ground water recharge and ‘streamflow’ than do conifer forests. This is primarily due to lower seasonal water losses to interception and transpiration by Aspen compared to conifers. Clearcutting the Aspen type may increase streamflow by as much as 60 percent during the first year. Subsequently, water yields gradually decline to preharvest levels and stabilize when maximum leaf area is attained at about age 10 to 25.

SUMMARY: With silvery spring catkins, brilliant fall foliage and striking bark that stands out in winter, the Quaking Aspen can add year-round color and interest to home landscapes. However, most horticulturists do not recommend planting Quaking Aspen in your urban yard because Aspens are short-lived trees, and even properly cared-for Aspen may not reach 20 years. Aspens’ life spans can be shortened further by one or more of several insects or diseases that attack this plant.

Within the larger context, Aspens play a very important conservation role with its dense forest colonies that provide shelter and food for many animals and for its role in fire suppression.!

QUAKING ASPEN TREE

−Article References− Aspen Can Be A Troublesome Tree by Robert Cox, Horticulture

Agent, ‘Colorado State University Cooperative Extension’, at link: http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Trees/aspencan.htm

Aspen on ‘Wikipedia’ at link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspen Aspen, Quaking on ‘ArborDay.org’ at link:

http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?ID=122 Insects on Quaking Aspens by Cat Carson on ‘SF Gate Home

Guides’ at link: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/insects-quaking-aspens-76990.html

Quaking Aspen by D.A. Perala on ‘USDA Plant Database’ at link: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/populus/tremuloides.htm

Quaking Aspen on ‘National Park Service’ at link: http://www.nps.gov/brca/naturescience/quakingaspen.htm

Quaking Aspen on ‘National Wildlife Federation’ at link: http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/plants/quaking-aspen.aspx

Quaking Aspen Tree on ‘Tree New Mexico’ at link: http://www.treenm.com/nm-tree-species/quaking-aspen/


WATER-WISE PLANT OF THE MONTH!

PLANT FACTS Family: Asteraceae (Daisy Family) Species: !Blue Chalk Sticks (Senecio mandrailiscae or talinoides) (relatively short, compact and extremely pale blue tubular leaves).

!Blue Chalk Fingers (Senecio serpens) (Easy-care plant with fleshy, chalky blue-green finger-

shaped leaves.) Origin: South Africa Type: Ground cover cacti and succulents Habit: Multiple-stemmed fleshy tubular leaves Size: At maturity, Sticks can reach height of 12-18 inches with

a spread of 2-3 feet; Fingers is tinier and smaller. Color: Silver gray to pale steel blue Sun: Likes heat and full sun; needs 8 hours of sun daily; too

little light results causes weak, elongated leaves and stems of green rather than blue-gray. In hot desert areas with low humidity provide afternoon shade.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 8 to 11. In cooler climates, grow plant indoors. Does not tolerate extended temps over 100°F. In hot, dry conditions, plant’s leaf tips will turn purplish.

Bloom: Blooms repeatedly Soil: 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline); also can handle a neutral

range of pH (6.0 to 7.0) Water: Make sure soil is on sandy side and well-draining; plant

will rot if left damp so do not leave soil wet for prolonged periods. Established plants are extremely drought-tolerant.

Pruning: In very early spring, plant can be pruned back to where its stem is firm. You can root the cuttings.

Fertilizer: Fertilize once every two to four weeks during spring and summer—never in winter, using a fertilizer formulated for cacti and succulents. Alternatively, use a fertilizer formulated for tomatoes. Apply fertilizer at a rate of only one-quarter to one-half that recommended on the container. Too much fertilizer causes leggy, floppy growth.

Propagation: Can be grown from seed or cuttings. Seeds prefer warm temps around 55°F and constant moisture to germinate.

Uses: Edging, border, ground cover, mass or drifts, dry perennial, rock gardens, and dry streambed gardens.

Containers: Plants growing in movable patio containers or houseplant pots should be moved outdoors in late spring when no danger of frost exists. Bring them back indoors well before fall frost threatens. Prune stems as needed to rejuvenate, and repot plants in spring, retaining old plants or starting new stem cuttings in the warm, damp, sandy potting soil mixture. Care: Divide the plant in spring if it looks too crowded or

unproductive (usually every 2-3 years). Pests: Few pests both this plant; occasionally it can be affected

by scale and mealy bugs; rabbits are partial to these plants as well.

Companion Surround with a tall desert spoon, African bulbine and Plants: the pink-flowing African daisy. Can be used to cascade

over the side of a pot of pink, lavender and teal-leaved ‘Hens & Chick” plant. Also great in containers with mixed-succulent bowls (See photo on Page 6).

Reference Sources listed on Page 6

BLUE CHALK PLANTS

Description: An attractive, easy-care succulent with fleshy, chalky blue-green finger-

shaped leaves. (Editor’s Note: There seems to be some confusion in the literature about what species this plant is. I saw it referred to as Senecio serpens, and Senecio mandrailiscae and both referred to the Blue Chalk plant. An explanation might be that Serpens is a tinier, more tidy plant of this family, while Mandrailiscae, also referred to Senecio talinoides grows much larger and is faster growing.)

The Blue Chalk Plant is a member of the daisy family, Asteraceae. This plant looks like a scrawny, thornless cactus with multiple stems, some-times called "blue fingers." Native to South Africa, it has finger-like or stick-like succulent leaves with a gray to pale steel blue color. In summer, the Sticks plant produces tiny yellow-tufted flowers that look like miniature dandelions (see photo below). These flowers distinguish it from the closely resembling but white-flowering Senecio serpens, called Blue Chalk Fingers.

Important: This plant is poisonous if ingested.

Senecio serpens (w/white-tufted flowers)

Senecio mandrailiscae or talinoides (w/yellow-tufted flowers)

Water-Wise Plant of the Month


Five Tips for Growing Succulents Source: Cassidy Tuttle on ‘Succulents & Sunshine’, June 2012

Proper succulent care can be easy, as long as you know a few basics. I wanted to share five basic tips that have helped me grow happier healthier succulents. They are very basic but I’ll share my experience with each. #1 WATER LESS: I know, I know this is the thing that gets said over and over with succulents too much water is not good for succulents. It’s true! It is a crucial part of succulent care. I have almost lost a couple plants due to over watering so really this can’t be stressed enough! A couple things I have learned along the way that may help with watering… the thicker the leaves on a succulent the less water it needs. So my beautiful Pachyveria Moon Glow (shown below) is going to need a lot less water than the Aeonium Zwartkop. I actually really like the Aeonium Zwartkop because it tells me when it needs to be watered by having droopy leaves. Add a little water and it perks up within a couple hours! The way I go about watering my plants is by giving them a good soak once a week. I’ve found this works better than a light misting because all of the roots get the water and then it has plenty of time to dry out. Now that these plants are getting colder I just water every other week and work my way to once a month.

Pachyveria Moon Glow Aeonium Zwartkop #2 WELL-DRAINING SOIL: So, I just told you succulents need infrequent watering and the soil needs to dry out between watering. In order to do that you’ll need a well-draining soil. There are a lot of suggestions as to what you should use for soil and in what proportions. The basic idea is that you need to mix in something light and porous into regular soil to increase the drainage. I’ve been adding pearlite to soil at about a 1:1 ratio. One of the best soil mixes I have though is from a can of succulents I got from a gardening class taught by Cynthia Bee. She uses vermiculite and coconut coir in her mix and it has been really great as far as drainage. I’m looking to switch over to all coconut coir. Basically though, just make sure your succulent is in a well draining soil so the roots can completely dry out between waterings.

The above plant is an example of a succulent that is

stretching for light. See how spaced out the leaves are? #3 LOTS OF SUNLIGHT: Succulents need a lot of sunlight to grow happy and healthy. Something I learned though is they don’t like direct sunlight in the heat of the summer when they are outside. They are very prone to sunburn. Rather, if they are outside put them somewhere they will receive some shade and stay relatively cool. Morning light is good with a bright shade in the afternoon. If your plants are inside, put them somewhere they’ll receive bright light for most of the day. They are less likely to get sunburned inside, but it can still happen. Usually a south-facing windowsill will provide enough light but if you notice signs of sunburn (brown/black spots on the leaves) move it somewhere that the light is not quite as direct.

A sign that your succulent isn’t getting enough light is “stretching”. If your plant starts to get really tall with a lot of space between leaves it is stretching out trying to find more light. If you notice this, try to move your plant where it will get more light throughout the day (See photo above).

#4 PROPAGATE: One of my favorite things about succulents is how easily they propagate. It is so easy to increase your succulent garden by merely taking off leaves (See photo below) from your plants and putting them out on a damp soil to grow. Propagating is so easy and so much fun to see the tiny new plants growing. Plus, if your supply of succulents is constantly growing it is fun to start giving them to other people!

Succulent leaves



Blue Chalk Plant —Continued From Page 3

BLUE CHALK PLANT

−Article References− Blue Chalk Plant Care & Maintenance by James

Burghardt on ‘GardenGuides.com’ at link: http://www.gardenguides.com/112761-senecio-blue-chalk-plant-care-maintenance.html

Blue Chalk Sticks in ‘Water-Wise Plants For the Southwest’ by Nan Sterman, Mary Irish, Judith Phillips and Joe Lampl’l, Cool Springs Press, 2010.

Growing & Caring for Succulent Senecio Plants on ‘About.com’ at link:

How To Care For Blue Chalk Stick Succulents on ‘SF Gate Guides’ at link: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-blue-chalk-stick-succulent-68475.html

Introduction To Succulent Senecio by Geoff Stein on ‘DavesGarden.com’ at link: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/printstory.php?rid=2696

PlantFiles: Blue Chalk Sticks Kleinia mandrailiscae on ‘DavesGarden.com’ at link: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57976/#b

Ten Outstanding Succulents by Maureen Gilmer on ‘Fine Gardening.com’ at link: http://www.finegardening.com/10-outstanding-succulents

Succulent Cuttings

#5 EXPERIMENT: I have been participating a little bit in this succulent and cactus forum. There is a lot of great information on there and people are so willing to help out when they can. From all of the things I’ve read on there though I’ve decided that the health of your succulents boils down to experimenting with watering, soil and sunlight. Every area is so different and the plants respond in various ways to their environment. Often you’ll see completely contradictory statements in regard to care of succulents but ultimately their environment determines whether or not something will be good for the plants.

I would love to hear from any of you with your successes or failures in growing succulents as well as questions you might have about them. I am not an expert by any means but I am passionate about them and am always excited to learn more. If you have any tips for growing succulents feel free to share them here as well!!

Ms. Tuttle has written an E-Book entitled, “Propagating Succulents” which

can be ordered online at link: https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?c=cart&i=1333047&cl=251169&ejc=2

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‘Becky’ Shasta Daisy

Author: Deborah Gruca, in Garden Gate Magazine, June 2009 RAISING DAISIES

Light Up Your Garden With Shasta Daisies’ Summer–Long Blooms…

Shasta daisies have long been sunny garden favorites, both in beds and, with their long, stiff stems, as cut flowers. They’re a cinch to grow, they bloom for a long time and they attract butterflies, but not deer.

You may be familiar with ‘Becky’ (shown above) a heavy bloomer with an upright habit. Growing Shastas in a drift is a terrific way to show off the uniform habit and those gorgeous 3½-inch flowers on their sturdy 3-inch stems. ‘Becky’ starts to flower in July and keeps it up straight through to September. And it’s true that ‘Becky’ is great, but let’s take a look at a few of the many other cultivars that you’ll find at nurseries and garden centers now. --Impressive Petals: Plenty of the new cultivars sport larger flowers, with more eye-catching petals than the older Shastas. Check out the aptly names ‘Fluffy’, with its full double flowers sprouting threadlike petals. My favorite double is “Fiona Coghill’, with its audacious pompon flowers. The stout stems are strong enough to hold those heavy 3 ½ -inch blooms, even when they’re wet after watering or rain.

‘Fluffy’ Shasta Daisy ‘Crazy Daisy’ Shasta Daisy

If you go for a little more traditional daisy-shaped flowers, try ‘Sunny Side Up’. It has a yellow center that’s larger than those on the other cultivars and the petals, described as “crested” are shorter and more rounded. ‘Crazy Daisy’ is a 30-inch tall Shasta that adds a playful attitude to the garden and the haphazard arrangement of petals is as endearing as its name. (See photos at top of Column 2) --A Size For Everyone: You will find that Shasta cultivars range in height from 10 to 40 inches and flower size from 2 to almost 5 inches across. Both ‘Fluffy’ and ‘Fiona Coghill’ grow to around 27 inches tall, shorter than some but bigger that the 16-inch ‘Tinkerbelle’, with its petite 2-inch blooms. At the other end of the scale, ‘Amelia’ reaches a good 40 inches tall with 5-inch flowers.

‘Sunny Side Up’ Shasta Daisy

‘Crazy Shasta Daisy

--White Is Alright: For the most part, white is the color of Shasta daisies, though there are a few that claim yellow petals. ‘Sunshine’ (“Sonnenschein’) is really a pale yellow, while ‘Cobham Gold’ is closer to a soft butter-cream.

‘Sunshine’ Shasta Daisy

‘Cogham’ Gold Daisy



Raising Shasta Daisies—Continued From Page 7

Ox-Eye Daisy (Invasive & Noxious Weed)

By now, you probably want lots of Shastas. Just don’t accidentally pick up the weedy lookalike shown above. The Ox-Eye Daisy is a wild Shasta relative with smaller flowers that bloom earlier on thinner, more arching stems. It’s considered a weed because it spreads so quickly and can be hard to get rid of. Ox-Eyes produce tons of seed that remain viable for years, even after being eaten and digested by animals. And if you dig out the plants, they readily resprout from even small parts of the rhizomes left in the soil.

See our MG Magazine for March 2013, Page 16 for the article on the Ox-Eye Daisy. Many people consider it to be a pretty wildflower, but wildflower does not mean native. In fact, it is an invasive noxious weed that is classified as a Class A Noxious Weed in New Mexico. Currently this plant has a limited distribution in our state, but there is a need to prevent any new infestations or to eradicating existing infestations. It is noxious and highly invasive.!

Care & Maintenance of Shastas

When you grow Shastas in well-drained soil in full sun to part shade, these

plants don’t need a lot of care. A single feeding with an all-purpose fertilizer in spring and regular deadheading are about it. Most Shastas don’t require staking, but occasionally taller cultivars get knocked down by heavy rains and strong wind.

Shastas take a couple of years to reach their full size and some folks find that they’re short-lived (3 to 4 years). But if you amend the soil with plenty of well-rotted manure and compost before you plant, this doesn’t have to be the case. Remove faded blooms by cutting the stems just above a pair of leaves with sharp scissors. Doing this also make the plants look better and the bloom period lasts considerably longer, so it’s worth the effort.

Flowering is finished by late summer, and you can cut the plant back for a tidier look. Remove the brown stems just above the mound of green foliage. You may get a very light rebloom. If, after several years, blooming starts to decline, divide the plants in early spring or early fall to revive them.

Good drainage is as crucial while the plants are dormant as when they’re actively growing. Wet soil during the winter can kill them. That’s one reason you shouldn’t mulch Shastas heavily in winter, not even in northern zones—a light covering of pine needles or chopped leaves is enough. And be sure to remove the mulch and any other debris as the plants emerge in the spring.!

Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener

How to Grow Food in Harmony with Nature Author: Tammi Hartung, December 31, 2013

Storey Publishing, LLC (Paperback)

Anyone who has ever planted and maintained a backyard

vegetable garden understands the struggles of keeping pests at bay, whether they’re tiny and creep on six legs or furry and walk on all fours. The good news, which internationally renowned herbalist and organic gardener Hartung shares in this easy-to-follow guidebook, is that an abundance of time-tested, nontoxic techniques can easily protect your garden without causing undue harm to wildlife.

In eight colorfully illustrated chapters, Hartung offers a range of invaluable strategies for designing gardens that keep the critters out without hurting them, such as borders of parsley that rabbits will munch on instead of lettuce, and built-in, bird-friendly habitats that encourage our winged friends to feed on bothersome bugs.

Beginning with proper soil preparation, the author also covers such basics as crop rotation, water sources, whether or not to use organic pesticides, and growing “backbone” plants like hedgerows where beneficial creatures can nest

Novice and expert vegetable growers alike will find Hartung’s well-presented advice both revelatory and warmly reassuring.--Carl Hays

(Description Source: Amazon.com)


Honey-Do List for August 2014

GENERAL: Continue life support. Be prepared to harvest rainwater with buckets placed under downspouts. Also, this is a good time to update your garden journal with notes on plant performance successes and failures. ORNAMENTALS • As usual, deadhead flowers, oleander, and others. For oleanders, encourage dense growth without reducing

height by pruning out one-third of the branches at the plant’s base. To reduce overall size and improve form, cut the entire plant back to 12 inches tall, then fertilize and water thoroughly.

• By this time, drought-tolerant plants may look pretty disreputable. Assuming that they are done flowering, cut them back. It’s safe to reduce their bulk by a third.

• Give big, floppy, late blooming flowers, such as boltonias, asters and dahlias, extra support. Rig some stakes or branches around the plants, cinching them with soft twine.

• Plant annual and perennial wildflower seeds for spring bloom. Bachelor buttons, flax, lunaria, coreopsis, Mexican hat, and penstemon are options. • Continue to plant heat-loving annuals like Madagascar periwinkle, portulaca and sunflowers either from seed or transplants. • Plant and divide clumps of bearded iris and daylilies. Pry each clump with a garden fork, and cut the foliage back. They split it into smaller

sections, each with some fat rhizomes and a little fan of leaves. Replant and water—there’s time for the divisions to establish themselves before cold weather arrives.

• Plant seeds of pansy, Johnny jump-ups, snapdragons, and pinks for fall transplant. • Remove seed heads from Crepe Myrtles. • Fertilize container plants once this month with a water-soluble fertilizer. If you have newly planted annuals that have been in the ground over two

weeks, fertilize once with low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer. • Start planting chrysanthemums now. • Fall planting is just around the corner—check out the garden catalogs. If you want to plant a wildflower garden, start planning for it now. Natives

well suited to home gardens are: Mexican gold or California poppies, desert bluebells, Clarkia or godetia, chinchweed and golden fleece and tidy tips (layia platyglossa) that has spreading daisy-like flowers.

• Keep weeds under control. FRUIT, NUT, CITRUS & SHADE TREES • Water pecans deeply as nuts are beginning to fill. • Black pecan aphids may become a problem. Treat to prevent premature leaf abscission. • It’s time to stop cover sprays. Read pesticide label. • Harvest ‘Bartlett’ pears from trees before they turn gold. • Continue treating peach tree borers on plums, apricots, peaches, and almonds. • Other than palms, do not fertilize trees in your yard this month. • Finish planting palms. • Fertilize citrus at the end of this month.

VEGETABLES, FRUIT & HERBS • Prepare beds for cool-season vegetables and annuals. Renovate garden beds for fall planting by

adding compost and working it in. • Divide garlic chives, lemon grass, and mints. • Time to plant bush and pinto beans, beets, chard, collards, carrots, kohlrabi, leaf, Romaine, and head lettuce, mustard, radishes, and turnips. You

can also plant fast-maturing varieties of corn and summer squash early in August. Later this month, make early plantings of beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, cucumber, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, leeks, mustard greens, snap beans and Swiss chard.

• If you kept eggplant and pepper plants through the summer, cut them back to the newest leaves as this will rejuvenate the plants and they will bear a good fall crop.

• Ripening peppers ought to be left on the plant as long as possible. Warm days and cooler nights inspire a good fruit set and excellent flavor. Handy Tip: Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

• The best time to harvest herbs is right before their flowers open. Their essential oils will be at their peak now. Examples include mint, thyme, basil and epazote.

Much of our suggested garden task information comes directly from Month-by-Month Gardening in the Desert Southwest by Mary Irish (2002). We wanted you to know that this is an outstanding gardening resource book. Also, some of our recommendations come from Southwest Planting Tips by the Month and the Tucson Gardening Calendar both of which are produced by the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Another resource used in our Honey-Do Lists is The Desert Gardener’s Calendar: Your Month-by-Month Guide by George Brookbank (1999.) Recommendations from Sunset Magazine’s monthly Southwest Garden Guides may also be included.


Honey-Do List for August 2014—Continued LAWNS / TURF / ORNAMENTAL GRASSES • Later this month, fertilize established cool-season turf. • Fertilize ornamental grasses with a balanced fertilizer to enhance flowering. Water well after application. • It’s time to start seeding cool-season grasses. Incorporate phosphorus into seedbed before seeding. • Continue fertilization schedule for warm-season grasses. • It’s time to apply a pre-emergent herbicide for cool-season weed control. Follow label directions carefully. • Discontinue grub treatments as white grubs are larger and moving deeper in the soil profile. • Certain lawn grasses benefit from a late-summer feeding—particularly St. Augustine, Bermuda and Bahia grasses. Apply a light amount of fertilizer, and remember to water before and after each application.

CACTI & SUCCULENTS • Continue to plant cactus and other warm-season succulents. • Do not fertilize succulents in the ground. Fertilize container-grown plants with a water-soluble, low-nitrogen formula. • Prune to remove spent blooming stalks from red yucca and agaves. Prune out any diseased or damaged stems from

prickly pear or cholla or to reduce the size of these plants. Allow the cut areas to dry then dust with a light powdering of sulphur. Some of the above recommendations came from the Tucson Botanical Garden’s monthly “calendar of care” for cacti and succulents.

ROSES • The best time to cut roses for a bouquet is mid-morning, after the dew has dried and just before the heat of the day stresses the blooms. Pick blooms that are just starting to unfurl; they’ll finish opening for you indoors. • Roses grown in containers can be fertilized every two months throughout the summer if you use a granular fertilizer. For water-soluble fertilizers, they can be used every month. For roses in the ground, if you decide to fertilize this month, use only half the recommended dose. • Apply a heavy mulch, up to 6” thick to all roses, but keep the mulch away from the main stem to avoid too much moisture on the stem. • Watch for iron deficiency in your roses—treat with chelated iron if needed. • Fertilize roses at the end of this month. • Consider planting Catmint or Red Creeping Thyme at the base of your rose plants.

It is always important to correctly identify any insect or disease you suspect may have caused damage to your plants. If you do not know what the culprit is, collect a sample in a plastic bag or small jar and take it to the Doña Ana County Cooperative Extension Office located at 530 N. Church in Las Cruces (located just north of the Main Post Office downtown.)

Our trained Hotline Volunteers are available to the public Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:00am to 12 noon. PESTS • Whiteflies begin to show up this month. These tiny flying insects appear as clouds arising from the underside of leaves when a plant is watered or

disturbed. Use a soapy water solution (1 tablespoon dishwashing lotion liquid—the Dawn™ brand is especially good—to 1 gallon of water) on the underside of leaves daily to keep these insects under control since large infestations are almost impossible to control.

• Continue to hose off plants frequently, once of twice weekly, to control aphids and spider mites. • As humidity rises, powdery mildew (a fungus disease) may show up. To prevent rampant infestation, apply

a sulfur-based fungicide at first evidence of mildew and repeat applications as necessary. You can also make your own fungicide spray with 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 quart water and a few drops of liquid soap. Before treating your plants, test the spray on a few leaves to make sure they are not too sensitive (Source: GardenGuides.com).

MISCELLANEOUS • Depending on the weather, continue a deep watering schedule for everything. • Check drip-irrigation system timing--reduce watering if rains penetrate deeply. • Keep weeds under control--pull summer-season weeds before seeds are set.


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MANY THANKS FOR THE GOODIES

We appreciate your thoughtfulness August Goodies September Goodies Ann Palormo Joan Woodward Sherry Hulsey Mona Nelson Mari Blacker Sherry Hulsey

REMINDER! Our monthly MG meeting for

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014 to be held at:

Branigan Memorial Library Location: Roadrunner Room

Our meeting time is 9:15am to 11:45am

AUGUST 2014 MG BIRTHDAY ★ Nancy Carson ★ Dick Hiss ★ Marjie Snell ★ Emma Ulloa

In order to reduce the chances of Identity Theft for our MG’s, exact birthdate info will no longer be printed in our Magazine.

GOT IDEAS? If you have a gardening-related article or a suggestion about a

Plant-of-the-Month, a vegetable or fruit, tree, invasive plant or weed to share for our MG Magazine, please send me a link or email me your idea. Anyone can submit information or an article for inclusion in our monthly magazine. FYI, I do try to put in information that is seasonal in nature to ensure that MGs and others receive the resources on a timely basis.

Editor: Ann Shine-Ring, Certified MG Email: [email protected] Mobile: (575) 640.7177

MG CONTACT INFORMATION Be sure your email address is current so

that you will be able to receive important information throughout the month from the MG Program. I regularly update our MG Contact List. If you need a copy of this file, let me know.

If you have an update to your email or other contact information, please contact me:

Ann Shine-Ring, Editor [email protected] (575) 640-7177

!

The deadline for submitting information for the Sept. 2014 MG Monthly Magazine will be Friday, August 29, 2014.

Contact Info: Ann Shine-Ring, Editor [email protected]

(575) 640-7177

—SAVE THESE DATES—

2014 National Night Out

Tuesday, August 5th The City of Las Cruces will host a 2014 National Night Out event

6:00-9:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 5th, at Main Street downtown. This evening event promotes positive activities involving crime and

drug prevention, strengthens police-community relations and encourages neighborhood camaraderie as the City strives for a safer Las Cruces.

2014 Butterfly Flutterby

Saturday, August 16th Learn how to identify butterflies and attract them to your garden.

Events include butterfly games, arts and crafts, and face painting is available for visitors of all ages. Local children’s author, Patricia Mihok, will be in attendance to sign her new book. Admission is $3.

Location: Asombro Institute for Science Education

@ Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park 56501 N. Jornada Road, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88012

9:00 am – 12:00 pm


What is West Nile Virus? A virus is an extremely small organism that causes diseases in humans, animals, and plants. West Nile Virus (WNV) can lead to serious illness for

some people and animals. The virus was first seen in North America in 1999. Experts believe that WNV is seasonal since most cases are diagnosed in late summer and early fall. How is West Nile Virus Spread?

The WNV is spread to people and animals through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. The birds become infected by the bites of infected mosquitoes (Figure 1). This is how the cycle continues.

Figure 1. The Asian Tiger Mosquito can harbor West Nile Virus. (Susan Ellis, Bugwood.org)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports a very small number of cases in which the virus spread from human-to-human. These cases are not typical. Generally, these occurrences were from blood transfusions, organ transplants, and very limited transmissions from mother to child during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

• WNV is not transmitted from person to person through casual contact. Touching or kissing an infected person will not spread the virus. • WNV is not transmitted from animal to animal (such as horse to horse), animal to human, or human to animal.

Is West Nile Virus found in New Mexico? Yes. Cases of WNV in New Mexico have occurred every year since 2003. Reported WNV activity in NM during 2003 to 2011 included: • Nearly 500 cases of WNV in humans. The largest number of cases was 209 in 2003; the fewest were 4 in 2011. • Just under 500 cases of WNV in horses. The largest number of cases was 419 in 2003; the fewest were 1 in 2010 and 2 in 2011. • Other animals that tested positive included llamas/alpacas, canines, bovines, pigs/hogs, and chickens. • Dead birds might be a sign of WNV infection. Crows and blue jays are related and are especially susceptible to WNV. However, any dead bird

(ravens, magpies, scrub jays, Steller’s jays, pinyon jays) could indicate presence of the virus. Caution! If you find a dead bird, don’t handle the body with your bare hands. Contact your local health department for instructions on reporting and disposing of the body. You may be told to dispose of the bird after your report is logged. How sick can a person get when infected with West Nile Virus?

For some people, the WNV infection produces no symptoms or serious illness. In others, it can cause health problems and sometimes death. There is no way to know ahead of time whether or not you’ll get sick when you are infected.

Serious illness can occur in people of any age. Those at the highest risk for getting severely ill when infected with WNV include people over age 50 and those with compromised immune systems (for example, transplant patients). Typically, symptoms appear between 3 and 14 days after being bitten.

Among people infected with WNV: • Most (about 4 out of every 5) do not develop any symptoms. • Some (about 2 out of every 10) will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches. Occasionally, a skin

rash on the chest, stomach, and back appears, along with swollen lymph glands. The illness can be as short as a few days or can last several weeks.

• Very few people (about 1 out of every 150) will develop West Nile encephalitis or meningitis. Symptoms include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. These symptoms typically last a few weeks, but the WNV effect on the nervous system (including the brain) can be permanent.

Guide Continued on Page 13


West Nile Virus: Information For New Mexico NMSU Guide I-102, Continued From Page 12 How is West Nile Virus treated?

There is no specific treatment for WNV infection. Although milder symptoms may continue over several weeks, people usually get well on their own. For more severe cases, hospitalization may be needed. How sick can an animal get when infected with West Nile Virus?

Primarily, only horses get sick when infected with WNV. However, many infected horses do not develop any illness or symptoms. Of those that do become ill, about 3 out of every 10 die or need to be euthanized.

Other livestock and poultry can become infected with WNV, but do not commonly get sick.

Although dogs or cats can become infected with WNV, clinical signs rarely appear. How can West Nile Virus be prevented?

Prevention measures consist of community-based mosquito control programs that are able to reduce populations of disease-causing mosquitoes, as well as personal protection measures to reduce the likelihood of being bitten by infected mosquitoes. The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito bites. • Use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active

ingredient, such as DEET. Use it properly and follow the directions on the label. Other active ingredients to look for include picaridin or icaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and IR3535.

• Many mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. Limit time outside—or stay inside—during peak mosquito-biting hours.

• Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts when outdoors.

• Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by eliminating standing water. Look for things like unused farm equipment, flowerpots, gutters, barrels, and buckets. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in watering troughs and birdbaths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and place them on their sides or upside down when not in use.

• Repair or install good screens on windows and doors around the home to keep mosquitoes out.

Protection For Horses: • Vaccinate your horses with the Fort Dodge Animal Health West

Nile Virus Vaccine, which is approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Contact your veterinarian about the initial vaccination and annual booster.

• There is no treatment for WNV once a horse becomes infected. Protection For Pets: • Keep pets indoors during peak mosquito-biting hours (dawn and

dusk). • Prevent pets from coming into contact with dead birds that might

be infected. • Use only veterinarian-approved mosquito repellent on your pet.

Do not use products containing DEET on pets. • Consult your veterinarian for additional preventive precautions.!

Blue-Winged Teal

DID YOU KNOW? Learn More About the Duck World….

Source: Birds & Blooms, July 2014

" In English, ducks say ‘quack’, but what does a duck say in two other languages? In French, it’s ‘coin coin’ and in Spanish it’s ‘cua cua’.

" Dabblers rarely dive. They feed at the surface or tip up with their behinds in the air to reach food underwater. Three Dabblers: Mallards, Blue Winged Teals (see photo above) and American Wigeons.

" Diving ducks feed at the surface of the water or dive deep underwater. Four Common Divers: Scoters, Eiders, Mergansers and Buffleheads.

Wood Duck Mother & Ducklings

" At about 25 inches, the common Merganser is one of the largest ducks in North America.

Merganser Duck

" American Black Ducks, often seen with Mallards and sometimes confused with female Mallards, migrate at night in small flocks of 12-30.

" You might be surprised to learn that many ducks are champion fliers. Migrating Mallards can fly up to 55 mph.

" No duck gets bird-watchers as excited as the stunningly patterned Wood Duck. When the ducklings are ready to leave the nest that’s been built in a tree near the water, the mother calls to them and they jump down from the nest as far as 290 feet, without injury.!


!Sustainability and Golf! Source: The Golf Environment at link:

http://www.golfenvironment.org/sustainable_golf Golf can be a leader in sustainable sport and business, universally

valued for its positive role for nature and people. For centuries, golf has uniquely integrated nature and communities, providing environmental and social benefits. Protection of coastal zones and urban green space, improved air and water quality, employment, community, and a healthy, inter-generational sport set in ecologically rich landscapes.

Now, as sustainability concerns and expectations rise across all aspects of life, the golf community is well positioned to contribute more.

Coming together around a sustainability agenda for golf including nature, water, energy, pollution control, supply chain, and community, the global golf community can make a real difference; with practical outcomes across the tens of thousands of golf clubs, hundreds of new golf developments, and thousands of tournaments. The industry reaches millions of people so it also has the opportunity to be a catalyst by raising sustainability awareness—leading by example.

The Golf Environment Organization (GEO) is dedicated to helping the industry come together around sustainability, building a reputation where golf equals sustainability.

"SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA"

Across an agenda that brings sustainability from a concept into practical actions integrated throughout the daily operations of a golf facility, business and common good interests can be met in unison. A greater focus in on sustainability can unlock cost-savings, and improve reputation, operational efficiencies, and customer attraction and loyalty.

The industry-supported programs provided by GEO help the people on the ground in golf to evaluate and improve performance across the six action areas of sustainable golf.

NATURE: Landscapes and ecosystems cover the surface of the earth providing the canvas on which we live, work and play. Our human interaction with the environment directly affects the health of the planet, and its capacity to support us.

Great golf enhances landscapes and can enrich ecosystems - creating and sustaining beautiful and biologically diverse open spaces - contributing to the resilience of the natural world. That’s good for the planet and helps to offset the impact of the industry’s consumption of resources.

Maintaining biodiversity has always been close to the heart of the game. As Peter Thomson, five-time winner of The Open Championship said - "It's the balance between foul and fair ground that sets the greatest golf courses apart". As well as being integral to the challenge of the game, natural areas are fundamental to its sustainability. Golf can embrace the wild as much as it needs the tamed.

Ecosystems are our planet's life support systems - purifying water, producing oxygen, regulating temperature and climate, recycling nutrients, providing food and vegetation, controlling erosion and providing species’ habitats. Golf can contribute to all of this, but only if a course is configured to find the best landscape and ecosystem fit for its local context. That requires understanding combined with innovation, and an appreciation that sympathetic development benefits everyone.

WATER: Global water consumption is doubling every 20 years and water deficits are increasing. As an industry, golf's water footprint is significant, incorporating the irrigation of thousands of golf courses worldwide and the use of potable water in clubhouses, restaurants and real estate. It extends to the manufacturing of machinery, merchandise and equipment; fertilizer, pesticide, turf and seed production; as well as cements, concrete and other construction materials. The question is how does such an industry reduce its water use? …A Blueprint For Change: Given that water is perhaps the single greatest challenge to golf's sustainability, the sector has to continue to optimize its water consumption by increasing efficiency and utilizing innovative technologies. Water costs will rise; so acting decisively now will reap financial benefits for golf businesses everywhere.

Further research and development into new drought and disease resistant turfgrass, that can survive using low quality irrigation water is critical. In tandem the industry should adopt a low impact approach to design, construction and management. This may even have implications for the use of any turfgrass at all in certain regions.



…Money Talks: By changing purchasing patterns, we can invest in a greener future. Small decisions can have big consequences. Insisting that products are de-packaged before delivery, that packaging is re-used and recycled, and sourcing products that have a recycled and recyclable content, will have a huge positive impact.

For example, waste is just a product that needs processing and zero waste is a realistic target for most golf businesses. Communicating the progress we’re making to our customers adds to your business through positive perceptions.

More and more people are equating sustainable products with high quality products - adding to customer satisfaction and loyalty.

POLLUTION CONTROL: A well planned, designed, constructed and managed golf facility can improve air, water and soil quality through sustained, consistent land and resource management. Some of the key positive contributions golf can make to the quality and health of the environment include: • The protection of urban and semi urban green spaces; acting as

'green-lungs' and cooling systems to counter urban heat island effects in towns and cities.

• Bringing investment opportunities for brownfield and contaminated land regeneration; creating access to green space for local people - golfing and other forms of passive recreation.

• Functioning as watersheds and providing attenuation, natural filtering and treatment of water; contributing to flood alleviation and carbon sequestration.

• Managing run-off, erosion and conserving soil structure and biodiversity, providing windbreaks and creating microclimates.

COMMUNITY: Golf has a lot to be proud of socially and economically. Currently global golf business generates an estimated $250-300billion annually, employing hundreds of thousands of people around the world, while the sport embraces people of all ages, races and beliefs. With a wealth of direct and indirect contributions to players and wider society, golf should aim to continue to be a force for good in parallel to promoting the game.


Sustainability In Golf—Continued From Page 14 Golf courses should contribute to the natural function of aquatic

ecosystems and watersheds. They can help the water cycle by attenuating and naturally treating water, and allowing slow percolation into soil and aquifers, ultimately improving water quality.

Swales, ditches, wetlands, waterways and other sustainable drainage features can make a meaningful contribution to the natural replenishment, purification and re-cycling of water supplies.

ENERGY: The global population and its demand for energy increases every day. How we meet that demand is the critical issue given that the type and amount of energy we use, and the emissions that arise from that use, have an impact on our environment, climate and our quality of life.

Traditional sources of energy are peaking or declining. In a volatile world they’re proving increasingly difficult to deliver. Costs are rising rapidly. In the face of climate change and environmental degradation it’s also clear that they will come under increased regulation. Sustainable, secure, renewable energy sources are the way forward, so embracing this change and adapting energy supply makes ever greater commercial sense.

For most golf courses, day-to-day management of turfgrass is the single, largest resource consumption area. From 'embodied' energy in products such as maintenance machinery, fertilizers and pesticides, to the treatment of water and the use of non-renewable fuels, reductions in the resource inputs into turfgrass will unlock significant economic and environmental gains. At its heart, the future health of the golf industry rests on a combination of efficiently managed turfgrass and a smooth transition to cleaner and cheaper energy. …Getting ahead of the curve: As an industry golf is in a good position to lead. Many golf facilities are well placed to harness geothermal heating and cooling, and solar and wind-power generation. Passive design (avoiding use of inefficient, energy squandering, mechanical systems) can be utilized by architects to reduce or remove energy loads of buildings and landscapes. These technologies can be retrofitted into courses and clubhouses. Renovations to courses offer huge opportunities for energy and resultant cost savings across long-term maintenance. SUPPLY CHAIN: Whenever we buy or consume, we have an impact. The products and services that golf uses can be carefully considered to ensure a fair deal for businesses and for our planet. …Strong Links: By integrating social and environmental issues into purchasing decisions, golf can play its part in the drive to develop efficient, equitable, localized and lower carbon supply chains. From clubs to events, to manufacturers and tourism promoters, we can consume fewer and smarter materials while stimulating local supply chains.

When scaled across global golf, the impact of such decisions is enormous. Thousands of golf businesses, in thousands of regions around the world, can deliver valuable environmental innovations and social benefits through socially and environmentally responsible procurement policies.


Sustainability In Golf—Continued From Page 15 …Contribution: Golf is not an island. The industry has a collective responsibility to everyone whose lives it affects. With a huge economic and social value generated through the operation of thousands of businesses in facility management, development, event staging, media, product manufacturing, merchandising and tourism. As well as those directly involved in the business of golf, the sector also provides important social and economic benefits to communities.

ACTION: For more than thirty years the leading golf organizations around the world have worked in partnership with universities and institutes on a significant amount of sustainability based research and development. More recently, the industry has been collaborating around the development of a new modern sustainability system: • A set of more clearly defined and visibly recognized Voluntary

Sustainability Standards for Golf, drawing from the large body of knowledge and best practices. Future evolutions of the standard will be developed with newly formed international Working Groups.

• Practical support programs to achieve the standard across the grass roots of the game, simultaneously guiding courses to valuable business benefits and continual improvement, and gathering thousands of sets of qualitative and quantitative performance data from clubs, developments, and tournaments around the world. OnCourse™, the online program for golf facility operations is available for free as underwritten through industry investment.

• A credible and modern certification and re-certification process built on top of the sustainability support programs, and an international mark of sustainability of golf’s own, GEO Certified, recognized by ISEAL, the global body assuring credibility in sustainability standards. Moving toward a more consistent representation of golf’s sustainability

scorecard according to modern sustainability metrics for golf, and relevant to governments, NGOs, and the public. This project is underway."

Our Lord's Candle

(Hesperoyucca whipplei) By Kelli Kallenborn on DavesGarden.com, May 24, 2014

A common name for Hesperoyucca whipplei is Our Lord's

Candle. A name like that suggests that there must be something out of the ordinary about this plant. There is. With an inflorescence up to 13 feet tall, it is the exclamation point of the chaparral.

Besides the dignified name of Our Lord's Candle, the plant also has the colorful name of Quixote plant and the more mundane name of Chaparral yucca. The plant is native to southwestern California and adjacent Baja, with a disjunct population near the Grand Canyon. Its preferred habitat is chaparral, but it can also be found in coastal sage scrub, grassland, and yellow pine forest.

Hesperoyucca whipplei was formerly known as Yucca whipplei, but detailed differences in the flower structure caused it to recently be moved to a new genus. The species is so variable that it is divided into four subspecies: percursa, caespitosa, intermedia, and parishii. The subspecies are each found in a specific location and that is the easiest way to identify them in their natural ranges. They also vary in if, how, and when the plant forms offsets and in size of the leaf rosette and the inflorescence. I am familiar with Hesperoyucca whipplei subsp. intermedia and H. whipplei subsp. parishii and will discuss those two subspecies only here.

H. whipplei subsp. Intermedia



Our Lord’s Candle—Continued from Page 16

H. whipplei subsp. Intermedia (shown on previous Page 16) is native to the Santa Monica Mountains and adjacent country of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. It is a stemless plant with a rosette of many thin leaves, on the order of 2 to 2 1/2 feet long. The leaf color varies from green to blue-green. My observation has been that the green leaves tend to be more floppy in appearance than the blue-green leaves. The flower stalk is up to 10 feet tall, which is tall enough to stick up above the chaparral and a plant in bloom in quite noticeable. The parent rosette forms offsets at the time of blooming and the parent rosette dies as the seeds mature.

H. whipplei subsp. parishii

If you like H. whipplei subsp. intermedia, if you think it is impressive, then H. whipplei subsp. parishii (shown above) will knock your socks off. The published literature says that the flower stalk is up to 13 ft tall, but I think they get taller. There can be upwards of 600 flowers on one inflorescence. The stalk is bigger around than my arm. The leaf rosette of H. whipplei subsp. parishii is stemless. Its leaves are about 3 feet long and the plant is blue-green. Subspecies intermedia is found in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. The plant does not form offsets and dies after blooming.

Both subspecies bloom in late May and June. It is reported the flower stalk can grow up to 14 inches a day. Plants take from around 10 year to 50 years to reach maturity.

Yucca Moth (Tegeticula yuccasella)

The pollination of H. whipplei is a textbook case of symbiosis. The plant is pollinated by a yucca moth (shown above) and apparently nothing else. When the moth is pollinating, it is also laying eggs on the flower ovary. The larvae feed off of the developing seeds, but not all of the seeds. Thus both species survive with the help of the other and neither could survive without the other.

Flower Stalk of H. whipplei subsp. parishii

H. whipplei can easily be grown from seed. Just start them in pots

like you would tomatoes or marigolds or other conventional plants. I use regular potting soil, but if your climate is humid, it might be better to use a cactus soil mix. Plants transplanted into the ground should be planted in well-drained soil and get at least a half day of direct sun. In my yard, the soil is clay, which is not really the preferred soil for H. whipplei, but the climate is dry and they are planted on a slope. We did lose one plant in an El Nino year when we got 40 inches of rain over a couple of months. Plants beyond the seedling stage should get minimal summer water. Plants should be planted well away from foot traffic and play areas—each leaf has a needle-sharp tip. The species is reported to be hardy in Zones 8 and warmer.!

Our Lord’s Candle (shown above), native to the western Sonoran

Desert, has a decorative “dense basal rosette of gray-green, rigid, spine-tipped leaves” that span about two feet, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Internet site.

It has a branched radiating root system. It produces, on a single 10- to 15-foot stalk, a dense cluster of purple-tinged, cream-colored, bell-shaped flowers and a juicy, tender but seed-filled fruit. Its blossoms almost seem to glow in the soft light of dawn or sunset, giving the plant its name. Unlike other yuccas, Our Lord’s Candle dies once it has bloomed.

(Source: Desert USA at link: http://www.desertusa.com/desert-food-chain/food-chain-4.html)


Hall’s Panicgrass

(Panicum hallii Vasey) Source: New Mexico Rangeland Plants, NMSU Circular 374

Revised by Christopher D. Allison & Nick Ashcroft, Nov. 2011 Description: Tufted. Up to 3 feet tall. Light green to bluish-green while

growing and straw-colored at maturity. Thin, mostly basal leaves are curled, with the appearance of wood shavings when dry. Open, erect seedheads. Seeds appear to be small nutlets.

…Warm-season, perennial, bunch grass Occurrence: Scattered throughout New Mexico except in the

northwestern and mountain areas. Common coarse sols and bottomlands. Grows at elevations from 3,000 to 6,500 feet.

Forage Value & Management:

Growing, Hall’s Panicgrass is highly palatable for all livestock. It retains this quality after curing because some leaves remain green most of the year. Palatability causes the grass to decrease quickly under grazing even when associated grasses are properly utilized. Therefore, this species can be maintained only on areas reseeded as pure stands. !

Vine Mesquite (Panicum obtusum H.B.K.)

Source: New Mexico Rangeland Plants, NMSU Circular 374 Revised by Christopher D. Allison & Nick Ashcroft, Nov. 2011

Description: Viney. One to two feet tall. Long, tough stolons with swollen, woolly joints. Light blue-green, curing to reddish-staw, then finally to a grayish-tan. Leaves somewhat inrolled and up to 8 inches long. Seedheads in 2-6 branchlets, partially enclosed in the upper leaf sheath, and tightly pressed to the main stem. Large, blunt seeds.

…Warm-season, perennial, sod grass

Occurrence: In the southern desert and southern portion of the

western plateau, especially on sites with extra moisture. Also grows on loamy, clay, and bottomland sites in the high and central plains, and scattered on bottomland sites in the northern portion of the western plateau and northern desert. Grows at elevations from 3,100 to 7,200 feet.

Forage Value & Management:

Vine Mesquite is usually fairly unpalatable, although livestock readily eat the fruiting heads. Because the grass forms sod vigorously, it is valuable for erosion control. The grass provides the best grazing in the summer since it is coarse at maturity. Light grazing permits the plant to spread rapidly. Since it is usually found on sites subject to erosion, Vine Mesquite should not be heavily grazed.!


Invasives-Toxic Weeds Watch:

Alfombrilla (Drymaria arenarioides)

Family: Caryophyllaceace (The pink family or carnation family of flowering plants)

Description: Poisonous perennial that is highly toxic to livestock. The name “Alfombrilla” means ‘little carpet or rug’ in Spanish and describes the dense, clump-forming habit of this low-growing rangeweed. Toxic to livestock and occurring in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Durango, Zacatecas San Luis Potosi. Its range is closest to the U.S. just south of Antelope Wells, New Mexico and has also been reported south of Nogales, Sonora.

Other Names: Lightening weed or Sandwort drymary WATCH LIST: On NM’s Noxious Weed List as a Class A Weed, which

has limited distribution in New Mexico. Preventing new infestations of this species and eradicating existing infestations is a high priority.

Origin: Native of northern Mexico Range: Northwestern New Mexico; spreading northward. Habitat: Infests dry areas, acid soils, rangelands, hills and plains.

Has been found in soils with pH as high as 9.

Why It Is Considered A Problem? A poisonous plant that has caused severe damage to the cattle industry in Chihuahua, Mexico. This plant is also a potential problem in the U.S. because it has been found growing near the New Mexico-Chihuahua and the Arizona-Sonora borders.

A joint Mexico-United States research program has been initiated to generate information on control and to prevent livestock losses.

Alfombrilla is well adapted to soils and climates within the Bouteloua-Arislida type. Germination of freshly harvested Alfombrilla seed was less than 5%; however, over 75% of 20-month-old seed germinated.

Optimum temperatures for germination were 18-21 C. Alfombrilla vegetative growth under alternating day/night temperatures of 26 and 15 C was greater than at 32 and 21 C. Alfombrilla under held conditions has been shown to be a great competitor in the habitat, especially before and after the growing seasons of other plants.

IDENTIFICATION: Flowers: Five distinct while sepals up to .2 inches in length.

Lanceolate to oblong; petals are narrow. Seeds: Seeds are brown, C-shaped with ends touching; has a thick

dorsal groove (See photo below). Leaves: Leaves are up to .6 inches long and up to .12 inches wide. Stems: Up to 8 inches long and sprawling to erect, branching mostly

at base. Root: Has taproot Reproduction: Via seed. MANAGEMENT & CONTROL • Prevention and early detection are essential. • Physical removal before seed production is effective, especially if the

root crown is removed.

ALFOMBRILLA −Article References−

Ecology of Alfombrilla by Alfonso Sanchez-Munoz et al in the “Proceeding of the First International Rangeland Congress, 1978, Pages 370-372

Troublesome Weeds of New Mexico, Authors: Jamshid Ashigh, James

Wanstall and Frank Sholedice, NMSU 2010

Alfombrilla Seed


Okra Lovers Unite! By Rosemary Maddox, Mesilla Valley Garden Club

I stole the title above from an article in “Cooking” by Sarah Kahn, but I added the exclamation point myself. I was weaned on Okra, so to speak, so I have long been a member of the Okra Fan Club, not to be confused with the Oprah Fan Club. We are the people who like boiled Okra—anyone can like fried Okra, I’m talking fresh Okra here—frozen will get you through a long winter, but as we Okra Lovers know, it’s not the same.

Okra—a Malvaceae or mallow—is a relative of hibiscus, cotton and hollyhocks, and is native to Africa; the Bantu word for Okra is ‘gumbo’. Okra is widely used in Indian recipes and its Indian name is bhindi. My Kentucky-born grandmother, who was the gardener and cook in our household, pronounced it ‘Okry.’

Okra likes heat and dislikes overwatering, which makes it well suited for growing in New Mexico. Soaking the seed or nicking it before planting is recommended, although I had had no problem with germination without those steps. It does need space, and plants should be space about two feet apart in rows three feet apart.

Okra is not a vegetable you can easily work into your daily menu like tomatoes. And it does have to be picked often. A pod that is tender one day may be tough and inedible the next, so it keeps you on your toes. I have actually, albeit grudgingly, have had to take bags of Okra to the food bank.

Fried Okra (shown below) needs no recipe, but I found an instruction, which caught by fancy—“head and tail it.” Then slice it into ½-inch wheels, toss in cornmeal, and fry a few minutes on each side until golden brown. I grow Japanese eggplant and jalapenos, and I like to combine and fry the three vegetables for an afternoon snack, which we eat with our fingers like popcorn. My husband always says, “Delicious tea, Luv.” He lived in London in the 50s and has never forgotten it.

Fried Okra

As far as I know, Okra is the only vegetable which is not available in its fresh form all year, and Okra in the grocery store in season looks a little worse for wear. The best source, if you don’t grow your own, is the Farmer’s Market, where presumably the little pods were removed from the Mother plant earlier that day.

Why isn’t Okra grown in Mexico and shipped here in the winter, like chile pods? I presume either it doesn’t travel well or the demand is not great enough to make it a profitable crop. Okra Lovers Unite! We are a weak and disorganized faction.

Okra is entertaining. For example, Lambert’s Café, home of

the Throwed Rolls Café, (shown above) is based in Sikeston, Missouri, which is not far from my birthplace. They have other establishments in Ozark, Missouri near Springfield and Foley, Alabama—I have patronized both places in Missouri.

A young person wearing a Chef’s hat and white apron walks around with a big pot, and if you catch his eye and extend your hands he will throw you a roll. No, they don’t throw Okra, but another young person follows him with a huge pot of fried Okra and a big spoon and fills your plate until you say, “no more.” Their Okra appears to have been dredged in batter and deep-fried and is the best I’ve ever tasted. I’m too stingy with oil to do that. Of course they serve other food but it’s the Okra and throwed rolls that I remember.

I hoped to close with a unique Okra recipe, but it didn’t turn out well. I found a recipe for Okra salad, which called for chopped bell pepper, onion and tomato, fried Okra (frozen and breaded), and bacon. So far so good, but after combining the ingredients, the recipe called for an oil, vinegar and sugar dressing (I used light Italian dressing) and the salad was to be chilled. Well, surprise, although the taste was interesting, the fried Okra was soggy. I will do this again and after plating the vegetables, sprinkle them with the fried Okra and then the bacon. I think that would work. We Okra Lovers don’t give up easily.!

Okra in the garden

Article Submitted by Alberta Morgan, Certified MG


Dry Your Own Herbs

On Birds & Blooms, DIY Backyard, November 2012

Got an abundance of herbs in your garden? Dry and store them for cooking and flavored oils. A bonus? They make fabulous gifts!

Step 1: Gather the fresh herbs from your garden, preferably in the

morning after the dew has dried but before the heat of the sun has had a chance to wilt the leaves.

Step 2: Spread the leaves out on a clean surface to dry, or tie them into loose bundles and hand dry. This will take several days.

If you’re impatient or need them right away, you can ‘nuke’ them in the microwave on low power. Lay the leaves or stems on a single layer of a paper towel and place in the microwave. Start out at one minute, check for dryness, and continue at 15-second increments until the leaves are dry and crisp. (Drying too quickly or for too long will destroy the flavor.)

Step 3: Strip the leaves from the tough stems. Step 4: Working with one herb at a time, crush the leaves into pieces

of the desired size and store in air-tight jars in a cool, dark place for maximum freshness.

Step 5: If you prefer ground herbs, you can grind the dried herbs in a clean coffee grinder. Pack the grinder as full as you can get it. Grind until the leaves are reduced to the desired fineness. It helps to hold the grinder and shake it a little as it grinds.

Step 6: If there are tough bits of stem remaining, sift the herbs through a fine sieve to remove them. Put the herbs in a jar or canister until you’re ready to use them.

Best Herbs To Dry: Some of the best herbs to dry are those that have strong flavor such as

French tarragon, sage, thyme, oregano and rosemary. Other successful perennial herbs that you can try include mints, lemon balm and of course, lavender.

Cilantro is not successful when dried, but the seed from this plant is Coriander that stores very well and can be used in curries as well as coarsely ground onto salads. (Source: Burpee Seeds)

Use Dried Herbs To Make Flavored Oils

# Place the dried herbs into dry, sterilized bottles. # Warm the olive oil below a simmer (don’t boil it) just until

the oil is hot, use a funnel to pour it into the bottles over the herbs.

# When the oil is cool, cap it and let it sit for a minimum of

two weeks to allow it to absorb the flavors of the herbs. Pour it through a strainer into new sterilized bottles, removing the steeped herb. If you like, add a sprig or two of dried herb or a few peppercorns to the new bottles to add visual interest.

# Keep in a cool, dark place and use within a couple of

months.

Source: Courtesy of “Little House in the Suburbs” by Deanna Caswell and Daisy Siskin.

For more information, visit link: http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/our-books


Growing Heirloom Squash By Kathleen Marshall on DavesGarden.com, May 2014

What is so special about growing heirloom squash? Well, for

one thing, it is a little like collecting antiques. Heirloom varieties often have long and interesting histories, and when you grow them you are helping preserve that history and passing it on. !Variety:

Another reason is the wide variety of both summer and winter squash. The array of shapes, sizes and colors are simply amazing. And yes, some are a little weird. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, though, because chances are you'll be the only one in your neighborhood growing it! !Flavor:

This is another big consideration when growing heirloom squash. Many of the run-of-the-mill squash varieties are a bit bland. Heirloom squash, for the most part, is bursting with deep, rich flavors that you would never expect from squash. For example, if you buy a pumpkin from the store, it may be great for carving, but the flavor is not very memorable. Heirloom pumpkins are sweet, bright and delicious.

Hybrid seeds, on the other hand, are breed for production and ease of shipping but not necessarily for the best flavor or even nutrition. While some hybrids are wonderful, some leave a lot to be desired. Because heirloom seeds are used by home gardeners and have been passed down for generations, they are not bred to be shippable, aside for possibly being transported to the local farmers' market. They are bred to be healthy, flavorful food from your own garden with no modifications needed.

Ever buy a tomato at the grocery store and think it tastes like cardboard? This is an example of hybrid plants bred to grow fruit that can ship well without being damaged. Not for flavor. Not for nutrition. For sales!

!Nutrition: And while we are discussing nutrition, consider this: Dr. Donald

R. David of the University of Texas reported in a study titled "Declining Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition," that commercially grown, hybrid foods have significantly less nutrition than foods grown 100 years ago when people shared heirloom varieties of vegetables. This is because fertilization intended to increase yields actually decreases the minerals found in the foods produced. So you get more and less at the same time.

!Economy:

Probably the best reason for growing heirloom squash is that you can save the seeds from year to year, keeping the history alive quite literally. Some of these seeds are quite rare, so sharing them is a great way to spread the news about how wonderful these varieties are.

Heirloom squash is grown in the same way as hybrid squash so there is no extra work involved in growing a little piece of history. Ready to give it a try? Research the varieties you are most interested in to see which ones will do best where you live. Then order your seeds and start planting! There are many sources for heirloom seeds including Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds* and Seed Savers Exchange, so start your research there. And be prepared to be surprised at the unique varieties available.!

*Request the free 2015 Seed Catalog from

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds at link: http://www.rareseeds.com/request-catalogUS/


Easy Ways To Keep Melons Pest-Free

By April Dowling on DavesGarden.com, May 2014 Growing melons is a rewarding experience that largely depends on

pest management. Whether you want to grow a small melon patch or several acres of melons, it’s crucial to learn methods of controlling pests due to the high growing costs.

Growers are often adamant about properly managing their melon crops and preventing pest contamination. Since a melon's quality is linked to the fruit's sugar content, stress must be taken off the plant during its growing season. Pest infestations put stress on melon plants, reducing their yield and quality. There are many different types of pests that damage melon plants, and insecticides are typically required to control these insects and protect melon crops from destruction. Aside from insecticides, other easy pest control methods are available for growers. Soil Preparation: Proper soil preparation is an important aspect of keeping melons free of cutworms and other pests. At least two weeks before planting melons, it's important to destroy all remaining plant residue from previous crops. Deep plowing well in advance (around two weeks) can be effective at preventing many pests such as the seedcorn maggot and cutworm. You should also avoid planting melon seeds in areas coming out of pasture. Planting: To keep leafminers, beet armyworms, and field crickets away, avoid planting melons in weedy areas and locations near alfalfa, cotton, and sudangrass. This is especially important when dealing with fall melons. In general, most insect pests of melons migrate from nearby crops and weed hosts, so it's very important to consider the location of your melon crop. Also remember to avoid transplanting melons after Cole crops, root crops, and fall tomatoes. Planting melon seeds in well-drained soil is very important for pest control, as well. Weed Control: Once you've planted your melon crop, keeping it well maintained is essential to warding off pests. One of the best ways to prevent pests is by keeping nearby field margins and ditches free of weeds. Controlling weeds can help prevent cutworms and darkling beetles, which migrate from surrounding weedy areas. Mulching, healthy soil management, tilling, and old-fashioned hoeing are the safest ways to control weeds surrounding melons, while more intensive weed-control measures are often required for ditches and field margins.

Mulches: According to the University of California, mulches are very effective at managing the silverleaf whitefly in cantaloupe crops. The California Melon Research Advisory Board studied the use of both straw mulch and reflective plastic mulch in melon crops. While both of these mulches performed very well, the reflective plastic mulch produced the best results. Reflective plastic mulch reflects ultraviolet wavelengths that repel flying aphids and whiteflies. Proper installation of this mulch is also critical to optimally benefit your melon crop.

Crop Maintenance: Keeping a close eye on your melon crop is very essential to preventing pests. Carefully observe your plants daily, inspecting the shoot growth, leaves, blossoms, and fruit from all angles. Check for signs of pest infestation, which can include unusual color changes and growth patterns to name a few. Building melon plants' tolerance to certain pests is another effective method of melon crop maintenance. For example, in the southwest United States, proper irrigation and fertilization management can significantly reduce spider mite infestation in melon plants.!


!

The Backyard Beekeeper's

Honey Handbook: A Guide to Creating,

Harvesting, & Cooking with Natural Honeys

Author: Kim Flottum Publisher: Crestline

!

MASTER GARDENER MONTHLY MEETING: July 9, 2014 Notetaker: Sue Styer, Certified MG # Introduction and Welcome - Jeff Anderson

COMMITTEE/PROJECT REPORTS Introduction and Welcome - Jeff Anderson began by noting the MGs that are ill:

• Juliet Williams was in the hospital over the weekend. She will be incapacitated for a while. • James Crouse is dealing with some health issues and will travel to Houston for medical services. • Louis Worley will be dealing with his own and family health issues for the next several months. •

MG Hotline (Jeff Anderson) Jeff is looking for a substitute for the next three months to fill in for Louis. This involves filling in the calendar, checking the calendar so be certain there is staffing etc. Also please note that several gardening reference books have been added to the Hotline Library. These have been purchased or donated. Ann Shine-Ring agreed to catalog these books and create lists for them.

MG Magazine (Ann Shine-Ring) Planned articles for the August 2014 Magazine were: Plant of the Month: Quaking Aspen Tree Water-Wise Plant of the Month: Blue Chalk Plants Articles of Interest: Caring for Succulents, Shasta Daises, Our Lord’s Candle Yucca, and Sustainability of Golf Courses Pests: West Nile Virus Wildlife: All About Ducks Veggies/Fruit: Heirloom Squash, Growing Pest-Free Melons, Okra, drying herbs and preparing herb-flavored oils Invasive Weed: Alfombria Rangeland Grasses: Hall’s Panicgrass and Vine Mesquite Books: “Wildlife Friendly Vegetable Gardener”

COMMUNITY GARDENS – Gomez: Sherm Levenson and Russ Boor have scheduled a meeting with the city to talk about the ongoing soil problem. This issue

needs to be rectified in order for the gardens to prosper. Munson Center: Sherm Levenson mentioned that these gardens are growing like “weeds”. The biggest problems are working in concert with

the seniors and pest control as there are squirrel issues--they eat the beautiful produce. Tony and Nancy are doing a good job in spite of the difficulty in organizing all the volunteers. Overall these gardens are very successful.

Hospice: The gardens are doing well and the irrigation system is working. In the spring we will have to find a new nursery to provide plants at a discount with a billing option since Enchanted Gardens closed.

Bosque: Gardens there are holding their own. …Community Gardens’ Education: Russ Boor proposed that we need to put something together to explain different aspects of gardening including

how to prepare the soil ahead of planting time so it is ready to grow when the seeds are planted (compost etc. takes time to break down). There is so much interest in this topic right now and more community gardens will be started in the fall. Jeff said this would be a good write up for the newspaper. Roberta mentioned a class on container gardening etc. would be good for apartment dwellers etc. Jeff has done a class on container gardening last spring for the Home and Garden show.

…Mesilla Valley Bosque (Joan Woodward)- MV Bosque is working with Dutch researchers on wick-type planting. This involves using water boxes for places where it is hard to supply irrigation. Groasis waterboxx is one of the water boxes available. Information is found on the Internet at www.groasis.com. The Bosque is also celebrating the recent changes allowing people to sell their water rights to others. Updates on the trees of the Bosque Nova show that since the river is down considerably, that 30-50 of the trees have died. However there is an understory of plant life coming up. They are working with Ewing to install 12,000 feet of drip irrigation for times when the river water is not available.

OTHER ISSUES: • MG Shirts/Caps – Sherm reported that these items would be delivered today. After the meeting you may pick up them up from Kari Getkin. • Southern New Mexico State Fair – October 1-5, 2014 – Veterans Bldg. 9am-9pm every day- David and Gail Ross noted that they have signup

sheets in the back for shifts during this event. We will have an additional booth at the fair this year with information on gardening. Since this event is our opportunity as MGs with our greatest public exposure, we need to think ahead about seminars we may wish to present, decoration (Ruth has some people working on mobiles to hang over our area in the building) and about getting cut flowers and pots with flowers this year. We are in charge of fruits, veggies and flora culture. The painting of the pegboard looks very nice.

• Food Policy Council: Debra – The Urban Agriculture working group is working on an Urban Agriculture Ordinance for the City of Las Cruces. This would include guidelines for what is possible and allowable for gardening, livestock, farmer markets, etc. in the City. Information was handed out and a template letter was included so we may write the Mayor or City Council to promote this endeavor.

• R-Cubed (Joan Woodward) Composted pecan shells and manure is available at other times of the year other than just fall and spring. Minutes Continued on Page 25


!

July 9, 2014 Monthly MG Meeting Minutes—Continued from Page 24 OLD/NEW/CONTINUING PROJECTS: • 4 H Contests –State contest is July 15 in LC – Gail, David and Linda have volunteered to help with this. Eileen also volunteered so we still need 2

more people. Please talk to Jeff, as Juliet is ill. • Onion Field Day – July 16- 8 am – 12pm – Volunteers need to bring baked good made with onions. Jeff is bringing a cake and Gail is bringing

onion bread. • Native Plant Society of New Mexico – Annual Conference – August 1-2, 2014 – Friday and Saturday events will be at the Canutillo High School,

6675 Desert Blvd. Information being passed around. Also available on line. There will be interesting classes and good information presented at the event.

• MG 2014 Student Classes – The new Intern classes will be beginning on August 21 and run through December 11, 2014. • National Night Out – August 5 –Jeff commented that this is an annual family event from 5 pm for 3-4 hours where we give out information. We used

a popsicle craft in the past; if anyone has ideas for the craft please talk to Jeff. • Butterfly Flutterby – August 16 from 8:15-12pm – Hope Movsesian - Volunteers are needed for this event held at the Chihuahuan Nature Park and

sponsored by the Asombro Institute. Hope will schedule a craft day prior to the event. Please sign up in the back for the event. • NM MG State Meeting – This event is held every two years and this year it will be in Los Alamos. Information is on the website about the speakers

and program. Signups are now. • Advanced Weather Spotters Class – September 17, 2014 (9:00am – 11:30 am) Alberta Morgan explained that in order to take this class you must

have taken the basic class and you must bring your weather spotter station # to the class. If you are currently in a class, you may also attend. She also thanked the CoCoRaHS participants because the information that is provided by the participants is going to more groups than ever before. This information is critical to saving people, property etc. It is also beneficial if we report the rain as it is occurring so they can see what is happening on a real time basis. On August 12, 2014 there will be a class in Deming – they haven’t had one for a year.

Thank you to Solange & Eric Graham, Eileen Roberts and Marjie Snell for providing our meeting refreshments. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM: Ornamental Chiles

PRESENTER: Danice Coon, Senior Research Specialist, Chile Pepper Institute "

NEXT MONTHLY MEETING, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13TH AT BRANIGAN LIBRARY, ROADRUNNER ROOM

Our meeting time is 9:15am to 11:30am

As of September 11, 2013, per MG request, Hotline duty signups will no longer

be listed in this Magazine. As of 1/8/14, we now can sign up for Hotline Duty online at the same website location where we now record our Volunteer Service hours.

Connect to link: http://aces.nmsu.edu/county/donaana/mastergardener/ and click on Volunteer Hours Logging and you can click on either:

“Go to my log sheets” or “Go to my Calendar” We are very grateful to Eric Graham, Certified MG, for donating many

hours to create this great new resource for MGs. Thank you!

!

MASTER GARDENER HOTLINE DUTY

IMPORTANT: Please remember to be present on your assigned date for the Hotline. If another MG forgets, please give him or her a

“reminder” call. Be sure to get a copy of the Subs List, for your information. As of Monday, March 11, 2013, the Doña Ana County Extension Office hours changed to 9am–12 for

receiving public phone calls and office visits Monday through Friday. However, Hotline volunteers will still be on duty from 9am to 1pm on Tuesdays and Fridays.

URGENT: We need at least 2 MGs at each Hotline Day, but please no more than four MG volunteers max as there is not enough room in the Hotline Office. Please consider volunteering for at least one, four-hour assignment to ensure we have adequate coverage for our Hotline. Thank you for your help.

master gardeners at mesilla valley bosque, doña ana county, arizona, use groasis waterboxx to save...

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