Most vegetable gardeners have seed orders in hand and will soon be starting some plants with an eye toward the brighter days ahead. With that in mind, we’ve included a chart (below in tips) with suggested times for indoor seed starting and transplanting seedlings into the garden.
Although Wayne County remains in the NYS quarantine our ash trees have yet to show Emerald Ash Borer infestation. That’s good news for us as many of us have Ash in our yards, along streets or in woodlots. There are Emerald Ash Borer infestations in Monroe County.
We are currently seeking applicants for our Master Gardener Volunteer program. For more information you can contact Laurie at 331-8415 ext. 107 or e-mail us at mgwayne@cornell.edu There’s also an article about the Master Gardener Program at the end of this e-mail.
Below we have included information about our upcoming events, garden and landscape tips for February, and two articles from our Master Gardeners.
Upcoming events
Gardening Hotline: During the winter months we receive many questions about insect pests inside homes, tree and shrub pruning and questions from people who want advice that will help them avoid problems they’ve had in their gardens and landscapes in the past. If you have a question please leave it on our voicemail 331-8415 ext. 107 or e-mail us at mgwayne@cornell.edu Please leave a daytime phone number where we can reach you with any additional questions we may have.
Master Gardeners are a great resource for new gardeners and for troubleshooting home garden and landscape problems including weeds, lawn issues, wildlife, insect pests and plant diseases along with control recommendations. Plant and insect samples can be brought to the office for identification or diagnostic work. During non-hotline hours you can leave your sample with our secretary or in the drop box at the end of the building. Please put insects in a sealed plastic container (so they won’t get crushed) and plant samples in sealed plastic bags. Remember to label them with your name and daytime phone number where we can reach you. We also offer soil pH testing (cost is $3 per sample) and can help you with soil test interpretation.
Saturday, May 11: CCE Wayne County Master Gardener’s 24th Annual Plant Sale – more information will be provided as we get closer to this event.
Info for woodlot owners: Free Woodlot Visits: Call 331-8415 ext. 107 to schedule a free woodlot site visit. These free site visits typically last up to 3 hours with our Master Forest Owners providing woodlot management information to Wayne County woodlot owners including best management practices for achieving management goals. During the visit our MFO’s can also provide you with additional sources for assistance and information.
For information and webinars on forest health visit www.cornellforestconnect.ning.com.
Monthly garden and home grounds tips
Many factors including infectious disease can cause browning of conifer needles but winter browning is a common cause. Evergreen trees continue to produce energy from sunlight throughout the winter, which requires water. If these trees do not have sufficient stores of water from the fall to last through the winter, they may dry out and their needles turn brown. Frequent freeze/thaw cycles, cold temperatures, and rapid temperature changes increase the rate of drying. This browning may appear more pronounced on the sunny (south and west) sides of the tree. Winter browning typically becomes visible in late winter or early spring. Evergreens near roads may also turn brown in the winter due to exposure to road salts.
Houseplant growth is at its slowest during the winter months, so keep fertilization to a minimum until the plants show signs of new growth. Keep plants away from heat sources which will cause excessive drying also keep leaves clean and dust free.
For winter interest, choose plants such as holly, winterberry, and viburnum, which are not only colorful, but also have berries that attract birds. Winter-blooming witch hazels, red twig dogwood, and hellebores are also good choices when adding interest to the winter landscape. For additional color, add some early-blooming bulbs, such as scilla, snowdrops, grape hyacinth, and crocus.
Most deciduous trees can be pruned at any time during the dormant period (Maple and birch are pruned after they leaf out). Delay pruning spring-flowering shrubs such as forsythia and lilac until after they bloom. Summer blooming shrubs are pruned while dormant.
You can test the germination rate of old seeds by placing some in a moist paper towel placed into a plastic bag. Put the bag in a warm location and check for seed germination in a few days.
Some vegetables such as beans, beets, carrots, and radishes are best planted by directly sowing the seeds into the garden. Check seed packages or contact us for recommended planting dates.
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