A Publication of the Howard County Master Gardeners

September 2013

From Georgia’s Desk

Though the contact data from the How-

ard County Fair is not yet available, we do have

the information from the Live Green Grow Green

event at the Fair on Sunday, August 4. We con-

tacted 118 people (21 youth, 97 adults). The GIEI

exhibit, including a salad box, constituted our

“green” display. Our thanks to Gul Behsudi,

Karen Kobel, Donna LaBelle, Kathy Rosendale,

JoAnn Russo and Sharon Smith for staffing the

exhibit, and Gul and JoAnn for taking and return-

ing it to UME- great team! Speaking of the Fair, a

note of thanks to Barbara Griggs, Rose Marie

Meservey and Michele Wright for creating and

setting up the exhibit in our usual area. Michele

was also responsible for securing staff for the

exhibit- many thanks.

It is with sadness that I share news of the

death of one of our Emeritus MGs, Bob

Tucker, who died in July. Bob was a member of

the class of 1983 and was a dedicated and knowl-

edgeable compost “master” at Centennial Park.

He also knew much about vegetable gardening

and visiting his property in Clarksville was a fun

and informative event.

We have embarked on a new adventure

related to on-site water management. Versar, an

environmental restoration company, located on

Rumsey Road has asked us to work with some of

their staff in developing a landscape design for the

building. (Versar is moving from one end to the

other end of their current building.) There is also a

flood control area off the parking lot which will be

re-done. This collaborative effort is the first com-

mercial property under the B-W program. In addi-

tion to the opportunity to work with a commercial

organization, this site will give visibility to on-site

water management and use of native plants. The

property is heavily trafficked by people participat-

ing in other businesses in this area. The second

meeting, on August 6, included four of the Versar

staff, and Jim Caldwell, Howard County Stormwa-

ter Manager, who is encouraging the development

of demonstration on-site water management on

commercial properties. Many thanks to Pat Hooker,

Agila Kumar, Irene MacDonald, Alison Milligan

and Beth Blum-Spiker for their time and effort in

working on this project.

Hope you are enjoying the summer- at least

irrigation is not a problem!

Georgia Eacker

Master Gardener Coordinator

410-313-1913

geacker@umd.edu

University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national origin.

Educating People to Help Themselves

HOWARD COUNTY ∙ 3300 NORTH RIDGE ROAD, ∙SUITE 240, ELLICOTT CITY, MD 21043

HOWARD COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ∙ (410) 313-2707 ∙ FAX (410) 313-2712

www.mastergardener.umd.edu/local/howard/index.cfm

LOOSELEAF

September 2013 Looseleaf 2 Howard County Master Gardeners

September 2013 Looseleaf 1 From Georgia’s Desk 3 Mt Pleasant 5 Conservation Stewardship 6 GIEI 7 News From State Office

Suzette Holiday, MG, Editor webbrats@hotmail.com 410-903-6809

Please submit items for the October Looseleaf by

Thursday, Septem-ber 12

New Law Designed to Improve Bay Health

Did you know? As of October 1, 2013, Maryland has a

new law that regulates both commercial lawn care pro-

fessionals and homeowners who apply fertilizer to their

lawns. The intent of the new law is to prevent excess

nutrients from entering the Chesapeake Bay where Ni-

trogen and Phosphorous (key components in lawn fer-

tilizers) contribute to the growth of algae blooms. This

algae blocks sunlight from reaching underwater grasses

inhibiting their growth. (Bay grasses are important be-

cause they provide food and habitat for aquatic life,

absorb and filter nutrients and pollution and add oxy-

gen to the water.) And then, when the algae dies, it

sucks whatever oxygen is left from the water creating

“dead zones” devoid of underwater life…yup, that

means no fish or crabs! Find out more about the law

and how it may affect you by downloading more infor-

mation from the Maryland Dept of Agriculture at http://

mda.maryland.gov/Pages/fertilizer.aspx

BY HOLLY MCFARLAND, MG

Bee and Pollinator Legislation Introduced in Congress

Representative Earl Blumenauer and Congressman John Conyers have just introduced H.R.

2692, Save America's Pollinators Act. The European Union has a two year moratorium on se-

lected pesticides that may be implicated in the loss of so many thousands of bees in their coun-

tries. We too are losing our bees and pollinators in vast numbers. This bill represents the initial

legislative steps needed to address this very serious concern throughout our country.

If you are interested in supporting H.R. 2692, please email Representative Earl Blumenauer

at blumenauer.house.gov and/or Congressman Conyers at conyers.house.gov telling them you

support H.R. 2692.

For the bill itself please see:

http://beta.congress.gov/113/bills/hr2692/BILLS-113hr2692ih.pdf

SUBMITTED BY CORLISS GLENNON

September 2013 Looseleaf 3 Howard County Master Gardeners

Doings at the Howard County Conservancy at Mt. Pleasant

The Conservancy demonstration garden is

growing well. The tomatoes are overflowing their 5

foot high cages and are finally producing red tomatoes.

Several of the Mortgage Lifter variety have been well

over a pound. As of the beginning of August we have

supplied 134 pounds of cabbage, squash, tomatoes and

other crops to the Howard County food bank. If you

have excess produce that you don’t know what to do

with, feel free to bring it over and we will see that it

gets distributed. Our resident ground hog family has

also been back and we are again trying the ammonia

solution. It has kept them at bay for the past three

weeks. We continue to work on Friday mornings from

8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Come join us any Friday

that it is not raining. As you divide your native perenni-

als for fall, remember the Conservancy plant sale at the

beginning of October. We would appreciate having any

divisions that you have as excess.

Saturday, September 14, the Conservancy will

be holding a Family Hike starting at 10:00 a.m. Hikes

will be led by Conservancy naturalists and last approxi-

mately an hour. Free.

Sunday, September 22, the Conservancy will be

hosting a Fall Equinox Celebration with a Twilight hike

and Campfire. From 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. enjoy a Family

Program. Participants will hike to our outdoor class-

room and campfire area and listen to stories and songs

about the fall equinox while roasting marshmallows

and enjoying s’mores. Then, hike back in time to watch

the sunset at 7:05 p.m. An Adult Campfire and Music

Program will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Partici-

pants will learn about the equinox, hike to the campfire,

and enjoy s’mores. All are encouraged to bring their

acoustic instrument and share songs with others. Cost is

$5 per person or $10 per family.

The Conservancy trails are open dawn to dusk 7

days a week. Come out to hike the trails and see what

is currently in bloom on the property. Check for addi-

tional information on upcoming activities on the web-

site (www.hcconservancy.org).

BY JO ANN RUSSO, MG AND TABBY FIQUE, MG

MG Irene Hillen spoke with many citizens of Howard County at the Fair. Photograph by Mi-chael Baker.

September 2013 Looseleaf 4 Howard County Master Gardeners

Nutritious delicious figs (ficus carica) from the

tree—easy to grow, few diseases, and easy to propagate.

Fresh figs have a unique taste and texture: sweet and

chewy with crunchy seeds. California grows the most figs

in the USA and they sell the most dried figs. Sumerian

stone tablets dating back to 2500BC record the usage of

figs. Fresh figs are picked when soft and ripe but only

stay fresh for (3) days but dried figs can be stored for (6-8)

months.

Nutrution: 34--74 calories each, folate, niacin, pan-

tothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, thiamin, manganese,

selenium, zinc, carotene, lutein-zeaxanthin, flavonoids, B-

complex, -- antioxidants. Research studies suggest that

chlorogenic acid in figs help lower blood sugar levels and

controls blood glucose levels in type II diabetes. The

small seeds in the fig are not readily

digested making it a comfortable laxa-

tive especially in the elderly.

Easy to grow: There are over 200 dif-

ferent types of figs in the USA. Nurser-

ies here sell self-pollinating fig trees. In

the Mediterranean area the fruits are

pollinated by a special fig wasp that lays

her eggs in the fig, but the wasp is not in

the USA. I own two Brown Turkey fig

trees and one Black Mission fig tree

(named after the California Franciscan

mission dating to 1770). My trees are

self pollinating. The Brown Turkey fig

has two harvests; the early breba crop

producing acid fruits inferior to the main sweet, fat plump

brown figs in mid summer.

Plant your fig tree like any other tree but allow 10

to 20 feet horizontal expansion and 10 to 20 feet in height.

Plant in partial to full sun in a good draining soil. Do not

fertilize—the nitrogen causes excessive branching, and

small immature fruit with inadequate taste. While planting

wear gloves—the white milky substance (latex) leaks from

fallen leaves or cuts in the tree bark and is very irritating to

the skin. Harvest is June thru October. Trees bear fruit for

15 years plus. Stop watering after the last harvest. Prune

heavily in the fall/winter to remove buds of the early sea-

son (breba) crop thus increasing a fruitful second crop of

fat, sweet, plump figs. Pick fresh fruit when the fig starts

to droop, is soft to the touch, and the little split on the bot-

tom is pink. Most fig trees can tolerate our Maryland win-

ters in zones 7 thru 9. The new hybrids are exceptionally

tolerant of our winters.

Container-grown fig trees: Fig trees love to be contained

as the roots are restricted, thus strength and energy for a

plentiful crop. Use equal parts of soilless potting mix

(ProMix), add a cupful of pelletized lime, and into this mix

add 2 cups of 5-10-5 granular fertilizer and keep watered.

As the plant becomes dormant (deciduous-leaves fall off),

bring the plant into a cool garage or basement with no sun

give the plant two cups of water a month. In February or

March the leaves will start to grow back, move the plant

into a cool space with some light. Come spring bring the

plant outside after the last frost. Usually, the tree will bear

fruit the first year. Repot and prune the roots every two

years.

Propagation: Take 12 inch cuttings, dip in root medium

and plant. But, the easiest method is air layering. Take a

lower branch still attached to the fig

tree, dig a small gutter in the soil, lay

the branch in the trench, strip off the

leaves and nick the bark, then cover

with soil and secure with a weight.

Every few weeks check for root growth

and when you see roots cut the branch

from the mother plant and pot it up or

transfer to your garden. Fig trees are

not heavy feeders, but if growth is slow

in the container, you can use limestone

chips as mulch and apply a regular tree

fertilizer. Pruning is done in the

fall and winter. Prune to an outward

facing bud allowing plenty light and air

circulation in the tree.

Diseases: Protect fig trees from root-knot nematodes using

lots of mulch or a nematicide. High humidity invites scale

insects—scrape off the bark. Pick off and destroy leaves

infected with rust.

History: Fig trees are not native to the Americas, but be-

lieved to be native to western Asia and later transplanted

to the Western Hemisphere by the Spaniards in the 16th

century. Trees thought to be first cultivated in Egypt, then

spread to ancient Crete and then in the 9th century to

Greece where they became a food staple. In Rome figs

were thought to be sacred fruit. According to Roman

myth, the wolf that nurtured the twin founders of Rome,

Romulus and Remus, rested under a fig tree. Only 29

types of figs were known at that time.

Browse the internet or library for recipes for nu-

merous delicious fig deserts.

BY JANMARIE WMS-NGUYEN, MG

Figs

September 2013 Looseleaf 5 Howard County Master Gardeners

Middle Patuxent Environmental Area Conservation Stewardship Project

Although our Master Gardener volun-

teers have had a 2-month summer break, those

prolific invasive species at the Middle Patux-

ent Environmental Area (MPEA) surely have

not. So…it’s back to work again on Tuesday

morning September 24 for our “Tenacious De

-vining” event. We’ll meet at 9:00 a.m. at the

Southwind Circle trailhead and proceed to

Clegg’s Meadow to liberate the surrounding

hardwoods from whatever they’ve been

“tangling” with. If some cooperative Mon-

archs are in the area, Cheryl Farfaras, Natural

Resources Director, MPEA will describe their

natural history and oversee capture, tagging

and release. You would never believe that a

tiny dot placed on a butterfly wing could pro-

vide useful scientific data. Watch for the flyer

in September to learn more about this pro-

gram.

We had a substantial audience on June

25 to greet Dr. Vanessa Beauchamp, a Japa-

nesewavyleaf basketgrass expert from Tow-

son University. She answered all questions

and gave advance notice of a future public

education program. Meanwhile. If you are

interested, here’s the link to the site with the

cell phone app for tracking the presence/

absence of Wavyleaf basketgrass

http://skappsrv.towson.edu/wavyleaf/website/

BY AYLENE GARD, MG

Dr. Vanessa Beauchamp explains the Wavyleaved basketgrass study to prospective participants. Pho-tograph: Aylene Gard

Lisa Wingate on left and Gayle Hill holding that nasty plant wavyleaf basketgrass. Photograph: Aylen Gard

September 2013 Looseleaf 6 Howard County Master Gardeners

Monarch, Mantises, and More...

About 4 years ago, I planted 2 butterfly

weeds in my back yard. One day, I noticed a Mon-

arch caterpillar happily munching on 1 of the

plants. I didn’t know it was a Monarch, though, so

re-located it about 10 yards away while I called

someone to identify it. I was told it was a Monarch

and the butterfly weed was in the milkweed family,

a host plant (I didn’t know that then either). I then

returned to the place where I had left it and was

amazed to see it, and a friend, back on the plant,

chewing. Not wanting my plants to be totally de-

voured, I drove them to HCC and deposited them

on a milkweed. Since then my butterfly weeds

have flourished but I haven’t seen any more Mon-

arch caterpillars.

Fast forward to last week when I noticed,

from the front porch, a small Monarch caterpillar

on 1 of my many milkweeds. I watched for a few

days as it chewed carefully along the leaf mar-

gins, gradually consuming five sets of leaves and

working its way down the stalk. One day I was

able to look down at him and could actually see

him munching deliberately along. Then the sad

part. Next day, I opened the front door and there

was a dead caterpillar, completely deflated, on my

door sill. There was a feather nearby. Birds were

supposed to avoid Monarch caterpillars and I

hoped the bird that sucked him dry was having

very bad stomach cramps. Pessimistically I in-

spected the nearby plant and there was “my” (at

least I thought so) caterpillar. I was happy that he

was now on the underside of the leaf, hidden from

any predators. Great, I thought.

Alas, alack, the next day he was gone and

then I saw a praying mantis on a nearby milkweed.

Unfortunately, this was not the happy ending I en-

visioned.

BY AYLENE GARD, MG

For the third year in a row, we had a GIEI exhibit at the environmental venue at the Howard County Fair on

August 4. This year the event was called Live Green, Grow Green. Many thanks to the volunteers passing out

seed packs and information and answering questions from interested fairgoers: Jo Anne Russo, Sharon Smith,

Kathy Rosendale, Karen Kobel, Donna LaBelle, and Gul Behsudi.

BY JERRY KISSEL, MG

September 2013 Looseleaf 7 Howard County Master Gardeners

News From State Office

MG Class Announcement: Plant Diseases

This has been a great year for plant diseases. Our last MG Advanced training class for the year on this

topic will be September 5 in Howard County.

PLANT DISEASES

UME Howard County - 3300 Ridge Rd. #240, Ellicott City 21043

Thursday 9/5 9:30-3:30 pm

Presenter: Dave Clement, Ph.D., Plant Pathologist, University of MD Extension

Registration Fee: $35; Registration Deadline: 8/29

Plant diseases often seem like exotic mysteries left up to the experts to solve. Well, guess what- we MG’s can

now begin to unravel some of these mysteries ourselves. In this course you’ll learn all about the bacteria, fungi

and viruses that cause plant problems. You’ll also learn about their symptoms, cycles and controls. In addition

to the lecture and handouts you will get hands-on training using samples. We hope that you’ll feel comfortable

enough with the basics of plant diseases to be able to recognize problems in your own gardens and to use the

information to competently help clients at plant clinics.

To register, please send $35 (check or credit card) payable to the University of MD. Please include all of your

contact information and the name of the class you want to take. You may use the registration form, if it is easier

for you. Please send to MG Classes, 12005 Homewood Rd., Ellicott City, MD 21042.

SUBMITTED BY ROBIN HESSEY

Cedar Apple Rust Gall, top, and Brown Rot on Flowering Cherries, at right.