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- To fertilize spring blooming bulbs with a 5-10-5 or its equivalent. Remove foliage after it yellows.
- To plant tender bulbs such as calla lily, dahlia and gladiolus. Daffodil "clumps" with few or no flowers should be divided after the foliage yellows. Replant immediately.
- To fertilize roses and apply fungicide for black spot control.
- To apply mulch 2-3" deep, keeping it away from woody tissue and plant stems. Avoid "mulch madness" and mulch "volcanoes"!
- To start a compost pile. It's good for the environment and great stuff for gardens.
- To give some houseplants a summer outdoors. When night temperatures stay above 50 degrees, place them in the shade, gradually moving them to their preferred light requirements.
- To fertilize lawns. Ideal timing for the first application is early to mid May, after the natural "spring flush" is past.
- To thin-out (not shear) spring blooming shrubs. Prune now to maintain size and retain natural growth forms.
- To consider preventative lawn grub treatments if you have experienced grub injury in the past 2 years.
- To look for tent caterpillars
and remove by hand. Cut bagworm bags off evergreens as needed.
What
is a Penn State Master Gardener ??
By Scott Guiser, Extension Educator-Horticulture
You've probably heard the term…Master Gardener. Sounds impressive...and it is. Master Gardeners are an impressive group of folks. Not just because of their horticultural knowledge…most Master Gardeners are rather humble about their title and will readily admit that they don't "know it all.
What is impressive about this group is that they are dedicated enough to participate in a 40 hour course of training and then…commit themselves to sharing what they learned with others as volunteers for Penn State's Cooperative Extension Service. First-year Master Gardeners provide 50 hours of service, after this it is 20 hours per year.
They also commit themselves to continual update training and document that they have achieved eight hours of independent study each year.
Sound interesting? Well, we are recruiting a new crop of MG trainees for the session that will begin in late August of 2007 and end in early December 2007. Training will be conducted on consecutive Wednesday evenings from 6 - 9 p.m. The first seven weeks will be in held at the Montgomery County office in Creamery, PA and the second seven weeks in Bucks County at Neshaminy Manor Center in Doylestown.
Each night a different horticultural subject is taught. Trainees receive a comprehensive notebook with a chapter devoted to each subject. A final exam and very short presentation are the final aspects of the training requirements. Since we started the program in 1990 no one has failed.
There is a good chance that you've met a Penn State Master Gardener. Maybe it was at one of the dozens of composting workshops we have conducted. (Master Gardeners of Pennsylvania received the Governor's Award for Excellence in Environmental Education in 2001). Maybe you participated in a workshop or kids gardening program at the Bucks Beautiful Garden Fair. (Master Gardner's received the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce "Laurel Award" for Meritorious Service in 1998). Perhaps you attended a lecture that was provided by our Master Gardeners' Speakers Bureau or had a question answered by a Master Gardener who volunteers one day a week on our horticulture Hotline in the Extension office.
Currently, we have more than 80 volunteers in the program. Their activities are coordinated by Sue Schneck and the program is overseen by Scott Guiser, both Penn State employees. We are part of a larger Master Gardening program. Master Gardening is a volunteer program conducted nationwide by Land Grant Universities such as Cornell, Rutgers and other leading agricultural institutions. In 2006, Pennsylvania Master Gardeners contributed 90, 069 volunteer hours state-wide.
Want more information? We will conduct an orientation meeting for all prospective Master Gardner trainees on Thursday, May 31 from 6-8 p.m. at Neshaminy Manor Center, Doylestown. We'll answer questions about the program and provide an opportunity to sign up for an interview. Interviews are used to select the 15 people who will enter training this fall. See our affirmative action statement on the back of this newsletter to be assured that we are committed to diversity in all aspects of Penn State work. Call our office (215-345-3283) if you'd like to attend the May 31 meeting. If you have any additional questions, call our office and ask for Sue Schneck or Scott Guiser.
MASTER GARDENER CORNER The Master Gardeners of Bucks County will be having their annual plant sale Saturday, May 5 rain or shine! The sale is in front of the Health Building at the corner of Almshouse Road and Route 611 from 9 AM to 3 PM. This year, in addition to a great assortment of annuals, perennials and woodies, we are adding two new plant categories; Water Garden plants and Mothers Day plants. We will also be offering a wider selection of vegetables and herbs. Master Gardeners will be on-hand all day to answer any gardening questions and help with your plant selections. All proceeds from the plant sale are used to support the Master Gardener program in our mission to educate the public about good gardening practices. Cash or checks please, we cannot accept credit cards. Please join us!
If you are new to the area or just want to meet other gardeners, Cooperative Extension maintains an updated list of garden clubs that meet in Bucks County, as well as a few specialty clubs. If you'd like a copy, or want to add your club information to the list, please call the office at 215-345-3283.
Spring Gardening Seminars
- Neshaminy Manor Center
All seminars are $3, please register as space is limited (215-345-3283).
May 17, 7 PM Ray Hendrick, Bucks County Master Gardener
"We Have Met the Enemy, and He is Us". Ray will entertain and educate us about issues of environmental sustainability where we can make a difference. Cost: $3, please register as space is limited (215-345-3283).June 12, 7 PM Mary Ellen Noonan, Bucks County Conservation District, "Rain Gardens".
Learn how to beautify those pesky wet areas while helping to purify your runoff. Cost: $3, please register as space is limited (215-345-3283).
Bucks County Household Hazardous Waste Recycling
The following lists are the dates and locations for the Bucks County Household Hazardous Waste Recycling days. All locations are open 9 AM to 3 PM, rain or shine. For more information on what you can bring or for directions to these sites, go to www.BucksCounty.org and click on Recycling in Bucks County on the right side. Or you can call 215-345-3414.
- May 12 - Lower Makefield Corporate Center, South Campus (770 Township Line Rd.-Lower Makefield Township)
- June 9 - Upper Bucks County Area VoTech School (3115 Ridge Rd.-Bedminster Township)
- July 14 - Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (2740 Old York Rd.-Rt. 263)-Warwick Township)
- August 18 - Bucks County Technical High School (610 Wistar Rd.-Bristol Township)
- September 29 - Quakertown Community Pool (Mill Street-Quakertown) Borough)
Parts of Bucks County experienced heavy Gypsy Moth feeding last year. This pest can defoliate trees in a single season and can be quite destructive. Individual trees can be treated by skilled arborists. Call us if you'd like a list of arborists who are certified by the International Society of Arboriculture. Expect this pest to begin feeding in early May.
Where many trees
or even acres of trees are being affected, there is no simple solution.
Aerial spraying is limited to large acreages (25 or more). We do have
a list of aerial applicators if you fit the description. There is no
"county spraying program" like we had in the early 1980's.
Although there are hot spots, the level of infestation did not rise
to the level at which state and county governments get involved. Don't
confuse gypsy moth with nest making caterpillars such tent caterpillars
or web worms. For the full story go to: http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/gypsymoth.htm
or call us for a gypsy moth fact sheet.
or give us a call and we'll send you a copy via snail mail.
May 15 is the "frost free" date for most of Bucks County. Some areas in the northern parts of the county might still catch a frost after May 15. Although those colorful annuals you see at the farmers markets right now are so tempting, to be safe, don't plant them outside until after May 15. Bring them home and "harden them off" before planting. Also delay planting cold-sensitive vegetable plants, such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, or direct -seeding of beans or vine crops, until May 15 or later.
Scott Guiser,
Extension Educator/Horticulture
and
Sue Schneck, Master Gardener Coordinator
This page last updated Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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