The Real Dirt January 2019

EMG=Extension Master Gardener
AEMG=Advanced Extension Master Gardener

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President's Letter

Becoming Greener
by Michele Worden, AEMG, MGANM President

This morning I celebrated the Winter Solstice by planting tulip bulbs. It was raining gently and seemed more like spring than the start of winter. The rain made a change from pushing snow aside to plant tulips as I have done in previous years. It made me consider the changing environment and our impact.

My New Year’s resolution for 2019 is to be more Green.

By this I mean to be more Green among several avenues of endeavor. I already recycle and compost and I have now resolved to stop taking plastic bags at the grocery store and whenever possible to reduce my personal use of plastic.

I resolve to engage with something growing every week and get my hands in the soil. I have grow lights in my garage, but instead of just watering my plants and keeping them alive until spring, I resolve to propagate, transplant, and force bulbs. I resolve to pull my poor long-suffering amaryllis out of dark storage in January, rather than May. And I resolve to tackle the invasive species in my garden this spring.

We have an important presentation January 8 on Invasive Species. Emily Cook from the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network (ISN) will provide an update on the struggle to control invasive plants, and let us know where we may join the battle. We also have a fascinating program on February 5 on American Chestnuts and how hypovirulence is helping them make a come back. I attended this talk with Dennis Fulbright last year and it was standing room only. Hope you can join us!

Another way to be more Green is to make MGANM membership more digital and less paper-based. To that end, we now have an online encrypted Membership management software with Wild Apricot. We will be integrating the membership and event portion with our current website mganm.org. If you were a 2018 MGANM member, we have an account ready for you. About 20% of MGANM membership has already responded to their renewal email and paid for their 2019 membership online. For the rest, we have inputed paper payments and renewed those memberships that were mailed to us for the recognition luncheon.

I hope your resolution will be to help MGANM become Greener too. We will send an email about signing in and setting your password soon. Please sign in and review your profile and account. With your help, we hope to make the membership records much more accurate and up-to-date without wasting any paper. One of the fun things with this software is that you will now have a membership card that you can print at home.

Thank you for all you do!

New Year Resolutions for Gardeners

by Cheryl Gross, Advanced EMG

The turnover of the year, the fresh page on the calendar invites us to think anew. Many of us make New Year Resolutions such as to lose weight, save more, give more, exercise more, etc. Most of us forget or fail to change much. We are stuck in our very own ruts. Professionals suggest that the failure to keep our resolutions has more to do with how we shape or articulate those desires, than the rut we have carved. Resolutions, or goals, need to be concrete and measurable as well as reasonable in scope.

Throughout this issue of the Real Dirt, you will find resolution ideas to help you make an impact on your environment through gardening. They are concrete, measurable, and limited in scope. Which will you resolve to keep in 2019?

Gardens are for sharing!

Serve

Resolve to share your gardening knowledge with a neighbor

Studies have shown that gardening behaviors are most influenced by a neighbor more than anything else.

Share IPM techniques to reduce improper use of pesticides.
Discuss how mowing every 3 weeks is better for a healthy lawn.
Give away only your surplus native plants.
Water your yard wisely and show your neighbor how to use their irrigation system controls.

Resolve to engage in more MSU Webinars for Master Gardeners

Webinars are an easy-peasy way to keep current on the latest trends, research and knowledge in the gardening world. To stay informed, Certified MG’s are required to engage in 10 hour of professional education annually. Opportunities are offered at MGANM meetings, Master Gardener College, miscellaneous events offered locally through the conservation districts, DNR, etc and MSU Extension Webinars.

Nourish

Resolve to make Biochar
Burn brush and stop fire at char. Soak char in a solution of water/compost/ wormcastings to inoculate. Work into vegetable garden soil.

Resolve to keep a vegetable garden journal/log
Get a notebook. Enter dates of seeding/starter planting. Enter temperature and moisture information. Note any soil additives, insect activity (pollinators and pests). Measure crop yield. Make notes for 2020. Read here for ideas on how to keep a garden journal.

Resolve to make a mixed-use garden bed.
Add vegetable plants to a flower garden integrated into the soil or in pots to expand food production per land available. Potted plants allow for specific watering and soil amendment per plant type. (However, be cautious about over- head watering of entire bed.) Ideas of companion plants can be found here and here.

Resolve to add Michigan native plants to your landscape
Checkout websites to identify the best plants for pollinators, monarchs, and birds matched to your soil, moisture, and sunlight. Learn more about Michigan native plants using the pollinator resources and plant lists.

News & Events

MGANM

Invasive Species in Northern Michigan

Presented by Emily Cook, an Outreach Specialist for the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network. Tuesday, January 8th 2019, 6:30pm with a potluck at 6:00pm. The Boardman River Nature Center, 1450 Cass Road, Traverse City, MI 49685. Educational meetings are open to the public, and a $5 donation from non-members is appreciated.

American Chestnut & Hypovirulence
Presented by Dr. Carmen Medina, MSU. Tuesday, February 5th 2019, 6:30pm with a potluck at 6:00pm. (*please check back for dates, we are confirming with our speaker) The Boardman River Nature Center, 1450 Cass Road, Traverse City, MI 49685. Educational meetings are open to the public, and a $5 donation from non-members is appreciated. This is a joint event with Grand Traverse Conservation District

For more information visit mganm.org

The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park

While the gardens are closed until spring, classes are still being offered: Check out their website for more information:
https://thebotanicgarden.org/events/

Boardman River Nature Center

Winter Guided Hike at the Natural Education Reserve
February 2nd 2019, 9:30am - 12:00pm

American Chestnuts & Hypovirulence
February 5th 2019, 6:30pm - 8:00pm (*please check back for dates, we are confirming with our speaker)

Find out more information at natureiscalling.org/events

Steward

Resolve to use water wisely.
Add drip irrigation to vegetable gardens wherever possible. Reduce all over-head watering. To lessen the damage or disease caused by water sitting on leaves and target where the water needs to go… on the ground at the roots.

Learn how to turn off and adjust your lawn irrigation. Water frequently ONLY when temperature is high and natural moisture is low. Turn off completely during a rainy spell. Reduce frequency and time based upon Mother Nature.

Resolve to Take a Soil Test
Our plants do not need fertilizer (with the exception of potted plants in an artificial situation). However, our soil may need nutrients to support our plants. (did you catch the subtle distinction?) Therefore, resolve to take a soil test to understand the health of your soil. You may need different tests for lawn/turf grass and vegetable plots.

Resolve to amend your soil wisely
Our plants do not need fertilizer (with the exception of potted plants in an artificial situation). However, our soil may need nutrients to support our plants. (Did you catch the subtle distinction?) Therefore, resolve to take a soil test to understand the health of your soil. You may need different tests for lawn/turf grass and vegetable plots. Read here for further soil test instructions.

Add only the nutrients to your soil which are found deficient. Use only organic materials in your yard.

Books on the topic: Teaming with Microbes, by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis

Barbara's Christmas blessing

Beautify

My Christmas Blessing
Barbara Fasulo-Emmott, AEMG

Have you ever had a beautiful tree that had to be removed? Barbara's story about saving her spruce will warm your soul with the gift of Christmas

Engage with Trees
by Nancy Denison, AEMG

Plants have evolved from simple and single stemmed to sentinels with fissures, furrows, and ridges. How do we use these to identify trees? Read here for tips!

Flag designed by German art director Björn Karnebogen

Steward 2.0

Another doping scandal… in your yard
by Cheryl Gross, AEMG

You have read the headlines about performance enhancing drugs in baseball and cycling. The improvements to performance are temporary and the dangers are significant. Well, homeowners have been engaged in “doping’” their lawns and gardens for years and don’t even realize it. Most lawn “care’” products- - fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides- -act a lot like performance enhancing drugs. They may make your lawn “look” better, but the results are temporary and the side effects are serious. So what can you, the home gardener DO?

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