Charles County Master Gardeners
University of Maryland Extension
Charles County Office
9375 Chesapeake Street, Suite 119
La Plata Maryland 20646
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.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE COMPOST
THE COMPOST
Published quarterly by the Charles County Master Gardeners
University of Maryland Extension, Charles County Office, 9375
Chesapeake Street, Suite 119, La Plata, MD 20646
Phone: 301-934-5403—301-753-8195
Cindi Barnhart
Jessica Milstead
Betsy Parbuoni
Jessi Thibault
Carol Teets
Editor
Copy Editor
PDF Editor
Art, Mail
Writer, Mail
Janet McGrane
Elaine Miller
Anna Haugh
Larry Martin
Karol Dyson
Calendar
Mail
Mail
Mail
Advisor
Cover: March 1 Advanced Training with Dr. Gouin on Composting and
Fertilizer.
SPRING 2012
Did You Know?
From Carol Teets, Class of 2003:
In the Fall of 2011 the St. Mary's Arboretum Association was formed.
The Arboretum's primary purpose is to beautify and better the grounds
of St. Mary's College. For more information and a Calendar of Events
go to www.smcm.edu/arboretum/index.html.They even have a walking tour of the campus that can be accessed on your smart phone. To
download the Arboretum Walking Tour Map, go to www.smcm.edu/
arboretum/tour.html.
From Jessica Milstead, Class of 2002:
Are you a fan of the Fish & Wildlife Service’s Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed? Even if you have the beautiful printed version of this guide,
there’s a new website you should know about:
www.nativeplantcenter.net. This website appears to have the same
content as the book, but it’s searchable and some of the information
is a bit more detailed.
As best I can judge, they’re using the same photos as in the book, but
they’re larger and clearer. It’s easier to get a sense of what the plant
actually looks like. This one is going onto my Favorites list.
2
SPRING 2012
Did You Know?
2
The Right Plant in the Right Place Aids IPM
3
Dr. Frank Gouin Is a Fount of Information
4
Projects
Detention Center Spring Garden Begins Again
9
Project Briefs:
Dr. Samuel Mudd House
Nature Walks with Jessica
9
Green School Partnership
10
Christmas In April
11
Spring/ Summer Events
12
Staging the Scene For the Annual Plant Sale
13
Great Gardening With Advice from Dr. Gouin
14
Bay-Wise
15
Have You Ever Heard of a Straw Bale Garden?
18
Reporting Time Increments Under An Hour
19
MG Statewide Advanced Training — April thru June
20
Save The Date — MG Annual Training Day
22
Compost: A collection of unattractive materials
that, when mixed together and properly treated,
becomes something useful and enriching.
Submit articles, photos, reports, and other items to Cindi Barnhart by June 1, 2012
for publication in the Summer 2012 newsletter. Submit calendar items to Janet
McGrane by June 1, 2012. Articles and pictures may also be submitted at any time
for future publication.
23
TRAINING
(Continued from page 21)
PLANT DISEASES - ONE DAY WORKSHOPS
(offered at different locations)
Location: Wye Research and Education Center, Queenstown, MDDate: Tuesday, June 12; 9:30 am-3:30 pm
Registration Deadline: June 5
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN and full descriptions of every class
listed here and other available classes are found at the state MG
website: mastergardener.umd.edu
Click on “Advanced Training” on the left side of the page.
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Location: University of MD Extension, Derwood, MD
Date: September 5
Registration Deadline: August 29
Instructor: David Clement, Ph.D, Regional Specialist in Plant Pathology, Home and Garden Information Center, University of Maryland Extension
Registration Fee: $35
Class limit: 25
Pauline Spurlock, Sally Hopp, Mary Sims, Mike Vitanovec, and Mary Grant look
and listen while Dr. Mike Raupp (standing) educates our group on IPM.
The Right Plant in the Right Space Aids IPM
By Sue Brewer, Class of 2008
SAVE THE DATE
MG ANNUAL TRAINING DAY
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m.
University of Maryland College Park
• 33 wonderful workshops to choose from
• Laugh with the HGIC Players
• You can stay in one building the entire day, if you choose
• Pre-order and pick up all of your MG branded merchandise*
• Enjoy the fabulous trade show and purchase plants,
books, jewelry and more
Parking, breakfast and lunch included
$69 if you register by 4/30/12
($79 after that date)
*You must have all MG Merchandise orders in by April 30
Register online: mastergardener.umd.edu
click on Annual Training Day on the left.
22
Synthetic pesticides DDT, Orthene,
and Sevin were developed as
chemical weapons in World War II
and re-purposed for insect control. After the book The Silent
Spring was written by Rachel Carson, scientists took a better look
at DDT and eventually it was removed from the retail market. Dr.
Mike shared a story of one of his
professors who used to eat DDT
crystals in front of his classes to
show that the chemical in low
concentrations was not toxic. He
explained that as plankton ate the
DDT it became more concentrated
in their “bodies”. And as one species after another ate a smaller
organism on the food chain, the
On Friday, February 24, 2012,
Master Gardeners were invited by
Barbie Walter to sit in on one of
the MG Training classes held at
the Social Services Building at 200
Kent Ave. in La Plata. Dr. Mike
Raupp, of the Department of Entomology at UMD was giving a
lecture on Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Dr. Mike said that the first information related to monitoring an
insect pest on non-food crops can
be traced back to E. Leopold
Trouvelot who brought the gypsy
moth to America in the 1860’s to
use them in a “silk making plan”
that failed. The gypsy moths are
still with us!
(Continued on page 16)
3
TRAINING
(Continued from page 20)
SHADE TREES
Two Locations: Same Instructor
Location: Annapolis- St. Margaret's Church
Dates: Thursdays, July 19, 26, and August 2.
Times: 6-9pm
Registration Fees: $45
Registration Deadline: July 3
Dr. Frank Gouin speaks to a table of our new trainees at his March 1 training on
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Composting and Fertilizer.
Dr. Frank Gouin Is a Fount of Information
By Sue Brewer, Class of 2008
Composting started out as a hit or
miss proposition until the Clean
Water Act was enacted in 1968.
Then it turned into a science. Increased population and density of
cities began to demand creative
solutions for waste treatment and
so composting became big business.
REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPOSTING
TO WORK
Humans need around 21% oxygen
to survive compared to the 2-5 %
oxygen needed by the microorganisms in compost to work
properly. A steady supply of oxygen is accomplished by turning the
compost frequently.
Between 40% and 60% moisture is
also critical for compost success.
Dr. G. described the “sponge” test
Location: Baltimore City -Cylburn Arboretum
Dates: Wednesdays July 18, 25, and August 1.
Times: 6-9pm
Registration Fees: $45
Registration Deadline: July 11
Instructor: Wanda MacLachlan, Area Extension Educator
to evaluate the moisture content
of the compost pile. He said to
completely wet a sponge and
then squeeze it out. The feel of
the sponge at this point is about
50% moisture. If sponge feels dry,
you have below 40% moisture. If
sponge is still dripping, you have
60% or more moisture. Then feel
your compost! Dr. G. said he had
been doing this test for moisture
for more than 50 years and he
still has all his fingers intact!
WOODY PLANT CERTIFICATION
To get the Master Gardener Woody Plant Level II Certification you
must complete the following 5 courses:
One Plant ID/Taxonomy class and each of the four classes of Landscape Horticulture: 200 Common Landscape Plants
● Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
● Flowering Shrubs
● Ornamental Trees and Vines
● Shade Trees
It is recommended that you take the ID/Taxonomy course first, but
you can take the courses in any order and at any location.
Yard waste is the most common
addition to the home compost
pile. Dr. G. shared that a 20-25:1
ratio of carbon to nitrogen is the
most effective. He mentioned
that home gardeners have difficulty balancing the ratio due to
the fact that grass clippings and
Location: Robinson Nature Center, Columbia, MD
Dates: Thursdays, June 7 and June 14;
Time: 9:30 am-3:30 pm
Instructor: Michael J. Raupp, Ph.D., Professor and Extension Specialist, Entomology, University of Maryland
Registration Fee: $49
Registration Deadline: May 31
************************************************************
ENTOMOLOGY: ECOLOGICAL IPM
(Continued on page 22)
(Continued on page 5)
4
21
MG STATEWIDE ADVANCED TRAINING
May, June and August 2012
WOODY PLANT LEVEL II
CERTIFICATE CLASSES
Three of the four courses in the “Landscape Horticulture: 200 Common
Landscape Plants” will be offered this spring and summer in the series:
Flowering Shrubs, Ornamental Trees and Vines (2 locations), and Shade
Trees (2 locations).
FLOWERING SHRUBS
Location: Baltimore County Extension Center
Dates: Wednesdays May 30, June 6 and June 13 (Field trip on 6/13)
Time: 9:30 am-12:30 pm
Instructor: Wanda MacLachlan, Area Extension Educator
Registration Fees: $45
Registration Deadline: May 23
ORNAMENTAL TREES AND VINES
Two locations: (same basic class, different locations, speakers and
field trips)
Location: Charlotte Hall Library (St. Mary's county)
Dates: Tuesday, June 5, June 12, & June 19 (field trip)
Times: 10 am-1 pm
Instructor: Bob Stewart, UME Educator, Retired
Registration Fees: $45
Registration Deadline: May 30, 2012
Location: Harford County Extension
Dates: Wednesday, June 20, Thursday, June 21, 10 am-1 pm,
Friday, June 22, 9 am-12 noonField trips to- Manor View Farms, and Ladew Topiary Garden,
Instructor: Steve Dubik, MG Coordinator, Montgomery County, and
Professor, Montgomery College
Registration Fees: $48 (includes admission fees)
Registration Deadline: June 14, 2012
Suggested Textbook: Michael Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape
Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics.
(Continued on page 21)
GOUIN
leaves is difficult. They are hydrophobic. Dr. G. suggests filling
a 5 gallon bucket with water and
adding ¼ cup of the cheapest
dish detergent you can find. He
said that it is also helpful to add
a couple shovels full of garden
soil. This mix helps the water
adhere to the leaves, making for
a more effective composting process. He also mentioned that if
you can shred or break down the
leaves, composting is more efficient. Dr. G. said he used to enlist his children and their friends
for this process. He raked the
leaves and had the kids run
through, jump on and generally
break down the leaves.
(Continued from page 4)
downed leaves often don’t occur
at the same time. He shared that
commercial applications often
collect fall leaves in wind piles/
rows about 20 feet apart. The
next spring they make wind piles
of grass clippings between the
piles of leaves. When the length
of these rows matches, they mix
them and add water and an inoculate (medium which delivers
active micro-organisms to the
new pile….he suggests previous
compost as a source for this). He
said that if a person mixed a
bushel of shredded leaves and a
bushel of grass clippings, the result would be a ratio of 35-40:1
carbon to nitrogen .
DO NOT put yeast, sawdust, lime,
or fireplace ash on a compost
pile. For different reasons, each
interferes with composting process.
Compost needs a pH of 5.8 to 7.3
to be effective.
Phosphorus must be present for
compost to work.
Efficient compost piles can get
quite hot. Be sure to turn the
pile often and keep the water
level high so the pile doesn’t
burn.
CHALLENGES WHEN BEGINNING
TO COMPOST
Inoculate is needed to get started. Dr. G. suggested getting your
hands on some previously composted material to begin this process or it will take a long time for
micro-organisms to build up on
their own. This lengthens the
time necessary for the pile to
break down the organic material.
Generally, dog and cat waste
should not be used in compost
piles due to the danger of hookworms. If your compost temperature is 155 degrees or higher, you
can compost dog and cat waste,
weeds and tomatoes. This tem(Continued on page 6)
Trying to introduce water on dry
20
5
GOUIN
He mentioned that his preference
for weed control is to avoid
mulch altogether and apply horticultural vinegar which is 20% acetic acid. He said the vinegar is
very effective in controlling
weeds and it has low buffering so
it does not injure plants. He
named A.M. Leonard or Fleischmans online as sources of this
special vinegar. It is NOT the
same as the vinegar we get in the
supermarket.
(Continued from page 5)
perature is high enough to kill
typhoid, diphtheria, worms,
weeds and seeds. Warning: 155
degrees is very unusual in a backyard compost pile!
Cardboard can be composted in
small amounts. The glue used in
cardboard contains boron which
can be tolerated in small
amounts by plants.
Compost barrels work well in
warm weather but in cold weather, the organisms cease to work.
The barrel must be brought into a
warm place in the winter to keep
functioning e.g. a barn.
Pine needles are OK to use for
mulch for acid loving plants.
Rubber mulch is OK to use as it
leaches very little into the soil.
MULCH
Shredded cedar mulch is no better than other mulch despite its
tendency to repel insects. Dr. G.
said that the only major insects it
discourages are termites and termites do not live in mulch due to
the small size of mulch pieces.
Dr. G. warns about using hardwood or softwood mulches on
shallow rooted plants such as
azaleas, rhododendrons, boxwood, perennials, or annuals.
Many mulches are newly shredded materials and so leach nutrients from the soil or deposit a
large amount of manganese as is
the case with hardwood chips. He
named Big Red Mulch as one of
the worst as it comes from untreated shredded pallets.
Using grass clippings increases
nitrogen in soil but use sparingly
as thick applications don’t get
enough oxygen. This causes the
grass to go anaerobic and smell.
Do not use white marble or blue
stones to mulch shallow rooted
plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, boxwoods, annuals or perennials as these stones deposit
excess calcium that can kill or
weaken the plants.
Shredded leaves can be used to
mulch but for best results, deposit the leaves on the surface, do
not mix with soil. An inch to an
inch and a half is adequate.
Reporting Time Increments Under An Hour
Mail your volunteer log to:
By Pauline C. Spurlock
Record Keeper
University of Maryland Extension
Attn:
Charles County Master Gardeners
9375 Chesapeake Street
Suite 119
La Plata, MD 20646
According to the University of
Maryland Master Gardeners:
“If someone reports 2.5 hours, the
report will show that they have
2.5 hours. You can report any
number with up to two digits after
the decimal. Therefore, .25, .50,
and .75 are no problem, and will
show up on reports with the decimals.” You can now report your
volunteer activity hours in increments of less than one hour.
Fax: (301) 753-1857
Please do not email your hours.
Listed below are some volunteer
activity codes to use as your reference:
BAYWISE - 5
CAMP MERRICK - 8
CHRISTMAS IN APRIL - 7
CC DETENTION CENTER - 8
DR. MUDD PROJECT - 9
NANJEMOY CREEK – 4
NEWSLETTER (COMPOST-- 11
PLANT SALE – 11
T STONE HS Green Partnership
(teaching classes) – 6
T STONE HS Green Partnership
(green school advisory) - 7
ARTS FEST – 10
Your Volunteer Activity Logs for
the first quarter ending March
31, 2012, are due in the Extension Office.
Your logs can be mailed, dropped
off at the Extension Office, or
faxed.
STAGING
(Continued from page 18)
Table and Staging Materials Drop-off: April 21 – April 28
Plant Drop-off: April 29 - May 4 by 12:00 noon
Plant Sale Day: May 5
Please pick up your tables and materials at Barbie’s after the sale by
6 p.m. on Saturday May 5
(Continued on page 7)
6
19
Have You Ever Heard of a Straw Bale Garden?
By Brenda Elmore, Class of 2011
I’m really kind of curious about
it, so I think I’ll give it a try and
let you know how it’s going in the
next Compost. It might not be so
crazy after all, because before I
joined the Master Gardeners last
year, I had never heard of composting a cow (Dr. Gouin, UMD) or
growing potatoes in a laundry
basket, or growing salad in a box!
Gardeners get pretty creative
with their gardening and that’s
part of the fun. So someone show
me where to buy some bales of
straw and I’ll see what happens.
Happy gardening to you!
Looking for something a little different? Look into horticulturist
Joel Karsten’s method of gardening. His email is joelkarsten@comcast.net. You can
take a look at what his gardens
look like at the website
www.strawbalegardens.com. Unfortunately, he teaches his methods in Minnesota and Wisconsin,
but he has authored a book detailing how to garden without
weeds, without pesticides, and
with very little bending so it’s
good for seniors and the disabled.
STAGING (Continued from page 13)
All staging items need to be delivered to Barbie’s house April 2128, the week before plants begin
to be dropped off. People will be
dropping off their plants during
the entire week (April 29-May 4)
before the sale and we will need
the “tables” set up before the
plants arrive. If you would like to
help set things up on April 28,
please let me know by email or
phone so that I can contact you
with more information.
Plant Sale Day. Barbie has been
gracious enough to allow us to
use her yard as the staging area
for a week, and we don’t want
her to regret being so generous.
So if you lend things, make sure
you understand that we are just
borrowing them, and that you or
your representative must take
back the items by Saturday evening. That is why it is important
that you label them with your
name and phone number before
you drop them off. Thanks in advance for your help in continuing
to make our Master Gardener
Plant Sale a red-hot success!
One last thing--just as what goes
up, must come down, everything
you lend us for the plant sale
must be retrieved from Barbie’s
yard by the end of the day on
GOUIN (Continued from page 6)
If using compost, Dr. G. suggests
5% compost application to plants.
This amounts to an inch to an
inch and a half layer. At room
temperature, this is a release
rate of 8-9% nitrogen which is the
same as applying 50 pounds of
nitrogen per acre. You don’t need
fertilizer if this is done annually.
releases over an extended time
frame.
Fertilizers with coated nitrogen
make the nitrogen slow release
but the other nutrients are available immediately.
If you use a fertilizer with high
magnesium, don’t use lime with it
for a container application. This
combination is acceptable in a
field application.
Bio Cycle is a magazine that Dr.
Gouin recommended to find
sources of compost for home application. They track sources. He
mentioned Compro, Leaf Gro,
Argrow, and Leaf Pro.
In a “urea form” fertilizer, nitrogen is usually mixed with formaldehyde. Bacteria in the soil neutralize the toxicity of the formaldehyde.
If you notice small leaves or red
blotching on azaleas, look at
trace elements. Often, hardwood
mulch leaves a manganese toxicity in the soil.
CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity)
refers to the amount of organic
material available in soil. A sandy
soil, for example, would have low
CEC due to the limited organic
materials. Clay soil has a higher
CEC. It does take a lot more fertilizer and lime to make a change
but the clay soil retains the nutrients for a much longer time.
Home compost is good to use as
mulch but Dr. G. warns that 1 to
1.5 inches is adequate as a deeper application can cause it to become slimy.
Dr. G. noted that compost has 3
naturally occurring fungicides in
it. It can help to protect plants.
It’s CRITICAL to have a soil sample done before putting fertilizer
down. Dr. Gouin suggests cores of
6 inches for a lawn area. He suggests that you take at least half
a dozen samples, mix them together and then dry them out. He
sends a half pint of this soil for
testing. He uses A & L Labs in
FERTILIZERS
Dried blood, plant meal, seaweed, inorganic forms of nitrogen, Nutricoat, and Plantcoat all
have uses in the garden. Some
fertilizers have nitrogen which
(Continued on page 8)
(Continued on page 19)
18
7
GOUIN
are often combined in a single
bed, Dr. Gouin recommends using
an inch to an inch and a half of
compost instead of fertilizer
around the plants. He explained
that since compost has a range of
nutrients in it, different plants
can take what they need. It is
more forgiving.
(Continued from page 7)
Richmond at a cost of $13 per
sample. Results come back within
a week and show not only nutrients but also CEC. He also said
that if you are testing the soil for
shallow rooted plants like azaleas
only take 3“ soil samples which is
where their roots lie. If testing
around a tree, test at the drip
line, NOT near the trunk.
Dr. G. suggests that you plant a
cover crop in your vegetable garden to replenish lost nitrogen.
Rye is very effective. It is turned
under at the beginning of the season.
He discussed Osmocote and the
importance of using an 18-6-12
ratio fertilizer for container
plants.
He mentioned that new EPA regulations limit the use of phosphorus to new lawn applications and
documented deficiencies.
Shallow rooted plants such as hollies, boxwood and azaleas root in
the upper 3 inches of soil. They
need potassium and magnesium
to thrive. Dr. G. suggested using
Epsom salts as a source of nutrients if needed, but did not say
how much to apply.
GENERAL PLANT TIPS/QUESTIONS
When growing asparagus, let the
plant die naturally. As the plant
dies it transfers any nitrogen to
its roots to ensure a strong crop
of spears for the next season.
One of the MGs shared a lawn
problem with a ring of dead grass
forming in a very established sunny lawn. Dr. G. said it sounded
like a “fairy ring” and could be
treated by applying an inch or 2
of compost and rototilling it into
the soil.
General plants grow best in pH of
6.5.
Azaleas, blueberries, Japanese
holly, rhododendron and leucothe
grow best in pH of 5.0. These
plants are susceptible to nitrate
toxicity when ammonium nitrate
fertilizers are used on them instead of ammonium sulfate.
If azaleas are not thriving, Dr. G.
said an application of Epsom salts
will most likely improve their appearance. He recommends 2 ta-
Since plants of mixed varieties
IPM
Cultural or sanitation controls —
Keep your garden area clean and
free of debris or diseased plants.
Only put discarded garden debris
in a compost heap if the internal
temperature rises to 140 degrees
to kill diseases and weed seeds.
Another suggestion was to put
waste in a black trash bag and
leave it in the sun for a few days
so the heat generated in the bag
is 140 degrees or above.
(Continued from page 16)
put an acid-loving plant in an area that has been limed, you decrease the plant’s ability to fight
off pests!
Keeping a garden journal can also
be an important tool. Keep one
for several years listing plants,
problems, bloom dates etc. This
can help you see patterns and act
to protect plants before problems
develop.
Mechanical or physical controls —
A lot can be said for wearing
gloves and picking pests off of the
plants and squishing them. Also
floating row covers can be effective in some cases.
A discussion of degree days followed. Basically, a degree day
measures units of temperature
accumulated above a certain
threshold. Since bugs are regulated by temperature, researchers
can determine certain patterns
based on degree days. For example, a certain number of degree
days have to occur before plants
bloom or insects breed. For more
information about this topic go
to: www.ipmnet.umd.edu.
Biological controls can be used.
Chemical controls, a last resort —
He mentioned that the Emerald
ash borer needed chemicals to
control it. He recommended that
products with soap and oil be
used first since their effectiveness is short lived. He also suggested Bt (Bacillus thuringensis)
for the control of caterpillars on
tomatoes.
Dr. Mike ended by repeating that
if people put the right plant in
the right conditions, many problems can be avoided. He also offered 4 controls that make up the
basis for IPM.
If you would like more information on a project, please contact the
project leader by referring to your Membership Directory.
(Continued on page 14)
8
17
IPM
euonymus.
(Continued from page 3)
concentration became higher and
higher until it was toxic.
Dr. Mike warned about using
broadcast sprays in our gardens.
He gave the example of someone
spraying for aphids. The spray
they used for aphids was effective
on the adult aphids but the spray
also killed beneficial insects that
ate aphids. So, the gardener actually ended up with a worse aphid
problem due to the fact that when
the baby aphids hatched, there
were none of their normal predators alive so they thrived!
IPM basically trades poison for
knowledge. The steps in developing an IPM Program are:
●Development of an IPM policy
●Designation of pest management
roles
●Establishment of IPM objectives
●Knowledge of key pests, plants
and locations (Master Gardener
Expertise)
●Setting decision making guidelines
●Intervention and Evaluation
Dr. Mike described the main trees
and shrubs with problems, and
explained that many of the varieties are very old and have been
bred for their fruit, thus screening
out plants with natural immunity
to insects and diseases. Shrubs
with multiple problems are: firethorn, lilac, boxwood, roses and
16
Trees with problems are peach,
crabapple, apple, flowering cherry, and American dogwood.
Trees that are relatively pest free
are: hickory, tulip poplar, white
oak, black gum, and black locust.
He said that viburnum, arborvitae, barberry and yew are mostly
pest free.
While insects are a major issue in
our area, Dr. Mike showed us
studies conducted at UMD 30
years ago, that showed the same
insects were pests that we
stillsee now. Basically, he said
that if we can identify characteristics and damage done by 10 insects we will be able to assist the
community with 76% of the damage done to their plants. These
include: spider mites, azalea lace
bug, scales, dogwood borer, Japanese beetle, aphids, bagworms,
galls, boxwood leaf miner, and
arborvitae leaf miner.
Regular monitoring of your plants
is very important. You need to
check for insects, diseases,
weeds, air flow between plants,
water levels, and beneficial organisms. The single most effective way to protect plants is to
make sure you put the right plant
in the right spot. Example: If you
(Continued on page 17)
Charles County Detention Center
Horticultural Education
Contact: Gale Kladitis
Detention Center Spring Garden Begins Again
By Gale Kladitis, Class of 2008
allowed retention of water to the
garden rather than runoff and will
be incorporated in this year’s layout. The Spring classes will all be
held on Wednesdays from 9 a.m.
to 11:30 a.m. starting May 9. I
have received many emails from
our cleared Master Gardeners interested in continuing with our
program. Please be assured that
all who wish to join us, can. The
vegetable garden does not require a clearance and if you have
not decided to commit you might
be interested in coming by on
Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and taking
a look. I am looking forward to
the new students and the vegetable garden this year.
Plans are already underway for
the Spring vegetable garden at
the Detention Center. Mr. Merchant, the project coordinator for
the Detention Center, has contacted both Mr. Robey and Mr.
Goldsmith of Charles County Public Works for rototilling and obtaining County compost. The
seeds will have been purchased
by the time you read this, with
plant varieties selected by both
the Detention Center and Master
Gardeners. Mr. Merchant expects
at least 8 students to be joining
us for class and lab work because
of a change in the selection policy. The new design last year for
trenching was very successful and
Dr. Samuel Mudd House
Ongoing
Contact: Beth Bonifant
Nature Walks with Jessica
Ongoing
Contact: Jessica Milstead
You may want to join the team of
MGs who maintain the herb garden
and surrounding landscape at the
Dr. Samuel Mudd House in Waldorf,
April through October/November.
These are ongoing walks as the
seasons allow. The walks do count
as Advanced Training for Master
Gardeners and are open to all
Interns. See Calendar for dates.
9
GOUIN ADVICE
the process some of the practices
we take for granted as gardeners
were shown to be counterproductive.
Green School Partnership
Thomas Stone High School
Ongoing
Contact: Gale Kladitis
By Brenda Elmore, Class of 2011
protection with Agribond or some
similar material.
On Monday, March 5, Gale Kladitis
presented a lesson on growing
plants from seeds and cold crops
to the Thomas Stone Garden
Club.
Gale advises against planting tomatoes too close together as this
seems to promote early blight. She
also advises soaking the soilless
medium for 24 hours before you
start your seedlings, as the medium can be “hydrophobic”, meaning it resists absorbing water until
it is already damp, similar to trying to get a dry sponge to absorb
water before it is dampened.
Gale’s methods have been honed
by experience during her long
gardening career.
Her advice on seeding was slightly
different than what you’ll see on
the back of a Burpee seed pack.
She prefers the method of sowing
seeds directly on the planting
medium, with the seeds overlaid
in a straight line. As the seedlings
begin to sprout and grow, which
they do in profusion, she gently
pulls out a clump of seedlings,
teases the rootlets apart, and
plants each strong little plant in
its own container. Peat pots,
cardboard egg cartons, or other
such material can be used. The
trick is not to let your seedlings
grow too long in their first home
or they may become leggy. They
need to be hardened off and
planted where they will stay. If
planted early, they will require
Gale had tips for using moonflower
seeds to grow annual vines that
will cover or climb profusely, but
can be disposed of when the
leaves have fallen so that you will
get a neater look all season round.
Before planting the seeds, which
are covered with a hard shell, you
need to clip off one end (she uses
nail clippers) and then soak the
seeds. This insures germination.
She advises soaking spinach seeds
before planting, as well.
Being from Indiana, it had never
occurred to me that I was far
enough south to grow peanuts, but
(Continued on page 11)
10
ear was a bit hard for some of us
to take, but whatever Dr. Gouin
tells you, you can take it to the
bank!
(Continued from page 14)
Knowledgeable, informative, and
just plain entertaining, Dr. Gouin
keeps a room full of gardeners
raptly attentive. It was a delightful way to spend the morning, and
now, since it is so nice outside,
I’m going out to put what I
learned into practice! Thank you,
Barbie Walter, for inviting Dr.
Gouin to address our group—it was
well received, as always, and we
look forward, hopefully, to seeing
him again next year.
Take mulch, for example---yes,
just take it away! You are much
better off spreading 1-2 inches of
compost around your plants than
you are spreading 2-3 inches of
mulch. Hardwood mulch is the
most damaging, causing magnesium toxicity. His advice? Introduce
the above-mentioned amount of
compost around your plants, and
if you must mulch, use relatively
fine pine mulch to a depth of only
an inch or so! And that is just for
show. Marble chips? No way.
Their chemistry is wrong, too.
Use pea gravel which comes from
granite which won’t harm the
soil. Having mulch stood on its
Dr. Gouin’s book, Enough Said,
was offered for sale for $20.00. It
is available from the Annapolis
Horticulture Society. If interested,
check online at
www.AnnapolisHorticulture.org.
By Cindi Barnhart, Class of 2003
At our MG Membership meeting
on February 28, 10 people expressed an interest in Bay-Wise
Certification training. We will
contact Wanda MacLachlan, Area
Extension Educator when we have
20 attendees, have selected
three dates and have a venue, to
schedule a training.
Additionally, we will strive to have
a number of Master Gardener
homes Bay-Wise certified this year.
Go to www.baywise.umd.edu for
more information on Bay-Wise.
15
GOUIN
about it. Miracle-Gro is a 20-20-20
fertilizer. It is primarily recommended for fertilizing potted
plants every 2 to 3 weeks at 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. It
can be used for gardens as a starter solution but is more expensive
than granular fertilizers.
(Continued from page 8)
blespoons of Epsom salts per gallon of water per plant up to 2
feet height or spread. Double
that for large plants and apply
one gallon of solution per plant.
We never got back to the MG
question regarding the use of Miracle-Gro. This is what Dr. G. said
Great Gardening With Advice from Dr. Gouin
By Brenda Elmore, Class of 2011
March came in like a lamb this
year. And to celebrate this early
spring, Master Gardeners and Interns were invited to a workshop
with Dr. Francis Gouin pronounced
“goin’”), a renowned agricultural
research scientist who has spent
the last forty years turning composting from an art into a science
based on years of fieldwork
(literally!) and his knowledge and
love of chemistry.
It is always a pleasure to listen to
what Dr. Gouin has to say, because you come away with new
knowledge that you can put to use
in your own garden. This is the
man who invented the formula for
Osmocote plant fertilizer, with
the proper proportions of timedrelease nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium so that people could
successfully garden in containers.
14
Dr. Gouin, in retirement, does
more than most people do before
retirement. He has helped people, businesses, government
agencies, and industries figure
out how to grow plants better,
improve soil, repurpose waste,
and compost just about anything.
He doesn’t just consult, he analyzes problems, then uses science
and experiments to solve the
problems, often blazing trails
into new agricultural practice.
For someone so famous and
knowledgeable, he is very open
and accessible to his audience.
He is especially fond of Master
Gardeners, since he developed
the program here in Maryland. At
the workshop lots of questions
were asked and answered, and in
(Continued on page 15)
PARTNERSHIP
plows them into the soil, where
they both aerate and enrich the
soil for the next year’s garden.
(Continued from page 10)
Gale can and does. You need to
buy the unprocessed peanuts in
the shell, shell them and plant
them in gypsum-enriched soil.
Gale repurposes old sheetrock for
this, by peeling off the paper exterior and grinding the interior
into white powder which is then
plowed into the soil of her peanut
bed.
Gale also has tips for using grass
cuttings rather than just leaving
them on the lawn. She packs them
around her plant rows, where they
prevent weeds from growing. At
the end of the growing season, she
Gale left the youth with a lot
more know-how and it left me the
same. It also left me itching to
get out there and start gardening.
Between the Club’s sponsor, science teacher Tim Chase and Gale,
our own Garden Guru, these are
some very lucky kids who will
have the know-how to become
excellent gardeners when they
grow up and have gardens of their
own.
Contact the project leader by referring to your
Membership Directory.
Christmas In April
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
Our Ninth Annual Christmas in April for MGs
By Carol Teets, Class of 2003
houses this year), then on April 27
(the day before the event) there
are volunteers needed to make
plant selections and pick up
mulch. The actual work is performed on April 28th. It's a great
day out in the community and it
is a kickoff for the MG Interns
from the Class of 2012.
This interaction in the community
provides us many opportunities to
teach and learn in the landscape.
There are several ways to volunteer for this project. Prior to the
event day, a team of Master Gardeners will perform site visits to
each of the homes (there are 18
11
Spring / Summer Events
EVENTS
June
April
14
(Continued from page 12)
Saturday, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Plant Walk, US National Arboretum, Fern Valley, contact Jessica Milstead
24
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
28
Saturday, Christmas In April, contact Carol Teets
28
Saturday, 12 p.m.–5 p.m., Celebrate La Plata and Smart
Earth Day, La Plata Town Hall
May
6
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
6
Wednesday, Plant Walk, Time and Location TBA, contact
Jessica Milstead Rain date June 13
13
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
20
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
26
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Location TBA,
Open to all MGs
July
4
Friday, Plant Sale staging and work group, contacts are
Jessica Milstead, Louise Kearns, and Sue Brewer
Contact one of these MGs concerning plant donations
5
Saturday, 8 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Farmer's Market, La Plata, and
P.D. Brown Memorial Library, Waldorf, For information and
to volunteer contact Gale Kladitis (La Plata) and Terry Thir
(Waldorf).
9
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center classes
begin, contact Gale Kladitis
15
Tuesday, Newcomb’s Wild Flower Identification and Key
Walk, Time and Location TBA, contact Jessica Milstead
Rain date May 17
16
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
22
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Location TBA,
Open to all MGs
23
Wednesday, MG Annual Training Day in College Park,
Maryland, See page 22
23
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
30
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
(Continued on page 13)
12
24
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
August
28
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
Staging the Scene For the Annual Plant Sale
ready for the beautiful donated
As we begin to gear up for anoth- plants as they arrive.
er busy spring of Master Gardener Start checking your garage, your
projects, it isn’t too early to
shed, your storeroom, and see
begin thinking of the underpinwhat you can find that could be
nings needed for the Plant Sale
used as good, stable support for
on May 5. Once again we will be the plants we will collect and
collecting all of the plants at Bar- then transport to our two sale
bie Walter’s house, and this
sites, P.D. Brown Library in Walmeans that we will need boards, dorf, and the Farmers’ Market in
old doors, sheets of plywood,
the Courthouse Parking lot in
sawhorses, and folding tables.
LaPlata.
These will need to be set up as
(Continued on page 18)
tables placed in shade or sun,
By Brenda Elmore, Class of 2011
13