Working with the community to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscape management educational Programs.
Boxwood blight (also called “box blight” in Europe), caused by the fungal pathogen Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum (=C. buxicola), was found for the first time in the United States in North Carolina, Virginia and Connecticut in 2011.
Click here to read the Virginia Tech publication regarding Boxwood Blight.
Counties along and adjoining the Blue Ridge, be aware that you will have a periodical cicada emergence this year. I have already had reports of mud tubes and emergence holes. Follow the link to a fact for more information. This is Brood I of the 17 year cicada. Next year Brood II covers much of the Central parts of Virginia.
Click here to read Virginia Tech’s publication about the Periodical Cicada Emergence
The Pathogen Phytophthora infestans belongs to a group of plant pathogens commonly called “water molds” because of their affinity and special adaptations to water. Until the late 20th century, water molds were classified as fungi. However, as their evolutionary relationships were revealed, they were reclassified within the stramenopiles, a group with many aquatic organisms, such as brown algae.
Click here to read the Virginia Tech publication about Late Blight of Tomato and Potato
Cucurbit powdery mildew (CPM) has reported on several cucurbit crops in Virginia. This is a little ahead of schedule for this disease to be present, however, this is not surprising considering our mild winter and spring. Symptoms of CPM infection are pretty evident (Figure 1) and starts with initial infection points generally on the upper surface of the leaves. Sparse, white fungal growth can be observed in ‘patches’ on the leaves. As CPM progresses, patches will grow and ‘join’ together to cover the entire upper surface of the leaves (Figure 2). CPM may also be observed on stems and lower leaf surfaces. In general, CPM is most damaging on summer and winter squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe and to a lesser extent on watermelon and cucumber. Infection by CPM earlier in the growing season can lead to premature defoliation and substantial yield loss.
On Saturday April 30, the Fluvanna Master Gardeners hosted a tomato workshop presented by Marie Taylor. Not only did Marie share a wealth of information about tomatoes and growing tomatoes, she also shared her baked goods made with green tomato mincemeat and tomato paste.
Some MGs have been growing tomatoes over the winter months to sell at the workshop and our attendees were very generous in their support. Thank you!
Thank you for attending our Raised Bed workshop presented by Connie Dombrowski. We were very pleased with the number of people in attendance and your eagerness to get started with your own raised gardens.
Here you can find the hand-outs from the presentation -
The application period for the 2011-2012 Scholarship is now closed!
The Fluvanna Master Gardeners will award a $500 scholarship to a Fluvanna County resident who plans to study horticulture or sustainable landscape management (SLM), at the post secondary level, within the 2011-2012 academic year.
The purpose of this scholarship is to promote the interest of Fluvanna County residents in creating and maintaining a healthy, sustainable environment through the study of horticulture and/or landscape management.
Please download the application below and return the completed application to Fluvanna Master Gardeners, VA Cooperative Extension – Fluvanna County Office
PO Box 133, Palmyra, Virginia 22963
7 January 2009
Virginia Cooperative Extension, Charlottesville/Albemarle County Office
460 Stagecoach Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
phone: 434.872.4580 fax: 434.872.4578
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Do you have some backyard woods or a few acres you would like to be a natural area? While you may enjoy your woods for the privacy it offers or knowing that it gives a home to some wildlife, it can be much more. You can influence what happens in your natural area by better understanding what you have, what you want and available tools to help you accomplish your goals. For example, did you know that by selecting certain trees for firewood, you can improve wildlife habitat, improve the scenic value, and regenerate young trees, all at the same time?
A hawk in the woods.The U.S. population has grown increasingly urban each decade, from 28 percent in 1910 to 80 percent in 2000. In the Chesapeake watershed alone, residential development is predicted to consume 800,000 acres between 2003 and 2030, nearly 90 percent of it replacing farmland. As urban communities grow larger and faster than ever before, natural resource management in these areas becomes crucial for achieving sustainable development and maintaining and enhancing the quality of life and the environment.
Trees provide ecological services that include 1) reduced air pollution, 2) storm-water control, 3) carbon storage, 4) improved water quality, and 5) reduced energy consumption.
Trees reduce air pollution by trapping particulate matter in their leafy canopies and by absorbing noxious pollution into their leaves. The particulate matter is eventually washed away with rain. Absorbed pollutants are incorporated into the soil after leaf fall where they are broken down by microbes. These actions reduce human health problems related to air pollution. Tree canopies also intercept large amounts of rain, reducing the amount of runoff that is discharged into streams and rivers and extending the time that a watershed has to absorb rainfall. This reduces flooding and erosion. As trees grow they accumulate biomass that absorbs carbon and nutrients, locking them into a biological cycle that keeps them out of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. The storage of carbon reduces the greenhouse effect that is linked to problems of global climate change. Absorbed nutrients stay out of water bodies where they would otherwise harm fish and other aquatic species.
In summer, trees ameliorate climate by transpiring water from their leaves, which has a cooling effect on the atmosphere. At night, when the earth radiates heat back into space, temperatures often drop to the cooling or dew point, when water vapor, some of which is produced by trees during the daytime, condenses. This releases latent heat back into the atmosphere. When groups of trees intercept sunlight and use it for photosynthesis, they shade roads, buildings, and other structures, and they help reduce energy consumption.
Benefits to society are harder to quantify, but that does not mean they are less important than the ecological services that trees provide. Societal benefits include increased job satisfaction, faster recovery time for hospital patients, and improved child development. For example, hospital patients who have a view of trees out of their window recovered more quickly than patients who did not. Similarly, employees who could look out their office windows and see trees and nature were happier at work. Both of these have dollar values, like lower health-care costs and increased worker productivity, but it is harder to assign an exact dollar amount to them. Properly placed and maintained trees have even been shown to reduce crime and enhance cognitive development in children.
Many outdoor recreation activities, such as picnicking, hiking, or even just sitting on a back porch are more enjoyable in and around trees. Trees provide homes and are an important component of habitat for many wildlife species. Observing wildlife in community nature parks is one of the fastest growing forms of outdoor recreation in the United States.
The aesthetic value of landscape trees can be measured by determining how property values increase for yards that have trees in them. Property values can increase as much as 20 percent when trees are present on the land. The monetary value of an individual tree can be determined by an experienced appraiser. Tree appraisal considers a variety of factors such as the species, size, condition of the tree, and its location in a landscape. Such a monetary appraisal is often made when a court of law must determine how much money a homeowner is owed if someone vandalizes a tree on his or her property. Large trees can increase property value up to 20 percent. Taking care of such trees is critical to realizing their values.
Three workshops are being offered to equip owners of 1-10 acres to learn how to manage existing natural areas and or create new natural areas. The workshops will use the newly published manual, The Woods in Your Backyard: Learning to Create and Enhance Natural Areas Around Your Home. This full-color 139-page manual helps you to identify your goals for your land, and walks you through the steps to achieve them. Whether you are interested in converting lawn to forest, creating wildlife habitat, or providing a useful outdoor space for your family, this book is for you.
The workshops are being offered in several locations and in two formats, full-day or two half days, for your convenience. Please call the phone number associated with each location to register or seek more information.
| * Rappahannock Co. (Library) (540)675-3619 |
Feb. 18, 1:00 – 4:00 PM and Feb. 25, 1:00 – 4:00 PM |
| * Greene Co. (High School) (434)985-5236 |
Feb. 25, 6:30 – 9:00 PM and March 4, 6:30 – 9:00 PM |
| Nelson Co. (Nelson Center) (434)263-4035 |
March 7, 9:00 – 3:00 |
| * Fluvanna Co. (Community Center) (434)591-1950 |
March 26, 2:00 – 4:30 PM and April 2, 2:00 – 4:30 |
| Albemarle Co. (Extension Office) (434)872-4580 |
March 21, 9:00 – 3:00 |
*These workshops are 2 sessions, separated by a week for homework completion.
The workshops will take participants through the manual to demonstrate how to use it and provide ideas on how to share it with others. A Resource CD will also be available. Attendance is limited and pre-registration is required. To register, contact the respective Virginia Cooperative Extension office in the host county.
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For more information about this and other landscape topics contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office. The local Virginia Cooperative Extension office numbers are Albemarle 872-4580, Fluvanna 591-1950, Greene 985-5236, Louisa 540-967-3422, and Nelson 263-4035.
25 February 2009
Virginia Cooperative Extension, Charlottesville/Albemarle County Office
460 Stagecoach Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
phone: 434.872.4580 fax: 434.872.4578
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As the weather warms up, many homeowners will be anxious to get out and start working on their lawns. The sight of new grass growing often inspires folks to run out and spread fertilizer to help the young blades along. This is actually the opposite of recommended practices for fescue and bluegrass lawns. The proper time to fertilize these grasses is in the fall, when the roots that will sustain the plants through the following summer are actively growing. Even if the fall feeding was missed, any spring feeding should be limited to a light feeding (1/2 pound of actual nitrogen, i.e., 5 pounds of 10-10-10, per 1000 sq. ft.) after the initial flush of growth has subsided, probably sometime in May or early June.
Lime, on the other hand, could be applied in early spring, if soil tests show that it is necessary. Most lawn grasses grow best at a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.0, so have your soil pH analyzed every two to three years to be sure you are staying in that range. The soil test results will include recommendations on how much lime to apply.
The best time to establish a new lawn from seed is in the fall, but many homeowners will want to re-seed patches of lawn that have been damaged during the winter. Seed sown during March and early April will have a chance to grow successfully if it is well watered and cared for, from seeding on through the heat of summer. Ideally you would water approximately once a week throughout the summer to provide enough water for the root system. Care includes fertilizer on newly seeded grass using a high phosphorus fertilizer (e.g., 25 pounds of 5-10-5 per 1000 square feet when patch seeding) to foster root growth.
There are many varieties and types of grass seed from which to choose. Your local county Extension Agent can supply you with a publication that discusses the latest recommended varieties of turf grasses in Virginia.
When your lawn requires its first cutting, be sure not to cut too short. Mow to about two inches during the spring, and then raise the cutting height another half inch when summer arrives. Mow frequently so that no more than one third of the grass blade is removed at one time to keep the grass healthy.
Along with the grass, several undesirables are probably growing in your lawn. The best prevention for a weedy lawn is to provide such great growing conditions that the turf crowds out the weeds. If the weeds are sparse, use that early spring energy to hand pull some of those perennial weeds. There are chemicals that can be used if you have more weeds than energy. If you choose to use herbicides, be sure to apply them when they will have maximum impact on the weed population. Follow label directions closely for information on time of application and safety precautions.
Apply pre-emergent herbicides beginning in March to control crabgrass. Crabgrass generally emerges about the time of dogwood bloom, and the pre-emergent herbicides used to control it will not affect crabgrass if it is applied to crabgrass that is already up and growing.
Spraying for dandelions is most effective in fall, but spring spraying of a broadleaf weed killer will control many of them. Be sure to spray when the weeds are actively growing rather than during drought conditions. When spraying any herbicide, use a different sprayer from the one that you use to apply insecticides or fungicides. Mark it “HERBICIDE” so it will not inadvertently be used for other purposes, which may result in herbicide residues damaging valuable plants.
If you mow your own lawn you might want to tune up your mower before you need to use it. If you are planning to ask a local shop to do this for you now is the time to get on their schedule so you are not waiting in line while the grass is growing up to your knees.
March is still a little early for insect control, so after taking care of the few necessary lawn chores for early spring, you can relax and save your energy for summer mowing.
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For more information about this and other landscape topics contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office. The local Virginia Cooperative Extension office numbers are Albemarle 872-4580, Fluvanna 591-1950, Greene 985-5236, Louisa 540-967-3422, and Nelson 263-4035.