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April 2014

2/5/2015

I'm a hardy native perennial of Europe, Africa and Asia. Because of my stalked heart-shaped leaves, the ancient Greeks
considered me a symbol of love and fertility. I make a good ground cover because I'm low-mounding and make long runners. My
flowers appear in Spring and range from deep purple to pale lavender to white and are sweetly scented. They, as well as my leaves,
are edible. My essential oil is used to make delicately scented perfume.
Rock gardens, borders and naturalistic settings make happy homes for me. After blooming, I develop small seed pods which pop
open when they turn brown, scattering my seeds up to six inches away. If they fall on loose, fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil,
they easily take root, even to the point of becoming slightly invasive. But I'm so pretty, who cares?
Cake decorators often crystallize my flowers with sugar and use me to beautify wedding cakes.
Do you know what plant I am?

WHAT PLANT AM I?
ANSWER:
Viola odorata ( V. Canadensis )
Garden violet, Sweet violet

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Between the Rows

2/1/2015

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Well, it’s cold again, but, this is a great time to start seeds. We have discussed the benefits of starting your own plants from seed, so I won't repeat them here. Believe it or not, now is the time to start tomatoes, peppers and eggplant from seed. If you don't have a greenhouse and, like me, don't have a lot of good window light, you might want to try a cold frame. A cold frame is like a mini-greenhouse, specifically intended for seed starting. You can build one easily. A simple frame, with an angle to the top allowing the cover to slope top to bottom, and an old window as the top works fine. The sides can be wood, cement blocks, or even hay bales as shown in the photos below. You can place the cold frame anywhere as long as you can access it easily - because you have to open it during those warm days that we have here from time to time. Leaving the cold frame closed on these days can cook your tiny seedlings, and we don't want to do that.

Place the cold frame in a handy place so that you can open it in the morning when necessary. It can be placed in a garden bed, on the lawn or even on a drive or other hard surface. The frame should be oriented so that the shortest depth faces south. This allows the most sun to the plants inside.

Now that you have a place to plant those seeds, which seeds do you plant this month? As I mentioned earlier, it’s time to plant tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. You can also plant kohlrabi, but plant these inside, or in the cold frame, not out in the open yet. There are seeds you can plant outside in the open garden now though. All month you can plant beets, Swiss chard, Irish potatoes and radishes in the open garden. Through the middle of the month you can plant broccoli, Chinese cabbage, carrots and cauliflower, then starting mid-February you can plant beans and sweet corn. I know the list is not as long as usual, but this is the middle of the winter, after all.

There are few insects around this month, but the weeds are already starting. Try to keep those under control while they are tiny and while the ground is soft from the rains. It’s so much easier that way, and yes, I know just how easy it is to not pull them, because they are so small and innocuous. But they grow so quickly! If you don’t pull them NOW, they will be out of control and setting seed before you know it.

After you clear away a section of weeds you can sprinkle that area with corn gluten meal, an organic pre-emergence herbicide. Corn gluten meal stops seeds from germinating for about six weeks, then breaks down into a nitrogen fertilizer to feed the transplants that you will put in later. It’s available in a couple of name brand products, like Preen, but that’s the expensive way. If you go in online you can find it as the generic ‘corn gluten meal’ for a lot less. I found it at the big box stores in liquid, ready to spray formulations and the more normal granular formula. Use five pounds for 250 square feet or follow label directions.

I know this isn’t as much to do as most months, but it is the middle of winter after all. In other places we would still be a month or two away from planting anything. This is the time of year most gardeners are browsing through catalogs and dreaming – because that is all they can do. So consider yourselves lucky, and

Until next month,
Good Gardening

Mary Ann Armbruster

Now you have some choices to make. You can plant the seeds in the garden soil if the frame is set over a garden bed, but if you set the frame over lawn or hard surface, you can either fill the frame with good soil, or you can plant in pots or 6-packs and place those into the frame. Keep the seeds evenly moist and watch for temperature extremes. If low temperatures are predicted, cover the entire frame until it warms up again. If high temperatures are predicted (over 50) open the lid and prop it open, a little or a lot depending on how high it is supposed to get.

MaryAnn Armbruster, Ph.D.

MaryAnn Armbruster, Ph.D. is a certified Advanced Master Gardener and member of the Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners.

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Gerald's Corner

2/1/2015

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Master Gardeners make important and valuable contributions to their community by working as volunteers through their parish LSU AgCenter Extension Service Offices. I’m always asked by people what type of people does it take to be effective as a Master Gardeners. My answer is generally the same and that is it takes someone who genuinely want to learn, someone with a willingness and desire to help others, and someone who is willing to commit to assisting the LSU AgCenter in educating their community by delivering horticulture information.

However, whether it be the willingness to learn, the willingness to help others, or the willingness to assist the LSU AgCenter it takes COMMITMENT!!! Just as the LSU AgCenter tries to honor its commitment to provide the most effective educational experience to Master Gardeners in Training, it is expected that when you sign up to become a Master Gardener that you not only honor your commitment to meet the requirements of the Master Gardener Class, but also to honor your commitment to complete your volunteer hours. I would go a step further and ask that each new Master Gardener look for an opportunity within LPMGA to get involved as a means of not only to continue to grow and learn but also to help the LPMGA in meeting its commitment to assist the LSU AgCenter in meeting its mission. We need everyone to make this work!!

While we do our best not to be too aggressive in making things mandatory, we hope that you place confidence in our dynamic Master Gardener Association by doing your part to make it work. I’ve always said that when everyone is willing to do just a little for the greater good, it makes everybody’s effort just a little bit easier. I reach out to each of you individually and to our Master Gardener Group collectively and I ask that you make a special effort to become involved to a greater extent if you’re not already involved. Also as you spread the word about the Master Gardener Program and answer questions about the program, please emphasize to potential Master Gardeners that once they become certified Master Gardeners, their time and talents are very much needed. I think we all want to continue to grow in the area of horticulture and what better avenue to grow than to find experiences within LPMGA to facilitate that growth.

That brings me to another avenue that will create not only opportunity for your personal growth, but also enhance your opportunity as a Master Gardener to help educate others and also assist me with the high volume of horticulture calls that come into the Extension Office from our community. It would also give Master Gardener another option to add to or complete their volunteer hours. I consulted with Mr. Miles Brashier who is currently serving as the LSU AgCenter’s State Master Gardener Program Coordinator and he feels this procedure creates a good situation for everyone involved, Master Gardeners, people in the community with horticulture interest, and the LSU AgCenter. In the past I was asked by several Master Gardeners that we give consideration to creating an opportunity for Master Gardeners to connect with the Extension Office and an opportunity for those that would be interested in coming into the Extension Office to take horticulture related calls.

While we’re still working on the details, it will be strictly volunteer, it will be as simple as possible, and you will not be left on an island without support. Even though it can be very intimidating especially with requests for information that you may not be familiar with, you will have the option of telling the caller that you’ll call them back (if you’d like time to do some research), or that you will refer the call to the LSU AgCenter Horticulture Agent. At the general membership meeting in February I plan to make a brief report regarding the details of how the process will work and answer any questions. Before that time I will meet with our current President Heather Finley, and I’ll ask her to inform LPMGA’s Executive Board following our meeting, so that after our February general meeting everyone will be on the same page. I plan to follow up my initial discussion with Mr. Miles Brashier just to get his input so that we don’t do anything to create problems for you or the AgCenter. As I told you’ll at the January general meeting, I’m excited as we begin a new year and looking forward to a very productive year that will continues to enhance the credibility of LPMGA !!!

As you know, the optimum time for transplanting trees and shrubs here in South Louisiana is late Fall through Winter. That means that the month of February is the last optimum month for transplanting trees and shrubs in our area. When we use the word “optimum” we mean that time frame that enhances a plants ability to survive, become established, and reach it’s productive potential. The reason why we emphasize the dormant period is because trees and shrubs transplanted during this time experience less transplanting shock while dormant which greatly enhances its chances of survival, by allowing the root system to begin expanding and becoming established which helps it to survive a hot and sometimes dry first summer following transplanting.

The second issue that I’d like to discuss is the recommendations when actually performing the task of transplanting. The first is select a well - drained area, also an area that is going to provide the sunlight requirements of the plant. The second is the planting hole itself which if not done properly can lead to rot problems because of our soil type, high water table and the poor internal drainage that exist in some areas. Everything can be done right in terms of selecting the right plant, placing it on the right site, and transplanting it correctly but if the drainage is poor especially during periods of heavy rainfall, water sitting around the root system will greatly affect the plants ability to survive because of high susceptibility to root rot.

One of the main reasons I see that contributes to poor plant performance is planting depth or planting too deep. When placing the plant in the transplanting hole the top of the root ball should be even with the surrounding soil or the existing grade. Anytime the top of the root ball falls below the surface of the surrounding soil there is potential for problems. The width of the transplanting shrub should be twice the width of the root ball.

Finally the only the existing soil should go back in the hole as a backfill once the plant is in the hole. It is no longer recommended that soil amendments be added to existing soil. There is research to indicate that the roots system may be reluctant to expand beyond this amended soil which could lead to delayed establishment.

Happy Gardening!!

Gerald P. Roberts

Gerald Roberts

Gerald Roberts is a Horticulturist and Master Gardener Program Coordinator for the LSU AgCenter

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April 2014

Between the Rows

MaryAnn Armbruster, Ph.D.

Gerald's Corner

Gerald Roberts

LPMGA

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