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June 2013
Piscataquis and Penobscot
Gardening Newsletter
Practical horticultural information based on university research
Now I Need to Water?

 By Diane Blazek, Executive Director of National Garden Bureau


Watering.  One might think that would be the easiest part of gardening. However, experienced gardeners know that it's not as simple as it seems, nor is it rocket science. With just a few good pointers, you too can have happy, properly watered plants and a beautiful garden.
 

Timing: One commonly known fact is that watering in the morning is best. Not that you shouldn't water in the afternoon or evening but when possible, avoid watering in the heat of the day. Morning watering is best for two reasons: 
1) Less water evaporates as you water and  
2) Overnight dampness on the leaves could cause diseases so it's better to be safe than sorry.
 
Frequency: Watering more thoroughly is better than watering more frequently. A thorough drink for your plants will help them establish deeper, stronger roots.

Amount: This is where it gets tricky and no one can precisely make a blanket statement on how much water your plants need. It depends on your soil type, the air temperature, wind, type of plant, age of the plant, in-ground vs. in containers (and which type and size of container).  An overall rule of thumb is to give your plants 1" of water per week. If you have sandy or silty soil, you will likely need to water more than 1" per week. If temperatures spike then you will also likely need more than 1" of water per week. For vegetables, here are a few more specific guidelines:

                * All seeds need even moisture during germination.
                * Beans need more watering when they're flowering.
                * Sweet corn needs water during silk, tassels and ear development
                * Watermelon needs more water during fruit set and growth
                * Tomatoes need consistent amounts of water to prevent blossom end rot

Technique: Drip irrigation, hand watering, sprinkling or other? The best technique sends water to the soil and roots, not the leaves of the plant. The roots are where the plant takes up water and nutrients so hold your watering tool close to the soil. Sprinklers are not a preferred tool for watering gardens so save those for your lawn. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses are good but if you have it set on an automatic timer, check frequently as it's easy to over-water when a good soaking rain comes through.

Another good rule of thumb, plus a way to conserve water, is to water only the plant root ball, not the leaves. Not only does the plant not benefit by watering the leaves but that too can encourage diseases. Too, irrigating the entire garden only encourages weeds to grow where you don't want them.

An inexpensive rain gauge is an easy way to keep track of how much water your garden is getting. If your plants have not received an inch of water in a week, you know to supplement with additional watering.

And what for all you recyclers/upcyclers? Yes, there are good ways to use your used milk jugs, soda bottles and wine bottles in your garden! Fill them with water and let them slowly drain into your soil for a low-budget drip irrigation system.  Leave them whole, cut them in half, bury them in the soil or set them on top they all seem to have their benefits! Search "bottles plant watering" to get ideas. 

What is attacking my hydrangeas?

By Ana Bonstedt, UMaine Cooperative Extension 

 

Maybe this is a question that most of you are asking yourselves.

 

Hydrangeas are without a doubt one of the most beautiful and popular groups of flowering shrubs in our region. A couple of weeks ago a neighbor from Monson brought a sample of some kind of pest that was attacking his Hydrangeas to our Cooperative Extension Piscataquis County Office.  Here's what we discovered:

 

Pest ID

The newly expanding leaves on the sample were glued together along the edges, creating a sort of bag. To find out what was inside this bag and identify it, the leaves were carefully separated, trying not to disturb the creature living inside. We discovered a dark headed caterpillar with a 3/8-inch long light-green body. This caterpillar was hiding among silk and dark green droppings and feeding on the developing flower buds enclosed within this unusual structure. 

 

Insect Biology:

Hydrangea Leaf-tier is a moth that lays eggs during the fall on the bark of hydrangeas. Early in the spring, the eggs hatch and the small caterpillars migrate to the end of the stems where the new leaves are expanding. Once there, they will build a shelter by binding two leaves with strands of silk. These shelters will protect the caterpillars while they feed on the leaves and flowers enveloped within these unusual structures. The larval stage lasts about 10 days. Then the caterpillar will turn into a pupa and, approximately a week later, into an adult. There is only one generation per year.

 

Damage:

This insect does not cause the death of plants, but the terminal buds will turn dark green, wrinkle and die, damaging the formation of flower buds.  Happily, the plants often still have time to produce more flowers on these stems.

 

Pest Control:

  • If severe infestation, trim the hydrangea close to the ground in the fall or early spring to eliminate the eggs.  Destroy all debris from pruning.
  • If light infestation, squeeze the leaf-tier caterpillar inside the shelter. The damage of this pest is minimal that the use of chemical control is unnecessary.
 

For more information please click Hydrangea Leaftier and Hydrangeas

 

Forest & Shade Tree Insect and Disease Condition Report
INSECTS
Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) - The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) has not been detected in Maine, but many of its look-alikes have been spotted (and many have spots!). We get a high volume of calls and e-mails this time of year with false ALB sightings, and we really appreciate people are out there looking and care enough to contact us with concerns.  The US Forest Service along with University of Vermont have a recent publication on ALB and its host trees (http://1.usa.gov/VTw97j), which includes a page with photos of some of the insects most commonly mistaken for ALB (http://bit.ly/150ICxK).  We encourage you to use this and other resources to weed out the insects that are obviously not ALB, but if you have any doubt, please contact us! More information on this pest can be found at www.maine.gov/alb
 

Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) - Winter moth caterpillars have finished up feeding for the year.  The oak and other hardwoods defoliation is dramatic in parts of Harpswell, Cape Elizabeth, Vinalhaven and Peaks Island.  There is light damage in other coastal towns. The larvae have spun down to the ground to form cocoons in the soil where they will stay until December. Do not move plants including tree saplings - or soil from winter moth infested areas as you will be moving the winter moth cocoons in the soil.  They are small and look like small clumps of soil. The Maine Forest Service has received word that the USDA-Forest Service plans to underwrite parasitic fly biocontrol efforts in 2014. http://1.usa.gov/1105RsD

  

DISEASES

Long-Term Effects of the Ice Storm of 1998 - An alert landowner from Livermore has reported that many if not most trees harvested in one particular woodlot showed signs of internal cracking of live, green stems.  Nearly all trees harvested were around thirty years old, and included mostly red maples, poplars, and birches.  Some considerable internal staining was also evident in many stems. 

While the following explanation may be difficult to prove, a very likely cause of this defect development was the Ice Storm of 1998.  The area was well within the high-impact zone for the storm.  At that time, the trees would have been saplings around 12 to 15 years old.  During the ice storm, many of these young trees would have been bent or "doubled over" for some time following the event.  Flexing such as this can result in the development of severe stresses and "shake" in the wood.  Shake is a separation of the wood cells, either along the radial axis (ray shakes), or of the annual rings along the longitudinal axis (ring shakes).  Some top and branch breakage may also have occurred, and could easily account for the dark staining in the centers.  Such defects are not especially common in forests growing under normal circumstances, but extreme events such as the ice storm can significantly alter the growth and development of the stems throughout the life of the affected trees

  

Oak Foliage Damage - There have been at least two problems (other than insects) affecting oaks throughout central and southern Maine this year.  Sometimes both are to blame, but not always.  The new, developing foliage of many oaks was moderately to heavily infected with oak anthracnose (Apiognomonia quercuum), a common, native disease.  The outbreak was likely initiated during the extended rainy period of the weeks from about May 15 thru May 27.

A second problem has been frost damage.  The frosts occurred on May 13th and 14th, with another episode about a week later, in many places.  In general, the frosts were "light," (not a deep or extended freeze) and resulted in some marginal leaf damage, but did not freeze the entire leaf.  Both problems have occurred right at the time of budbreak and leaf expansion for oaks - a critical time for leaf development, hence the "cupping" of leaves on many trees, and/or the premature defoliation on some.

With rare exception, the injury is not thought to be enough to cause any long-term or serious damage or mortality.  The oak crowns will look "thin" this year, but will set bud and should appear normal (notwithstanding other subsequent problems) next spring.  Some individuals that have received heavy frost damage (not many) may develop a second set of buds and new leaves later this spring/summer.  While this is more serious to tree health (it uses twice the energy reserves in one season), some branch dieback may develop over time.  But even for trees that "re-foliate," mortality is unlikely.

 
Full conditions report can be found online:  www.maineforestservice.gov/Cond_2013_2.htm 
Featured Resources
Videos

Publications
UMaine Cooperative Extension:  Garden and Yard GREAT NEW FORMAT- bookmark me!

Featured Recipe - Strawberry Smoothies
Simple, inexpensive, seasonal recipes from Cooperative Extension

Ingredients:
  • 8 ounces of vanilla yogurt
  • 2 cups crushed ice
  • 1 cup fruit juice
  • 1/4 cup dry milk
  • 1 banana or 1/2 cup strawberries
  • strawberries for garnish 
Makes 4-6 servings

Directions:
  • Place yogurt, ice, fruit juice, and dry milk into the blender.  Peel and break up banana and add to blender.  Blend until smooth and then pour into cups. Top with strawberries.  
Photos from the field



Paeony Garden at Rogers Farm 
Master Gardener Dan Smith has done a tremendous job creating a stunning display for several years. 
Dahlia in Children's Garden at Rogers Farm
Master Gardener Karen Conlon has created a whimsical space for children to explore, play, and learn.  The garden is open to the public 7 days a week for free. Bring the kids and a picnic for a fun afternoon. 491 Bennoch Road, Old Town.  

Final Touches on the Native Landscape at the Bangor Extension Office
Master Gardeners and friends helped put the final touches on our native plant landscape that surrounds our new parking lot. It will be fun to watch the plantings mature. 307 Maine Ave., Bangor.

Events & Announcements
Rogers Farm Summer Programs - all events are free and open to the general public

Open House Every Tuesday 5:30-6:30 pm, June - August - meet the Master Gardener volunteers who make the magic happen at Rogers Farm!  Bring your questions and expand your gardening knowledge.

Seed Saving and Plant Propagation, 6:00 pm July 23 - Laura Budde, FoodCorps Maine Fellow, will discuss the art and science behind saving seeds and Kate Garland will demonstrate how to propagate certain shrubs by taking cuttings.

Art in the Garden, 6:00 pm August 20 - Celebrate the beauty and magic of the demonstration garden in full bloom.  Activities for all ages include:  interactive demonstrations, live musicians, poetry, and delicious food.
Contact Kate Garland for more information 942-7396 [email protected]

Join the Dover-Foxcroft Gardeners  

 

The Dover- Foxcroft Gardeners wants to thank everyone who donated plants to beautify the town this year. 
Anyone is invited you to join the monthly group which was established last year to discuss a wide range of gardening topics including:  annuals and perennials, shrubs, border plantings, and much more!  Meetings will be a great opportunity to share success stories, challenges, ideas for projects and activities, gardening tips and creative ideas. Meetings will be every third Wednesday of the month.  For more information call: Dotty Hadler at 564-7256.

Dealing with Deer Webinar

Everybody is invited to visit the following site Dealing with Deer to learn from Dr. Scott Hygnstrom how to resolve human-deer conflicts. (recorded Webinar).

  

Wrangling Woodchucks and Other Ground Squirrels Webinar 

July 19 2013 at 12:00 pm (eastern time) Whether you call them woodchucks, groundhogs, whistle pigs, or something else, they can cause extensive damage to gardens and undermine embankments and foundations. For more information and to find the way to connect to these interested webinar please click here

 

Find Area Farm Stands and Farmers' Markets

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry maintains a website where you can search for local farms or local farmers' markets by county or town or by product that they sell. Check it out at http://www.getrealmaine.com/.  

 

Sign up for the Maine Home Garden News

You may access the most current issue of the 2013 Maine Home Garden News at: http://umaine.edu/gardening/maine-home-garden-news/ 

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 2) OR, to receive an e-mail announcement when a new issue of the Maine Home Garden News is posted, fill out the online form at www.umext.maine.edu/forms/maine-home-garden-news/subscribe.asp.
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SAVE THE DATE - Maine School Garden Network 3rd Annual School Garden Open House - Saturday, September 28, 2013. For more information, visit Maine School Garden Network or email at [email protected]

Mission

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is the major educational outreach program of the University of Maine with offices statewide.  UMaine Extension provides Maine people with research-based educational programs to help them live fuller, more productive lives.
Contributors

Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
[email protected] 

Ana Bonstedt, Home Horticulture Coordinator, [email protected] 

Kate Garland, Horticulturist
[email protected] 

Mission

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is the major educational outreach program of the University of Maine with offices statewide.  UMaine Extension provides Maine people with research-based educational programs to help them live fuller, more productive lives.

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University System shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status or gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, or veteran's status in employment, education, and all other areas of the University System. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.  A member of the University of Maine System.
Information in this newsletter is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned in this newsletter. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.

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Penobscot Office 
307 Maine Ave. Bangor, ME  04401  207-942-7396 or 800-287-1485

Piscataquis Office 
165 East Main St. Dover-Foxcroft, ME  04426  207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491 
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