Page # 1 of 8 JUNEAU COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS NEWSLETTER December 2017 UW-Extension Juneau County Seasons Greetings From the Juneau County Master Gardeners We wish you all Very Merry “Green” & Blessed Christmas And an “Abundant & Growing” Happy New Year.
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Seasons Greetings - Extension Juneau County · Technical College (NTC), 1000 Campus Dr., Wausau, WI 54401 Jan 20, 2018 - 9-11am - Tropical Treasures: Lessons in horticulture, biodiversity,
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Page # 1 of 8
JUNEAU COUNTY
MASTER GARDENERS NEWSLETTER
December 2017
UW-Extension Juneau County
Seasons Greetings
From the
Juneau County Master Gardeners
We wish you all
Very Merry “Green”
& Blessed Christmas And an
“Abundant &
Growing”
Happy New Year.
Page # 2 of 8
Juneau County Master Gardener Projects :
Anyone interested in helping on any of these, please contact person listed. This is a great way to accumulate
volunteer support hours towards certification. Also see note below.
Adopt-a-Highway – Maureen Fox, 462-4228
Cleaning trash along Highway 58 South of Mauston
Boorman House –Margret Hummelbeck, 562-3856
Garden renovation around the Juneau County Historical Society Boorman House
Watering and Shade Garden –Natty Kranz, 547-1884
Hosta Garden & O’Brian Building – Kari Olson, 562-5302/Bonnie Davey, 562-5230
Stewart Chapel - Karla Riley, 847-2506
Buckhorn State Park Project – Maureen Fox, 462-4228
Maintain plantings and gardens around the office and cabins
Carl W. Nelson Animal Shelter – Rosemary Aney, 847-5558
Planting annuals and maintaining flower bed
Dave Brendle Park – Jan Brendle, 565-7290
New project in process
Elroy Fair – Bev Kozlowski; 462-5401
Manning booth for distributing MG information and plant sales
Grayside Community Gardens – Arris Sullivan, 562-5181/Barbara Hoffmann, 547-7086
Update community garden - need MG mentors
Juneau County Fair –Debby Bollig, 547-9238/Marsha Lubinski, 847-5166
Entering an Open Class Booth with MG information
Juneau County Courthouse – Lutrelle Manna, 547-3213
Here’s a sample of horticultural questions received and answered by Adams & Juneau County Agricultural
Educator - Extension Agriculture Agent, Alana Voss or a Juneau County Master Gardener Volunteer. Have a question or comment just call 608-847-9329 or email [email protected]
I'm going to pass on the Hort Q&A this month, but provided a neat article from the PDDC clinic.
December: ‘Tis the Season
While most folks have visions of sugar-plums dancing in their heads, my mind takes a detour to the dark side as I think of how plant pathogens can influence the holidays. Interestingly, the examples that first come to my mind are positive influences on the holiday season.
Poinsettias anyone? If you are lover of brightly-colored poinsettias and enjoy them sitting on tables in your home, you have a plant pathogen to thank for the look of most modern poinsettia varieties. In their native, tropical habitat, poinsettias have an upright tree-like form, and grow up to 10 ft. in height. Modern, ornamental varieties of poinsettias are infected with phytoplasmas, bacteria-like organisms that colonize the phloem (i.e., the food-conducting “piping”) inside the plant. The presence of phytoplasmas leads to a stunted, compact growth form with lots of extra branching. And guess what you get with all of that branching? You got it: lots and lots of flowers.
Hitting the slopes. If you are a skier and hate the thought of dry, snowless winter, don’t despair. There is a plant pathogen that can come to your rescue. When Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate and you’re speeding down the slopes on artificial snow, take a minute at the end of your run to talk to the owner of your favorite ski slope about how the artificial snow is made. Chances are he/she is using a product called Snomax®. The active ingredient in Snomax® is a protein derived from Pseudmonas syringae pv. syringae, a bacterial pathogen involved diseases such as bacterial blight of lilac, bacterial canker of stone fruits and bacterial brown spot of snap beans (a personal favorite given that this disease was the subject of my PhD thesis). So while Pseudmonas syringae pv. syringae can wreak havoc in the summer, it can atone for its sins in the winter by helping provide a snowy wonderland for skiers to enjoy.
Pathogenic kiss? As you stand under the mistletoe canoodling with your sweetie this holiday season, consider exactly what it is that you are standing under. Mistletoes (there are lots of different kinds) are parasitic seed plants that infect their hosts (usually some type of tree or shrub) and siphon off water, minerals and sugars (as well as other organic compounds) that they use to grow and reproduce. The typical “holiday” mistletoe is leafy and green and can photosynthesize, so it is not totally reliant on its host for all of its nutritional needs. Other mistletoes are devoid of chlorophyll (the green pigment involved in photosynthesis) and are totally reliant on their parasitized host for water and nutritients. Whichever mistletoe you choose to hang from the rafters, remember the sacrifice of its parasitized host each time you enjoy a clandestine kiss from a loved one.
As the days turn chilly and we look towards the days of spending time with family and friends, let us take time to remember all the good that has come from 2017. Thank you for all the support and care you have brought to Juneau County in 2017. I am excited to continue working with you in the New Year and see the continued good will you bring to the community.
I am excited to say I will be transitioning to full time Juneau County Agricultural Educator in 2018! Also, the Master Gardener training is going to start the end of January and will be held at the UW-Extension office and at the Mauston High School Ag Classroom/Greenhouse. Please help spread the word on this training and you can get informational brochures from the office or the UW-Extension Website. If anyone is interested in helping with the training please feel free to contact me and we can discuss what you would like to help with this next year.
Our office will begin to look a little different in the beginning of the year as we start to prepare to move from the Hickory Building to the Old Court House this next spring. We are hoping to have a smooth transition and will keep you informed as this change happens. If you have any questions or concerns with the transition please be sure to contact our office and we will help address them.
Again, thank you for your time and service to the communities of Juneau County. I want to wish you and your families a very happy holidays and I am looking forward to working with you all in the New Year!
If you would like to host a garden meeting, list two months of your choice:
1st choice___________ 2
nd choice
____________
If you are a current Master Gardener, list the year you took your training:
______________________
If not, would you like information on becoming a Master Gardener?
__________________________
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE ZIP
PHONE ( )
E-MAIL
ANNUAL DUES: $12.00 from January thru December 2018
FILL IN THIS FORM AND MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: Juneau County Master Gardeners AND MAIL TO:
Irene Klingemann, W5805 Brown Rd, Mauston WI 53948
2018 JUNEAU COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS MEMBERSHIP FORM
Gardeners - The Birds Best Friends In Winter
Winter: ’tis the season for feeding birds all across North America, especially in those regions where
it gets mighty cold and snowy. If you are a veteran bird feeder, you’ve probably gained lots of
insight into the foods your backyard birds prefer.
The following 10 foods are extremely popular with backyard birds all across North America.
10. Black-oil sunflower seed. This seed is the hamburger of the bird world. Almost any bird that will visit a bird
feeder will eat black-oil sunflower. Birds that can’t crack the seeds themselves will scour the ground under the
feeders, picking up bits and pieces. Why do birds prefer it? The outer shell of a black-oil sunflower seed is thinner
and easier to crack. The kernel inside the shell is large so birds get more food per seed from black-oil.
9. Peanuts. Without shell, dry-roasted, and unsalted—are a fairly recent trend in bird feeding. Woodpeckers, jays,
nuthatches, chickadees, and titmice will readily visit a feeder for this high-protein, high-energy food. Even cardinals
and finches will eat peanuts.
8. Suet. Most humans don’t want a lot of fat in their diet, but for birds in winter, fat is an excellent source of energy.
Ask at your grocery store butcher counter if you don’t see packages of suet on display. No suet feeder? No
problem—just use an old mesh onion bag.
7. Good mixed seed. Is there such a thing as BAD mixed seed? You bet! Bad mixed seed has lots of filler in it—junk
seeds that most birds won’t eat. Good mixed seed has a large amount of sunflower seed, cracked corn, white proso
millet, and perhaps some peanut hearts.
6. Nyjer/thistle seed. Although it can be expensive, Nyjer, or thistle, seed is eagerly consumed by all the small
finches—goldfinches, house, purple, and Cassin’s finches, pine siskins, and redpolls. You need to feed thistle in a
thistle feeder of some kind—the two most commonly used types of thistle feeder are a tube feeder with small thistle-
seed-sized holes, and a thistle sock with a fine-mesh.
5. Safflower. This white, thin-shelled, conical seed is eaten by many birds and has the reputation for being the
favorite food of the northern cardinal..
4. Cracked corn. Sparrows, blackbirds, jays, doves, quail, and squirrels are just a few of the creatures you can expect
at your feeders if you feed cracked corn. Where we live you may also get turkeys and deer. Fed in moderation,
cracked corn will attract almost any feeder species. Some feeder operators only use this food to lure the squirrels
away from the bird feeders.
3. Mealworms. Most feeder birds, except goldfinches, will eat mealworms if you offer them.
2. Fruit. Fruit is also an important dietary element for birds, but it can be hard to find in many areas in midwinter.
1. Homemade bird treats. There are recipes for winter bird treats. Smear peanut butter on a tree branch. Melt suet
and before it solidifies, add peanut bits, raisins, apple bits, or other bird foods.
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Note from Gypsy
Note from Gypsy
Cooperative Extension
Juneau County UW-Extension
211 Hickory Street
Mauston WI 53948
An EEO/Affirmative Action employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal
Opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements.
If you have not done so yet, it’s time to fill out your JCMG membership form for 2018 (see page 7) and
mail along with $12.00 to Irene Klingemann. If not paid for 2018, this is your last newsletter.
Pass on the information to those interested (or repeating a class or two) in Master Gardener Volunteer
Training that classes will be in Juneau County in Mauston beginning in 2018. See article above
The following is the schedule for 2018 meetings of the Juneau County Master Gardeners.
April 23 Twin Bluff Country Market May 21 open June 25 Brigitte Varga July 23 Hwy J, Lyndon Station , details to follow August 27 Herb & Diane Dannenberg Sept 24 open Oct 22 open