IPM for Vegetable Gardens, UGA Video

UGA, in cooperation with University of Tennessee and Alabama Cooperative Extension, has put together a short video about pest management in the vegetable garden. As we all gear up for spring planting, keeping the ideas of promoting good health in our crops and of relying as much as possible on beneficial insects for pest control can help us in planning productive, beautiful gardens:

Annual 4-H Plant Sale

Flyers for the 4-H Plant Sale are here! 

A great way to keep a landscape fresh and inviting is to update with a few new plants, and Cobb County 4-H is offering a great selection of ornamental and fruiting plants for sun and shade again this year as part of its annual fundraising activities.

Among the new plants offered this year are the "Ruby Slippers" Oakleaf hydrangea, whose foliage turns ruby red in autumn, "Goldmound" Spirea, with color-changing foliage that will liven any landscape, "Rose Creek" Abelia, with evergreen leaves and butterfly-friendly flowers, and the high-yielding "Granny Val" Muscadine grape.

Orders for plants can be made now, continuing until March 11. Plants can be picked up at Jim Miller Park on March 21. For order forms and additional information, visit our office website or call our office at 770-528-4070.

To learn how to care for new fruit plants, you can attend the presentation "Growing and Caring for Fruit Plants," by Cobb County Horticulture Agent Neil Tarver, Monday, March 9, 6:30-8:00 p.m., at the Cobb County Water System training lab, 662 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Please preregister for the class by calling 770-528-4070.

When Can I Prune My Knockout Roses?

PHOTO/UGA Horticulture Specialist Bob Westerfield

Easy-care Knockout roses provide summer-long color in many of our landscapes, but to bloom their very best a little pruning helps, and the best time for pruning in Cobb County is nearly upon us.

Clemson University's "Ask a Master Gardener" publication "Pruning Knockout Roses: When and How," says "Rose pruning should be done just as buds break dormancy...probably around late February or early March. When the buds have swelled but no new growth has yet appeared, it is the ideal time to prune bush or shrub type roses."

North Carolina State University (NCSU) Extension's "Pruning Knock Out Roses" agrees with that timing, saying "Rose pruning should be done just as buds break dormancy, usually around mid-to-late February or early March in Zone 7. A good rule of thumb to help you remember is 'prune your roses when the forsythia is in bloom.'"

NCSU's instructions include the qualifiers, to wait until the second and possibly even the third year of growth before pruning, and that some shaping and thinning can be done in the summer, if needed. This summer thinning is especially useful to eliminate any points of contact where branches touch or rub against each other, to reduce spots where disease might enter the plant.

Clemson's publication explains the best method of figuring out where on the cane to make a pruning cut:

"Prune the bush to make it more open in the center. This will increase air circulation and help prevent diseases. Since rose bushes send out new growth from the bud just below a pruning cut, try to make pruning cuts above a leaf bud facing out from the center of the plant. Make a cut 1/4 inch above the bud and angled at the same angle as the bud."

UGA's Georgia FACES article "Prune Roses Now for More Blooms Later," by UGA Extension's Frank Watson, adds an emphasis on checking the pith, or center, of the stem after it's been cut. If the center is creamy white or greenish, then the stem is healthy, but if it is brown or black, Watson recommends "continu[ing] to cut down the cane until green or white pith is revealed. In some cases this may mean a drastic reduction of the cane. Occasionally, the pith will become darker with each successive cut, and the cane will have to be removed at the bud union using a small pruning saw."

For further information, read the complete articles at the links as they appear above.

For those who have not planted Knockout roses, but who are planning to, the UGA publication "Roses in Georgia, Selecting and Growing Techniques," by Horticulturists Bob Westerfield and Malgorzata Florkowski and Technical Assistant Adrianne Todd, provides a clear and easy-to-follow description of how to plant and care for your new roses, to promote abundant bloom.

Vegetable Growers Workshop

This program about growing food for yourself or for profit, coordinated by Bob Westerfield, Extension Horticulture Specialist, is for both beginning and experienced growers.

Participants will learn how to select varieties, grow their own transplants, understand their soil, plant and maintain vegetable crops, troubleshoot vegetable problems, and select and maintain equipment, and they will gain insights into how to successfully market and sell a crop.

Date:             Friday, January 30
Time:             9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location:       UGA Griffin Student Learning center Room 105
                      1109 Experiment Street
                      Griffin, GA 30223
Cost:             $30, includes handouts, lunch, and refreshment breaks

Pesticide credit in both commercial and private category 21 will be offered.

Preregistration is required. To pay online, visit UGA's  Vegetable Growers Workshop webpage; for additional information, call Beth Horne at 770-228-7214.

Upcoming Events

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, January 9, 10:15 -11:30 a.m. Book club sponsored by Cobb County Master Gardeners will meet at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). This month’s book is The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. Schedule and information can be found at www.cobbmastergardeners.com. Free and open to the public.

Vermicompost: Recycling with Worms!

Friday, January 9, noon-1:00 p.m. Amy Whitney, Cobb Extension, will explain how to benefit your garden and the environment using worms to turn waste into high quality compost, as part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Historic Gardens: From the Roman Empire to Colonial America

Tuesday, January 13, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. By Cobb Master Gardener Sue Burgess, who leads the Master Gardener volunteer project at Marietta’s Root House Museum, as part of the ongoing Gardeners Night Out presentation series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at East Cobb Regional Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Rd., Marietta, 30068.

The Art of Pruning: Tools, Timing, and Technique

Tuesday, February 10, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. By Cobb Master Gardener Pam Bohlander, as part of the ongoing Gardeners Night Out presentation series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at West Cobb Regional Library, 1750 Dennis Kemp Lane, Kennesaw, 30152.

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, February 13, 10:15 -11:30 a.m. Book club sponsored by Cobb County Master Gardeners will meet at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). This month’s book is The Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf . Schedule and information can be found at www.cobbmastergardeners.com. Free and open to the public.

Dahlias!

Friday, February 13, noon-1:00 p.m. Renae Lemon, Cobb Extension, will share information about some of her favorite among those beautiful and varied bloomers, the dahlias, as part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).