Upcoming Classes and Events

Pollinators

Thursday, January 7, 11:00 a.m. – noon. Master Gardener and Cobb Extension staff member Amy Whitney will present the who, what, when, where, and why of supporting local pollinators, at the Senior Wellness Center, 1150 Powder Springs St SW, Marietta, GA 30064.

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, January 8, 10:15 – 11:30 a.m. This month’s book is 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus by Charles C. Mann.  At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Create a Rain Garden!

Friday, January 8, noon – 1:00 p.m. Mike Kahle, Master Gardener and member of the Cobb Watershed Stewardship Program staff, will present information about how a rain garden helps clean and control run-off, along with how to design and construct a rain garden of your own. Part of the Lunch & Learn series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Landscape Changes and Homeowner Associations

Tuesday, January 12, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Master Gardener Pam Bohlander offers alternatives to standard landscaping plants that will keep homeowners and HOAs happy. Part of the Gardeners Night Out series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  At East Cobb Regional Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, 30068.

Cobb Community Gardens

Wednesday, January 27, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Quarterly meeting of Cobb community garden managers,  members, and supporters, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Suburban Home Vegetable Garden

Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Master Gardener Vickie Baroni will tell how to grow your own vegetables and herbs. Part of the Gardeners Night Out series of Cobb Master Gardeners.   At West Cobb Regional Library, 1750 Dennis Kemp Lane NW, Kennesaw, 30152.

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, February 12, 10:15 – 11:30 a.m. This month’s book is The Scent of Scandal: Greed, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Beautiful Orchid, by Craig Pittman. At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Compost and Soil Amendments

Friday, February 12, noon – 1:00 p.m. Master Gardener Eddie Rhoades will explain how to turn poor soil into soil that is plant-friendly. Part of the Lunch & Learn series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Seed Starting Workshop

Tuesday, February 23, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Master Gardener and Cobb Extension staff member Amy Whitney will provide the information you need and hands-on practice for starting seeds of some vegetables and annual flowers indoors. In the second floor classroom at UGA Extension/Cobb County, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060.

North Georgia Gardening Symposium

Thursday, February 25, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For homeowners, Master Gardeners, and landscape professionals. Re-certification credits available: 3 hours for category 24, 1 hour for Private pesticide applicators, 5 CEUs for ISA Arborist (A) and Municipal (M). Chattahoochee Technical College, North Metro Campus, Building D, Room 400, 5198 Ross Rd., Acworth, GA, 30102. Program cost of $35 includes lunch and breaks. Register at 770-528-4550, or online through Chatt Tech.

For additional information about any of the above programs, call our office at 770-528-4070.

Cobb County Watering Restrictions

Area weather has turned from cool and wet to warmer and drier, which means newly planted gardens and landscapes may need some additional water to help establish and maintain good root systems and healthy growth.

County watering restrictions currently in place allow the watering needed, but there are limits to other uses of water outdoors. The Cobb County Water System Outdoor Watering Restrictions webpage includes a brief description of the restrictions:

"You may water landscapes any day between the hours of 4PM and 10 AM. The odd /even schedule is currently still in place for other outdoor uses such as car washing or at home pressure washing. Even addresses may use water for purposes other than landscape watering on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, Odd addresses may use water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays."

Upcoming Events

Celebrate Horticulture Week with a Day at Green Meadows Preserve

Tuesday, July 8, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Bring a picnic and enjoy all the park has to offer as Cobb Extension celebrates both Horticulture Week and the 100^th anniversary of the founding of Cooperative Extension. Bluebird Trail Walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Stay to learn about the Cherokee Garden, historic Period Garden, new organic orchard, bee hives, and community garden! 3780 Dallas Hwy, Powder Springs, 30127 (Intersection of Dallas Hwy and Old Hamilton Road). Free and open to the public. For information, call 770-528-4070.

Rain Barrel Workshop

Thursday, July 10, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Reduce your outdoor watering bill! Learn about and build a rain barrel to take home for personal use. Horticulture Agent Neil Tarver, of UGA Extension/Cobb County, will lead the class in Cobb Extension's second floor classroom at 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. $15 supply fee; preregistration required. Call 770-528-4070 or email Cornelius.tarver@cobbcounty.org.

Smart Irrigation

Saturday, July 12, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Class conducted by the Cobb Water System and UGA Extension/Cobb County will help homeowners save both water and money. Learn technologies and practices to improve efficiency of water use. Class will be held in the second floor classroom at 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Free program, but please preregister at 770-419-6244 or email waterefficiency@cobbcounty.org.

Planning the Fall Vegetable Garden

Thursday, July 24, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Amy Whitney, of UGA Extension/Cobb County, will explain what to grow, when to plant, and how to find space for the fall garden.  Class will be held in the second floor classroom at 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Free program, but please preregister by calling 770-528-4070.

ALSO, come meet Cobb Extension staff and some of our Master Gardener Volunteers at the Marietta Square Farmer’s Market. We will be there on July 5, July 26, and August 30 to answer questions on canning, food preservation, and gardening. Bring sick plants (or large pieces of them) for help with diagnosis and treatment options, and bring bugs for identification.

Watering the Vegetable Garden

One of the best pieces of garden-watering advice any of us are likely to come across was written by UGA Extension Horticulturalist Robert Westerfield in the publication "Conserving water in the vegetable garden".  He wrote, "Do not stand in the garden and spray plants lightly every day. This is the worst possible way to water."

What is the alternative? He tells us:  "Instead, soak the soil to a depth of at least 6 to 8 inches to encourage roots to seek water and nutrients deep in the soil. With an extensive, deep root system, plants are better able to withstand dry periods."

His publication includes the information that, for gardens in sandy soils, keeping the soil moist at that depth may require watering every 4-5 days; in clay soils, watering may be required only every 7 to 10 days. To help conserve water in the garden, the publication also recommends the use of mulch, to slow evaporation from the soil.

Westerfield's publication "Mulching vegetables" adds that a good mulch layer will not just conserve water. In addition,, it "suppresses weed growth, reduces fertilizer leaching and cools the soil. Mulch also serves as a barrier between the plant and the soil, helping prevent fruit rots that sometimes occur when vegetables touch the ground." This publication includes a list of mulches and their characteristics. The list can help home gardeners choose an appropriate mulch for their own gardens.

For gardeners who might want to use compost as mulch in the garden, the publication "Composting and mulching" by UGA Extension Horticulturalists Wayne McLauren (retired) and Gary Wade explains home composting in detail.

Making a completely finished compost can take months, but McLauren and Wade note that "Complete decomposition of the compost is not necessary when it is used as mulch." That is good news for gardeners who would like to mulch with compost from their landscape waste this summer!

(For fuller detail about watering, mulching, and composting, read the linked publiations.)

40-Gallon Challenge and World Water Day

This year, UGA Extension in Cobb County is beginning active promotion of the 40-Gallon Challenge, a water-saving program that encourages specific, easy changes to save as much as 1000 gallons of water per household per month, for participating households.

The program is designed to deliver a couple of key benefits as outcomes:  "Reducing water usage at home not only saves this precious resource, it also helps homeowners keep more money in their wallets."

In the 40-Gallon Challenge, households are asked to pledge to make changes that will save water. The top three most-chosen changes to date are "reduce irrigation station run times by 2 minutes," "use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks," and "fix a leaky toilet."  If the changes in water use add up to savings of 40 gallons each day, then the total monthly savings will be about 1000 gallons, and that large a savings is going to have a much-appreciated, lowering effect on a monthly water bill.

The list of specific water-saving changes and how much water each change saves is posted HERE.

This announcement for the 40-Gallon Challenge is being posted today, because tomorrow, Saturday, March 22, is World Water Day. The goals for the special day this year include highlighting the relationship between water and energy, working to bring clean water to the many, many people who currently don't have access, and working toward sustainable water use.

One implication of World Water Day is that other parts of the world are focusing on water use, too. Area citizens who decide to join the challenge will have a lot of company in their quest to use water more efficiently, and not just in the state of Georgia!

Irrigation Basics, Guest Post by Becky Griffin

We tend to take our irrigation systems for granted, setting them up and forgetting about them.  Ideally, irrigation systems should be inspected by a certified irrigation professional once a year.  The underground pipes and delivery systems can be complicated.  Oftentimes, irrigation is set to run after we have left for work.  We could have a problem and not even know it.  March is a great time for a basic homeowner irrigation check.

Basic Irrigation Checklist

 
1.       Check to see if the system is set to run at the appropriate time.  The 2010 Outdoor Water Use Guidelines allow automatic irrigation systems to run between 4 PM and 10 AM.  Ideally, for turfgrass the system should run between 5 AM and 9 AM.  This mimics dew time and allows the turfgrass to dry off before the heat of the day.  It is also the best time to minimize water evaporation.  
 
2.       Turn the system on.  Is there adequate overlap of water?  Notice any dry spots.  You may need to adjust sprinkler heads to achieve equal coverage.

3.       Check sprinkler heads.  Are they all working?  Sprinkler heads are easily damaged by lawn mowers.  These may need to be replaced.

4.       If something is obviously clogged it may be the sprinkler head nozzle or the sprinkler head filter.  Sprinkler head nozzles may become clogged with soil or cut grass.  To run efficiently, these will need to be cleaned.  Inside most sprinkler heads is a filter.  Over time this filter may become clogged, especially if the system runs on well water.  Filters can be cleaned with compressed air or replaced.  
 
5.       Notice the pop-up sprinkler heads.  Are they popping up?  Are they high enough?  Over time the ground may have settled and the heads may not be at the correct level for effective watering.  

No need to water the sidewalk!

      6.       Check that no water is being sprayed on non-target areas such as driveways, streets and building.  Problems here may just require a simple nozzle direction adjustment.

7.   Make note of any run-off. If the water is being delivered too quickly, it might not have time to soak into the soil, and you may be sending hundreds of gallons of water down the street. If run-off is a problem, you may need to adjust the delivery rate.

Remember that turfgrass needs just one inch of water per week.  More turfgrass problems are related to over-watering than to under-watering.

Becky Griffin is a program associate with the  UGA Center for Urban Agriculture.