Hamilton County Master Gardener Plant Sale - May 21, 2016

Purdue Extension - Top 5 Tips for Tree Selection and Planting

Purdue Extension - Top 5 Tips for Tree Selection and Planting: Spring is a prime time for improving your property with new trees. They provide many benefits which everyone can share. Wise planning is essential to ensure the new trees meet your design needs and functional solutions as well. Follow these tips to get your tree started right and make it a long-lasting sustainable planting.

Hamilton County Master Gardener Intern Training Dates Announced

Click here for more information about the upcoming Hamilton County Master Gardener Intern Class

Growing Vegetables in Containers

Do you have limited space to garden or feel that you have limited abilities to grow your own vegetables to enjoy? Gardening in containers can be just the answer for you.

 Anything that drains well but holds soil and allows roots to grow can be used as a container. Some popular examples would include clay, wood, plastic, cement, and metal. Many items around the house can be modified for use as plant containers such as pots, tubs, crates, buckets, bushel baskets, whiskey barrels, tires, wheelbarrows, and hanging baskets.

Lightweight growing media that is well-drained and well-aerated is best for growing plants in containers. Garden soil alone will soon become compacted in a container garden, leading to poor aeration and water drainage. Many garden supply stores offer premixed potting soil or soilless mixes and are ideal for small containers.

Naturally smaller plants are better adapted to the restrictions of a container garden. But even large plants such as tomatoes, melons, and squash can be productive if given a large enough container.

Because container gardens have greater exposure to sun, wind, and heat, they need to be watered more frequently than a garden bed. Smaller containers may need to be watered as often as once or twice a day, depending on weather.

Also, over-watering can be a problem if the soil is kept too wet too often. Feel the soil with your fingers, and then water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Be sure to use enough water so some excess runs out of the drainage holes. This will help ensure the entire root area is moistened. Peat moss is very difficult to wet once it becomes dry, so frequently check soilless media.

For more information see this publication by Rosie Lerner, Consumer Horticulture Specialist with Purdue.  

Hamilton County Master Gardener Intern Class Offered and Set to begin in August

Hamilton County has scheduled their popular Purdue Master Gardener Program to begin August 23rd. Classes are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:00-4:00 pm. The program provides gardeners with intensive education in horticultural principles. The instruction is provided without charge, however, there is a fee for supplies which become your personal reference collection. Participants who successfully complete the program and, thereafter, donate an equal number of volunteer hours in community gardening services are certified as Master Gardeners. Yearly donation of time is expected to maintain certification.
Click here for more information.

Looking for local sources to Grow Native!

The Grow Native! program makes sourcing native plants easy for customers. Simply visit one of the participating retailers on the flyer below and look for the Grow Native! logo on plant stakes to find plants that will be a beneficial addition to any yard. 

 A list of participating retailers across Central Indiana is available online at Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District. You can learn more about these plants through the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society website.

Spring Seeding Tips for a Successful Lawn

Most Purdue University publications recommend seeding lawns in the fall or in late winter before the soil thaws. Winter seeding allows the seeds to enter cracks in the frozen soil creating great seed to soil contact. Sometimes we are forced to seed our lawn in the spring due to winter damage or initial establishment of a new lawn. If this is the case for you, please follow these tips to be successful.

Although any cool-season grass can be seeded in the spring, spring seedings are more successful with tall fescue and perennial ryegrass than with Kentucky bluegrass due to the faster germination rate and better seedling vigor of perennial ryegrass and tall fescue compared to Kentucky bluegrass. See image above for germination example.  If Kentucky bluegrass is seeded in the spring consider using a mixture of tall fescue: Kentucky bluegrass (90:10, weight: weight) or a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass:perennial ryegrass (such as 80:20, weight: weight). Seeding Kentucky bluegrass alone will result in marginal bluegrass establishment due to the slow germination and vigor of the seedlings and increased comp

etition from crabgrass. The table below gives the recommended seeding rates and days to germination per recommended species.  

New turfgrass seedlings have poorly developed root systems and thus they cannot effectively take up the nutrients from the soil. Therefore, it is important to fertilize frequently after seeding to encourage

establishment. To help the turf establish, apply a “starter fertilizer” to enhance seed germination and development. Starter fertilizer is high in phosphorus which is listed as the second number in the analysis on the fertilizer bag. For instance, a 16-22-8 fertilizer contains 22% P2O5. Apply the fertilizer according to the label directions would should supply at least 1.0 lb. P2O5 /1000 ft2. This application will likely include nitrogen (first number in the fertilizer analysis), which will also help the turf develop an extensive fibrous root system that is better able to take up nutrients and obtain water.

Table 1. Recommended seeding rates for lawns in Indiana.

Species	Seeding rate lbs/1,000 ft2	Days to germinate
Kentucky bluegrass	1.0 to 2.0	10-21
Kentucky bluegrass + perennial ryegrass	3.0 to 6.0	5-21
Tall fescue	8.0 to 10.0	6 to 10
Tall fescue + Kentucky bluegrass	5.0 to 7.0	6 to 21

Taken from Turf Tips written by Aaron Patton, Assistant Professor/Turfgrass Extension Specialist