Daylily Sale at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds

Hamilton County Association of Purdue Master Gardeners is hosting a Daylily Sale this Saturday, July 15 from 8am-noon.  We have over 175 varieties. Come out, invite a friend, and tell everyone you know about the sale!  

"Meating the Need" - 2nd Year!

Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank is excited to be partnering with Hamilton County 4-H again this year to help provide farm fresh beef and pork for Hamilton County children and families served by the local pantries and feeding programs. Last year, "Meating the Need" supplied 2,557 pounds of beef to 21 pantries and feeding programs across Hamilton County. 4-H Beef and Dairy members will be participating again, and this year we are including 4-H Swine members who will also be designating their project animals for purchase through "Meating the Need" at the Hamilton County 4-H Livestock Auction on July 25. This program provides good, healthy protein, an item hard to provide consistently by the pantries and feeding programs across the county. Your donations would go towards the sale of the animals and to the 4-H members as they pursue their 4-H, education, and life goals. Please consider donating to "Meating the Need" in 2017! Donate a Full Beef - $2000 **Donations of $500 and above will be included in all publicity if received by July 16 Donate a Full Hog - $250 **Donations of $125 and above will be included in all publicity if received by July 16 For physical donations, please mail to P.O. Box 881, Noblesville, IN 46061 with "Meating the Need" on the memo line.

Anthracnose of Shade Trees or Wind Injury: Look Alike Symptoms Can Be Perplexing​

The cool, wet, weather experienced periodically this spring has been ideal for the development of anthracnose on shade trees.

 

Anthracnose is the common name for a type of leaf spot and canker disease caused by certain kinds of fungi. Anthracnose diseases affect many trees, but are particularly prevalent on ash, maple, sycamore, white oak, walnut and dogwood. Each species of tree is infected by a different species of fungus, thus the fungus does not spread from oak to maple or maple to ash or ash to sycamore. A different fungal species is also responsible for dogwood anthracnose.

 Symptoms will vary depending on the type of tree and the stage of plant development at the time of infection: leaf spots or blotches; twig dieback and wilting; and browning or death of emerging leaves are all possible. Premature leaf drop often occurs with anthracnose diseases, however, most of the trees infected with anthracnose usually show good resilience, and are not permanently damaged by this early season leaf blight.

 Sycamore anthracnose causes severe blighting of newly emerging leaves and shoots, and eventually causes twig and branch cankers which distort growth. Twig and branch cankers, shoot blight, and leaf blight are all symptoms of the fungus that causes sycamore anthracnose. Leaflet drop, as well as dead tissue along leaf veins or at the leaf edges is a symptom for ash anthracnose. Although defoliation may be so great that anthracnose-infected leaflets practically carpet the walks and lawns nearby, the tree is not dying, it simply puts out a new set of leaves. Anthracnose symptoms on maple and oak range from leaf spots to enlarged blighted dead areas along veins and sometimes to shoot blight.

 Abiotic (noninfectious) injury from environmental factors such as excessive winds or late frost/cold damage have also occurred this spring and may also cause foliar symptoms similar to anthracnose on various deciduous trees.

The most appropriate course of action for established trees suffering from severe effects of anthracnose is to rake and remove fallen leaves from beneath the tree; stimulate vigorous new growth with a balanced fertilizer after the leaves open and the spring rains have stopped; water regularly during extended dry periods this summer; avoid irrigation systems that wet leaves. 

​Leaf Diseases BP-143-W (pdf file)​​​

Gail Ruhl, Senior Plant Disease Diagnostician - Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory

Purdue Master Gardener Program seeking new volunteers

Noblesville, IN (June 2, 2017) - Beginning August 14^th, the Purdue Master Gardener Program intern training will be offered for residents of Hamilton County and surrounding areas.  “The purpose of the Master Gardener Program is to help others grow.  The members of the Hamilton County program are a vibrant and active group that annually donate over 10,000 volunteer hours on approved projects throughout the county.” said Diane Turner, Master Gardener Coordinator with Purdue Extension. 

Training will be held from 5:30 p.m to 8:30 p.m. on Monday evenings (one Saturday workshop is included) at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds, Noblesville.  Participants will be exposed to a wide range of subjects including understanding soil and basics of plant science, diagnosis of plant problems, using pesticides safely, and growing a healthy vegetable, flower, landscape, and/or fruit plants. 

The Purdue Master Gardener Program is a volunteer training program that provides a learning framework for participants to increase their knowledge on a wide variety of horticultural subjects.  In turn, participants represent Purdue University as volunteers, sharing knowledge while providing leadership and service in educational gardening activities within their communities.

 Materials and expenses for the series of classes cost $150.00 per participant. This expense fee covers such items as reference notebooks, mailings, and name badges.  These materials all become part of the participants personal collection. 

While the class will be encouraged to create new educational outreach programs, there are already plenty of opportunities for which volunteers are needed.  Some of these projects include helping with the annual plant sale, staffing information booths at gardening events, teaching public education classes, speaking to local clubs and organizations, and hands-on demonstration gardens. 

The Purdue Master Gardener Program is an educational outreach of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service.  If you'd like an application or have questions about the Purdue Master Gardener Program, please contact Purdue Extension Hamilton County at (317) 776-0854.  For more information about Purdue Extension in Hamilton County, visit www.extension.purdue.edu/hamilton.

Spring Mulch Cautions from Purdue's Rosie Lerner

Although the benefits of mulching garden plants are many, wood mulch that has been improperly stockpiled can lead to plant injury or even death. Young herbaceous plants are the most susceptible to such injury, which becomes obvious shortly after applying a hardwood bark mulch. Plants may look like they have been burned with fertilizer or pesticides, or possibly, are under severe water stress. All of the above could potentially be a problem, but apparently, we must now add "sour mulch" to the list of suspects.

When hardwood bark mulch is stacked in tall piles and allowed to stand for long periods, the material

Photo credits: Rosie Lerner/Purdue Extension

in the center of the pile begins to compost anaerobically (without air) and may sour. The term "sour" refers to the extreme acidity that occurs under such conditions (reported to be pH of 1.8-3.6, while that of "normal" mulch is generally close to 7.0). Some reports indicate that pine bark does not sour.
The mulch tends to heat as it breaks down, and steam may be seen escaping from the pile when it is finally disturbed. This heat can directly injure plants, if the mulch is not allowed to cool first. However, the more serious problem is that anaerobic composting of hardwood leads to the production of several plant-damaging components; methane, alcohol, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are possibilities.

Injury to young, tender plants is swift, usually within one day of applying mulch. Symptoms include yellowing or blackening of foliage and leaf drop. Depending on the extent of the injury, plants often are able to recover. Thorough watering, especially during hot, dry weather, will help prevent further stress. Do not apply fertilizer to plants injured by sour mulch; such materials can cause further injury. However, if plants recover yet seem to be lacking in vigor, a side dressing of nitrogen may be helpful in mid-summer if weather conditions warrant. Avoid fertilizing during hot, dry weather.
The best course of action is to prevent sour mulch injury in the first place. Stockpiles should be no higher than 4 feet, if possible; if it’s necessary to stack taller, turn them periodically to allow some aeration. Alternatively, sour mulch can be made fit for use by spreading in shallow layers and allowing it to air out for a few days, preferably a week, before using around young, tender plants. If no rainfall has occurred, watering the mulch also may help wash away toxic accumulations.

Sustainability Workshop - Sustainable Growth for Backyard Chicken Flocks

Backyard chickens can be a great source of eggs and fun for your family or an opportunity for some extra income. Join the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and Purdue Extension Hamilton County on Saturday, April 29th to learn about Sustainable Growth for Backyard Chicken Flocks.

Education sessions include “A Real Life Perspective on Managing a Backyard Flock- 5 Years in the Making” with Jon Whitesel of Circle City Farm, “Know Your Produce: Marketing for Profit” with Liz Brownlee of Nightfall Farm, and “Resources for Backyard Growers: Connecting Producers to Experts & Information” with Jeffrey Deutschman and Chelsie Lawyer of the Indiana State Poultry Association. Additionally, SWCD and Purdue Extension staff will share with attendees the many local resources available to them to start these and other sustainability efforts.

The Sustainability Workshop will take place Saturday April 29th at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall in Noblesville. The workshop costs $15 per person and will run from 8:30am - 12:00pm. Registration can be completed at www.hamiltonswcd.org.

Questions regarding the event can be directed to Claire Lane at claire.lane@hamiltoncounty.in.gov or 317-773-2181 or Diane Turner, Purdue Extension, at turnderda@purdue.edu or 317-776-0854.

Urban Coyotes – Should You Be Concerned? | Purdue Extension Forestry & Natural Resources

Does it seem you are noticing more and more coyotes roaming urban neighborhoods here in Hamilton County?  Check out this great article addressing many of your possible concerns.

Urban Coyotes – Should You Be Concerned? | Purdue Extension Forestry & Natural Resources