March 2021 Events

1 - MG Online Basic Training Class begins

2 -  noon to 1 p.m. Trees Count in Cities & Towns: Managing Community Trees to Maximize Their Benefits, presented by Krissy Thomason, AR Department of Agriculture Forestry Division Urban & Community Forestry Program Coordinator, and Krista Quinn, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Agent

Zoom Registration: https://bit.ly/TreesCountMar2
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Research shows that trees provide a multitude of benefits to communities. Krissy Thomason, Urban & Community Forestry Program Coordinator with the AR Department of Agriculture Forestry Division and Krista Quinn, University of AR Division of Agriculture County Extension Agent in Faulkner County, will discuss some of the ways that trees help communities and introduce some methods that communities can use to manage their community trees.

10 - Deadline for Janet B. Carson High School Scholarship 
Link to scholarship form



Arkansas Master Gardener Program
www.uaex.edu
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UAEX  UADA  CES  AES
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WHAT? What's up with all the letters?

Some of you probably know us as "UAEX," "Arkansas Cooperative Extension," "cooperative extension," "the extension service," or simply, "extension."
 
So, let us break some of those initials down for you:
 
     UAEX, or the University of Arkansas System - Division of Agriculture - Research and Extension (our official title) is a state-wide research organization managed through the U of A System that shares research-based practices and information for.... just about everything.
 
    UADA is University of Arkansas System - Division of Agriculture. The U of A System has an entire division devoted to agriculture, agricultural research, and agriculture-related fields. UAEX is housed inside that system.
 
     CES: The Cooperative Extension Service. This service is over 100 years old and has been a major part of people's lives all that time. Researchers would find new and improved ways of performing life-related tasks, such as farming, gardening, canning, cleaning, taking care of homes, managing businesses, living in a community, teaching the youth, etc., and would share that information with extension agents, who in turn, would teach those practices to the public. We still do this today!
 
    AES: Agricultural Experiment Station. These are the folks doing all the research that extension shares with the public.

We get it. It's a lot! And it's a mouthful. We have lots more letters we could mention, too (FCS, CPED, EHC, 4-H, etc.), but we will save that for another day.
 
You can call us whatever you'd like. Just remember, when you see our name or our logo, it means there are lots and lots of people working hard to help you, your family, and your community live and grow in Arkansas.

And, if you're looking for more info about extension, check out
https://www.uaex.edu/about-extension/


  UADA Communications Department 

​Welcome to the Gardening from the Ground Up!  Video Series

This series of 3-5 minute videos will walk you through how to create a basic traditional tilled garden spot in your landscape. 

University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service County Agents Brad Runsick (Baxter County); Cody Tyler (Fulton County); and Cory Stroud (Sharp County) will take you from breaking ground the first time; to planting;  to basic care and maintenance; and all the way up to the harvest.

The recommendations we make along the way are research-based, reliable management decisions that will ensure both the success of your new garden as well as the safety of the food you produce.

Topics discussed through this series will be somewhat general, since not all situation and growing seasons are alike. For specific recommendations, reach out to your local county extension office.
www.uaex.uada.edu/counties

Check out Episode #1: "Location, location, location"

I just want to plant something!!!

Hold that thought!!!

Baxter County Cooperative Extension Brad Runskick recommends not getting too anxious to start anything that’s frost sensitive until May 1st. 

Download this handy planting guide to help you determine the best time to put your crops in the ground. 

https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/MP422_03.2020.pdf

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• Spray broadleaf weeds in lawns with a broadleaf weed killer such as Weed-B-Gon or Trimec. Spray weeds when we have a forecast of 50°F or higher temperature for at least three days.
• Now is as late as you want to wait if you want to use glyphosate (i.e., Roundup) to control winter weeds in your bermudagrass yard. If you wait too much longer your bermudagrass will begin to green-up. Check bermuda first for signs of green-up. Look up against sidewalks and buildings where bermuda would start growing the earliest. Do not use glyphosate if your bermuda has started to green-up. Also, adding a broadleaf weed killer such as Weed-B-Gon or Trimec will control a broader range of weeds.
• Pre-emerge herbicides can be applied from early to mid-March on lawns to control early weeds and crabgrass. Don’t apply pre-emerge on newly seeded lawns, however.
• Wait to fertilize fescue lawns until they have started growing good. You could even wait until April to fertilize them. If you have some bare spots or a thin lawn, now is the time to seed tall fescue.
• March is a good time to plant trees and shrubs. Be sure to remove ties and strings around balled-in-burlap plants. Cut the burlap in several places. Don’t leave any burlap above the ground as it can wick moisture away from the plant.
• Bareroot plants, those in plastic sleeves, must be planted while dormant.
• Check ornamental cherries, plums, and peaches for egg masses of the spring webworm. These egg masses are wrapped around small twigs and are shiny black in color. Prune and destroy these otherwise they will hatch out later with a vicious appetite.
• Avoid moving houseplants outside until late April.
• Fertilize pansies. This is a prime blooming and growing month for them.
• A general rule of thumb is divide fall bloomers in the spring and spring bloomers in the fall. Dig and divide hostas, chrysanthemums and sedums.
• Give ornamental grasses such as liriope a haircut to remove old leaves. This should be done before new growth begins. You can also divide them now if needed.
• Overwintering tropicals should be sheared back.
• Prune hybrid tea roses if not done already. Roses should be pruned in late February or early March.  Remember to cut 1/4 inch above an outward facing bud at a 45 degree angle.  Seal cut wounds with sealer to prevent dieback from diseases and insects.
• Prune fruit trees, grape vines, and blueberry plants. These should all be pruned while dormant. Peaches can be pruned even while blooming, just be careful not to knock off the blooms.
• Prune crepe myrtles, buddleias, and summer blooming spireas.
• Prune spring blooming plants after bloom.  As soon as quince, forsythia, and other cane producing spring flowering shrubs have finished blooming, prune out a third of the old canes.  This rejuvenation cut will encourage vigorous new growth which will bloom next spring.
• Start seeds indoors for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
• Plant cool season vegetables – potatoes, turnips, lettuce, spinach, kale. Set out transplants of cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. Start planting sweet corn later in the month.
• Set out onion plants or onion sets.
• Avoid planting tender vegetables and bedding plants until mid to late April when frost danger is past.
• Allow bulbs six weeks of growth after bloom.
• If you want a specific color azalea, buy it in bloom to assure a color match.

 
For more information on any of the above points, contact the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension office at 870-425-2335.  

February 2021 Events

2- noon to 1 p.m.- Pruning with Purpose, presented by Krista Quinn, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Agent
Zoom Registration: 

https://bit.ly/PruningWithPurposeFeb2
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Properly pruning trees has many benefits - from improving the health and beauty of your trees to maintaining the safety of your property. In this one-hour virtual presentation, attendees will learn basic pruning techniques to achieve desired results and reduce harm to trees. Participants will learn when, how, and why to prune their trees for maximum satisfaction. Information about how to train young trees to reduce pruning requirements later will also be presented.
 
3 - White County Brown Bag Lecture Series: Amy Simpson - Cool Season Vegetables, 12 to 1 p.m.
Registration link 

http://bit.ly/3sUZzd3coolseasonveggies

4 - Grow Your Own Groceries: Blackberries, 12 to 1 p.m. Link for GYOG webpage

9 - noon to 1 p.m.  Tree Preservation on the Construction Site, presented by Allen Bates, City of Hot Springs Urban Forester

Zoom Registration: http://bit.ly/TreePreservationFeb9

Preserving trees during construction can be a challenge, but by identifying ways trees are damaged on the construction site and then using proven methods to mitigate those problems, the final result of an established healthy tree is a great benefit to the environment and beauty of the site.
In this one-hour virtual presentation, attendees will learn how to avoid damage to trees that are being preserved on the construction site. Participants will learn which trees should be preserved, the most critical area to protect of the tree and activities that should be prohibited beneath the tree.

10 - White County Brown Bag Lecture Series: Jan Yingling - Diseases, 12 to 1 p.m. (link coming soon)

12 - Deadline to register for Advanced MG Class via Zoom,  Pollinators: An In-Depth Look at One of Life's Most Important Resources, March 12, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and March 13, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (must attend both days)  Cost is $25.00
For more information contact Patsy Louk at pjlouk@gmail.com or 479-841-9865.  

Registration Information link  (found on MG ONLY portion of the website)

15 - Deadline for MG Award Forms  Award Forms

15 - Deadline for MG Conference Donations Conf

donation form

15 - Deadline for county forms (notebook order form, csv file and mentor list)  to be sent to state office for 2021 MG Online Basic Training Class (contact your county extension office for application form, fees and date to turn in form to your county office).  Please send csv file to mg@uaex.edu

15 - Master Gardener Monday (MGM), 12 to 1 p.m. (link coming soon)

16 -  noon to 1 p.m. Trees Count in Cities & Towns: Managing Community Trees to Maximize Their Benefits, presented by Krissy Thomason, AR Department of Agriculture Forestry Division Urban & Community Forestry Program Coordinator, and Krista Quinn, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Agent

Zoom Registration: http://bit.ly/TreesCountFeb16
​
Research shows that trees provide a multitude of benefits to communities. Krissy Thomason, Urban & Community Forestry Program Coordinator with the AR Department of Agriculture Forestry Division and Krista Quinn, University of AR Division of Agriculture County Extension Agent in Faulkner County, will discuss some of the ways that trees help communities and introduce some methods that communities can use to manage their community trees.

16 - Getting Started with Starting Seeds via Zoom,
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Registration link

http://bit.ly/FCMGStartingSeeds
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Description: There is no better time than right now to start planning for your spring and summer gardens! In this Learning to Grow seminar, Faulkner County Master Gardener, Diana Polcar, will walk us through the process of germinating your own seeds indoors. She will help us understand what seeds need to flourish and perform best by discussing where to source high quality seeds, the best seed starting mediums and seed starting containers, the pros and cons of grow lights and heat mats, and much more!
Contact: Krista Quinn 501-329-8344 klquinn@uaex.edu

17 - White County Brown Bag Lecture Series: Terrell Davis - Warm Season Veggies, 12 to 1 p.m. (link coming soon)
 
18 - Grow Your Own Groceries: Potatoes, 12 to 1 p.m.  Link for GYOG webpage

23 - noon to 1p.m.  Top Ways to Save Money with Trees- presented by John Baker, AUFC board member and co-founder of Tree Streets Little Rock, and Anthony Whittington, City of Hot Springs Parks & Trails Director
Zoom registration: 

​http://bit.ly/SaveMoneyWithTreesFeb23
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Beautiful, healthy trees can greatly enhance our homes and businesses.  However, growing trees takes time, effort, and money and the last thing anyone wants is to invest in trees and then watch them die.  In this presentation, attendees will learn how to plant and care for trees to protect their investments and ensure they thrive.  Some topics that will be covered include tree species selection, good and bad site locations for trees, and tree planting and maintenance to promote the health and longevity of trees. Participants will learn when, how, and why to plant, prune and maintain trees to maximize tree benefits.
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24 - White County Brown Bag Lecture Series: Brett Gordan - Soils, 12 to 1 p.m. (link coming soon)


March 2021 Events

1 - MG Online Basic Training Class begins

10 - Deadline for Janet B. Carson High School Scholarship 
​
Link to scholarship form

Click here for order form.

Baxter County Conservation District website:

www.baxtercountycd.com