Some upcoming AT classes for 2019 and 2020 and 2021 are:

2019:
October 25 and 26 (choice of one of the 2 days)
Lonoke County
on the method of construction of Salad Tables is at the Lonoke Extension Office. Participants will attend an informative lecture presented by “seasoned” MGs and guest speakers regarding salad table construction. Detailed instructional material will be furnished. A skillful demonstration should firmly “plant the seeds” of knowledge for successfully crafting a table.

2020:
March 10 (on the calendar with Julie),
White County (Searcy),
on the topic of vegetable gardening

2021:
February, late, date to be scheduled,
Garland County (Hot Springs),
Bonsai, Garvan Woodland Gardens. 

​Watch Constant Contacts for information on Master Gardener Appreciation Day at Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville.

This event will take place on Monday, October 14th, from 10 am to 2 pm. 

Schedule

Session Information

Registration Form


PNG Chairs
Debora Carpenter - Chair
Gail McClure - Co chair

Hatchery Outdoor Adventure
We will need volunteers for the 2019 Hatchery Outdoor Adventure Day which will be held on Saturday, 09/07/19, from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm.  The planned project this year is called Garden in a Glove.  
Please contact Darrell Stewart to sign up for shifts.
 
Baxter County Fair
The Baxter County Fair is right around the corner in September.  Rick Gatewood has graciously again agreed to be our chair.  However, Rick is looking for an assistant to help him getting this organized.  

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Ceil Gasiecki or Rick Gatewood.  Appreciate your help.

 

• Toward the end of August is the time to start thinking about your fall vegetable garden. Bush beans, cucumbers, summer squash and other short season vegetables can be planted now. Cool season vegetables such as radishes, beets, carrots, lettuce, and others can also be planted at this time. To ensure a good stand of fall crops from seed it’s best to cover rows with burlap, paper, straw or even boards to aid in keeping the soil moist and cool.
• With proper care, tomato plants can continue growing and set more fruit. Keep them watered and fertilize them towards the end of the month to ensure a good fall crop. Nights above 75 degrees F will slow production.
• To have an herb garden indoors this winter, begin propagating your favorite herbs by taking cuttings or by divisions. Most herbs require more light than most homes can provide during the winter so consider grow lights in combination with natural light.
• Harvest seed heads of sunflowers as the heads begin to droop and leaves turn brown. Prompt harvest is necessary to protect the seeds from birds and from falling to the ground.
• Add water to your compost pile during dry periods so that it remains active.  Turn the pile to generate heat throughout for proper sterilization.
• Bermuda lawns can be fertilized for the last time this season with nitrogen fertilizer. Apply 3 pounds of 34-0-0 fertilizer per 1,000 square feet by mid-August. In addition, you can apply 2 pounds of 0-0-60 per 1,000 square feet for grass to develop a winter hardy root system.
• Sharpen or replace mower blades as needed. Shredded grass leaf blades are an invitation to disease and allow more stress on the grass. For an average lawn, you should sharpen your blades three times a season.
• Fall webworms are showing up in trees. They particularly like pecan, walnut, hickory, and persimmon but can be found in almost any tree and occasionally shrubs. If control is needed, you can use Sevin, permethrin, acephate, bifenthrin, Bacillus thuringiensis, or spinosad. However, they’re typically more of just an aesthetic issue and aren’t causing serious harm to the tree.
• August/September is a good time to get rid of poison ivy and unwanted honeysuckle.  Since they are perennials, applying glyphosate (example: Roundup) or triclopyr now can keep them from storing up nutrients for winter and reduce the chance of their surviving until spring. Don’t spray when plants are drought stressed. Wait until 3-4 days after a good rain. Be sure to follow the label directions.
• Avoid pruning spring flowering trees and shrubs now because they are setting flower buds. Adequate moisture now will give abundant color next spring. Avoid heavy pruning of others also at this time of year since you run the risk that the plant will not have sufficient time to harden off before frost. Light pruning or heading back can be done at any time.
• Strawberry plants are also setting flower buds this month and into September. Fertilize late this month to early September with 4 cups 34-0-0 fertilizer per 1,000 square foot bed. Moisture is also critical for good flower bud set and ultimately a good harvest next spring.
• Make your last fertilizer application in early August on your roses. Continue deadheading and spraying fungicide and insecticide. Propiconazole, myclobutanil, thiophanate-methyl, tebuconazole, or triforine will control most foliage diseases, while acephate is a good choice for insect problems. Rose beds can produce some of the best blooms in the fall. Be sure to keep the soil evenly moist.
• Rejuvenate tired annuals by removing faded flowers and cutting back long, leggy stems. Feed with a fertilizer and the plants will be back in bloom in a few weeks. If they are too far gone, pull them out and replace with new ones for fall. Although marigolds are usually considered a summer annual, they are also an alternative to mums and may actually bloom longer.
• Stop pinching mums now. They will set flower buds as days get shorter. Fertilize mums once again and keep them watered during dry weather.
• Horticulture entries are sought for the Baxter County Fair. Entries range from all types of vegetables, fruits, flowers, plants, and field crops. The Baxter County Fair is held in Mountain Home with entries accepted Tuesday, the week of the fair from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. Check out the web site (www.baxtercountyfair.org) for more information.

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

​PNG (Plant-Nurture-Grow) Leadership Conference is open to all Master Gardeners and County Agents. 
We ask that each county with a MG Program attend.  
Information given at this conference helps strengthen and grow your program.  It is an important event to attend.

Conference Information Online
(schedule and registration form is available on the MG only portion of our website)

We look forward to seeing you at the conference!

PNG Chairs
Debora Carpenter
Gail McClure

​

The Baxter County Master Gardeners are a fun group of folks who enjoy sharing their love of gardening with any visitor.

At our meetings we have speakers, refreshments, & fun.

Come join us!


Next Meeting Date:
August 8, 2019 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Meeting Place: 
The First Presbyterian Church
1106 Spring Street
Mountain Home, AR

June Speakers: 
Guest Speaker: Tina Marie Wilcox
Topic:  Mediterreanean Herbs
Tina Marie Wilcox has been the head gardener and herbalist at the Ozark Folk Center State Park’s Heritage Herb Garden in Mountain View, Arkansas since 1984. She coordinates annual herb events and facilitates the production of herb seeds and plants for the park. She writes a weekly herb and garden column entitled “Yarb Tales”, which is published by the Stone County Leader and www.ozarkfolkcenter.com.  She co-authored the reference book, the creative herbal home with Susan Belsinger.
 
Professional Memberships include the Herb Society of America and the International Herb Association. She is known, nationwide, as an entertaining and enlightening herbal educator. In 2017 she was honored with the Nancy Putnam Howard Award for Excellence in Horticulture by the Herb Society of America.
 
Tina's philosophy is based upon experiencing the joy of the process, perpetrating no harm and understanding life through play with plants and people.
  
Horticulture Table: Diana Wiegand
Topic: Flowers that Bloom from August - October
​
​Master Gardeners Monthly Radio Program:
Mountain Talk Radio July 17th on 97.1   7:15 a.m. - 8:am.
Master Gardener Hosts this month are Tommy Hagan and Ceil Gasiecki

Directions:
From Mountain Home
Take US Hwy. 62B East through Mountain Home until you come to Cardinal Street. Cardinal Street is the intersection just past Harp's Grocery.  Turn right onto Cardinal Street and travel South until you come to the first stop sign which should be Spring Street. Turn left onto Spring Street and go down the hill past the bridge and the First Presbyterian Church will be on your right hand side. 

From Gassville:
Take Hwy. 62/412 towards Mountain Home. Once you get to Mountain Home continue on into Mountain Home on US 62B. This will take you through town till you get to Harp's Grocery and you come to Cardinal Street. Cardinal Street is the intersection just past Harp's Grocery.  Turn right onto Cardinal Street and travel South until you come to the first stop sign which should be Spring Street. Turn left onto Spring Street and go down the hill past the bridge and the First Presbyterian Church will be on your right hand side. here to edit.

 "On behalf of the 2019 IMGC Planning Committee and Penn State Extension Master Gardeners, thank you so much for joining us!  We sincerely hope that you had the opportunity to learn from so many knowledgeable industry experts, visited some of our fabulous public gardens, met and networked with other Master Gardeners from the US, Canada, and South Korea, shared some knowledge with our guests from Great Britain, took home a little something from our Marketplace and/or Silent Auction, and had fun with activities, evening events and each other!

We are humbled and filled with gratitude that you chose to spend time with us as we dug into our roots.  Particular thanks to Dr. David Gibby for his insight and perseverance; it was an honor to have him address all of us and participate in presenting the David Gibby Search for Excellence Awards to the winners.

In the near future we will be sending out an evaluation of all facets of this conference and sharing results with our 2021 hosts, Virginia.
​
A slide show of your photos is in the works!  If you have not added them to our collection yet, do not hesitate!  Add to the app (see below), send to [email protected] or upload to Internationalmastergardener.com/upload."

​The 2021 International Master Gardeners Conference will be held in Norfolk, Virginia on September 12-18, 2021.

SOURCE:  https://www.internationalmastergardener.com/ (7/3/19).

​The 2020 Master Gardener Conference will be here before we know it.  Take a moment to review the first newsletter for the upcoming conference.

We look forward to seeing you in Jonesboro next year. 

June 2019 Newsletter

- Craighead County MG Conference Planning Committee

Here’s the checklist for things to be on the lookout for as we get deeper into summer.

• It’s time to check for bagworms on all junipers and conifers. As most of you will agree bagworms can be found on any living plant, so check all surrounding plants if you notice some on their favorite host plant, junipers. Some of the recommended insecticides are Sevin, Malathion, Bt, bifenthrin and permethrin. Always read and follow label directions.
• Pumpkins are planted this time of year for harvest this fall just in time for the holiday season. Keep plants well watered and free of insect pests. Spray every 7 days, or as needed, with bifenthrin.
• Start planning for a fall garden. Make plantings of squash, tomato, beans, cucumbers, southern peas, and any other vegetables that will mature before late October.
• If your tomato leaves are turning yellow with dark spots from the bottom up and defoliating, this is early blight. This disease needs to be prevented before it starts. This fungus can survive in the soil for several years. If you have early blight on your tomato plants, spray with chlorothalonil (Daconil) every 7-10 days.
• Tomato blossom drop is a problem as daytime temperature hits the upper 90s and night temperature does not fall below 75. As we get cooler temperatures, tomato plants will set again. If blossom end rot is a problem, remember it is a calcium deficiency and can be minimized by keeping the moisture level constant and applying a soluble calcium called Stop Rot, Blossom End Rot Control or Blossom End Rot Preventer. Soil test to make sure your pH is in the proper range.
• Keep pinching back your flowering herbs like basil, oregano and mint to prevent them from flowering and going to seed. You can use or store your trimmings.
• As you wrap-up the harvest on your tame blackberries, cut out the old canes (this year’s producing cane) to allow space for all the new canes that will produce fruit next year. As the new canes reach shoulder height, tip prune to encourage side branching, which also prevents new canes from arching over and reaching for the ground.
• Monitor water needs. We’ve had an abundance of rainfall, but summer dry spells are right around the corner. Keep in mind that plants, trees in particular, exhibit a delayed visual stress symptom.  These delayed symptoms could be wilt, leaf scorch, or loss of green coloration.   Drought stress to many plants, trees especially, could be the beginning of a slow decline and eventual death that cannot be corrected once it occurs.  To avoid these problems, don’t wait to water until you see these visual symptoms.  For mature trees, water an inch or more once a week.  Newly planted trees require watering twice a week during dry weather.
• Avoid heavy summer pruning. Light pruning is fine. Even small limbs in the way of the lawn mower are fine to remove during a hot summer.
• Raise your mower blades to cut your fescue lawn to 3 inches or more. Doing this will help protect grass roots from the summer heat and encourages a more extensive root system. Deeper roots will be beneficial during a drought. Water the soil to a depth of 4-6 inches every 3-4 days if possible. Don’t fertilize your fescue lawn during the summer.
• Spider mites can be a severe problem at this time of year. They become very active during hot weather. Most ornamentals and vegetable crops are subject to attack. Bifenthrin, Malathion or insecticidal soap are good choices to use on ornamentals and Malathion or insecticidal soap on vegetable crops. Read label directions before use and most important follow directions on days to harvest vegetables after use.
• Summer is the time to dig and divide irises. Irises do best in full sun, but they will tolerate some shade. High fertility encourages rhizomes to rot and fewer blooms. Fertilize lightly this fall for beds that you dig and divide this summer.
• If grass is invading flowerbeds, use a grass-specific herbicide such as Fusilade/Ornamec (fluazifop-P), Segment (sethoxydim) or Envoy (clethodim).  In our trials, fluazifop-P has been the most effective on bermudagrass. Alternatively, just get in there and remove it the old-fashioned way…by hand. Always read and follow label directions.
• If your summer annuals look like they are tired, fertilize them with a half-pound, (one cup) of 34-0-0 per 100 sq. ft. Also, keep them well watered.
• You can expect fall webworms soon if not already. We can expect two to three generations of this tree defoliator each year, depending on the weather. Female moths lay eggs on the underside of host trees in April. Eggs begin to hatch in June and sometimes as late as August (depending on weather conditions). Control is not necessary. It is more of an aesthetic problem. Sevin, bifenthrin, acephate, permethrin, Dipel, or Thuricide will control these caterpillars.
• If you haven’t already done so, put your leftover garden seeds in a ziplock bag and drop them in the freezer. You can keep many garden seeds this way for several years including seeds you collect from flowers or vegetables.

 
For more information on any of the above topics, please feel free to contact the University of Arkansas Division Of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service at 870-425-2335.