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What is a Master Gardener?

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What do Master Gardeners do?

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What do I need to become a Master Gardener?

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The CCEFM master gardeners plan and create a large exhibit annually in the Cooperative Extension building at Fonda Fair.


A CCE master gardener is a teacher. Sometimes it is one-on-one and ...


Sometimes it is a group of youth in a school or at Fonda Fair...


And sometimes it is in classroom before a large group of people.


CCEFM master gardeners hold a plant sale annually and dispense information about selection, planting and care of plants they sell.



Consumer Horticulture
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Posted 4/26/2017

 

 

The Brown marmorated stink bug, a pest of fruit trees, vegetable crops, and many other plants, has recently spread from the Northeast across North America. It can be a nuisance pest in homes when it seeks overwintering sites in the autumn. The species is native to China, Japan, and Korea.

 

 

The best way to deal with these stinky annoying insects getting indoors, is prevention. For example, check around window and door frames and caulk any cracks, and repair any damaged screens. The California factsheet listed below has more detailed suggestions.

 

The bugs can be picked up with a tissue or paper towel to crush and discard, or numbers of them can be gently brushed into a bowl of water containing a few squirts of detergent so they will sink into the water. Vacuuming them up is another option, but they may leave a strong scent in the vacuum cleaner.

See this factsheet for more details both on how to deal with them getting indoors, and as plant pests, from the University of California: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnBMSB.pdf

 

For updated information, background, maps, management, and current news: http://www.stopbmsb.org

 

 

A factsheet from Pennsylvania State University:

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brown-marmorated-stink-bug

 


More Articles


The Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program provides direct support for home gardeners by answering questions on the phone, email, and at events, teaching classes, and identifying insects. These volunteers stay current on horticultural topics.


Tip #1:
Consider planting flowers which may be dried for winter arrangements. Some of the best are strawflower, statice, celosia, and globe amaranth.

Tip #2:
Do not restrict yourself to buying plants in bloom. Petunias that bloom in the pack are often rootbound or overgrown and, after planting, will actually be set back and cease to bloom for about a month. Plants without blossoms will actually bloom sooner and will grow better as well.

Tip #3:
To extend the blooming period of gladiolus, plant early, middle and late season selections each week until the middle of June. Choose a sunny location and plant the corms four to six inches deep and six to eight inches apart.

Tip #4:
When chrysanthemums show signs of life, dig up and divide large plants. Discard woody portions and replant divisions 12 to 15 inches apart.

Tip #5:
Cut flower stalks back to the ground on daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring flowering bulbs as the flowers fade. Do not cut the foliage until it dies naturally. The leaves are necessary to produce strong bulbs capable of reflowering.

Tip #6:
The last Friday in April is National Arbor Day. Plant a tree, or support an organization which does.

Tip #7:
Prune spring blooming shrubs such as forsythia and spirea after they have completed flowering.

 

Have a gardening question?

Do you have a gardening question for the Master Gardener in Fulton or Montgomery Counties?

Send an email! A trained volunteer master gardener will get back to you as soon as possible.

mastergardenerccefm@cornell.edu

You may also leave a message on their voicemail:

518-853-2135

Japanese Beatles

It's time to scout for Japanese beetles. Evidence suggests that adult beetles are attracted to previously damaged leaves. Therefore reducing feeding damage now can result in less feeding damage in the future. 

Japanese beetle adults are one quarter to one half inch long with copper colored wing covers and a shiny metallic green head. Kind of attractive in a buggy sort of way. A key characteristic is prominent white tufts of hair along their sides.

They also have the munchies for your favorite rose, linden, grape, raspberry and some 350 different plants. They generally do not feed on dogwood, forsythia, holly, lilac, evergreens and hosta. To view more information on identifying Japanese beatles and how to control/get rid of them view the article below.


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How to Take a Soil Sample


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