Horticulture Winter 2024-2025
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Horticulture Newsletter-Winter 2024-2025
Tips from Annette
Even though it is cold, enjoy gardening through planning for the next growing season.
· Start to plan the vegetable and flower garden early to make sure seed supplies of your favorite varieties are available.
· Consider trying new flower and vegetable varieties, especially those with disease resistance.
· Test the soil in the vegetable garden for nutrients needed by plants and to check pH level to avoid adding certain nutrients and lime if not needed.
· Poinsettias are not poisonous, but keep them out of the reach of children and pets. People with latex allergies may be sensitive to poinsettias. Their degree of sensitivity to these plants may vary.
· Apply animal manure (cattle, hog, or chicken) to the garden in the fall and till it in.
Upcoming Events
December 25, 2024 - January 1, 2025
Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office Closed for the Holidays. We will reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025.
Unless otherwise noted, the following events will be held at the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
“Where Do I Start? Vegetable Seed Selection and Producing Transplants,” 1:00 p.m. and
6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
“Propagating Common Houseplants,” 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Owensboro Regional Farmers’ Market Informational Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
New Beekeeper Public Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
“Getting the Most Out of Your Garden, 1:00 p.m. at the Daviess County Public Library.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Beginning Beekeeper Public Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 27, 2025
“Plants to Encourage Backyard Pollinators,”
1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Experienced Beekeeper Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Owensboro Regional Farmers’ Market Annual Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Beekeeper Meeting-Spring and Early Summer Practices, 6:00 p.m.
All-America Selections Winners 2025 https://all-americaselections.org
All-America Selections (AAS) is a non-profit organization that conducts confidential and impartial trials of new, never-before-sold annual ornamentals and vegetables throughout North America.
Marigold Mango Tango Dianthus Interspecific Petunia Shake™ Raspberry F1
Tagetes patula Capitán™ Magnifica Petunia multiflora
Dahlia Black Forest Ruby Zinnia Zydeco™ Fire Snapdragon DoubleShot™
Dahlia pinnata Zinnia marylandica Yellow Red Heart F1
Antirrhinum majus
Pepper Pick-N-Pop Yellow F1 Kohlrabi Konstance F1
Capsicum annuum Brassica oleracea
Squash Green Lightning F1 Squash Thriller F1
Cucurbita pepo Cucurbita pepo
Where do I start? Vegetable Seed selection and producing transplants
January 23, 2025, at 1:00 or 6:00 p.m.
Located at Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office
4800A New Hartford Rd, Owensboro, KY 42303
Each participant will walk away with free seed packets to start their own transplants.
4-H Horticulture Club
If you know someone 9 to 18 years old who has a passion for horticulture,
encourage them to join the Daviess County 4-H Horticulture Club!
Club meetings are the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office
(4800A New Hartford Rd, Owensboro, KY 42303).
Club activities are centered around various horticultural topics including terrariums, insects, and vegetable gardens.
For more information or to be added to the club email reminder list please reach out to Rachel Logue,
Horticulture Program Assistant via email at Rachel.logue@uky.edu or by phone at (270)685-8480.
Christmas Tree Recycling
Recycle fresh-cut Christmas trees by removing all ornaments and lights and take them to the Northwest District Fisheries Offices at 1398 Hwy 81 N, Calhoun, KY. Christmas Tree drop off sites will be open from December 26 to January 15 during daylight hours of 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Trees will be used for fish habitat.
Another option is curbside pickup from the Owensboro Sanitation Department. Tree collection as part of your normal sanitation schedule begins Thursday, January 2, and ends
Tuesday, January 7.
Prepare for Cold Weather
Source: www.https://www.weather.gov/safety/cold-before
· Check the Forecast at weather.gov or your favorite weather app, station, etc.: Make checking the forecast part of your regular routine so you'll know when to expect cold weather.
· Adjust Your Schedule: If possible, avoid being outside during the coldest part of the day, typically the
early morning. Try to find a warm spot for your children while waiting for the school bus outside.
· Protect Your Pets, Livestock and other Property: If you have pets or farm animals, make sure they are not overly exposed to extreme cold and have plenty of food and water that has not frozen. Take precautions to ensure your water pipes do not freeze. Know the temperature thresholds of your plants and crops.
· Fill up the tank: Make sure your car or vehicle has at least a half a tank of gas during extreme cold so that you can stay warm if you become stranded.
· Dress for the outdoors even if you don't think you'll be out much.
· Update Your Winter Car Survival Kit: Make sure your car survival kit has the following:
· Jumper cables: Flares or reflective triangle are great extras
· Flashlights: Replace the batteries before the winter season starts and pack extras
· First Aid Kit: Carry essential medications with you in a purse or bag
· Baby gear: Diapers and any special formula or food
· Medical supplies: Materials for any special medical needs.
· Food: Non-perishable food such as canned food and a can opener, dry cereal and protein rich foods like nuts and energy bars
· Water: At least 1 gallon of water per person a day for at least 3 days
· Basic toolkit: Pliers, wrench, screwdriver
· Pet supplies: Food and water
· Radio: Battery or hand cranked
· Cat litter or sand: For better tire traction
· Shovel: To dig out snow
· Ice scraper: Have one in the car even if you usually park in a garage
· Clothes: Dress for the weather in warm clothes, gloves, hat, sturdy boots, jacket and an extra change cold weather of clothes
· Warmers: For body, hands and feet
· Blankets or sleeping bags: If you get stranded you'll be glad to have it.
· Charged Cell Phone: And keep a spare charger in your car.
Pruning Trees and Shrubs By: Annette Meyer Heisdorffer, Ph.D.
Pruning is needed on plants to correct undesirable growth such as low hanging branches, to control size and shape, to prevent crossing and rubbing branches, thin out dense growth, to remove dead wood, and encourage flower production.
As to when to prune to maintain a shrub or tree, the proper removal of branches is much more important than a date on a calendar. The key is to neither cut into the branch collar nor to leave a stub. Cutting too close removes tissue that signals the plant to set boundaries for resisting the spread of a disease. Leaving a stub inhibits the formation of a boundary and results in decay spreading from the stub into the tree or shrub.
All pruning cuts should be made back to or just above a growing point. For example, remove branches just above a bud, above a side branch, back to a main branch or trunk, or back to the ground.
Another key is to keep the pruning equipment sharp. A clean-cut forms callus tissue to wall itself off faster and causes less injury to the plant. After removing the branch, allow the tree or shrub to use its own defenses to protect itself. Research shows that pruning paint holds in moisture, increases decay, and inhibits formation of wound wood roll to close off the area.
The bypass type of hand pruners and two-handed lopping shears with the scissors cutting action cleanly cuts the stem without crushing it. Hand pruners cut stems up to three-quarters inch in diameter. Attempting to cut larger branches risks making a poor cut and/or ruining the shears. Lopping shears cut branches up to one to one and a half inches in diameter.
A pruning saw fits into narrow spaces and makes clean cuts. It cuts on the pull stroke. They are recommended for removing branches over one inch in diameter.
Disinfect tools after each cut, especially when pruning a tree with a disease like crab apples which are affected by fire blight, by applying Lysol or 70 percent denatured ethyl alcohol to the blades. Disinfect tools before pruning the next plant.
The worst time to prune is at bud break in the spring on an undamaged plant. The shrub or tree uses all the stored energy from the last season to develop leaves. At this time, injuries are much worse. Another undesirable time to prune is during leaf drop in the fall. The plant needs energy to close the surface area where the leaf was attached to the tree or shrub. Furthermore, do not prune a tree or shrub when the wood is frozen. This damages the plant’s water-conducting tubes called xylem. Damage to the branch appears during hot, dry weather when water is not able to move through the branch to the leaves.
The flowering period of the ornamental shrub or tree is a way to determine when to prune. If showy fruits are a feature of the plant, remember that the fruits develop from the flowers. Removing the flowers also removes the fruit.
For example, shrubs that flower before the end of May should be pruned during or immediately after flowering. Flowers are formed on wood from the previous summer. By pruning them right after they bloom, maximum time is allowed before winter to develop the wood for next season's flowers. If pruned during the winter or before flowering in the spring, flower buds are removed, and blossoms are reduced or eliminated for the coming season.
Some of the shrubs that flower early are barberry, flowering quince, cornelian cherry, forsythia, holly, mountain laurel, privet or ligustrum, honeysuckle, magnolia, mock orange, firethorn, hawthorn, azalea and rhododendron, black jetbead, thunberg spirea, bridalwreath spirea, Japanese snowball, common lilac, Chinese lilac, French lilac, and viburnum.
Shrubs that flower after the end of May should be pruned in the winter or spring before new growth begins. They bloom on wood formed during the current spring or summer. Examples of summer-flowering shrubs are five-leaf aralia, glossy abelia, butterflybush, beautyberry, summersweet clethra, rose of Sharon, hills of snow hydrangea, peegee hydrangea, oakleaf hydrangea, crape myrtle, and hybrid tea rose.
Certain shrubs may be pruned lightly before and after flowering. This often increases flowering and fruit production and may result in a second bloom during the year. Examples of this group include glossy abelia, butterflybush, red twig dogwood, spreading cotoneaster, multiflora cotoneaster, Anthony waterer spirea, Frobel spirea, snowberry, and wiegela.
Ornamental trees that flower before the end of May should be pruned immediately after flowering. These include redbud, magnolia, flowering dogwood, hawthorn, crabapple, flowering cherry, flowering pear, flowering plum, horse chestnut, buckeye, serviceberry, fringetree, silverbell, witchhazel, holly, and chestnut. After pruning flowering dogwood, apply a labeled insecticide to protect the wound from dogwood borers. This is the only tree that is treated this way.
Ornamental trees which flower after the end of May should be pruned in winter or spring before new growth or budbreak begins. These include golden rain tree, mimosa, Japanese pagodatree, sourwood, and other late-flowering trees.
Some trees, such as birch, yellowwood, elm, pine, spruce, fir, and maple, may bleed excessively if pruned in late winter to spring. Bleeding or loss of sap will not harm the tree but may be unsightly or messy. Bleeding may be reduced by pruning such trees when they are in full leaf which would be in June.
More information about pruning trees and shrubs is available at https://publications.ca.uky.edu/sites/publications.ca.uky.edu/files/ho101.pdf.
Breakfast Pizza
Yield: 12 servings
Serving size: 1/12 pizza
Ingredients:
· 2 (8oz) tubes reduced-fat crescent rolls
· 1/2 pound breakfast sausage
· 1 cup (4oz) fresh mushrooms, chopped or sliced
· 1/2 cup onion, chopped
· 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
· 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
· 4 eggs, well beaten
· 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet.
2. Press crescent rolls onto the cookie sheet with fingers to create one even sheet of dough.
3. Pinch up the edges to hold toppings.
4. In a skillet, brown sausage and drain.
5. Sprinkle sausage, mushrooms, onion, green pepper, and tomatoes evenly over the dough.
6. Pour eggs over top and sprinkle with cheese.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Cut into squares with a pizza cutter and serve.
Notes:
Fat and cholesterol content can be reduced by using low-fat cheese and 6 egg whites instead of 4 eggs.
Plant of the Month
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’
Common Name: Oakleaf hydrangea
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Hydrangeaceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Spread: 3 to 5 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: White maturing to ruby red
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Hedge
Flower: Showy, good cut, good dried
Leaf: Good fall
Other: Winter interest
Source: Missouri Botanical Garden
Please “like” the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/daviesscountyextension/
Be sure to visit the Daviess County Extension Office website at www.daviess.ca.uky.edu
For exclusive gardening information and how-to videos, also visit and “like” the Facebook of the Green River Area Extension Master Gardener Association at www.facebook.com/graemga/
