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Fall Is Beautiful, but Ole Man Winter Is A Knockin!
November 2018 / Volume 140
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November Horticultural Tips
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All kinds of garden tips (Lawn & Turf, Tree & Shrub, Flowers, Fruits & Nuts, and more) for the month of November can be found by clicking TIPS.
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Some DO's and DON'Ts Of Fall Gardening / Winter Preparation
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Many gardeners are early planners and, as such, have already done many of the preparations and taken many of the precautions to get their yards, beds, gardens and landscapes ready for ole man winter. But, if you have not yet done so or would just like to review a brief checklist of some of the DO's and DON'Ts for this time of year, click on
FALL GARDENING TIPS for a quick reference guide and a brief list of some of the more important items to be doing AND not doing right now.
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Planting Spring-Flowering Bulbs
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Can you believe that it's already time to start thinking about spring? Well, it is when it comes to spring-flowering bulbs. Some of the earliest flowers that we enjoy in late winter/early spring come from spring-blooming bulbs that are planted in the fall . . . like, right now!
C
lick on
BULBS to find out more about which bulbs are most popular, how to buy bulbs, where and how to plant them, along with the proper care needed to ensure they can rejuvenate themselves for the following year(s).
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The Why's And How's Of Pruning Trees & Shrubs
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It has be shown that proper pruning of trees will produce more attractive and much stronger, older trees. Performing this procedure properly is also very helpful in maintaining the size and health of the tree or plant as well as preventing overgrowth in restricted areas. If you have newly planted or replanted trees, pruning should be delayed for this season, since pruning on new or replanted trees can slow down the root growth, cause a loss of leaves and potentially sun scald. However, if these trees have broken limbs, diseased or damaged limbs, these should be removed.
Click on TREE PRUNING for more information, including detailed proper tree pruning techniques and additional resources on this subject
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| Getting Garden Tools Ready For Winter |
Every gardener has a favorite tool: those keen snippers for deadheading, that nifty weeder with a grippy ergonomic handle for root-lifting dandelions, or that super-sharp hori-hori knife for slicing back roots on pot-bound nursery treasures. You know that tool...it's in your garden shed, and without it you'd be...stumped, muddled, grounded...and any other clever garden-pun predicament you could find yourself in. Click on
GARDEN TOOLS
for more information about winterizing your favorite garden items.
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| Composting Made Easy - Secrets Of A Thrifty Gardener |
In this article you will not only learn about how to compost and its associated benefits, but also learn about three "effort" levels you can apply to composting. Included in the discussion is how the "Lazy Composter", the "Avid Composter" and the "Master Composter" would approach this. While composting makes a ton of sense at a practical level, it also provides economic benefits by saving the average gardener significant money on their composting needs. It just takes a little planning, time, and patience.
For a rather entertaining read on this rather "dry" subject, click on
COMPOSTING MADE EASY for how-to tips and a ton of additional hyper-linked information from various state universities. See if you can identify yourself in this article.
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QUESTION:
Hey, what's up with all of the acorns this year? When the wind blows, it sound like hail hitting the roof!
ANSW
ER:
I was raking leaves off the patio recently, and I don't remember the last time I needed a shovel to pick up all the acorns. For parts of Northeast Oklahoma, this year we seem to have more acorns than usual.
However, just because some of us are experiencing a bumper crop, this may not be true throughout the broader region. These "mast" years (as these large acorn crops are called) can be very localized because the main contributor to fruit production is the weather. And, as we know, weather can vary depending on your location and even particular micro-climate. However, one large oak having a particularly good year can drop as many as 10,000 acorns in a mast year. And, that can certainly get noisy on the roof!
The primary weather factors affecting acorn development are spring frosts, summer droughts, and fall rains. When the oak trees determine the danger of a spring frost has passed, they begin to flower. Oaks are what we call monoecious, which means that a single oak tree contains both male and female flowers.
If you have an oak tree in your yard, you are probably familiar with the male oak flower as they are those long, worm-like growths that contain a number of flowers arranged like beads on a string. These flowers produce the pollen that tends to give our patios and cars a green tint in the spring. In contrast, the female flowers are quite small and often resemble leaf buds.
The spring winds blow pollen from tree to tree pollinating the female flowers. Interestingly, the acorns of white oaks mature within the year while acorns of red oaks mature over a period of two years.
Some of these acorns may grow up to become oak trees, but others will simply serve as a source of protein for blue jays, wild turkeys, rodents, deer, and bears. Secondarily, if we have a year of larger than normal acorn production, depending on the reproduction cycles of the animals, we can expect surges in the populations of mice, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, bears, turkeys etc. While this may be good news for some, unfortunately, a rise in mouse and deer populations can secondarily contribute to an increase in the tick population as well.
So, even though the noise from the shower of acorns can be unsettling and the quantity we need to clean up in our yards a nuisance, these acorns remain an important part of our natural ecosystem.
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DID YOU KNOW?
The Tulsa Master Gardener Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization. As such, it receives no city, state or federal funding for its Tulsa community outreach programs. In fact, the Tulsa's Master Gardener programs are self-funded by its own fundraisers, from member donations, and from public donations.
The main Tulsa Master Gardener fundraiser is its Annual Spring Plant Sale that is held each April. Other fundraisers include the Garden Tour and Garage Sale in June. And, one of the most important income sources that sometimes gets overlooked are the personal and corporate donations. These are so important in helping us to meet our financial obligations and we want you to know they are very much appreciated.
MG Endowment Fund
Did you know that we have been around for over three decades, since 1983? And, we plan to be around for many more decades. Did you know that
we are one of the top five Master Gardener county programs in the entire nation? We are, indeed, because of the size of our Foundation membership as well as the diversity and activity level of our community outreach programs!
So, we are pleased to announce, in partnership with the Tulsa Community Foundation, the Master Gardener Foundation recently established an Endowment Fund to ensure our long-term financial strength. Our plans are to build this fund for many years before making any withdrawals from it. Please consider us as you make your annual gift giving as well as longer-term estate planning decisions. Remember, all donations are fully tax deductible!
We thank you for having been such faithful contributors both in the past and in advance for your future consideration and participation!
For this month, the following folks are being recognized for their much appreciated donations:
General Fund
Judy Feuquay
Jackie Rago
Jerry Hendon
Allen Robinson
Mike White
Frank Baughn
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Got a Question? Or Maybe a Soil or Plant Sample?
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Our Master Gardeners are on hand to assist you with even the toughest gardening questions. Visit us in person, by phone, via email or online! Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
Address: 4116 E. 15th Street, Gate 6 at the Fairgrounds
Phone: (918) 746-3701
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All about butterfly gardening in Tulsa County.
How to Take a Soil Test
How to collect a good sample of soil from your lawn or garden and get it tested at the OSU lab.
Once you have collected your soil test and gotten the results back, now what? Find out here.
Show and tell.
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State horticulturists, nurseries and growers pick favorite plants, shrubs and trees for use in the Oklahoma landscape. See the winners for this year and years past.
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A list of recommended trees with descriptions.
A list of over 60, by size and color.
Visit our demonstration garden on
15th Street, open 7 days a week.
Current and historical source of rainfall, air temperatures, soil temps and much more. Click on Bixby station.
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Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services.
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