July/August,

The Grapevine
Earth-kind Water Conservation Workshops
Lubbock Master Gardeners recently hosted
two workshops on Earth-kind Water Conservation with attendance of 40 participants.
These were classes designed to explain the
intricacies of watering system. Two classes
repeated each other on consecutive Saturday, July 25 and repeating August 1.

The teachers - Vikram Baliga, Cecilia George

and Bill Rice.

LMG president Bill Rice covered How to

install a drip irrigation system and How
to identify and fix irrigation problems. Master Gardener, Cecilia George
explained Rainwater harvesting and
Vikram Baliga, Extension Advisor, talked
about landscape design, mulching, managing turf, and the best plants to select or
our hot and dry Lubbock climate.
Master Gardener, Kathryn Quillian Reeves, earns
Continuing Education credit while learning the
details of watering systems.

Kimberly Copeland(left) and Marcia Abbott

handled the registration desk.

The watering system many of us have but may not

know or understand.

Earth-kind Landscape Management Books and the

Best of Texas landscape plant guide.

Sunflowers
In the South Plains, where you can see forever, it's great to see something a little different on the horizon. It's usually cotton in some stage
of development or its corn or sorghum but if you're lucky you might see
off in the distance a thin golden line. As you get closer you see some
cars up ahead slowing down to look at what now appears to be a field
of sunflowers. Not the wild ones in the bar ditch, cute but not dramatic
like the cultivated fields you find in random places all around the plains.
Sunflower field South of Tahoka, TX

Sunflowers are native to North America. There are around 70 varieties that are grown for food and oil and even to remove toxins
from the soil as they were used after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. Russia grows 70% of the sunflowers grown commercially but Holland holds the record for the tallest sunflower, 30 feet. In 2014, 1.7 million acres were planted in the United
The American sunflowers travelled to Europe with the Spanish explorers but it's development as today's commercial crop was
States.
thanks to Russian hybrids used to increase oil content in the seeds. Sunflower seeds are 50% fat which is mostly polyunsaturated. It contains linoleic acid and calcium. The health benefits plus a high smoke point make it desirable for cooking.
After the seeds are pressed, the remaining "cake" is used for cattle feed. The stalk is sometimes used for silage. And has even
been used to make life preservers and fireplace "logs".

The sunflower is actually not just a simple flower although the domesticated, commercially grown sunflower has one blossom on
each stem. There are infertile ray flowers with the typically yellow
petals that can be orange, brown or green. The typically brown center has a multitude of as many as 2000 individual flowers that produce the seeds. Seeds are either striped or black. Birds love all varieties but the seeds have different uses. The striped seeds are used
for snack food, baking and as an additive to food. The black seeds
are used for oil.

Many people know that sunflowers follow the sun throughout the
day, a trait called heliotropism. This phenomenon is actually caused
by the production of auxin, a growth regulator which accumulates
more on the shady side of the plant. As the sun travels through the
sky, the stem grows more as the auxin increases on the shady side of
the plant and it appears to turn. Some new hybrids have seed heads
that tilt toward the ground as they mature, a deterrent to birds.

Sunflowers turning their heads to the sun.

The beautiful sunflowers that inspired Van Gough are still a popular
decorative flower today. There are more than sixty varieties. If you
want a bouquet of flowers or just one them, it is best to pick them in
the early morning as they tend to wilt if picked later in the day.
A fancier variety of the common sunflower.

Container Garden Watering Tips

(for those that love their plants to death)
Weve all done it, watered our plants to death. Its okay, youre not alone,
in fact, the leading cause of plant fatalities are due to over watering.
Here are some helpful watering tips for those of us who love our plants to
deathHow does over watering kill plants? Heavy and poorly drained soils are
susceptible to becoming waterlogged. Over watering pushes the oxygen
out of the soil pores, flooding the pores with water leaving only water for
the roots to absorb. The longer the air is cut off the more damage is done
to the roots. The dying roots get slimy and brown-decaying until they cannot supply the plant with necessary nutrients and water.
How DO I know when to water? Before watering your container, check to see if it really does need water, the top
of the soil can look dry while underneath is still moist. The best way to check is to stick your finger in to the second
knuckle, if it feels dry at your fingertip, give your plant some water. Note; dont just assume that because one container needs watering, they all do, check each container before watering. (in the past I may have been guilty of this
offense-just saying.)
How much water do I give my plant? Add water to your container until it runs out the bottom. This is important so
that the deeper roots will also be able to absorb water, this prevents shallow roots. Plants that are not watered thoroughly (until the water runs out the bottom) have shallow roots, meaning they stay at the top of the pot where they
can absorb any water that comes their way. Watering until water runs out the bottom encourages the roots to develop a deeper, healthier root system.
Take time to get to know your plants. Different plants have different watering
needs. Most plants prefer damp soil, not wet, just damp. This is why good drainage is so important, make sure your container has a hole for draining off excess
water, and that you use potting soil and not top soil in your containers. Potting soil
is a lighter mix (and in fact does not contain soil) created especially for containers
to provide optimal drainage. Keep in mind different plants have different watering
needs, some plants like to be a bit on the dry side, some like to be a bit dry between waterings, and other diva like plants will drop all their buds at the very idea
of getting a bit dry. As a rule of thumb, most flowering plants do not like to get too
dry, Succulents like to be a bit dry (some succulents are very sensitive to too
much water-be careful with water) while vegetables (particularly juicy ones like
tomatoes, cucumbers and melons) require ample amounts of water. Many herbs
such as rosemary, thyme, basin, dill and cilantro) like to dry out a bit between watering-this will also enhance their flavor.
Is there a particular time of day I should water? There are many that say morning is the best time of day to water plants. Roots are most receptive to morning or evening watering, but morning is recommended. Why? Water sitting on leaves overnight may promote disease such as fungi or mildew. However, if you arrive home from work and
your plants seem to be gasping for water, by all means open the spigot and give them a drink, in this case risking
disease is the lesser of two evils.
Water the dirt, not the leaves. Many leaves especially those with tiny hairs are prone to sunburn much like those
of us with fair skin. Water droplets left on leaves act as a magnifying glass quickly causing leaves to sunburn. Watering leaves can also promote disease to proliferate, therefore the best strategy is to water the soil only, keeping
the leaves out of harms way.
Sometimes one watering wont cut it. Here in Texas, the summers can be brutal, meaning that sometimes a container may need to be watered twice in one day. Variables for frequency of watering include climate, size of pot, soil
mix, and plant selection. Heat, wind and dry air can quickly do a number on your containers dont assume because
you watered in the morning that your plant wont need a top off in the evening in some instances.
Contributed by Lynn Murray

Big Changes Coming to Idalous Wildcat Park

- By Charlotte Davidson
Wildcat Memorial Park, a city park in Idalou, is getting a make over
and master gardeners Des Dunn and Lynne Murray are heading up the
project with lots of help from the city of Idalou, the local Wildcat 4-H,
and the Texas Forest Service.
We have spent time in several meetings with the City Administrator
and their public works employees going over the basics of what needs
to be done starting with weed control, grass seeding, fertilization,
proper watering, and removal of dead trees, Des says.
So far they dont have sponsors but have received in-kind contributions from Ken Isom at Crop Production Services, giving them fertilizer
and the use of a spreader. We now have the design finished in a form
that we can present to potential funders, Des added. I am working
on the budget for installing the jogging path, the paver path to the
pavilion, along with rainwater harvesting, and the community garden
and the 4-H garden. I should have it done by the end of July. Then we
need money to get it done.
There will be a walkway of pavers, with the names of donors, from the
parking lot to the picnic pavilion and a line of pines and hardwoods will
edge the park.
Tech graduate student, Aura Dominguez, who has a degree in Landscape Architecture, did the design for the park.

Lubbock County, Agent Mark

Brown was there to hoe and empty

Des and Lynne held a "Hoe Day" on

July 27 for 4-Hvolunteers to come
out and hoe up the weeds under the
swings and slide.

The group goes after the "green" -weeds were coming up.

A couple of members of the Wildcat 4-H. When

the park is finished, there will be a limestone
bed in the shape of the 4-H clover.

Everybody brought a hoe - ready for action!

This picnic pavilion will have raised beds on two sides and
a rainwater catchment system off the roof.

Spider mites
Trying to diagnose a problem with my eggplants led me to a interesting blog
post on Houzz. Im not a "blogger" nor do I follow any blogs but I found myself reading this one. I found it interesting because the author lives in Oklahoma near the Red River. She does have different soil than much of our area
but the weather issues that impact her garden are very much like ours,
drought, wind, cold and heat. I have copied some of her information on Spider mites here. The site address is: gardenweb: Okiedawn OK Zone 7 or,
www.houzz.com/user/okiedawn1
Spider mites are tiny sucking insects that attack all kinds of plants, including veggies and herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees.
They are at their absolute worst during the hottest part of the summer and can damage plants enough to kill them. They are
related to arachnids like spiders and scorpions, not insects, so a standard insecticide will not kill them, although a miticide
might (or at least should) but usually doesn't!
Spider mites appear as tiny dots (about the size of a period), usually on the underside of foliage. The most common ones I see
are the red ones, but there are others as well. If you think a plant has spider mites but are not sure, hold a white sheet of paper underneath the leaves of the plant and tap or shake the leaves. If tiny little dots fall onto the paper and begin crawling
around, they are most likely spider mites. Other symptoms of spider mites include a tannish to yellowish mottling of the foliage and tiny, tiny webs on the plant foliage.
Having healthy soil and healthy plants goes a long way towards keeping spider mites away.

WEEDS
Rain=Weed &Mosquitoes
The rains of June and showers in July have produced an
abundance of very hardy weeds. They are everywhere.
This is especially a problem with weeds that have developed an immunity to Roundup and other pesticides.
You may have read or noticed that once again there are
workers with hoes out in field trying to combat the stubborn weeds, pigweed in particular. But farmers are not
the only one. Beyond the field rows and bar ditches, the
medians and highway embankements are full of happy
green weeds. Thant means they will soon be blowing
weeds into our yards. (That is if they are not already
there.)
Pigweed, Amaranthus palmeri

Master Gardeners have tools at the ready to identify and tackle weeds . But just in case your Master Gardener Handbook is on
a shelf, there are many resources on the internet with identification tools. Texas AgriLife has a list available on your mobile
phone at Lubbock.tamu.edu/ Identifying Weeds . This is a list of common names with the corresponding scientific name .
Click on the name and a picture will pop up for identification. Or try an application from the numerous applications for IPhone, IPad, Android or the personal computer. The information is out there.
I happen to like the following chart for its artistic quality:

WEEDS

A personal favorite: Weeds in a raised bed at 42nd &

Slide.

Russian Thistle now. And growing bigger by the day!

And in the months to come.