By The Yard

Tis The Season . . . To Take Out The Trash 3

Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count 4

How Does Popcorn Pop? 4

Where Do bugs Go in the Winter 5

December Quick Tips 6

Recipe: Glazed Butternut Squash with Carrots and Turnips 6

Put a Freeze on Winter Holiday Fires flyer 7

Inside this issue:

Cooperative Extension Service

Fayette County Extension

1140 Harry Sykes Way

Lexington, KY 40504

Phone (859) 257-5582

Email: DL_CES_Fayette@email.uky.edu

Continues on page 2

In addition to bloom time, one can distinguish between the two by examining their stem segments or "leaves". Thanksgiving Cactus segments have sides with pointed lobes along the edges while Christmas Cactus segments are smooth sided and have no pointy edges.

Bloom form is another indicator of species difference. True Christmas Cactus blooms have purplish anthers, the pollen bearing part of the flowers, whereas the Thanksgiving Cactus has yellow anthers. Don't be confused by the purple tipped stigma present on both. This taller single stigma is where incoming pollen gets deposited for fertilization. For the remainder of this article, "Christmas Cactus" will refer to both species.

Bloom colors include white, pinky-white, fuchsia with a white throat, fuchsia with a fuchsia

My fondness for Christmas Cactus plants comes from the numerous beautiful blooms that magically appear from green tips just as color has pretty much disappeared from my outdoor gardens.

These eye candy blooms start as early as November and can continue well into the New Year, often blooming again in the spring. What one thinks of as Christmas Cactus is more likely to be Thanksgiving Cactus since it mostly is what is sold around the holidays. Plants that bloom around Thanksgiving are the species Schlumbergera truncata. True Christmas Cactus blooms later into December and comes from the species Schlumbergera x buckleyi, a hybrid produced in the late 1840s in England.

Christmas Cactus: Getting Them to Bloom

December, 2019

HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER

Christmas Cactus segments are smooth sided and have no pointy edges.

Source: Penn State University/Extension

Fayette County Extension Office

will be closed December 23, 2019 to January 1, 2020. We will be back in

the office on Thursday,

January 2, 2020. Happy Holidays!

Christmas Cactus: Getting Them to Bloom, continued

throat, red, orangey-red, apricot and yellow. Oddly, white blooming plants will bloom pinkish-white if kept at lower temperatures. For years it was my goal to collect one of each color. I finally succeeded when I obtained a yellow-blooming plant a few years ago. A recent catalogue showed fringed blooming species available for the first time. Christmas Cactus species are long lived and will bloom year after year. Many are even passed down through generations. I have a true Christmas Cactus that blooms a solid fuchsia color and is well over twenty-five years old.

These plants flower in response to shorter daylight hours. Flowering also is related to nighttime temperatures. Ideal temperature range for flower bud development is between 55 and 60 degrees for a period of six weeks. As long as the temperatures remain in this range, plants will develop buds regardless of daylight hours. To achieve short-daylight induced blooming, place plants in a room that does not have any artificial light source such as lamps. The plants should receive no more than 8-11 hours of light. Plants also can be forced into re-blooming each year by using timers to control a shorter light exposure.

During flower bud formation, stop fertilizing and only water enough to keep the leaves from becoming shriveled. Sometimes

my plants reward me with a few more blooms again in March or April. My personal observation is that keeping them on the dry side after flowering is a sort of rest period that, when followed by fertilization, invigorates them into blooming again. If one wishes to force blooms any other time of the year, all that is required is to keep the plants cooler and in the dark for 13-16 hours for about four weeks.

One of the most frustrating things that can happen is to have flower buds drop off the plant before they bloom. Several different conditions, usually over-watering, insufficient light, or relocating the plant during early bud development can cause bud drop. Years ago I discovered that moving a plant led to the buds "turning" toward the light source and then falling off! Now I leave them alone until the buds are well developed and nearly in bloom before I relocate for viewing enjoyment. I should warn you that any newly purchased plant in bud will most likely drop some buds at home due to the abrupt light source change. Drafts and temperature extremes also can cause buds to drop.

These plants are easy to grow and are lovely just as houseplants. They are fairly disease resistant. However, since they are tropical cacti and not desert types, their needs are somewhat different. Bright

indoor light intensity or outdoor shade and soil high in organic matter are recommended. Water when the soil surface begins to feel dry. The plant may be kept drier in fall. Any well-balanced fertilizer may be used according to label directions. Try to resist the temptation to repot this plant as it thrives on being pot-bound to flower. If you do repot, do not step up to a larger pot size and wait until the plant stops flowering. Pruning after blooming will encourage the plant to branch. Remove a few sections of each stem by pinching or cutting. These can be rooted in moist potting soil or in water to produce new plants.

These holiday plants, so common and yet so beautiful, are easy to grow and will bloom every year if attention is paid to their requirements.

Source: Pennsylvania State University, PennState Extension

By The Yard Page 2

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Fayette County Cooperative Extension

Horticulture

Tis the Season . . . To Take out the Trash?

By The Yard Page 3

carbon dioxide, is the second-most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the United States from human activity. Carbon dioxide, the other major ingredient in landfill gas, is the first.

This year, consider trying out a new way of celebrating the season to help reduce your holiday waste:

Give a gift that needs no packaging—an experience! Offer to take friends or family on a trip to a public land, or offer to pay the entrance fee for a national, state, or local park you know they would enjoy.

Each year, an estimated 2.6 billion holiday cards are sold in the US, or enough to fill a football field 10 stories high. Instead of a traditional card, consider an e-card or a telephone call to friends and family.

When shopping for holiday foods, decorations, and gifts, use reusable shopping bags. These can be stronger than traditional single-use bags, protecting your purchases and reducing the amount of paper and plastic distributed by vendors.

For an eye-catching gift tag, cut off the front of any holiday cards you received in the previous year. The card’s decorative front will spruce up your gift, and you can write the recipient’s name on the blank side.

Save on gift wrap by reusing

intact pieces from the previous year, or by opting for a more durable material that you can use again and again, such as a cloth bag.

Once it’s time to pack up the decorations, set aside your Christmas tree for recycling. Many areas collect trees in the first few weeks after Christmas to be mulched and used for water conservation and weed control.

Source: National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)

This holiday season of giving, receiving, feasting, and decorating can come with some additional baggage—trash baggage, that is! Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the amount of trash produced in the United States increases by an estimated 25% that’s about one million extra tons of garbage each week. Annually, Americans discard an estimated:

38,000 miles of ribbon, or enough to wrap around the planet (with some left for a bow).

$11 billion worth of packing material.

And 15 million used Christmas trees.

When this holiday material is discarded it can be headed to landfills, where, far from making things merry and bright, it undergoes bacterial decomposition, which produces “landfill gas”, a mixture of predominantly greenhouse gases including methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. The methane in particular makes landfill gas stand out—landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States. Methane, a greenhouse gas with an impact on climate change more than 25 times greater than that of

By The Yard Page 4

Every year, thousands of volunteers identify and count birds during Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The annual count, which is in its 119th year, helps researchers, conservation biologists, and others study North American bird populations over time.

Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count

The first Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on December 25, 1900 when 27 participants counted and identified about 18,500 birds, mostly in the northeastern US. Today, volunteers brave snow and chilly temperatures to identify and count birds throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. Last year, 2,585 counts were completed and 59.2 million birds were reported!

What birds will we see this year? Learn more about CBC and find a count near you.

Anyone can participate in the Christmas Bird Count, which takes place from December 14, 2019 to January 5, 2020. The CBC takes place in “count circles” that focus on specific geographic areas. Every circle has a leader, so even if you are a beginner birdwatcher, you’ll be able to count birds with an experienced birder and contribute data to the longest-running wildlife census. If your home happens to be within the boundaries of a count circle, you can count the birds that visit your backyard feeder.

Source: National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)

Did you know that the average American eat 68 quarts of popcorn a year! Not only is popcorn a delicious snack, but is also nutritious since it is considered a whole grain. Of course if you slather butter on it, the nutritional benefits may be negated.

So how does popcorn pop? Some Native American tribes believed that there were spirits that lived inside each kernel of popcorn. The spirits are content until someone

How Does Popcorn Pop? heats the kernel. This made them angry, in fact they got madder the hotter the kernel was heated. The kernels begin to shake with anger when the heat was to much to bear. At that point, the spirits would burst out of their homes and into the air as puffs of steam.

The scientific explanation is less creepy! Each hard kernel of popcorn has a small amount of water stored inside a sphere of soft starch. As the kernels are heated, the water expands as it turns to vapor. The pressure eventually breaks the hard outer surface as the starch inflates and basically turns the kernel inside out. For this to work well the kernel has to be relatively small, and the hard outer shell of the kernel must be

quite strong to resist the increasing pressure. This explains why popcorn has kernels that are smaller than most field corn.

Popcorn is grown here in Kentucky. In fact, you can grow it in your own garden! Many garden catalogs offer different varieties of popcorn. Varieties offer a broad range in kernel color, including blue and red. However, the popped corn will be white or pale yellow. For more information on growing popcorn, check out www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2000/7-21-2000/popcorn.html.

Submitted by Amanda Sears, Agent for Horticulture, Madison Co. Cooperative Extension Service

Winter Weather Policy When Fayette County Schools are

closed, call the Fayette Co. Extension Office,

859 257-5582, to verify if class will be meeting.

Where do the bugs of summer go when the weather turns cold? And how do they reappear the next year when the temperatures warm?

Of course, the insects don't just 'disappear' and magically reappear the next year. Each species has developed some way of dealing with the cold weather.

One insect follows the example of the migratory birds and heads south. The monarch butterfly's from east of the Rocky Mountains eventually find their way to central Mexico, where they overwinter in the mountain highlands near Mexico City. One or two areas are protected as monarch refuges. Monarchs from west of the Rockies travel to a spot near Santa Barbara, California. These are true migrating insects because the same individuals that go south for the winter come back the next year.

Some other insects, such as leafhoppers and milkweed bugs, strategy for dealing with winter is to head south as the winter cools. They reinvade the next year, but in this case, it's different individuals that return.

Most insects stay here year round. They employ a variety of tactics for survival. One is simply to move in with humans. Insects such as ladybird beetles (ladybugs), cluster

flies, elm leaf beetles and boxelder bugs overwinter as adults in wall voids, attics and other out-of-the-way places in homes and other structures.

Before humans started building insect hotels, they probably found shelter in hollow logs and other natural cavities.

Many insects spend the winter in immature stages - as eggs (the bagworm is a good example), as larvae underground (cicadas and June beetles) or as pupae (the large silkworm moths such as the Cecropia).

Yellowjacket and paper wasp queens, some mosquitoes and the mourning cloak butterfly are other examples of local insects that overwinter as adults. Like the ladybird beetle, they seek out a protected spot and become dormant until warm weather activates them again.

Whatever insect you're looking at or whatever its winter survival may be, the pattern of development doesn't leave much room for variation. For example, moths that form cocoons in the fall must have that winter cold period. If you bring them indoors and keep them warm, chances are that they won't complete their development. Or, if they do hatch, it will be well in advance of the proper time so they have no hope of surviving outdoors.

Though some insects may become unseasonably active during an extended midwinter thaw, the true hibernators and the majority of

those that rest in the adult stage will not be tricked to become active early. Of course, that's not much consolation to the homeowner who has to deal with a midwinter wasp buzzing the family or an "invasion" of slow, stupid flies bumbling into windows and walls during a midwinter mild spell.

The final group of insects consists of those that remain active all year round. These are primarily aquatic insects that spend the winter as immatures in rapidly flowing streams that don't freeze all the way to the bottom.

Some insects have body fluids that act like antifreeze. Glycol-like substances that resist freezing protect the insect from being torn apart internally by ice crystals.

With or without antifreeze, most insects simply can not function at temperatures below 40 degrees F. Because they rely entirely on the world around them for the warmth they need to function, they've developed this wide range of techniques for surviving cold weather and assuring the survival of their species.

Source: Don Janssen, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Extension Educator

Where Do Bugs Go in the Winter

By The Yard Page 5

During winter, some insects like ladybugs seek shelter in homes

By The Yard Page 6

December Quick Tips Broadleaf evergreens will benefit from an application of anti-desiccant this month. Make sure evergreens are well watered.

Outdoor pond inhabitants may encounter problems if the pond freezes over and gases cannot escape. A basketball floated on the surface will often keep a small spot from freezing.

If you haven’t already, empty and store flower pots for the season. Many pots, particularly clay and ceramic, will be damaged by moisture and freezing temperatures.

Plan gardens and place seed orders. Many popular items and new offerings will sell out first.

Use fallen leaves to mulch your vegetable garden. These can be tilled in next spring to add valuable organic matter. They will also protect the soil by preventing

erosion, compaction, and to a degree, inhibit cool season weeds from germinating.

Water is often as limited a resource for birds as food. If you enjoy feeding and watching birds try a bird bath de-icer or electric pet bowl. See if you don’t attract more feathered friends than before.

If you will be establishing a new lawn this spring, Do A Soil Test Now! New ground usually benefits from an application of nitrogen, and sometimes phosphorus , potassium or lime (only if pH is too low).

Be careful where you throw de-icing salt, as well as the contaminated slush, snow and ice which you scoop of the walks. Most plants are easily damaged by these salts. Try using sand, sawdust, urea fertilizer or kitty litter for traction rather than the

de-icing salts, or buy a brand which is labeled “safe for plants”.

Avoid walking on frozen turf as much as possible. Whenever you hear the crunch of icy grass, you are actually damaging the crown (growing point) of the frozen grass plant.

Your landscape can be a great source of materials for holiday decorating. Light pruning will generally not harm your plants in the winter and you may be surprised at the variety in your own yard. Don’t just consider evergreens, use ornamental grasses, pine cones, fruits, berries, even mosses in your decorating.

Watch for January, 2020, “By The Yard” newsletter for the class schedule: “Gardener’s Toolbox 2020

For More Plate It Up Recipes, Visit:

http://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/content/ plate-it-kentucky-proud

PutaFREEZEon Winter Holiday Fires

It’s fun to decorate for the winter holidays, but holiday decorations can increase your risk for a home fire. As you deck the halls this season, be fire smart.

More than half of the home decoration fires in December

are started by candles.

More than 1/3 of home decoration fires are started by

candles.

The top 3 days for home candle fires are Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and

New Year’s Eve.

Keep candles at least 12 inches away from

anything that burns.

Although Christmas tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are dangerous.

On average, 1 of every 52 reported home Christmas tree fires resulted in death.

A heat source too close to the Christmas

tree causes 1 in every 4 winter fires.

Read manufacturer’s instructions for the number of

light strands to connect.

Make sure your tree is at least 3 feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles or heat vents. Also, make sure your tree does not

block exits.

Get rid of your tree after Christmas or

when it is dry.

For more information on how to prevent winter fires, visit www.usfa.fema.gov/winter and www.nfpa.org/winter.

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Fayette County

“By the Yard”

Fayette County Cooperative Extension 1140 Harry Sykes Way Lexington, KY 40504-1383

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

The College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the bases of race, color, ethnic origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. Inquiries regarding compliance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and other related matter should be directed to Equal Opportunity Office, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Room S-105, Agriculture Science Building, North Lexington, Kentucky 40546.

Jamie Dockery

County Extension Agent for Horticulture Cooperative Extension Service

Fayette County Extension Service 1140 Harry Sykes Way

Lexington, KY 40504-1383 (859) 257-5582

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KENTUCKY STATE

UNIVERSITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND KENTUCKY COUNTIES, COOPERATING