The Grapevine July/August,

Master Gardener, Kathryn Quillian Reeves, earns

Continuing Education credit while learning the

details of watering systems.

Earth-kind Water Conservation Workshops

Lubbock Master Gardeners recently hosted

two workshops on Earth-kind Water Conser-

vation with attendance of 40 participants.

These were classes designed to explain the

intricacies of watering system. Two classes

repeated each other on consecutive Satur-

day, July 25 and repeating August 1.

LMG president Bill Rice covered How to

install a drip irrigation system and How

to identify and fix irrigation prob-

lems. Master Gardener, Cecilia George

explained Rainwater harvesting and

Vikram Baliga, Extension Advisor, talked

about landscape design, mulching, man-

aging turf, and the best plants to select or

our hot and dry Lubbock climate. The teachers - Vikram Baliga, Cecilia George

and Bill Rice.

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

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 com-

mercially but Holland holds the record for the tallest sunflower, 30 feet. In 2014, 1.7 million acres were planted in the United

States.

In the South Plains, where you can see forever, it's great to see some-

thing 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

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.

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.

The American sunflowers travelled to Europe with the Spanish explorers but it's development as today's commercial crop was

thanks to Russian hybrids used to increase oil content in the seeds. Sunflower seeds are 50% fat which is mostly polyunsatu-

rated. 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".

Sunflowers turning their heads to the sun.

A fancier variety of the common sunflower.

The sunflower is actually not just a simple flower although the do-

mesticated, 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 cen-

ter has a multitude of as many as 2000 individual flowers that pro-

duce the seeds. Seeds are either striped or black. Birds love all vari-

eties 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.

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 death- How 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 can-not 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 con-tainer 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 thor-oughly (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 devel-op 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 drain-age 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 be-tween 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 wa-tering-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 wa-ter plants. Roots are most receptive to morning or evening watering, but morning is recommended. Why? Water sit-ting 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. Wa-tering 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 con-tainer 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

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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 contribu-tions 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 Land-scape Architecture, did the design for the park.

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.

Lubbock County, Agent Mark

Brown was there to hoe and empty

The group goes after the "green" --

weeds were coming up.

Everybody brought a hoe - ready for action! 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.

This picnic pavilion will have raised beds on two sides and

a rainwater catchment system off the roof.

Spider mites

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 pa-

per 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 foli-

age and tiny, tiny webs on the plant foliage.

Having healthy soil and healthy plants goes a long way towards keeping spider mites away.

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 my-

self reading this one. I found it interesting because the author lives in Okla-

homa 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 Spi-

der mites here. The site address is: gardenweb: Okiedawn OK Zone 7 or,

www.houzz.com/user/okiedawn1

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 devel-

oped 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 stub-

born 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.)

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 IPh-

one, IPad, Android or the personal computer. The information is out there.

I happen to like the following chart for its artistic quality:

Pigweed, Amaranthus palmeri

WEEDS

Russian Thistle now. And growing bigger by the day!

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

Slide.

And in the months to come.