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– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension

Before selecting plants consider the goals for your native plants.

Interest in utilizing native plants in residential landscapes is on the rise and OSU Extension encourages the practice of considering native plant choices for landscape plants when they fit the site conditions and goals of the grower. Native plants in Ohio settings would be plants that were documented to have been present across the state prior to European colonization. These plants are adapted to local conditions, pressures, and threats. As a result, they typically require fewer inputs to thrive than introduced species.

Native trees, shrubs, flowers, legumes, and grasses are all options for incorporation in landscapes. Over the next few weeks, this article will cover some of the considerations for each category of plants and suggested plants for use in Southeast Ohio. The first thing we will cover is understanding Continue reading →

Do you want to learn more about new plants to introduce in your gardens for pollinators in 2024?  How about finding some alternatives to those ugly boxwoods?  Or do you think it looks like those boxwoods are trying  making a comeback?  If you answered yes to any of those questions, then make plans now to attend the Fairfield County Master Gardeners “Dig Into Gardening” at Christ United Methodist Church, 700 S. Main Street in Baltimore, Ohio.

Our program will be featuring Planting for Pollinators with Scott Beuerlein of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Conifers for Today’s Gardens with (Garden Bob) Bob Iiames, American Conifer Society, and OSU Extension’s Carrie Brown discussing Boxwood Problems!!

We will have a Continue reading →

Master Gardener Training Informational Meeting – Are you thinking this is your year to become a Fairfield County Master Gardener Volunteer?  If you want to learn more about the program ..what’s involved, how do I get started?  Join us on  Friday, February 23, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. at the Fairfield County Ag Center located at 831 College Avenue in Lancaster, Oh for an informational meeting about the Fairfield County Master Gardener program.  Cost for the 7 week daytime program is $150.00 which does include your training manual and handouts.     All interested in Master Gardener Volunteer training in Fairfield County are encouraged to attend. 

Please take a moment to RSVP for the Fairfield County Master Gardener Informational session here: https://go.osu.edu/ffmgv2024

Questions?  Contact Connie Smith, Master Gardener Coordinator smith.3204@osu.edu or Carrie Brown, Extension Educator  brown.2766@osu.edu.

Understanding the varied feeding patterns of birds can make a significant difference in their well-being.  Some birds, like chickadees and cardinals, are year-round, while others are more seasonal.  For species like red-breasted nuthatches, redpolls, pine siski

ns,  grosbeaks, scarcity of seeds can lead them far from their usual ranges in search of food.

Diverse food choices planning for winter bird feeding involves three primary categories of food: large seeds, small seeds and suet.

Large seeds: Black-oil sunflower, Striped sunflower, Safflower, Peanuts, Shelled corn, Cardinal mixes (sunflower, safflower and peanuts.)

Black oil sunflower seeds and cardinal mixes are the most popular choices, comprising about 80-90% of seed used in Ohio. They offer Continue reading →

For most of us, taking down the Christmas tree is a dreaded time. The sparkling lights on the Christmas tree and the beautiful decorations make everything feel cozy and magical. There is also likely to be less offers to help take it down, than when putting the tree up.

What if you could repurpose that Christmas tree and give the kids something fun to do while on Christmas vacation? Instead of hauling off your real Christmas tree, why not considering adding it to your landscape outside.

Once your tree has been stripped of all the beautiful lights and ornaments consider placing it outside to help feed the birds. You could really up your bird feeding game by turning your tree into a large festive bird feeder. The tree will need to be anchored to a post or steel rod to ensure that it remains upright against the wind. Then the children can begin Continue reading →

Flowering Pear Trees were put on the “Do not Sell”, Invasive Species List for the Ohio Department of Agriculture last January of 2023. The problem is the fruit!  When Callery Pear was sold in the United States in the 1900’s, many nurseries claimed they were sterile and would not produce fruit. Callery pears are native to Asia. The species is named for a French missionary, Joseph Callery, who first collected the tree in 1858.

As the song the 12 Days of Christmas goes, “A partridge in a pear tree”. Now the questions are “Was it nesting?” “Was it feeding?” or was it doing both.  Teresa Culley (Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati) and Nicole Hardiman published the earliest work untangling exactly what was happening with the misbehaving Callery pears They noted that European starlings would feast on the fruit.

In 2022, Olivia Clark (University of Dayton) produced a fascinating honors thesis titled, “A Starling in a Pear Tree: Assessing the Influence of Bird Dispersal on Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana)”  Likewise, she noted that European starlings are among the most common birds observed eating Calley pear fruit.  She also reported that other birds will eat the fruit including American Robins (Turdus migratorius, family Turdidae) as well as Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum, family Bombycillidae). 

The airborne acrobatics by European starlings are known as a murmuration.  It’s one of Nature’s most fascinating spectacles with thousands of starlings twisting, turning, swooping, and swirling in a synchronized close-formation aerial display.   It’s a stunning example of collective animal behavior.

Although murmurations are most commonly observed in the fall, they may occasionally occur in the spring.  Organized flights may arise spontaneously anytime during daylight hours; however, the most dramatic displays occur during the evening hours. However, as Clark noted in her thesis, sheer numbers point towards the intestinal tract of European starlings as being a primary distribution route for Callery pears.  Research published in 2017 showed that starling murmurations could include over 30,000 individuals, thus the tremendous spread of Callery Pear seeds!!

Source: Thomas DeHaas, Buckeye Yard and Garden Line

A backyard bird feeder can be a source of joy and entertainment during the upcoming winter season. Join OSU Extension Educator, Carrie Brown, as we explore how we can best support our feathered friends as cold months roll in. Topics include food & feeder selection, feeder sanitation, deterring non-winged critters, and general birdscaping tips.  The Class will be held at the Main Library, 219 E. Broad Street in Lancaster at 6:00 pm on December 19.  For details contact the Fairfield County District  Library at 740-653-2745.

Are you ‘winterized?’

In this issue:

• Best defense against animal damage
• A Message from our MG Coordinator
• Community food drive a success
• Learning Never Ends project
• MG Newsletter win awards
• Sherman House update
• Seasonal Holiday spending tips
• Winter recipes for potato soup and bird suet
• Featured Book: Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries by Cynthia Riggs
• Ohio Plant Hardiness Map & All about the new U.S. Plant Hardiness Map
• Yerba Maté (part 2)
• Forcing bulbs in winter
• In/Around the Garden

Find the entire newsletter linked here in PDF.

Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), and Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri) are popular houseplants, often given as gifts during the holiday season. They are grown for their beautiful, exotic flowers.

Holiday cacti can be very long-lived. It is possible for these plants to live over 100 years, passed down from generation to generation. Although true cacti, these plants are native to rainforests.

Holiday cacti require good drainage and aeration for healthy root growth. Holiday cacti bloom best when kept somewhat pot-bound.

MGV Edna Wilson’s 80 year old Christmas Cactus beginning to bloom..

Healthy plants may only need repotting every three years.

Recommended potting mix for holiday cacti:

1 part sterile potting soil, 1 part sharp/builder’s sand or perlite, 2 parts peat moss

When watering your Holiday Cacti it is best to lace plants in a sink to drain when watering. Remove excess water from saucers and decorative pots. Excess water may result in dropping flower buds, wilting and root rot.  Allow soil to dry out between watering.

Plants won’t grow well in heavy, wet soils. Do not allow plants to sit in excess water after watering.    After the plants have finished blooming, water less frequently, increasing again in spring or early summer when the plants resume more active growth.

Plan to Fertilize monthly June thru August with a balanced houseplant fertilizer at half-strength.  In the fall when flower buds are forming, change to a fertilizer with low nitrogen (N), and high phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) formulation.   Example: 0-15-10 (0% N, 15% P, 10% K)

Once flower buds have started to develop, holiday cacti do not like to be disturbed. Plants may drop buds due to drafts or sudden changes in temperature or humidity levels.  Direction and the amount of sunlight they receive can result in dropping buds.  If the plants are to be put in a warmer room than the one in which the buds started, move them there as soon as the buds appear.

As long as there is adequate light and a relatively cool night temperature, the flower buds should continue to develop normally. They will reward you with spectacular blossoms.

Winter weather is tough enough on plants – the wind, dryness and cold. Animals also struggle to survive, searching for shelter and food, sometimes in our own backyards. The damage caused by animals might only be cosmetic at times, but it can also have long-term effects on plants – even killing them.

Animals such as mice, rabbits, voles and deer feed on the twigs, bark, leaves and stems of shrubs and trees. They may nip off terminal buds, eat shrubs to the ground and girdle trees and shrubs by chewing through bark.

Girdling occurs when an animal chews through the bark and cambium layer beneath the bark, damaging the plant’s vascular system. This inhibits the transport of water and nutrients, resulting in partial dieback or plant death.

Your best strategy is fencing and guards.  While not always aesthetically desirable, the best overall strategy to protect plants is to create physical barriers, usually fences. Fence plants with sturdy fencing – enclosing all the branches of a shrub and the lower branches and trunk of a tree. Hardware cloth is a good choice for keeping out smaller animals.  Continue reading →