Gardening

Galveston County Master Gardeners Help Nationwide Environmental Project

by Dr. William M. Johnson
Galveston County Extension Agent - Horticulture

Submitted for June 15, 2005

John Jons (left), Galveston County Master Gardener and Dr. Steven George, Professor and Extension Horticulturist at the Texas A&M Research & Extension Center in Dallas, recently inspected a newly planted rose in the rose test gardens located at Carbide Park in La Marque.

Twenty-one Master Gardeners planted 60 roses in mid-May as part of a testing program for EarthKind landscape plants.

Photo credit: William M. Johnson

Galveston County's Master Gardeners recently planted 60 different rose varieties in test gardens at Carbide Park in La Marque, as part of a nationwide search for perfect no-care roses.

The Galveston County Master Gardeners are volunteers who have completed an intensive training in horticulture at the Galveston County Extension Office, and who help our county's residents solve their plant and landscaping problems. Their participation in this important, professional, nationwide environmental project is high homage to the sustained high level of expertise and dedication they have demonstrated over the last 23 years.

Roses have had a centuries-long reputation of being the most neurotic members of the plant world. Homeowners love their magnificent blooms and fragrance. Consequently, they spend much money buying fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides to sustain their roses, and much time pruning, deadheading, and watering them to keep them blooming. Much to their exasperation, many roses still expire, no matter what.

The search for a foolproof, drought resistant, no-fuss, but beautiful and ever-blooming rose has been like a botanical Holy Grail-an impossible dream.

But Texas A&M's "EarthKind" project is taking on the nationwide search for the homeowner's dream of a Perfect Rose. EarthKind has already produced the "Texas Superstars": plants that are kind to the environment, because they grow in almost any soil, and don't require additional water, fertilizer or pesticide to thrive.

The Galveston County portion of the project will involve planting and then closely monitoring these test roses for three years. The project will be led by John Jons, a Master Gardener who has given many public seminars on growing and propagating roses in Galveston County. Master Gardener Jackie Reeves will conduct an insect pest study on the test roses, while Master Gardener Bert Janke will monitor disease incidence. Master Gardener Anna Wygrys will also use the rose test beds to conduct a study on the effectiveness of newspaper as a ground layer mulch for weed control.

Carbide Park is located at 4102 FM 519 in La Marque (about 1 mile west of the Gulf Freeway). The cooperation and support of the Galveston County's Department of Parks & Senior Services are very much appreciated. In addition to providing important research data, the rose test gardens will start to provide a display of floral color over the next few months for the enjoyment of park visitors.

Dr. Steven George, Professor and Extension Horticulturist at the Texas A&M Research & Extension Center in Dallas, serves as project leader for the EarthKind program. He notes that two important benefits of this project are reduced water usage and use of fewer chemicals in our home landscapes which are vital to the future health and well-being of our environment.

Gardener's Q&As

Question: What are gynecious cucumbers?

Answer: These are a more recent development and are plants that produce only female flowers, thereby resulting in earlier and more abundant fruit set. A few "normal" plants must be included for pollination and a few such seeds are normally mixed with seeds of gynecious varieties.

Question: I have webworms on my mulberry tree. Where do they come from? Are there any effective chemical controls available?

Answer: Webworms are aptly named as they form protective spider-like webs that cover the tips of branches where they feed. Webworms are very "hairy" or "fuzzy" and are typically yellow or greenish-yellow in color. Mulberry trees are their favorite with pecan trees ranking a close second. However, except for pines and other conifers, webworms will settle for having just about any landscape tree or shrub for dinner.

Recommended chemical controls include Sevin and malathion as well as insecticides containing permethrin. Effective control is also achieved with the use of Dipel and Bio-Worm Killer, both of which are biological or organic-type alternatives. Because the webs produced by the webworms are resistant to water penetration, the addition of a wetting agent (available at garden centers) to the spray mixture is highly recommended.

Since the adult stage is a moth, be on guard for succeeding generations of webworms. Just because you take care of the problem now, you may still have another generation to deal with later. In fact, you should be on the lookout for webworms from now through the fall season.

Question: Do you recommend use of fertilizer spikes around landscape trees?

Answer: While fertilizer spikes will not harm landscape trees, I do not recommend their use. Fertilizer spikes provide a concentration of nutrients in a limited area while not providing any nutrients in the remaining area. The roots of most trees extend out as far as the limbs (known as the dip line) and in many cases, extend out much farther than the limbs. Tree roots that absorb water and nutrients are also distributed fairly uniformly under a tree's drip line. I recommend use of a complete fertilizer (such as 15-5-10 or 13-13-13) that is spread uniformly around the tree at the drip line.

Dr. Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County
Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. Visit his web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.htm

Posted on July 13, 2005

Dr. Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County
Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. Visit his web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.htm

Gardening: Scale insects and pampas grass - July 17, 2004 article

Gardening: Bananas - August 1, 2004 article

Gardening: August Gardening Calendar - August 16, 2004 article

Gardening: Trio Of Extension Programs Includes Pear Tasting, Master Naturalist Class & Rose Seminar - August 20, 2004 article

Gardening: Prepare Now For Fall Gardens - August 26, 2004 article

Gardening: September’s Garden Calendar Includes Fall Pecan Field Day - September 2, 2004 article

Gardening: Ornamental Grasses - September 8, 2004 article

Gardening: Don't Let Landscape Become A High-Maintenance Nightmare - September 22, 2004 article

Gardening: Oct. 10 Plant Sale & Seminar To Feature Butterfly Gardening - Butterflies Bring Color, Motion to Garden - October 2, 2004 article

Gardening: Plant It And They Will Come: Getting the Butterflies of Galveston County to Grace Your Yard - October 2, 2004 article

Gardening: Rose Propagation & Seasonal Decorating Workshops To Be Held - October 13, 2004 article

Gardening: Extension Office To Sponsor Open House On October 29, Seasonal Decorations and Onion and Garlic Workshops - October 20, 2004 article

Gardening: Extension Office To Sponsor Open House On October 29 and County Pecan Show - October 27, 2004 article

Gardening: November Is Pansy Time - November 6, 2004 article

Gardening: County Pecan Growers Display Their Successes - November 11, 2004 article

Gardening: Gardeners' Questions On Fall Crops - November 17, 2004 article

Gardening: Gardeners’ Q&As For November - November 28, 2004 article

Gardening: Gardeners' December Checklist Includes Citrus Show On Dec. 9 - December 3, 2004 article

Gardening: Citrus Show A Huge Success With 185 Entries - December 19, 2004 article

Gardening: Trees and Shrubs - December 23, 2004 article

Gardening: Cold Weather Impact - January 4, 2005 article

Gardening: Gardeners' Checklist For January Includes Several Educational Programs - January 7, 2005 article

Gardening:Announcing the 2005 Galveston County Master Gardener Training - January 13, 2005 article

Gardening:Peach & Plum Growers' Workshop To Be Held Saturday, January 29 - January 19, 2005 article

Gardening: Gardening for Texas Wildlife - January 28, 2005 article

Gardening: Wide Variety of Citrus to Be Available at February 5 Fruit Tree Sale and Home Citrus Production - January 31, 2005 article

Gardening: Fruit Trees Of The Gods Featured In February 5 Master Gardener Plant Sale - February 2, 2005 article

Gardening: "If I Were A Tomato, I Would Want To Be Grown In Texas . . . Galveston County, That Is!" Workshop to be held February 12 - February 9, 2005 article

Gardening: February Is Rose Pruning Time...Attend Rose Care Seminar to Learn How - February 16, 2005 article

Gardening: Extension Activities At The Home & Garden Show On Feb. 26-27 - February 23, 2005 article

Gardening: March Gardening Calendar Includes Seminar On Butterfly Gardening - March 2, 2005 article

Gardening: Gardeners' Q&As From The Galveston Home & Garden Show - March 10, 2005 article

Gardening: Extension Offers Program On "Living To Be 100 . . . A Commonsense Approach." - March 16, 2005 article

Gardening: Program On Plumeria Offered On March 26- March 29, 2005 article

Gardening: Garden Checklist For April Includes Pecan Field Day - April 6, 2005 article

Gardening: Hints On Harvesting Vegetables For Peak Flavor - April 15, 2005 article

Gardening: Fresh Blueberries From Your Home Garden Seminar On Saturday, April 23 - April 22, 2005 article

Gardening: Learn About Weed Control - April 27, 2005 article

Gardening: Home Gardening Chores and
May 14 Home Fruit Growers’ Tour - May 5, 2005 article