Cover photo by Emily Schiller, MG 2008
for more fantastic flora photos, see Emily's blog:
From the Coordinator's Desk
Beth Chisholm
Class of 2015 Graduates!! Please join me on DECEMBER 10th at 6:30 PM at WSU Ext to receive your badge!
(There is no December MG Foundation meeting)
Let’s make it a dessert holiday potluck! All MGs are welcome!
Clinic Team Meeting—the veteran clinicians met for an end of season wrap up meeting. The clinic remains open for the public but will only be staffed one day a week. If you would like to hone your diagnostic skills please contact Jeff Dodson. Read Digger Spade articles published monthly in this newsletter and stop into clinic during the winter and spend time with the FREE resources and new clinic computer to solve your plant mysteries.
Hovander Team Meeting—an end of season meeting on October 28th was attended by 12 MGs. We discussed the successful season and changes and improvements for the 2016 growing season. Items covered included developing and funding uniform signage, soil/compost purchases, workshops and events, fundraising, and soil testing for improved demo garden management.
Hovander GPS Mapping – Chris Benedict and Beth have started mapping each of the garden beds at Hovander. The map will become a tool for all the volunteers who work at Hovander. In the coming months we will share the map. In late February we will visit Hovander with the new MG class and teach soil science. All MGs are welcome to attend.
2016 MG Basic Training Course – still accepting applications for the 2016 MG basic Training course
The 12 week course runs Feb 6th –April 22nd. Details at our website.
Scholarships available upon request
MG End of Year Housekeeping – If you just completed the MG training in 2015 you are not required to do Continuing Education in the first year.
Continuing Education – Check out the new page on our website Continuing Education Page 2016 Whatcom Advanced Training Planning. Do you have ideas and energy to share? Consider joining the planning team for the annual advanced training. Each year Whatcom hosts a large full day conference I am looking for a dedicated team of 4 people who enjoy planning events. From the guest speakers, programs, venue, food, raffles, etc. Monthly planning meetings will start in March 2016.
Report Volunteer Hours
Please remember to report volunteer hours. For a refresher on how to document your valuable hours, visit the website page: “Links for Master Gardeners.” will take you straight to the state database site.
Whatcom County Master Gardener Reapplication Form
To maintain certification, Master Gardeners need to complete 25 hours of volunteering annually and 10 hours of continuing education.
Community Garden News
 |
Kendall Community Garden Summer 2015
|
The WSUE Community First Garden Project (CFG) is growing. This Project is funded locally by the Mary Redman Foundation. CFG provides, workshops, garden tours, surplus produce, sharing tools, knowledge, space and giving back to those in need. Creating safe and beautiful green spaces for all to enjoy.
Two upcoming events Committee Meeting Dec 8th 1:30 pm at WSUE offices, contact Beth for more info. Community Garden Openhouse/ Panel Discussion January 2016 date TBA
MG Foundation President's Message
Linda Burshia Battle
November is the perfect time to give thanks. We really can't go straight from Halloween into Christmas with out acknowledging and appreciating November and Thanksgiving. My November garden is tucked in and ready for winter. I'm thankful for a bit of a reprieve. The gardens at Hovander, Roeder and the community gardens are all cleaned up and ready for our colder season. I'm thankful for all the hardworking and dedicated master gardeners who worked tirelessly throughout spring, summer and fall to nurture and tend those gardens. I'm thankful for Chris Benedict and Beth Chisholm's guidance and leadership. I'm thankful for those volunteers who have served on the foundation board and for those who continue to serve. All of your insights and energy have helped to make our foundation better and stronger. I'm thankful for Cheryl's incredible competency and her continuing help. I am thankful for Amberose and her dedication to getting our beautiful and informative newsletter out. I'm thankful for Dr. Bob Barker and his wealth of knowledge and ongoing dedication to problem solving in the clinic week after week. I'm thankful for Vincent and the tech support he provides for master gardener programs and the foundation. I am thankful for David Simonson's (and Debbie's) leadership at Hovander (and his chocolate pies)! I am thankful for Shelley Fishwild and the actualization of her vision for the Roeder home and creating an urban demonstration garden. I am thankful for Esther Faber for landscaping and maintaining the area in front of the extension office. What a transformation! I am thankful for Jeff Dodson for working tirelessly to upgrade our insect collection. I am thankful for Kay Dykas for sending notes of sympathy and caring to those MG's who have dealt with hardship and sorrow. I am thankful for Karen Gilliam and her wealth of knowledge which she so freely shares. I am thankful for John Dewing and Pamela Wild who make sure there is a roster of great, informative workshops. I am thankful for Dick Steele and Janis Walworth for teaching us about the amazing world of weeds. And the list can go on and on and on. Thank you Dick, Judy, Sandy, Barb, Kendra, Elaine, Sandy, Peg and Sheila. Thank you Lyn Morgan Hill for stepping up to orchestrate the plant sale. And special thanks to Ayn, Kay and Pam for taking on the responsibility of the Children's Garden. There are so many others and I'm out of room.
Heartfelt thanks to all of you. Happy Thanksgiving.
Linda Burshia Battle
Master Gardener Foundation President
 | ||
Wreath making at the November foundation meeting
   |
The Stromatium Saga
Jeff Dodson, MG 2014
Hello Everyone from the Clinic Desk,
As you may remember from a few Weeders Digests ago, the
clinic received an insect sample from a walk-in client who had found it in his
house after discovering a small pile of sawdust under a quarter-inch hole in an
item of furniture.
The
insect was a beetle and readily identifiable as belonging to the longhorn
beetle family by its remarkably long antennae.
 |
| Photo by Jeff Dodson |
Not only had no one in clinic ever seen anything like it, but after
extensive research we could not identify it to genus. The proper course of action for a Master
Gardener clinician faced with this situation is to get more expert help. Merrill Peterson, our WWU entomologist, was
contacted as well as the diagnosticians at the Washington State University Puyallup Plant and Insect Diagnostic Laboratory. The most current information we had regarding
the insect sample was passed along to them as well as photographs showing as
much physical details as we could of the beetle. Like us, Merrill was stumped so we hung our
hopes on the Diagnostic Laboratory.
At this point we had followed the suggested course of action
from the webinar that can be found here. This is a terrific source of education that can be viewed in
about two hours and is applicable toward the Continuing Education requirement
for Master Gardeners. An excellent
speaker and an extremely qualified entomologist, Todd Murray, (who was once
counted among the staff at the Whatcom County Extension Office) presents “First
Detector Training: The Bugs That Ate WA State” in which he introduces the
proper path to take when confronted by a sample of an unknown insect. Raquel Crosier, Executive Director of the
Washington Invasive Species Council, then completes the instruction in her
segment, “Report a Pest.” The best way I can think of to educate oneself on the “who, what, where,
when and why” of submitting a sample to these experts is by experiencing this
webinar. Please consider doing this. Remember that this and other webinars are
archived and can be accessed at your convenience.
In the end, our boring beetle was identified as Stromatium longicorne. It doesn’t have a common name. Although somewhat rare, it is not considered
an invasive species.
 |
| Click for source |
Coincidentally, the last time it was reported in the state
of Washington was in Whatcom County. In that case it had emerged from a wooden lamp. Our
client’s furniture had been painted after construction and so the most likely
scenario is that an adult laid her eggs in the tree that was later harvested
for timber and then used to build the furniture that our client then
bought. Because a larva of this insect
can live 3-7 years as an immature before pupating, it probably had been present
in his cabinet for as long as our client owned it. Once it had completed its metamorphosis into
an adult beetle, it bored its way out of the furniture, ready to do what adult
longhorn beetles do.
It is nice to put this one to rest.
Best regards to all,
Jeff
Calendar of Events
Free and Open to the Public
Leavenworth MG Mini-Conference
Saturday, November 21 ● Leavenworth
WSU Chelan/Douglas Counties Master Gardener program is hosting a one-day mini conference in Leavenworth, WA. Five continuing education credits are available for WSU Master Gardeners. http://ext100.wsu.edu/chelan-douglas/gardening/mg/conference2015/
Washington Small Fruit Conference
December 2-4 ● Lynden Fair Grounds
Dozens of varieties of poinsettias and blueberries, tractor trade shows, the latest research in raspberries & blueberries, and a tasty lunch to boot! We need volunteers to help with registration & to make this Toward Zero Waste event a success. Register here, and then add your name to the sign-up sheet.
December 2-4 ● Lynden Fair Grounds
Dozens of varieties of poinsettias and blueberries, tractor trade shows, the latest research in raspberries & blueberries, and a tasty lunch to boot! We need volunteers to help with registration & to make this Toward Zero Waste event a success. Register here, and then add your name to the sign-up sheet.
Community Garden Committee Meeting
1:30 pm ● Tuesday, December 8 ● Extension Office
1:30 pm ● Tuesday, December 8 ● Extension Office
Pinning Ceremony
6:30 pm ● Thursday, December 10 ● Extension Office
We are excited to officially pin the 2016 MG & MCR cohort at this December's foundation meeting. Come for a dessert potluck celebration! See "From the Coordinator's Desk" for more details.
Point Roberts Compost Workshop
Don't miss this the 2016 training, field trips & fun! Email Amberose Kelley (a.kelley@wsu.edu) for details. Apply here.
6:30 pm ● Thursday, December 10 ● Extension Office
We are excited to officially pin the 2016 MG & MCR cohort at this December's foundation meeting. Come for a dessert potluck celebration! See "From the Coordinator's Desk" for more details.
Plant ID Study Group
Plant ID Study Group will not be meeting in November or December due to holidays landing on our usual dates. Sessions will resume January 28, 2016. We meet monthly at the Community Food Co-op’s north Bellingham store, 315 Westerly Rd, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, in the upstairs meeting room. This qualifies for MG education credits. Coffee and snacks are available in the store. Internet is free. Bring samples of flowers or trees (branch with leaves) or just come to keep your local native and garden plant identification skills strong. Plant identification books are helpful (like Pojar and MacKinnon’s Plants of The Pacific NW Coast or Sunset) as well as a small magnifying glass and a small knife for cutting buds and blossoms.
Our leader, Karen Gilliam (384-4562, jkgilliam@gmail.com) and coordinator, Louise Granger (592-5316, rutroad@gmail.com) can field questions.
Point Roberts Compost Workshop
Saturday, February 6 ● Point Roberts Community Center
Come to learn or to lend a hand! The Master Composter Recyclers are hosting a composting workshop for the community of Point Roberts. Sign up if interested and we can carpool.
Come to learn or to lend a hand! The Master Composter Recyclers are hosting a composting workshop for the community of Point Roberts. Sign up if interested and we can carpool.
Master Composter Recycler Training
Thursdays 5-7 pm & Saturdays 10 am-2 pm, February 18 - April 2 ● ExtensionDon't miss this the 2016 training, field trips & fun! Email Amberose Kelley (a.kelley@wsu.edu) for details. Apply here.
Digger Spade: The Case of the Peakless Picea
Digger Spade, MG Plant Detective
 |
| Serbian Spruce |
The client came in with a picture of his Serbian Spruce (Picea
omorika). The tree looked about 18 feet
tall and instead of having a single leader, it had three or so - but they were all
dead. We asked him when he noticed this, and he said last year and again this year.
The rest of the tree seemed in robust good health. It seemed that last year the new growth died
and this year the several shoots competing for leadership had suffered the same
fate.
The damage pattern didn’t seem that of a disease since it was
limited to new growth. Nor did it seem
likely to have an environmental
cause. That leaves insect damage as a
likely factor. Quite a few insects have
a taste for new growth that is rich in nutrients, but two or three particularly like various
parts of spruce. A quick search
identified the most likely culprit, the white pine weevil (Pissodes
strobi). In this part of the world it used to be known as the spruce weevil, but it turned out to be the same species that had been named earlier as the white pine weevil. As in most things precedence counts.
But the client wants to know what he can do about it. His spruce is turning into a bush and doesn't
look good with a dead top. The weevil both flies and climbs to lay its
eggs at the base of the new bud on the leader (or leaders) just as they begin
to open. The larvae enter the stem and munch their way down through the cambium
of the previous year. So during the
growing season the new bud may produce a spurt of growth, but dies and the side
shoots from two years earlier begin to challenge for leadership.
 |
| White pine weevil damage |
Intercepting the weevil in a timely way is tricky. Getting insecticide onto the tree so that the weevil is killed presents difficulties, and once the larvae are in the cambium layer the only way to get at them is with a systemic insecticide. There is only one pyrethrin based insecticide (non-systemic) registered in Washington for homeowner use on the pine weevil. It lasts only a day or so, which would require frequent applications to the top of the tree as the new terminal bud(s) are beginning to expand. Alternatively, the climbing weevils can be trapped with sticky bands on the tree trunk.
There are also several systemic insecticides available to licensed operators, so a certified arborist may be be the client's best resource. Some of these are used in soil treatments and
some as injections, again timing them so that larvae are killed before
substantial damage has occurred.
But even successful treatment will not produce a stately spruce tree unless a single leader can be created and trained vertically. That may mean aesthetics will determine the next steps. If a bushy or distorted tree isn’t acceptable, then ground-level pruning will be in order and a suitable non-spruce replacement installed.
Not all investigations have a happy ending.
A Year of Composting
 |
| An MCR worm bin, ready for harvest |
2015 has been a great year for composting. We set up worm bins in classrooms and hot compost piles in community gardens, teamed up with Sustainable Connections and Toward Zero Waste, and did important community outreach at fairs & events throughout the summer.
Here are some photo highlights.
Worm Bins with Kids
Community Garden Compost Workshops
Summer Fairs
Hovander Demonstration
International Year of Soils
2015 is also the International Year of Soils, and the theme for November is Soils and Climate (see the full collection of videos here).A core component of the Master Composter training is soil building. Our volunteers are helping to create a more resilient community in the face of a rapidly changing world. Join us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)