February Tips

We have passed many winter milestones by now: the sun is setting later, groundhog’s day was a couple of weeks ago, Presidents Day was last Monday. Even though winter can linger, and February’s weather can be brutal, there are signs this season is coming to a close. With all these passings, we can start to plan and be more active in the pursuit of home gardening. Here are some early season tips to guide you.

Indoor houseplants: It’s easy to overlook these, as they have been sitting on a shelf and you pass by them constantly, but they still need care. Check to make sure they aren’t root bound and re-pot as necessary. They can be moved to a sunny location now that the days are longer, but be careful to avoid placing them in a draft.

Bulbs: You should check on the condition of the tender bulbs you dug up and stored for the winter. Signs that they did not survive are softness, shriveling, and rot. For the health of other bulbs, discard anything showing these symptoms.

Seed packets: Do you save your own from years past? Or, are you looking to get a fresh supply? Take inventory now, and order early. This way you can purchase what you want before things sell out. If you start seeds indoors, refresh yourself with days to germination, light, soil, and moisture conditions. Make sure all your equipment is sanitized.

Plans: Now is a good time to plan your landscape and garden. Make notes of what you remember what flourished and what plants struggled. Important too, is know your USDA hardiness zone. In our area, there are many microclimates. The USDA has an online tool to help you find suitable plants for your garden, and it is based on your zipcode. Check it out at : http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov.   There are some seeds that can started soon but plan ahead for them so they will be at the right stage of development when you transplant them outside.

Plants: check your hardy perennials, trees, and shrubs for winter and storm damage. Prune any injured limbs to avoid disease any further damage. And, most people don’t think of their lawn as a plant, but it is, and needs care even in the winter. If you haven’t had a soil test recently, spring is one of the best times to amend your turf. Soil test kits are available for purchase in our office.  The test will give the best treatment recommendations for your soil and save you money.

The Penn State Master Gardeners have plenty of free information on any of the above topics. Plus, we will be having a training, if you are interested in becoming a master gardener. The classes begin March 8, are help on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Contact us at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu for more information.

Steve Ward

Master Gardener Coordinator

Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County

Pet Safety In The Yard

We have experienced one of the mildest winters on record, in stark contrast to year’s record lows. Which makes you anticipate gardening and enjoying the home landscape more-a long winter, or this mild one? The time change happened early this morning, so even our days are longer. Have you thought about what you will do this year in your yard, and with whom you will enjoy it?

Yourself, along with friends and family safely enjoy the outdoors, but have you given much thought to your other friends, the four-footed kind? We share our homes, both the inside and outside, with our pets, so it is important to think through some of our landscape practices to ensure what we do is safe for our families, the environment, and animals. 

Fencing, for two reasons should be the first option. One is to keep them in, providing a safe place and avoiding traffic and other distractions like run-ins with wildlife. Second, a fence around a vegetable garden will keep them out. Dogs should not mark your vegetable plants as their territory. A fence will prevent them from leaving their own brand of fertilizer behind too. Keeping pets out of the garden will diminish the spread of some diseases. Septoria leaf spot is a water- borne disease. Water droplets on a dog’s fur can transfer the pathogen from one plant to another as they roam about.

In addition, choose plants wisely. Some are known to be toxic, to varying degrees, to pets. The aptly named dogbane, some lilies, dahlias, and bishops weed are common and known to cause problems with dogs. Baby’s breath, Coleus, and elephant ears cause reactions with cats. Composting and mulching are great landscape practices, and homeowners are encouraged to do them. When composting, avoid putting meat and moldy foods in the compost pile. These are attractive nuisances to your pet. Dogs are drawn to the sweet smell of cocoa mulch, and if ingested, can create a wide range of disorders. Avoid using this if you have pets.

Often times, a chemical of some sort is needed around the home. Fertilizers, weed and feeds, and pesticides are common tools to achieve optimum results. Pets are curious to things and smells. Snail bait, ant and fly traps, and rat poisons need to be kept away from animals. Read and follow the label directions when applying fertilizers, lawn treatments, and pesticides. They are dangerous if swallowed. Some dogs cannot resist chewing a new container, and need your help to protect them from harm.

The Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have a free fact sheet on protecting your pets in your yard. Please contact us at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu for a copy.

Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County

Farm Show

Are you suffering from the post-holiday blues yet? Or, despite the warmer-than-usual winter, long for the greener times of year?  There are few choices you have if you want a diversion for any reason in January. What about taking a road trip? Is there anything fun and free to do this time of year?

There is one answer to all of those questions, the 2016 Pennsylvania Farm Show. And, it’s not just for  farmers. It provides an atmosphere for everyone to walk through, observe and educate themselves about different areas of Agriculture - the Commonwealth's largest industry, and what the industry provides to them. The Farm Show provides a showplace for farmers to see the most up-to-date farm equipment, farming practices, and farming needs. Just as importantly, the show gives us regular folks an educational showcase to learn about agriculture and how the products they consume are harvested and processed.

Some fun facts about the Farm Show:

• It is free
• The show is the largest indoor agricultural event in our country.
• The Farm Show Complex houses 24 acres under roof, spread throughout 11 buildings including three arenas.
• The Farm Show Complex is used for events all year, but it is a green operation. Since 2010, changes made there have reduced the carbon footprint by 1650 metric tons each year.
• The food is amazing! Visitors last year consumed: about 100,000 milkshakes, 20,000 dozen potato doughnuts, 7,000 apple dumplings, 11,000 whoopie pies, nearly 9,000 Strawberry Surprise drinks, and 4,500 bags of maple cotton candy. Proceeds from food sales support eleven different agricultural organizations across the state.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show is educational too.  You can see exhibits and vendors promoting all sorts of farming related topics. Many people have never been exposed to the hard work of our farmers, and all the effort they put forth to feed us, and the world. On top of that, Penn State Extension holds workshops and demonstrations throughout the duration of the show. Some of the topics include: home food preservation, understanding rototilling your garden, attracting butterflies, gardening for seasonal color, poultry science, and gardening 101.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show is going on now though Saturday January 16. For a thorough list of activities, maps, and visitor information, go to www.farmshow.state.pa.us The show is well worth the trip.

Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Lackawanna County

Caring For Poinsettia and Christmas Cactus

The holiday season has officially started. You may have already procured the best black Friday deals, decorated the inside and outside of your home, and for the most ambitious, put up your tree. Did you purchase live plants too? If so, holiday plants, with proper care, can bring pleasure for weeks or even months after the holiday season ends.

The newer poinsettia varieties retain their leaves and bracts remarkably well and may stay in good shape for several months. Keep a uniform room temperature for poinsettias between 60 and 68 degrees. Put your plant near a bright window, out of direct sunlight, and remove it if there is danger of chilling.

Try to maintain the soil moisture at moderate and uniform levels. Never let the pot stand in water for any extended period of time. If the plant came wrapped in foil or other water-tight material, be sure to punch holes in the bottom or remove the wrap entirely, so water won’t be trapped inside.

While the poinsettia remains the choice of holiday plants, the Christmas cactus is popular too. Most blooming plants will keep better in cooler temperatures and in a well-lit location away from sources of hot air. Watering seems to be the source of most problems with the Christmas cactus. Water thoroughly when the top half of the soil in the pot feels dry to the touch. Discard the excess; do not water again until the top half becomes dry. 

Well-drained soil is a must for Christmas cactus. Use a commercially packaged potting mix for succulent plants. Pruning your Christmas cactus after blooming will encourage the plant to branch out. Remove a few sections of each stem by pinching them off with a knife.

For more information on holiday plant care, contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County, and request the free publications on poinsettias and Christmas cactus we can be reached at 570-963-6842 or email us: LackawannaMG@psu.edu

Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County

Winter Bird Care

While the seasons to enjoy the home landscape for the most part are over for us, there are plenty of creatures who benefit from your yard in the worst months of the year. Birds, especially, need your space when you aren’t using it. With a little help, you can give birds a better chance of survival through the winter.

There are benefits to winter bird care, even though most of us never think about how our landscape choices will impact the outside world around us.

•A home landscaped to attract birds means planning and thought. A well designed yard increases property values.
•Trees provide shade in summer, and evergreens act as wind buffers for our homes, but both offer refuge for birds.
•Birds will eat nuisance insects
•Birds provide entertainment and a glimpse into a world outside the window pane.

Besides the tangible benefits of winter bird care, you can learn some things too. How easy is it to identify the birds in your yard? The top five birds observed at Pennsylvania backyard bird feeders are:

•The dark-eyed junco:  a dark grey to brown sparrow with a bright white underside.
•The mourning dove: this bird has a small head in comparison to its plump body, tan with black spots. Often seen sitting on telephone wires.
•The tufted titmouse: a small bird with a large head, big eyes and pronounced bushy crest. They are grey with a rust color down its sides.
•The northern cardinal: the males are bright red and can’t be missed. The females have red tinges to their crests and wings. They often sit with their tail pointed straight down.
•The blue jay: they have varying shades of blue on top with white or grey undersides. They are large birds and have a fondness for acorns.

Each bird you may find in your yard will have definite choices for food and shelter. All birds need water, and it is the scarcest to find in winter. Consider putting out a bird bath, or a simple bowl of fresh water every day.  Don’t be too quick to totally clean up the brush around your yard. Birds will use it for shelter and survival. Even letting the ornamental berries hang on through the cold months will provide for birds.

If you are interested in knowing more about identifying the birds in your yard, visit The Cornell Ornithology Lab’s website, allaboutbirds.org. And for help with winter bird care, the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have the free booklet “Winter Bird Feeding.” For a copy of it, contact us at 570-963-6842 or email:LackawannaMG@psu.edu


Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Lackawanna County