Gardener News May 2019

TAKE ONE

Gardener News

Proudly Serving the Agricultural, Gardening, Landscaping & Nursery Communities

May 2019

TAKE ONE

GARDENERNEWS.COM

No. 193

Garden Impatiens Are Back...

Without the Risk!

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor To bring disease-resistant Impatiens back to gardens everywhere, it took a dedicated team and collaboration of plant breeders and researchers at PanAmerican Seed. Through their hard work, the next generation of Impatiens walleriana is ready to take the summer stage.

Since 2011, Impatiens downy mildew (IDM) has decimated Impatiens beds across the globe. IDM is caused by a host-specific water mold, Plasmopara obducens.

When present, and environmental conditions are met (high humidity and cool night temperatures), the disease can spread rapidly, resulting in flower drop and eventually plant collapse – a loss of Impatiens in your garden! Both airborne and overwintering spores meant this popular shade garden flower couldn’t be grown with confidence because of the threat of disease.

At first, gardeners planted alternatives for shade color: Begonia, Torenia, Coleus, as well as New Guinea Impatiens, which are not susceptible to the disease.

But nothing could take the place of the traditional Impatiens walleriana garden fill, color range and performance.

The team at PanAmerican Seed began searching for a disease-resistant Impatiens soon after IDM took hold. Collaborating on the project was a team in the Netherlands, led by breeder Ruud Brinkkemper, and a crew in the United States consisting of product manager Lisa Lacy, plant pathologist Dr. Colleen Warfield, and many others. During numerous plant trials and tests, a selection of Impatiens that

displayed high resistance to Plasmopara obducens was discovered and Beacon Impatiens was born.

Available in six colors and two mixes, you can now fill baskets, window boxes, and shade landscapes with confidence.

Since the widespread outbreak of Impatiens downy mildew, greenhouse producers have lost revenue due to plant losses during production and poor performance of Impatiens in landscape beds and planters. Many businesses hesitated to stock this key shade-loving flower. Now, through devoted breeding efforts and collaboration that spanned the globe, PanAmerican Seed offers Impatiens downy mildew-resistant Beacon, and with it the opportunity to bring back into production this well-known, in-demand, easy-to-grow and versatile product for increased sales without the risk.

“Beacon Impatiens is truly an effort years in the making. Since the early days of the devastating disease, greenhouses have been waiting for the chance to bring Impatiens back,” says Anne Leventry, President of PanAmerican Seed. “To bring Beacon to market with proven high resistance to Impatiens downy mildew, we are confident that our greenhouse customers, retailers and gardeners alike will also have the confidence to grow garden Impatiens once more.”

Beacon Impatiens had its official debut at the California Spring Trials in Santa Paula. The California Spring Trials is an annual weeklong event held at various locations throughout the state.

The event is a launching ground for some of the newest plant varieties, signage and packaging products, and merchandising programs and concepts. (Cont. on Page 16)

PanAmerican Seed/Photo

2 May 2019

G a r d e n C e n t e r D i r e c t o r y GardenerNews.com

Magnificant Flowers in All Colors

Vegetable Garden Headquarters Mother’s Day Flowers

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May 2019 3

Experts trust the #1 brand in organic gardening Laura LeBoutillier grew up working in her parents’ garden center.

Since then, she and her husband Aaron have published hundreds of inspirational and educational gardening videos online for over 2.4 million loyal fans. Laura loves her garden and uses only the best products to ensure it looks beautiful. That’s why she trusts Espoma Organic® for her fertilizer and potting soil needs.

Espoma. A natural in the garden since 1929.

Visit www.espoma.com/video to see our inspirational videos.

4 May 2019 When it comes to the subject of food, everyone has opinions.

Opinions about growing it, raising it, harvesting it, producing it, pricing it, preparing it and, ultimately, eating what is on our tables and plates.

As Americans, we are blessed to have abundances of food never seen in the history of our planet.

Eons ago, homo sapiens roamed the tropics, mountains, plains and frozen tundra, searching for food so they could survive. Finding, gathering, and hunting food was an endless struggle requiring huge amounts of time and energy.

Along came “agriculture,” which, according to Dictionary. com, has the classic definition of “the science, art, or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops, and feeding, breeding, and raising livestock.”

Agriculture brought with it a drastic change in the way people approached feeding themselves.

With the cultivation of tended crops and livestock, there came the opportunity for stockpiling food.

Storage created more chances for realizing an abundance of food.

Clearly, as the agrarian economy emerged, the sustenance of humans changed forever. We could eat whatever, wherever and

GardenerNews.com NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

Campaigns About Food

in great abundance, especially if we lived where agriculture was afforded optimum climate, soils and weather.

Such a place was, and is, the United States of America. From sea to shining sea, amber waves of grain above the fruited plain, we are blessed in this country to have such a bounty.

So, why do we often hear so much about hunger in the United States? While our farmers and ranchers can produce all the food we will ever need, somehow, all people in this country are not properly fed.

The masses, at times, seem plied with endless messaging, marketing schemes and subtle influencing to steer them toward bad choices in foods. This is made worse when there are vulnerable sections of the population that do not have healthy food choices

nearby, what have come to be known as “food deserts” or “food swamps.” This results in a dearth of healthy foods for some and an oversupply for others.

How can that be?

Limiting the discussion to American-produced food, it is absolutely possible that every adult and child in this country could have diets that are healthy and nutritious. Supply is not the problem. It is the fulfillment of demand.

Part of the answer is in food “waste,” which, when scrutinized, often isn’t “waste” at all. A full 40 percent of our food is wasted either pre- or post-harvest. That means we’re talking about much more than carrot tops or sweet corn husks. We’re talking about the main, edible part of that piece of food.

Surely, in a nation as prosperous

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and innovative as this, we should be able to fix this dilemma.

So why haven’t we? I titled this column “Campaigns About Food” because strategies and their execution must be in alignment before this important public-health issue can be addressed properly.

In the public and nonprofit sectors, the discussions on hunger are taking place on many fronts. But, too often, good ideas for fighting hunger reside in the boardrooms, classrooms and laboratories of hundreds of well-meaning people. They need to be put into motion and, most importantly, be coordinated to avoided duplicated or inefficient efforts.

Throughout New Jersey, dozens if not hundreds of organizations have their individual programs designed to address hunger.

What they could use more of is

a coordinating hand, a “master plan” if you will, to help them provide this much-needed help more efficiently and effectively.

The State of New Jersey has set a goal of reducing food waste by 50 percent by the year 2030.

The impetus behind that effort has a lot to do with fighting hunger for the hundreds of thousands of people in New Jersey facing food insecurity.

I believe this reduction in waste, coupled with a redirection of healthy food choices, is an attainable goal, and one which can help the myriad hunger-fighting agencies out there with the kind of strategic guidance and coordinated planning to make it happen.

Can we make it happen?

Editor’s Note: Douglas H. Fisher is New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture. He is the department’s executive officer, secretary to the State Board of Agriculture and a member of the Governor’s cabinet. Secretary Fisher fulfills executive, management and administrative duties prescribed by law, executive order or gubernatorial direction. He can be reached at 609.292.3976. For more info, please visit: http:// www.state.nj.us/agriculture

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May 2019 5

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6 May 2019

R U T G ER S N J AE S / R C E

Become a Rutgers Master Gardener of Somerset County Applications to become a Rutgers Master Gardener of Somerset County are now being accepted until May 31. Classes will be held at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Somerset County Office, located at 310 Milltown Rd. in Bridgewater once a week on Tuesdays from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm from mid-September through March. The program is open to all Somerset County residents.

Course work includes plant propagation, soils and fertilizers, botany, plant identification, native plants, diagnosing plant problems, pest management, pruning, lawn care, annuals and perennials, tree and shrub care, fruits and berries, vegetable gardens and much more. The program also requires community service in such areas as the Garden Helpline, Children’s Programs, Public Outreach Events, Extension activities and events throughout the year.

The registration deadline is May 31, 2019. There is a $250 program fee, which covers a Master Gardener Handbook, soil test kit and 60+ hours of training. Those interested in joining the program can call 908-526-6293, option 4. For more information or to download the application, visit http://somerset.njaes.rutgers.edu/garden.

Rutgers Master Gardener of Somerset County is a program within Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), which is a division within Human Services of Somerset County. Visit RCE at http://somerset. njaes.rutgers.edu.

NJAES Board of Managers Host Livestock Summit for Residents and Small Farms

By Brittany Smith, Ag & Food Systems major, Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Class of 2022 Over the past several years, New Jersey has had an increase in the number of backyard and small farm livestock owners. Along with the rise in residents raising animals such as chickens, sheep and goats, is the need for providing education and resources to this group.

On March 21, 2019 the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Board of Managers sponsored a Livestock Summit at the Rutgers EcoComplex in Bordentown, NJ. There were 49 people in attendance from many different areas of livestock, from small backyard farms to medium-size farms.

Speakers and topics of the evening included: NJAES senior associate director Brian Schilling gave an overview of the Experiment Station.

Hank Bignell, agriculture and natural resource program coordinator, Cooperative Extension of Warren County, spoke about his background and expertise in livestock. One of the main speakers that evening was Sebastian Reist, principal veterinarian, New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA), Division of Animal Health. Reist spoke on different diseases and parasites that could be potentially hazardous to our livestock in his talk “Swine, Small Ruminants and Fowl.” Dan Wunderlich, dairy administrator from the NJDA Division of Marketing and Development spoke on a big issue in our state, “Livestock Processing.” He spoke on some of what they learned at their Livestock Processing Summit hosted by NJDA in January, where they are and what they are looking forward to in the future. Mike Westendorf, NJAES extension specialist in livestock and dairy spoke on “Pasture Management.” Peter Furey, executive director of the New Jersey Farm Bureau spoke on “Small Farm Advocacy.” The final segment of the evening followed with a listening session hearing what the people in attendance needs and interests were.

Overall the evening went very well and the people in attendance walked away with new information and those who put the program on had a clearer path for the future to help our livestock farmers with potential programs and seminars.

In addition to their goal of providing education to this audience, Tracy Smith, chair of the Board of Managers Livestock Committee, said “we also wanted to begin the process of putting together a list of these people so that if there was ever an outbreak or information that would need to get out to people, there would be an avenue.”

The Board of Managers is an advisory group to the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, made up of representatives from New Jersey’s county boards of agriculture. The Board also serves as advocate for the experiment station and provides input to NJAES’ directors on matters concerning the state’s agricultural enterprise.

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From the Director’s Desk

Rutgers Outreach Provided by Brian Schilling Director

Preventing Ticks in the Yard

Ticks are small (three to five millimeters), blood-sucking arthropods and are divided into two main families: hard ticks and soft ticks, distinguished by ecological and behavioral differences.

For example, hard ticks are commonly found in vegetation “questing,” or seeking a host, and are well-recognized by the general public since they often bite pets and people. Soft ticks, however, inhabit caves or animal dwellings and people rarely encounter them.

Hard ticks have four stages to their life cycle: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. A significant characteristic of hard ticks is that they only feed once per stage. Thus, they require a big blood meal every time they feed. This feeding behavior is a crucial trait; ticks will attach and feed on the host for three to 12 days, depending on the tick’s stage, which increases their ability to transmit pathogens to their hosts.

There are three species particularly important in New Jersey from a public health perspective: deer tick or black-legged tick, lone star tick, and American dog tick. These three species, particularly the deer tick and the lone star tick, bite people frequently and can transmit different human diseases.

For example, the deer tick can transmit up to six different diseases, including Lyme disease, relapsing fever borreliosis, human babesiosis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, Powassan encephalitis, and a recently discovered agent of human ehrlichiosis. Ticks can also affect pets since certain diseases like Lyme disease affect a wide range of vertebrates while others have human and animal variants.

The best way to prevent tick-borne diseases is to prevent tick bites. Every spring in New Jersey, there are regular announcements alerting the public on the threats ticks pose and personal tick prevention measures: avoiding wooded or brushy areas, walking in the center of trails, treating clothing and gear with EPA-registered repellents for ticks, wearing long pants and sleeves, using light clothing, and conducting a thorough tick body check after going outdoors.

Nonetheless, people often don’t take this advice when they use their yards despite the fact that a large number of tick bites occur in people’s backyards.

The presence of ticks in suburban residential areas depends on factors that contribute to creating a suitable environment for ticks as well as their animal hosts. In general, properties with woodlots or close to dense wooded areas are more likely to have ticks. Nonetheless, many other factors affect the likelihood of having ticks in the yard, including the presence of tick hosts such as rodents and deer as well as landscape features.

Tick backyard management creates a safe space within your property by modifying vegetation and creating a less suitable environment for ticks. The goal is to create an environment that deters rodents and deer, which in turn decreases the survival rate of ticks. Standard practices that help to achieve this include: 1. Mowing grass regularly: Ticks are not commonly found in well-maintained lawns. Ticks are susceptible to desiccation and tend to look for areas with tall grass and shrubs that will provide shade. When the temperature and humidity are optimal, ticks climb vegetation to seek a host. However, when the temperature rises, or they are directly exposed to sunlight, they descend to seek protection under vegetation.

2. Remove leaf litter: Leaf litter provides an optimal environment for immature tick stages to survive and seek a host. Leaf litter offers protection from sunlight and maintains higher levels of humidity.

3. Trim tree branches and shrubs. Despite the fact that a well-maintained lawn is a hostile environment for ticks, branches and shrubs around the lawn perimeter increase potential tick habitat.

4. Minimize the use of ground cover plants. Ground cover plants such as tall grass or leaf litter create a suitable habitat for ticks.

5. Adopt landscape techniques that use gravel pathways or mulch. A three-foot wood chip or gravel border between the lawn and woods may reduce ticks in the yard.

6. Create a rodent-proof habitat in the yard. Immature tick stages (larvae and nymphs) feed on rodents. The presence of rodents increases the chances of having ticks in the yard. There are some simple landscape considerations that can help reduce rodents in the yard and around the house: remove old furniture from the yard, move firewood away from the house, clean and seal stonewalls, remove bird feeders (rodents can access bird feeders and ticks, particularly the immature stages of the deer tick, feed on birds).

7. Create a deer-proof habitat. Use fencing to prevent deer from entering the yard. Fencing can be expensive but more affordable alternatives like using plant species that do not attract deer help. Deer are the last host for the deer tick; areas with a high-density population of deer are typically associated with greater tick populations.

Editor’s Note: This month’s column is written by Alvaro Toledo, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Entomology at Rutgers University.

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R U T G ER S N J AE S / R C E

No Longer Never-used

A few plants have proven to be the brunt of rather poor jokes and I always wonder if that influences their use and notoriety with gardeners.

For example, the plant Neviusia alabamensis has the “official” common name of Alabama Snow Wreath.

Unfortunately, it also has the unfortunate name of “Neverused” as an obvious play on words with the genus name. I had never seen it bloom before last May, but after seeing it in flower, I wondered why this plant remains never used.

Neviusia is a member of the Rosaceae or Rose Family and is represented by two species native to North America. The genus was named by Asa Gray (1810-1888) who was a professor of botany at Harvard University.

The name honors the American botanist and Episcopal Rector Ruben Denton Nevius (1827-1913). Rev. Nevius had

been botanizing with his friend Dr. William Stokes Wyman (1830-1915) along the Black Warrior River in Alabama near Tuscaloosa. At the time, Wyman was a professor of Latin at the University of Alabama, advancing to President in 1901.

Nevius sent samples of the plant to Gray in an effort to determine its identity. Realizing that it was an entirely new and undescribed genus, Gray wished to honor Nevius with the name. Nevius initially resisted and wanted the plant named Tuomeya in honor of another botanizing friend Michael Tuomey who had recently died. Dr. Gray was not opposed, until he discovered that the name Tuomeya had been used to describe an algae and under The International Code of Nomenclature, once a name has been granted for one plant, algae or fungi, it cannot be used again.

Upon hearing of the conflict, Nevius consented to his name being used and in 1858, the name was published. Oddly, it turns out there were a couple of

inaccuracies in Nevius’ story.

First, it was actually Wyman who initially discovered the plant during their expedition.

In addition, his wish to honor his old friend Michael Tuomey may not have been as virtuous as his letters to Gray initially appeared, since he was dating Toomey’s’ daughter Margaret at the time and would eventually marry her. Often, there is always a fun story behind a plant!

The species epithet obviously honors the state of Alabama.

Aside from the story behind the naming of the plant, the plant is really quite fascinating in its own right. It is rare in the wild and has been seen in only 16 locations in Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, southern Missouri and, of course Alabama.

Young plants are upright in form, transitioning to a gracefully arching form as they approach their mature heights of four to six feet. The bark is golden brown and becomes lightly exfoliating with age. In late-April through early-May, the flowers appear in clusters or

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cymes of three to eight flowers.

The flowers display a very prominent and showy cluster of half-inch-long anthers that are subtended by leafy, light green sepals.

For a family that is renowned for their showy display of petals, Neviusia is quite obviously lacking in this department. The two to three-inch-long foliage is clean and attractive with a corrugated appearance from the noticeably depressed venation.

Neviusia is easily grown in sun or shade, although flowering and the overall appearance of the plant is superior in full sun. Plants prefer evenly moist soils and the leaves will appear tattered during extended periods of drought. In Alabama, they are found on limestone ledges, but they thrive equally as well in the more acidic soils of New Jersey.

Although it currently has a more southern provenance, the plants are hardy through zone 4. The plants do surprisingly well without pruning and make an excellent natural hedge.

If pruning is desired, do so

May 2019 7 following blooming, allowing the new wood to develop flower buds for the following year.

Having seen Neviusia alabamensis in bloom at several different locations last year, I am convinced its carefree nature and attractive bloom could benefit more gardens.

Whether used in a massing or blended into the mixed border, this rarity in nature with its great story should no longer be considered “never-used.”

Editor’s Note: Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth; is the managing director of the Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum; an adjunct professor in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; regularly participates in the Rutgers – Continuing Education Program; and past-president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Phone Directory Atlantic County Phone: 609-625-0056 Bergen County Phone: 201-336-6780 Burlington County Phone: 609-265-5050 Camden County Phone: 856 216 7130 Cape May County Phone: 609-465-5115 Cumberland County Phone: 856-451-2800 Essex County Phone: 973-228-2210 Gloucester County Phone: 856-224-8040 Hudson County Phone: 201-915-1399 Hunterdon County Phone: 908-788-1339 Mercer County Phone: 609-989-6830

Middlesex County Phone: 732-398-5260 Monmouth County Phone: 732-431-7260 Morris County Phone: 973-285-8300 Ocean County Phone:732-349-1246 Passaic County Phone: 973-305-5740 Salem County Phone: 856-769-0090 Somerset County Phone: 908-526-6293 Sussex County Phone: 973-948-3040 Union County Phone: 908-654-9854 Warren County Phone: 908-475-6505

8 May 2019

GardenerNews.com

GardenerNews.com

May 2019 9

Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Need a Website? or Graphic Design Work?

Volcanoes are bad! Doughnuts are good!

And President Lincoln

Be on the lookout for sudden eruptions.

Volcanoes in the landscape are still forming and erupting at an alarming rate. Every once in a while, I feel that I have to revisit this subject.

A volcano begins to form when mulch is applied more heavily and in constant contact with a shrub or tree or trunk.

When wet, mulch holds too much moisture against the bark on the trunk, which can cause it to start to break down. And as the mulch starts to compost, it heats up, which can damage the bark and the underlying vascular tissues, compromising the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients.

Too much mulch blocks the roots from getting sufficient oxygen, and if the underlying soil remains too wet for too long a time, the roots begin to rot. It can also cause the shrub or tree to develop adventitious roots – those growing from trunk tissue, rather than true root tissue. As they grow in diameter, they can develop into girdling roots, which further restricts the shrub’s or tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients.

Properly applied mulches are very beneficial.

Preferably two to three inches deep, again, not physically touching the trunk, and extending out to the drip line. Natural mulches also help moderate soil temperature, protecting fragile feeder roots from temperature extremes.

Personally, I do not like dyed and/or colored mulches. I prefer natural mulches, like double or triple shredded hardwood mulch, cedar mulch or pine bark, which are made directly from trees. Many colored mulches are made from recycled wood – like old pallets, decks, crates, etc. Cedar mulch will help repel insects, but it costs slightly more. Do not use cocoa bean mulch if you have a pet.

Natural mulches also add organic matter to the soil as they break down, improving soil structure, porosity, and nutrient-holding capacity.

And all types of mulch protect vulnerable trunks from string trimmer and mower damage.

Mulch should be between two to four inches deep. Pull mulch away from the bases of tree and shrub trunks creating a donut-hole. Do not pile it up against the trunk (creating a volcano).

When you are applying mulch, think of a donut with the trunk of the shrub or tree being in the center of the donut hole. It is best to place the mulch donut at the base of shrubs and trees immediately after they are planted, but a mulch donut may be added at any time. If mulch is being placed around an established shrub or tree, care must be taken to not damage the root system.

It’s also important to keep the root flare free of mulch and soil. The root flare is the area at the base of a shrub or tree trunk where the main stem tissue

transitions to root tissue. If you look closely, you can see that the bark on the main trunk is rough, while the “bark” on the root is smooth and waxy. I can’t stress enough here. Keep the root flare above the soil line, dry and clear of mulch and soil, if you want your landscape plants to have a long and healthy life.

The objective is to imitate what occurs in nature.

When walking through the woods, you will not see a shrub or tree with a buried root collar. Instead, each will have a visible root flare that spreads gently into the surrounding forest floor.

Mulch is supposed to achieve these main goals: retain soil moisture, suppress weeds and moderate soil temperatures.

Over-mulching is the equivalent of planting a shrub or tree too deeply.

Finally, when we get into hot, dry summer weather and the mulch completely dries out, it becomes hydrophobic and it will actually repel water. A donut will hold water when its irrigated. A volcano will repel irrigation.

Ideally, the mulched area around a tree should extend to the drip line of the branches, or at least cover a four- to five-foot diameter area around the trunk.

I find that this is one of the most horticulturally challenged tasks I come across to correct, to ensure an ecologically sustainable landscape. Nobody wants to see a seismologist walking around their yard.

On a more interesting history note, on May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing “at the seat of Government of the United States a Department of Agriculture.” Two and one-half years later, in what was to be his last annual message to the Congress, Lincoln said: “The Agricultural Department, under the supervision of its present energetic and faithful head, is rapidly commending itself to the great and vital interest it was created to advance. It is precisely the people’s Department, in which they feel more directly concerned than in any other. I commend it to the continued attention and fostering care of Congress.”

After President Lincoln signed the bill establishing the Department of Agriculture on May 15, 1862, he received much unsolicited advice, particularly in the columns of the farm press, on the appointment of the first Commissioner of Agriculture. He turned to Isaac Newton, a farmer who had served as chief of the agricultural section of the Patent Office since August 1861. Newton was born in Burlington County, N.J. He grew up on a farm, and after completing his common-school education, became a farmer in Delaware County, Penna., near Philadelphia.

Thank you, Mr. President!

P.S. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

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10 May 2019

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National and New Jersey Highlights from the New U.S. Census of Agriculture The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on April 11, 2019 the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture, spanning some 6.4 million new points of information about America’s farms and ranches and those who operate them, including new data about on-farm decision making, down to the county level. The previous Census was conducted in 2012.

Census data provide valuable insights into demographics, economics, land and activities on U.S. farms and ranches. Some key highlights include: • There are 2.04 million farms and ranches (down 3.2 percent from 2012) with an average size of 441 acres (up 1.6 percent) on 900 million acres (down 1.6 percent).

• The 273,000 smallest (1-9 acres) farms make up 0.1 percent of all farmland while the 85,127 largest (2,000 or more acres) farms make up 58 percent of farmland.

• Just 105,453 farms produced 75 percent of all sales in 2017, down from 119,908 in 2012.

• Of the 2.04 million farms and ranches, the 76,865 making $1 million or more in 2017 represent just over 2/3 of the $389 billion in total value of production while the 1.56 million operations making under $50,000 represent just 2.9 percent.

• Farm expenses are $326 billion with feed, livestock purchased, hired labor, fertilizer and cash rents topping the list of farm expenses in 2017.

• Average farm income is $43,053. A total of 43.6 percent of farms had positive net cash farm income in 2017.

• Ninety-six percent of farms and ranches are family owned.

• Farms with Internet access rose from 69.6 percent in 2012 to 75.4 percent in 2017.

• A total of 133,176 farms and ranches use renewable energy producing systems, more than double the 57,299 in 2012.

• In 2017, 130,056 farms sold directly to consumers, with sales of $2.8 billion.

• Sales to retail outlets, institutions and food hubs by 28,958 operations are valued at $9 billion.

For the 2017 Census of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) changed the demographic questions to better represent the roles of all persons involved in on-farm decision making. As a result, in 2017 the number of producers is up by nearly seven percent to 34 million, because more farms reported multiple producers. Most of these newly identified producers are female. While the number of male producers fell 1.7 percent to 2.17 million from 2012 to 2017, the number of female producers increased by nearly 27 percent to 1.23 million. This change underscores the effectiveness of the questionnaire changes.

• More than any other age group, young producers make decisions regarding livestock, though the difference is slight.

• One in four producers is a beginning farmer with 10 or fewer years of experience and an average age of 46.3. Farms with new or beginning producers making decisions tend to be smaller than average in both acres and value of production.

• Thirty-six percent of all producers are female and 56 percent of all farms have at least one female decision maker. Farms with female producers making decisions tend to be smaller than average in both acres and value of production.

• Female producers are most heavily engaged in the day-to-day decisions along with record keeping and financial management.

Nursery, Greenhouse, Floriculture and Sod Industry Continues to be New Jersey’s Leading Agricultural Sector

The number of farms in New Jersey has risen by more than 800 since the previous census in 2012. New Jersey is now listed as having 9,883 farms. The amount of land in farms had an increase of almost 20,000 acres at 734,000 acres.

New Jersey’s overall agriculture products sold increased from just over $1 billion in 2012, to almost $1.1 billion.

The data also showed that the nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod industry continues to be New Jersey’s leading agricultural sector with sales at almost $500 million, an increase of $93 million from the previous census. New Jersey also has moved up to rank fifth in the nation in nursery stock sales.

Also showing an increase from 2012 was the fruit and vegetable industry at almost $364 million, up $27 million. Other industries that showed increases included horses, ponies, mules and donkeys up $10 million; other crops and hay up $10 million; cattle and calves up $2 million; and cultivated Christmas trees with an increase of $1 million. Decreases were seen in grain, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas and in poultry and eggs.

New Jersey also was well ahead of the national average with 40 percent of its farmers being women. The national average is 27 percent.

The Garden State’s growth in number of farms and land in farms, went against the national trend which saw decreases of 3.2 percent in number of farms and 1.6 percent in acres farmed.

Even with the increase in overall agricultural products sold, New Jersey’s average net income for farmers decreased by just over 1 percent, likely due to the increased expenses in farming.

More detailed data will be released throughout 2019, with the next update on May 30 with more details on states and individual counties.

Congressional district profiles and rankings will be released in late June.

To be counted in the federal census, a farm must have sold or had the potential to sell at least $1,000 worth of agricultural products.

The Census tells the story of American agriculture and is an important part of our history. First conducted in 1840 in conjunction with the decennial Census, the Census of Agriculture accounts for all U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. After 1920, the Census Other demographic highlights include: happened every four to five years. By 1982, it was regularly conducted once every five years. Today, NASS sends questionnaires to nearly 3 • The average age of all producers is 57.5, up 1.2 years from 2012. million potential U.S. farms and ranches. Nearly 25 percent of those who • The number of producers who have served in the military is 370,619, responded did so online. Conducted since 1997 by USDA NASS – the or 11 percent of all. They are older than the average at 67.9 federal statistical agency responsible for producing official data about U.S. • There are 321,261 young producers age 35 or less on 240,141 farms. agriculture – it remains the only source of comprehensive agricultural data Farms with young producers making decisions tend to be larger than for every state and county in the nation and is invaluable for planning the future. average in both acres and sales.

GardenerNews.com How do you stop an invasive species?

You’re probably familiar with the East Asian Tick, first sighted in New Jersey less than two years ago. Since then, it’s spread like wildfire, infiltrating Pennsylvania and New York, with sightings as far away as North Carolina and Arkansas.

Given their explosive numbers, it’s no surprise that the East Asian Tick is a major threat to livestock. And while this species hasn’t yet displayed the deadly diseases carried by its Asian ancestors, its American cousins more than make up for it.

In 2017 alone, Lyme Disease infections in New Jersey reached a 20-year high. We also have the third-most tick-borne disease cases in the entire country.

The cause? A warming climate has created a comfier environment to live in, and an unmanaged deer population has provided ticks with both a highspeed transit system and an allyou-can-eat buffet.

If you’re outside on a regular basis - especially if you’re out in hot weather or working in a field or forest - that’s cause for concern. So, what’s New Jersey

May 2019 11 Agriculture and Natural Resources

By Eric Houghtaling New Jersey Assemblyman

From Tick Invasions to Wildfires, A Path Forward

doing to solve it?

My first step as Chair of the Agriculture Committee was to call in the experts, those who have studied this phenomenon since the beginnings. This past March, the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee heard expert testimony on the need for tick control in our state, and what we can do to implement it. This was the first significant action that our Legislature has ever taken to address our tick population, and I believe that it was sorely needed.

The Committee has already approved one bill - A4585 - to create an Invasive Species Task Force, which would bring a team of heavy-hitters into the fight.

Another bill, A4160, would create a new grant program in

the Department of Agriculture allowing New Jersey counties to study methods of tick control, providing the resources we need to end this menace for good.

We’re also turning our efforts to the danger of wildfires in our state. In many of New Jersey’s central Pinelands, a warming climate and tightly-packed thickets have created a high risk of wildfire - which we saw firsthand in the recent Spring Hill Fire.

When wildfires start, they can rampage through miles of woodland, farmland, and residential land alike. You can try to put the smaller ones out, but with each passing month, the forests only grow thicker, drier, and even closer to our front doors.

Become a Crop Weather Reporter

If you are knowledgeable about crops across your county and have Internet access, you qualify to be a weekly crop reporter. It only takes about 10-15 minutes each week to alert USDA of the crop situation in your county using the Internet report form. We will use that information to generate the weekly report of Crop Conditions across the Northeastern Region.

This report is issued weekly during the growing season, April to November, and lists planting, fruiting, and harvesting progress and overall condition of selected crops in major producing states.

You can help alert USDA about crop progress and unusual crop conditions during the growing seasons. Instead of waiting until the crop is in, you can give us an early warning of crop situations that may need our attention for possible assistance.

If you can help agriculture in the Northeastern region with this popular weekly crop update, you will be given your own username and password. Reporters will be sent an email notice every Thursday or Friday when the system is available. We ask that reports are completed by 10 AM on Monday. A Monday report is preferred to include any significant weekend weather events, but an earlier report will gladly be used if Monday is not practical for you that week.

To learn more, visit our website and click on the “Help Wanted” link found here: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/ Pennsylvania/Publications/Crop_Progress_and_Condition/index.php .

To become a Crop Weather Reporter or for more information, call us at 1-800-498-1518 and ask for the Crop Progress statistician; or send an email message to nassrfoner@usda.gov.

When that pressure finally explodes, whether from an errant bolt of lightning or a careless firebug, the fires will only rage all the harder.

That’s why, last month, the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee joined with the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee for a hearing to address this threat. Experts from across the state shared their view on the problem, and their best proposals for fixing it.

One theme was clear: To prevent wildfires, we need to reinvigorate the health of the Pinelands, the country’s longeststanding National Reserve and a cornerstone of our vibrant ecosystem.

We also need to make sure

that we’re doing our part to reduce the risk of a large-scale wildfire catastrophe. Done carefully and professionally, a controlled, scheduled burn can thin out dense, dry woodland and prune it away from civilization, making sure that should another wildfire hit - our farms and families will stay safe.

There’s no doubt that the problems we face are great.

But the folks working to solve those problems are even better.

One of the biggest strengths of the Committee is its ability to convene our best and brightest to meet those issues head-on.

With their expertise and the support of our residents, there’s no doubt that we can tackle these challenges and come out on top.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling is the Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in the New Jersey State Assembly.

He can be reached at 732695-3371, by email at AsmHoughtaling@njleg.org, or by mail at 802 W Park Ave, Ste 221, Ocean Township 07712.

USDA to Conduct Maple Syrup Survey The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct the 2019 Maple Syrup Survey for the Northeastern Region. The survey will collect information from more than 2,000 Northeastern producers.

The Northeastern Region produced 3.68 million gallons of maple syrup in 2018. Vermont was the top Maple Syrup state with 47 percent of the United States’ maple syrup, according to King Whetstone, Director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office. Taps in the Northeastern Region totaled 11.9 million and accounted for 87 percent of the Nation’s maple taps. The 2019 survey will ask about the 2018 and 2019 taps and production as well as price information on the syrup produced in 2018.

Producers selected for the survey can fill out the survey online via a secure website, www.agcounts.usda.gov, or return their form by mail. Federal law (Title 7, U.S. Code) requires NASS to keep all individual information confidential.

Recipients are requested to respond by May 20, 2019. NASS will publish the results on June 11th in the Crop Production Report at 12:00 pm. For more information about the Maple Syrup Survey call (800) 498-1518.

Recycle the Gardener News show it to a friend!

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GardenerNews.com

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GardenerNews.com

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14 May 2019

GardenerNews.com

Show Us Your Lawn Contest Photo Contest Winner The winner of the 2018 Jonathan Green Show Us Your Lawn Photo Contest is Kevin Carter from Delanco, Burlington County, N.J. He was presented with a Jonathan Green New American Lawn product kit and a $500 gift card to Schwering’s Hardware Store in Palmyra, Burlington County, N.J., on Saturday, March 30, 2019 by Todd Pretz, Vice President of Jonathan Green, at Schwering’s Hardware Store in Palmyra, where Carter purchases his Jonathan Green lawncare products.

Pictured from left-to-right at Schwering’s Hardware Store in Palmyra are: Steve Schwering, left, owner of Schwering’s Hardware Store; Todd Pretz, center, Vice President of Jonathan Green; and Kevin Carter, the winner.

Jonathan Green/Photo

We all know someone in our neighborhood that never seems to get to certain lawnyard projects.

Studies indicate that a well landscaped home can increase your property value, up to 15 percent or more. So, why not fix the obvious problems at your home?

A whole host of things start to happen in late-spring now that your lawn is into full stride from feeding, mowing, rain and warm temperatures. Some folks have erosion problems, causing soil-mud to wash onto the sidewalk or street. The reason is improper grading and poor soil quality.

This can be fixed even if you do not change the grade.

Some quality soil should be introduced along with soil amendments. Testing the soil is important to know if there are deficiencies in soil pH value or other problems with the existing soil which may prevent a lawn from thriving.

Some of these problem areas need some pavers or stone in landscape beds, or if in severe shade, plant pachysandra.

In New Jersey, many soils have too low a pH value to

Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Clean Up Your Mess….

properly grow grass. Your soil pH should be between 6.2-7.0 for your lawn to thrive and thicken. I bet most of you have never tested your soil. How can you grow a good lawn without knowing your soil pH? Rutgers University has a soil testing laboratory which can provide a complete soil test analysis. Go to this link, www.njaes.rutgers.edu/soiltesting-lab/how-to.php, for more information. There are also various soil testing kits available at your local garden center or hardware store. Be sure to buy a quality grass seed mixture designed for use in the area you are seeding.

“My neighbor’s dandelions grew like crazy and then they came into my yard!” I’ve heard this many times over the years. This is Mother

Nature spreading good cheer throughout the land. You have to suggest to your neighbor that they use some weed controls to keep the dandelions out of your yard, but this may not happen. Otherwise, you need to monitor these weeds in your yard and treat them as needed with proper timing and products that control dandelions, always following label directions for best control.

I also hear complaints about moles coming from the neighbor’s yard. Like my advice above, monitor the situation and see if you have grubs in your lawn while the moles gladly visit your yard to enjoy them. Grubs will begin to come up to the soil surface in late-spring, getting ready to deposit their eggs. Applying a preventative grub control in

late-spring is best if you have had a problem with grubs in the past.

The same goes for fungus.

“My lawn mower guy must have brought fungus from another lawn.” Maybe so, but they cannot clean the mower between each yard they mow.

Monitor your lawn for fungus problems, particularly if you have had fungus in the past.

Be sure to over-seed your yard with quality grass seed to reduce disease pressure.

Sometimes early-spring broadleaf weeds such as onion grass and bittercress (the small white flower that stands three to four inches tall) appear and are unsightly in lawns and landscape beds. These can be controlled effectively with broadleaf weed controls, either with a ready-to-use spray or

granular formulations. Be sure to apply per label directions, particularly during an earlymorning dew or damped lawn from rain or your sprinkler.

In late-spring, we’ll see the flush of dandelions once the weather warms up. Sometimes they appear overnight.

Remember, April showers bring May flowers and weeds!

Many other broadleaf weeds will start to appear in latespring; this is weed and feed time.

The good grass likes to be fed in late-spring to help lawn growth continue and to crowd out unwanted weeds.

The broadleaf weed controls are selective and, when used as directed on the label, will not hurt the good grass in your lawn. The process of feeding, along with proper mowing, will reduce weed competition greatly.

Editor’s Note: Todd Pretz is Vice President of Jonathan Green, a leading supplier of lawn and garden products in the northeast. For more information, please visit: www.jonathangreen.com

GardenerNews.com

May 2019 15

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16 May 2019 Last summer, the weeding around our home got ahead of me. Despite my best efforts, trying to keep our landscape beds and container plants weed-free, the weeds prevailed.

Perhaps it was all the rain that kept me from my responsibilities? There was one larger container, filled with Coleus and sweet potato vine that, as I looked more closely, had a volunteer plant among it. And even though I knew better, I decided to take a chance and pull out what had volunteered itself barehanded…big mistake!

Widespread throughout Europe and North America, “Stinging Nettle,” Urtica dioica, is also found in northern Africa, Asia and northern Mexico. The “dead giveaway,” and really what should have caused more trepidation rather than hastiness for me, are the toothed, hairy leaves and stems.

“The painful sensation of nettle stings occurs when toxins from specialized hairs are delivered into the skin. Each stinging hair has a bulbous tip which breaks

GardenerNews.com Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

Pins & Needles…OUCH!

off to leave a sharp, needlelike tube that pierces the skin and injects histamine and acetylcholine, causing itching and burning that may last up to 12 hours” (http://kew.org/ science-conservation).

Trying to relieve our annual planter of the stinging nettle, I pulled on it very slowly, so as to capture the plant in its entirety. Knowing that this plant is more than capable and certain to release these toxins, it was almost a test to see if it really would be as bad as what I’ve read and heard.

It was! Within a minute, my fingers, wrist and forearm had “pins and needles” and my arm started to go numb.

Urtica dioica grows several feet tall and has soft, serrated, oval to heart-shaped green leaves that are opposite each

Garden Impatiens Are Back...Without the Risk!

(Continued from p. 1)

AmericanHort organizes and supports the development and execution of the annual California Spring Trials as a valuable and unique industry event.

There are currently six core colors and two mixes in the series. A limited supply is available now, with full-scale global availability in January 2020.

About PanAmerican Seed: PanAmerican Seed is an internationally renowned breeder and producer of seed-raised flowers and vegetables based in West Chicago, Ill., which produces high-quality and bestperforming varieties. Research facilities in North and South America, the Pacific Rim and Europe enable PanAmerican Seed to test and evaluate new varieties under numerous climatic conditions. PanAmerican’s state-of-the-art seed distribution center guarantees quick, efficient processing of orders for worldwide customers. Visit www.panamseed.com for more information.

Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

other in pairs on the stem.

Most parts of the plant are covered with both stinging and non-stinging hairs and the plant spreads by underground roots, noticeably yellow.

Greenish-white flowers, with drooping clusters of four petals per flower, can be pretty to look at. Considered a common weed by some, not in jeopardy or threatened, stinging nettle is of great importance to wildlife, supporting over 40 species of insects. A food source for many butterfly and aphid types, it even benefits the bird population with its abundant seed. Typically found in meadows, open forests and, apparently, in residential backyards.

Nettles have been used for centuries, harvested for food and medicine and for those

willing to try, cooking is said to destroy its stings. Nettle soup, popular for cleansing the blood, is composed of young shoots and leaves. You can also make cheese (Cornish Yarg), pesto, cordials and herbal tea, all from Urtica dioica.

However, after my experience, I’m not so sure I would be quick to taste these.

Interestingly, a traditional remedy for rheumatism involves deliberately stinging the afflicted area with nettle leaves. Nettle plants have also been used in textiles, as their stems contain extremely tough fibers. Finally, some horticulturists have even used nettle plants as a liquid plant food, as they are nutritionally rich.

Perhaps my “nettle experience” was such because

Urtica dioica likes generous amounts of water and deep, rich soil. Given the amount of rain last year, coupled with a sort of utopian planting mix I use for our annuals, our nettle was well anchored, refusing to yield to my efforts.

Clearly, my decision to slowly apprehend this garden nuisance, with my bare hand, was a poor one. A decision predicated on saving some 40 steps, the distance to our garage to get my gardening gloves, had me somewhere between obstinacy and imprudence.

“Seems you can’t outsmart Mother Nature,” Mark Hyman.

Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff is co-owner of Hall’s Garden Center and Florist in Union County, a member of the Union County Board of Agriculture, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, ReevesReed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers.

He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

Scholarship Offered to New Jersey College Students A $1,000 scholarship will be awarded this summer to a New Jersey student majoring in natural resource conservation, environmental science or a related field of study, announced the Firman E. Bear Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS). The Edward R. Hall/Robert R. Hanna Scholarship is awarded annually to acknowledge NJ college students for their academic and personal accomplishments in the field of conservation and/or natural resources.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 6, 2019 postmark To qualify for the scholarship, an applicant must be: • a full-time student in good standing at any New Jersey accredited university/ college, or a New Jersey resident attending any accredited out-of-state university/ college; and • an undergraduate enrolled in a curriculum related to natural resources, including but not limited to: agriculture, agronomy, conservation, ecology, environmental science, fisheries, forestry, geography, journalism, plant science, soil science, and/ or wildlife. Other areas related to conservation may also qualify; and • have successfully completed at least two semesters of study.

TO APPLY: Go to www.njswcs.org to download application form, complete and postmark by May 6, 2019 and mail to: Firman E. Bear Chapter, SWCS C/O USDA-NRCS 220 Davidson Ave, 4th floor Somerset, NJ 08873 The scholarship winner will be announced by May 30, 2019.

Firman E. Bear is the New Jersey Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS). Mission: The Soil and Water Conservation Society fosters the development and application of science- based policies and practices for managing soil, water, and related natural resources in order to achieve sustainability.

GardenerNews.com

May 2019 17

18 May 2019

Perdue Statement on Vietnam’s Ban on the Importation of Glyphosate U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) that Vietnam will ban the importation of glyphosate: “We are disappointed in Vietnam’s decision to ban glyphosate, a move that will have devastating impacts on global agricultural production. As I’ve often said, if we’re going to feed 10 billion people by 2050, farmers worldwide need all the tools and technologies at our disposal.

“On numerous occasions, USDA has shared scientific studies with MARD from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other internationally recognized regulatory bodies concluding that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans. This ban flies on the face of that scientific evidence. Furthermore, Vietnam has sidestepped its obligation to notify this regulatory change to the World Trade Organization.

“Vietnam also needs to look at the potential ramifications for its own farmers. In addition to the immediate effect of slowing the development of Vietnamese agricultural production, there’s the very real risk that Vietnam’s farmers will turn to unregulated, illegal chemical products in place of glyphosate.”

GardenerNews.com

Sharing!

By Jeannie Geremia Contributing Writer

It’s that time of year again that makes my heart sing along with all of nature. It’s SPRING!!!

Yesterday, I was in a state of bliss as I spent several hours outside experiencing a 70-degree day with my gardens begging to be liberated from layers of leaves and fallen branches. The only seriously disappointing part of the day was the absence of bees.

Maybe it was just too early, and maybe they were playing hide and seek, but I looked at my hellebores, glory in the snow, and crocuses to find a hungry bee feasting on the fresh nectar, so beckoning, to no avail.

No bees.

Hopefully, they will soon appear and I can experience total bliss as nothing is so joyful than to see old friends emerge from the ground in brand new finery, and Queen bees, honey bees, and blue orchard mason bees supping on the divine nectar.

Overnight, seemingly, my narcissus went from stems to buds to blossoms. Hellebores emerged from their tight buds nestled in the soil, to dazzling bouquets in rainbows of color. Thankfully, the projected weather forecast is for cooler temperatures, so the bloom is prolonged and, just like last spring, we’ll have many species blooming at the same time.

Amazingly, my bloodroot decided it couldn’t wait until mid-April and is blooming two weeks earlier. By the time you read this, my gardening friends, the bluebells will be swaying in the sweet breeze of May, and the late tulips and daffodils will be showing off their beauty.

The wonder of gardening is the neverending excitement of discovery and the bond to nature that no matter what else is happening in our world this ancient activity brings us comfort, joy and adventure.

Joining my garden club, Neshanic, I vividly recall that I wasn’t going to take away from the hours and days spent in my own gardens. Therefore, I determined, I would only join one committee, that of Horticulture. Famous last words, as I soon found that the word “No” is not in my vocabulary.

It surely is the same with you, my fellow gardeners, as we have a need to share. We want to share the thrill of seeing seeds emerge from the ground into wondrous fruits, vegetables, flowers. We want to share the pleasure spent in the soft breeze

of a spring day, watching the birds, bees, butterflies going about their business and benefitting us by their existence as they are the fabric so necessary in our own health and wellbeing. It’s totally disheartening to know that we are experiencing a 40-percent decline in our wildlife species and it’s up to us to share this information to the general public so they realize that we are interconnected with nature and not an invincible species.

It seems every day brings a new discovery as we keep uncovering ancient history and revising our prior views, along with finding universes and galaxies beyond our previous comprehension.

I’m still processing the devastating losses experienced in California this past year, and how the western Monarch population is on the brink of extinction, when articles and photos of wildflower bloom covering huge areas of the state with swaths of poppies, lupines and chocolate lilies, make us want to book the next flight there. It’s all so bewildering and so dependent on the vagaries of weather and climate change.

A New York Times article entitled “Fossil Record of Day When Fire Balls Fell And Water Boiled Up” seems to put it in perspective stating that a meteor smashing into Mexico 66 million years ago led to a cataclysmic change in the earth.

“Within hours and perhaps minutes of the titanic collision, sea creatures were swept inland by tsunamis and earthquakes, tossed together and deposited with a diverse array of landlocked life, including trees, flowers and vanished types of freshwater fish,” part of the article read A dig in North Dakota has “encapsulated the swift demise of an ancient lake and its inhabitants”, indicating the end of dinosaurs and the emergence of a more favorable earth for human existence. Fascinating, and food for thought, as we’re now in an age of global warming where catastrophic events that happened once in a millennia are now happening at an alarming rate.

Voices from the past still echo warnings and we in turn must take up the challenge to ensure that future generations can experience nature in all its glory. History continually repeats itself, and it behooves us to listen to the voices of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rachel Carson, and others. Do get involved on a local level with organizations dedicated to saving the environment, and join a garden club, make a difference.

Editor’s note: Jeannie Geremia is The Garden Club of New Jersey President-Elect, GCNJ Wildlife Habitat Chair, and a National Garden Clubs, Inc. Master Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is a member of Neshanic Garden Club, The Raritan Township Historic Committee and the Raritan Township Board of Health. Jeannie’s email address is: jgeremia42@gmail.com

GardenerNews.com The recent measles outbreak in New York State is an interesting and scary example of how inaction by a few people can lead to widespread problems for an entire region.

Whether it was due to ignorance, a lack of resources, religious or cultural beliefs, or some other reason is not really relevant. What is relevant, however, is that now there is now a widespread problem that the entire region and possibly even the nation will be forced to deal with.

This type of problem is not just limited to the anti-vaxxer movement, though. These types of issues arise all too frequently in agriculture with varying degrees of severity.

And although they rarely threaten humans in the way that the measles outbreak has, they do have the capability of severely impacting agricultural operations to varying degrees.

For an example, let’s start with one close to home. Envision a nice suburban neighborhood here in New Jersey. Let’s say there are 12 houses on the street. And let’s also say that 11 of the homeowners do a relatively decent job of caring

May 2019 19 The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

When Your Problem Becomes My Problem for and maintaining their lawns. But then there is that other homeowner on the street (and maybe it’s even a bank) who could care less about the condition of their lawn. You know the type, they are the ones who not only have a lawn full of dandelions, but they let them go to seed and then blow over onto all of their neighbor’s lawns, thereby giving all of them a hearty helping of weeds for the following season.

As apple growers here in New Jersey, we face issues very similar to this as well.

Abandoned or uncared for apple trees that are in close proximity to our orchards (within a quarter of a mile) can serve as hosts to various pests that can be extremely detrimental to other properly maintained trees.

They can foster diseases such as apple scab, powdery mildew, fireblight and cedar apple rust.

They can also harbor colonies of codling moths and apple maggots, two pests which can be the cause of wormy apples.

(Yuck!)

But because these trees are not on our property and are out of our control, there is not too much that we can do about them. We certainly cannot go on someone else’s property and cut their trees down. We just have to be aware of the possibilities and take extra precautions with our own trees.

With animal agriculture, these types of issues can become even more dire. Just look at the recent swine flu epidemic in Asia as one of the latest examples. If these diseases

are not controlled, they can become widespread and could potentially impact and devastate an entire segment of agriculture.

Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, all of the interested parties in agriculture must do their part. Whether it is the farmer staying alert, or the veterinarian taking extra precautions, or the inspectors being vigilant, and even the consumers just being knowledgeable, everyone has to do their jobs.

Even non-farm operations have to do their part. A case in point is the new Spotted Lanternfly infestation that was discovered in Pennsylvania a few years ago. Supposedly, this insect was able to hitch a ride into the United States through a company that was importing

Native Honeysuckles?

By Hubert Ling Yes, there are native honeysuckles in New Jersey.

In fact, New Jersey has three native species of honeysuckle and four notoriously invasive species.

Trumpet or coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens is a wide-ranging but uncommon native in New Jersey: I have never seen it growing naturally. The plant ranges broadly but sparsely throughout almost all of the Eastern United States, from Maine to Texas. This plant is so widely popular in the nursery trade and has so many yellow, orange, and red horticultural varieties, that most people do not know it is a native plant.

The pink-orange (coral) flowers of the wild plants bloom in mid-spring in time to catch the north-migrating humming birds. “Operation Ruby Throat” lists coral honeysuckle as plant numberthree out of 10 for humming

birds. Thus, these beautiful plants will reliably make your yard a favored stopover for these unique birds.

Coral honeysuckle is a reliable, well behaved plant which grows to a maximum of about 12 to 17 feet in about 15 years, but can be held to eight feet or less with a little trimming. The leaves are bluish, glossy, opposite, and variable in shape, from almost round to elongated ovals; the leaf stems are short or absent. The flowers are twoinch trumpets, scarlet on the outside with yellow interiors which, in the right lighting, gives the flower a coral color.

Fortunately for hummingbirds, adventurous children, hummingbird moths, and bumble bees, each long flower tube has a small drop of nectar at the base; unfortunately there is no fragrance.

Coral honeysuckle grows under a variety of conditions tolerating some deer browse, black walnut, clay, sand, moderately acid or basic soil, and partial shade; it will

only tolerate wet soil for a short period. Growth is most vigorous in full sun, with slightly acid, well drained, rich soil.

Propagation can be done by collecting the small red fruits with seeds which must be stratified two and a half months. However, germination tends to be spotty and may take several years. Generally, the plant is propagated by cuttings or, if you only want a few more plants, just pull down low-hanging vines and bury six-inch to one-foot sections, leaving the tips well exposed, and dig up the well-established plants a year or two later.

Native Americans used coral honeysuckle vines for baskets. The leaves were used for tea, colds, and to treat asthma; the chewed leaves were applied to bee stings to reduce swelling. Fortunately, we have much safer and effective modern medications.

Recent experiments with Japanese honeysuckle have shown that plant extracts reduce cholesterol, are

antiviral, antibacterial, and slow the tuberculosis bacillus. Although similar work has not been done with coral honeysuckle, it may be important to expand studies to related species if valuable, therapeutic compounds are found in Japanese honeysuckle.

Coral honeysuckle is a host for larvae of the spring azure butterfly, snowberry clearwing and hummingbird clearwing moths, which are all New Jersey residents.

Several types of birds eat the attractive red berries but these same berries induce vomiting in humans. The genus name Lonicera is from the German botanist Adam Lonitzer (1528-1586) and the species name sempervirens means evergreen. This plant retains its green leaves down south but is not evergreen in New Jersey.

Coral honeysuckle is long-lived and has no serious insect or disease infestations.

However, there may be minor problems with aphids, which can easily be removed with a

decorative stone from Asia.

It was then able to establish itself in that area before anyone realized what it was or what it was doing.

Now, we have a regional crisis with national implications on our hands. And unfortunately, certain areas of agriculture will never be the same, and that’s if they are able to survive at all.

I have heard reports that some wine grape growers in that area have had to remove their vines because the Spotted Lanternfly has decimated them to a such a level that they are no longer productive.

So, stay vigilant everyone!

Happy spring!

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is currently a Tewksbury Township Committee Member. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

strong spray of water. Powdery mildew and leaf spots may occur, but these are generally insignificant.

Coral honeysuckle is generally trained to a trellis; get a large heavy duty one since the full grown vines are heavy. If you have a sunny area, the vines can just be allowed to sprawl out over the yard without support, but this will be hard to keep neat.

You can train the vines to go up a few supports attached to a large tree and the vines will go only as high as the supports; the vines generally do not climb anything with a diameter over 12 inches. These plants also do well on chain link fences. This beautiful and useful native deserves a place in your garden.

Editor’s Note: Hubert Ling is the Horticulture Chairman for the Native Plant Society of New Jersey.

He can be reached at milhubling@verizon.net

20 May 2019

Northeastern States Prospective Plantings 2019 Summary Corn: Growers intend to plant 92.8 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2019, up 4 percent from last year. If realized, this will be the highest planted acreage since 2016. 30 Prospective Plantings (March 2019) USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Planted acreage for 2019 is expected to be up or unchanged from 2018 in 34 of the 48 estimating States. Record high acreage is expected in North Dakota. Record low acreage is expected in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Acreage increases of 400,000 acres or more are expected in Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota compared with last year.

Oats: Area seeded to oats for the 2019 crop year is estimated at 2.56 million acres, down 7 percent from 2018. If realized, the United States planted area will be the second lowest on record. Record low planted acreage is estimated in Arkansas, California, Maine, Minnesota, and North Carolina.

Winter wheat: The 2019 winter wheat planted area is estimated at 31.5 million acres, down 3 percent from last year but up 1 percent from the previous estimate.

This represents the second lowest planted acreage on record for the United States. Of the total acreage, about 22.4 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 5.55 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.55 million acres are White Winter. Record low planted acreage is estimated in Nebraska.

Barley: Producers intend to seed 2.55 million acres of barley for the 2019 crop year, up slightly from the previous year. A record low planted acreage is estimated for New York and Utah, both down 10 percent from 2018. In Idaho, planted acreage is expected to decrease by 15 percent from last year.

Hay: Producers intend to harvest 53.1 million acres of all hay in 2019, up less than 1 percent from 2018.

If realized, this will represent the third lowest total hay harvested area since 1908, behind 2017 and 2018.

Producers appear to be content carrying relatively low hay stocks as this minimal increase in harvested area will maintain hay stocks at similar levels. Modest decreases in most of the Rocky Mountain States are balanced by modest increases in most Corn Belt States.

Record lows for all hay harvested area are expected in California, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Soybeans: Growers intend to plant 84.6 million acres in 2019, down 5 percent from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage intentions are down or unchanged in 26 of the 29 estimating States. Decreases of 300,000 acres or more are anticipated in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. If realized, the planted area in New York and Pennsylvania will be the largest on record.

Beginning in 2019, soybean estimates were discontinued in Florida and West Virginia.

Source: USDA/NASS April 5, 2019

GardenerNews.com NJ Agricultural Society

By Al Murray Executive Director

The Only “Deer(e)” a Farmer Could Love If you ever want to start an argument among a group of farmers, just ask them which company produces a better tractor; John Deere or Case? Then sit back and watch the fun begin.

Nothing sparks a more passionate debate than the “Greens” – John Deere loyalists versus the “Reds” – Case (Now International Harvester) devotees. To put it in perspective, it is like putting a roomful of Giants and Eagles fans together.

Despite spending a career around those distinct green and yellow tractors, I never gave much thought about the story behind them. Recently, while traveling through Rutland, VT, I passed a marker that proclaimed Rutland as the birthplace of John Deere. Naturally, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. What follows is a story of the American dream.

John Deere was born in 1804. the third son of William and Sarah Deere. William left for England in 1808 but was never seen or heard from again. John was raised by his mother and was only given a basic education due to the family’s poverty. At the age of 17, he became an apprentice to a local blacksmith and by 21 was operating his own business.

Like many of his generation, the call of the West proved irresistible. In 1836, at the age of 33, Deere became part of the western migration and moved to Grand Detour, Illinois, to seek new opportunities.

As an experienced blacksmith, Deere had no trouble finding work, and opened his first shop in Grand Detour in 1837. It was there he served as town’s general repairman as well as a maker of large tools such as pitchforks and shovels. With his farmer-clients, Deere found himself making the same repairs to plows repeatedly. It was then he began to experiment and determined that the wood and cast-iron plow imported from the Eastern states was not up to the task of breaking through the thick, heavy soils of prairieland. While cast iron plows worked well in the East Coast’s light, sandy soils, the rich mid-western soils stuck to the plow and it had to be cleaned repeatedly. (Think wet snow clogging up your snowblower.)

In 1837, John Deere fashioned a steel saw blade into a plow. The polished steel was perfect for cutting through the sod and never clumped up on the plow blade. From there, Deere developed and manufactured the first commercially successful cast-steel plow. The secret to the wrought-iron framed plow was the polished steel blade that effortlessly cut through the soil. He sold it to a local farmer who quickly spread word of his success with Deere’s plow.

Subsequently, two neighbors soon placed orders.

By 1841, Deere was manufacturing 75 to 100 plows per year, and by 1846, production had risen dramatically—that year, Deere who by then had taken on a partner, produced nearly 1,000 plows.

Realizing the potential of his invention, Deere determined that in order to expand its distribution and maximize sales, the company needed to move closer to transportation hubs. He picked Moline, Illinois, for its location on the Mississippi River.

(Moline still serves as the company headquarters.)

In addition to plows, the company also began to manufacture all types of farm implements, as well as wagons, cultivators and corn planters. By 1855, Deere’s factory sold more than 10,000 plows.

His iconic plow became known as “The Plow that Broke the Plains.”

Later in life, Deere turned over control of his company to his son Charles and focused most of his attention on civil and political affairs. He served as President of the National Bank of Moline, President of the Town’s Library, was active in his church, and served as Moline’s mayor. He died in 1886.

Today John Deere Company operates all over the world with 2018 sales topping $37.35 billion. The company is currently listed as 102nd in the Fortune 500 America’s ranking and was ranked 394th in the global ranking.

Ironically, John Deere never lived to see his famous green and yellow tractors. They were not introduced until 1916, - 30 years after his death.

The Reds.

In 1862, Case built a gasoline-powered tractor.

However, the market was not ready for the transition from steam, so Case waited until 1911 to reintroduce it.

In 1985, the legacies of J.I. Case and Cyrus McCormick are united in one brand: Case IH. The new organization became the second-largest farm equipment manufacturer, and the combination provided a broadened product line and a greatly expanded dealer organization.

In 1986, Steiger joins the growing Case IH offering. In 1988, the first red 9100 series Case IH Steiger tractors are produced, although green Steigers are still made until 1989.

In 1988, Case IH launched the Magnum tractor – the first all-new machine to come from the combined engineering of Case and International Harvester.

In 2015, the Case IH Magnum tractor is voted 2015 Tractor of the Year, and the Magnum Rowtrac is introduced.

In 2018, Case IH, a brand of CNH Industrial, was named “Most Influential Brand,” because of the excellence of its high horsepower tractors (above 100 hp), at the prestigious China International Agriculture Machinery Exhibition (CIAME) Awards. This is the second time in three years that Case IH has won the award, presented at one of the most important events for agricultural mechanization in China.

I’m sure the debate will continue in 2019 between the “Greens” and the “Reds.”

Editor’s Note: Al Murray is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Society. Established in 1781, the Society is New Jersey's oldest organization whose purpose is to advocate, educate and promote on behalf of New Jersey's agricultural industry. Mr. Murray previously spent his entire career at the NJ Department of Agriculture, serving as the Assistant Secretary. He can be reached at njagriculturalsociety@gmail.com

GardenerNews.com

May 2019 21

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22 May 2019

GardenerNews.com

Boy, do we love our pets.

So much that, according to the New Jersey Herald, we spend “23 billion every year on pet food, $15 billion on vet care and $2 billion on the initial purchase of all pets, according to the American Pet Products Association.”

So why shouldn’t we make our landscapes pet friendly and fun as well? Answer is, we should!

Just Paws Your pets walk around “barefoot” all day long. Consider the materials you use for the areas you plan for them. Stick with hardscapes that remain somewhat cool in the summer heat and soft stones to walk over. Other options include using different materials that don’t stain from urine spots, such as clover, Irish moss or elfin thyme.

Or opt for artificial turfgrass that, in recent years, looks exactly like real grass, and no longer like plastic astro-turf. Ask your installation professional to make sure the material stays cool in the sun and have enough drainage to avoid odors. Cleaning up after your pup will be easy and a quick sweep with a hose will keep it looking fresh.

The NJLCA Today

By Gail Woolcott Director of Operations

Going to the Dogs Cool Runnings Dogs love to run and have a path to run. I once had a dog who would run around my aboveground pool until he wore himself out each time we went outside.

Creating run areas and paths will make your dog a happy camper and can be constructed fairly easily. Use decorative fencing, which will also direct the dog to a specific area if you want him or her to use a designated space for a potty area. You can also create pathways with stepping stones, as well as use the paths to deter pets from plants you want them to leave alone.

Made in the Shade Dogs need an area to cool down. This is not optional, and you must provide a shaded or cool area. It can be as simple as a shade tree or arbor with

climbing plants to provide cover. Or you can go all out and purchase a doggie condo, cabin or townhouse. Dog houses can be as elaborate as you want these days and aren’t the plastic eyesores they once were.

Don’t Eat That!

How many times do we say this to our pets (and toddlers)?

It is so important to make sure that the plant material you use in areas that are accessible to your dog are not toxic to them.

Some very common plants that are toxic to pets include some varieties of mushrooms, Holly, Lily of the Valley, Daffodils and more. Safer options include Heuchera, Snapdragon, Crepe Myrtle, Marigolds, etc. Also, cocoa mulch is toxic to pets, so avoid using that anywhere in your yard. For a full list of

toxic and non-toxic plants for pets, check out www.aspca.org/ toxicplants.

Watered Down Your pet will definitely need somewhere to rehydrate. Provide them with filtered water and give your yard a nice update with a water feature. Anything from a splash fountain to a filtered small pond is a great place for your pet to drink. Speak to your landscape or pond professional and make sure they are using non-toxic water treatments in any water feature. You could go crazy and also install a pet pool – shallow enough that your pet can easily get out, of course.

X Marks the Spot Don’t forget, your dog will want to mark “his territory.”

Providing him with a pole, tree, log, driftwood or a faux fire

hydrant will give him a place to relieve himself, while also directing him to a specified area.

Fun Features In researching a bit for this article, I came across some “ultimate” dog yards and play areas. For some fun, add “windows” to fences so your pet can see the rest of the world outside of your yard. Install a sandbox and bury some of his toys or bones in it to encourage him to dig in that area.

Finally, you might add slides and climbing areas, as well as obstacles to keep your dog (and you) entertained for hours!

Editor’s note: Gail Woolcott is the Director of Operations for the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association.

She was presented with a community service award from the Borough of Fairview for her assistance in leading the 9-11 Memorial Park project and the Legislative Champion of the Year award from the Federation of Employers and Workers of America. She is currently the State Licensee Chair on the National Association of Landscape Professionals International Certification Council.

Spotted Lanternfly (Mosca Linterna con Manchas) The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) has created this Spanish-language Spotted Lanternfly informational card for your use. The information below may be cut out and laminated and/or handed out to your Spanish-speaking landscape professional and/or gardener to help protect your property from the Spotted Lanternfly and the damage this invasive pest may cause. The information explains how to spot and identify Spotted Lanternfly egg masses, nymphs and mature insects and how to report an infestation, while removing and destroying egg masses.



VEALO, REPORTELO! 833-BAD-BUG0

PARE LA SPOTTED LANTERNFLY

Spotted Lantern Fly (Mosca Linterna con Manchas)

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Esta plaga invasora y destructiva plantea una amenaza significativa para el negocio y la economía de la agricultura de NJ. Las masas de huevo se colocan en el otono y contiene 30-50 mosca linternas con manchas.

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Photo courtesy of Penn State Extension of Lancaster County

Llame a la línea directa de Lanternfly de NJ al 833-223-2840 (BADBUG0)

1. Busque huevos en árboles, rocas, muebles de patio y otras superficies duras exteriores.

2. Use esta tarjeta para raspar la masa de huevo desde arriba hacia abajo en una bolsa o recipiente.

3. Distruir y deseche los huevos! Cúbralos en lejía, desinfectante de manos, frotamiento de alcohol o aplastarlos.

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May 2019 23

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May 2019 25

Why Join the New Jersey Forestry Association?

From one New Jersey resident to another: You need to join the New Jersey Forestry Association (NJFA) today.

Why? There are more reasons than I can say in just a few hundred words, but here are some that make it an easy decision.

NJFA is the only voice of forest landowners in NJ - and has been for 44 years. NJFA monitors pending legislation affecting you and your property, including woodland farmland assessment and forest stewardship. NJFA sits on taxation, stewardship and other committees and interfaces with the NJ Forest Service and professional forestry associations on critical forest management issues.

NJFA brings you educational programs, including training on farmland assessment requirements and required activities, understanding the new forest stewardship regulations, and supporting programs like Vines can be effective screens, provide vertical interest, maintain shade for under-plantings and bring color and fragrance where you want it.

Annual vines can grow up to 20 feet long in a single season.

Understanding how vines climb is the first step to determining the right one for your garden.

For the answer, we turn to English naturalist, biologist and botanist, Charles Darwin (18091882). During one of Darwin’s many bouts of illness, he lay in his sickbed and turned his genius mind to the “Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants,” the name under which his study would be published by the Linnaean Society in 1865, and then included in the Complete Works of Charles Darwin in 1875.

Inspired by Harvard Botany professor Asa Gray’s work on the movement of the tendrils of cucurbits, Darwin constructed a series of obstacle courses for vining plants to grow upon. He observed and charted their growth in heat and cold, day and night, through boxes, over stacks of books, around sticks of bamboo and wood of varying widths and planes.

A compelling image of an aging, white-bearded Darwin,

Backyard Forestry and Woodland Stewards.

The NJFA Annual Meeting (the 44th was held on March 16) is a full-day event, attended by members, landowners, forest professionals, tax assessors and New Jersey Forest Service personnel, covering a range of current issues confronting forest landowners.

NJFA members receive a newsletter that keeps them current and helps them deal with critical forest management issues, such as Woodland Management Plans, timber harvests, Forest Stand Improvement, state inspections, aging forests, invasive insects, invasive plants, and wildlife and habitat management.

If you’re concerned about maintaining your woodland as required by stewardship and farmland assessment regulations, sustainable forest practices, addressing the threats of aging forests, invasives like the emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly, multiflora rose and barberry, and wildlife and habitat management, join the NJFA today. Plus, if you join within

the next 30 days, you’ll get a half-year trial membership for only $30.

Current NJFA president, Andrew Kimm, reflects on his “why” for joining NJFA as a charter member: “More than four decades ago I attended the very first meeting of the New Jersey Forestry Association. Over the years since that first meeting, I have been a member, a director, an officer, and now president of the NJFA. I have had the great opportunity to meet many wonderful people in the forestry community, in New Jersey as well as from other states, and to work in conjunction with others on behalf of effective and sustainable forestry. I also interface with officials from taxation, forestry and other departments. Much has been accomplished but much, much more is still to be done.

Our forests face many challenges, such as the emerald ash borer and spotted lanternfly and invasive plants like Japanese barberry, multiflora rose and autumn olive, which threaten our forest ecosystems. And let’s

not forget political operatives who choose not to follow sound scientific prescriptions in favor of feel-good emotional and ineffective approaches to forest management.

Private forest landowners face all of these challenges (and then some) as they endeavor to manage their properties effectively, all the while providing clean water, fresh air, beautiful vistas, recreational venues, and wildlife habitat for the rest of the populace. We are all the stewards of this rich and irreplaceable natural asset. We provide the buffers between development and nature. And the New Jersey Forestry Association serves as the podium from which woodland owners can have their voices heard.

I encourage those interested in our forests to join the NJFA and build a stronger advocacy group to represent the very special and unique needs associated with New Jersey’s forests. As a private woodland owner and an NJFA member, I have benefitted tremendously from my membership in the organization and the interactions

The Garden Historian

By Lesley Parness Garden Educator

“Simply DeVine: The Charm and Surprise of Annual Vines” dressed in Victorian bedclothes and surrounded by a jungle of lianalike growth emerges. He so vexed these plants that their seeming inability to climb this or attach to that was uncharacteristically anthropomorphized “The movement of the shoot had a very odd appearance, as if it were disgusted with its failure but was resolved to try again.” I suspect that describes him, not the plant.

Darwin neatly divided climbing plants as follows: “Climbing plants may be divided into four classes.

First, those which twine spirally round a support. Secondly, those endowed with irritable organs, which when they touch any object clasp it; such organs consisting of modified leaves, branches, or flower-peduncles…. Plants of the third class ascend merely by the aid of hooks; and those of the fourth by rootlets.” Several of the plants he studied are excellent

choices as annual vines for your garden: Thunbergia alata, Black Eyed Susan Vine - This annual vine sports one-inch-wide flowers in sunny, non-stop bloom from June through September. Its charm is its petite size, growing up a smaller trellis with ease. A bit of afternoon shade is welcome here.

The surprise? So many new cultivars to choose from, including “Alba” with while petals and a black throat. There’s also multicolor, lemony yellow and dark rust varieties to choose from.

Cardiospermum halicacabun, Love-in-a-Puff This annual vine was bred in 1833.

It can grow to 12 feet in length. Its inconspicuous small white flowers are followed by a charming, light green balloon-shaped seed capsule which, when it matures, turns buff and produces the surprise - three black seeds, each emblazoned with

a white heart.

Convolvulus - Who can resist the old-fashioned charm of Morning Glories? The blues monopolize this annual vine’s color pallete, but there are pearly whites, sparkly purples and some cherry reds as well. Scarify and soak the seeds overnight before planting for best germination. The surprise? A ground cover Glory Convolvulus mauritanicus or the dwarf cultivar “Royal Ensign.”

Beautiful, fragrant, pollinatorattracting - there is much to commend these and other annual vines. But, I’ll leave it to Darwin to finish the recommendation: “It has often been asserted that plants are distinguished from animals by not having the power of movement. It should rather be said that plants acquire and display this power only when it is of some advantage to them…

We see how high in the scale

I have had with other members of the forestry community. The benefits cannot be overstated.”

Membership in the NJFA is not just limited to woodland owners either! Even if you don’t own woodlands, New Jersey is 40 percent forest and the role of trees in our ecology is undisputed. If you live in a city, you see trees threatened every day, and understand the need for responsible, sustainable urban forestry.

If you care about our ecological future - air, water, trees, recreation, habitat or wildlife - you need to support New Jersey’s forests. Find out more by visiting our website at www.njforestry.org.

Editor’s Note: Lori Jenssen has been the Executive Director of the New Jersey Forestry Association since 2005 and holds a Master’s degree in Non-Profit Administration from Rutgers University. She can be reached at njfalorij@aol.com or by calling 908-832-2400. of organization a plant may rise, when we look at tendril-bearers.

It first places its tendrils ready for action. If displaced, it rights itself. If acted on by light, it bends towards or from it, whichever is most advantageous. The tendril strikes some object, and quickly grasps it, becoming strong and durable. The tendril has done its work and has done it in an admirable manner.”

This article is excerpted from my new lecture - “Simply DeVine: The Charm and Surprise of Annual Vines.” Visit lesleyparness. com to see where you can catch the lecture, or to book this talk for your group. You can read Darwin’s book online at gutenberg.org.

Editor’s Note: Lesley Parness offers a variety of presentations and workshops for garden clubs, plant societies, and horticultural gatherings. Recently retired from her position as Superintendent of Horticultural Education at the Morris County Park Commission, and with four decades of teaching environmental science and garden education, her focus now is garden history. A complete listing of her talks can be seen at lesleyparness. com and she can be reached at parness@verizon.net. This column will appear in the paper every other month.

26 May 2019

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May 2019 Columnists

Tom Castronovo Todd Pretz Gail Woolcott Brian Schilling Al Murray

Peter Melick Bob LaHoff Douglas H. Fisher Eric J. Houghtaling Lesley Parness

May 2019 Contributing Writers

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Jeannie Geremia

Hubert Ling

Lori Jenssen

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Bamboos are giant, woody grasses. Some are clumping and cause no problems. But most are running, spreading rapidly underground by thick rhizomes – sometimes as thick as a baseball bat -- torpedoing unseen through the soil. From the rhizomes grow canes, called culms. Giant bamboos are the fastest growing plants on Earth, even faster than “Superman” flying through the sky. Some culms can grow four feet a day!

If bamboo has taken over your yard, the first-blush solution is to get a container of the strongest herbicide you can buy and spray them. This will not work. You may kill the top growth, but that huge root system will sprout again next spring.

What you need to do to kill bamboo is to take advantage of the fact that new culms only sprout in spring. They look like the tips of asparagus spears.

Wait until they’re about a foot tall and either cut them off at the ground or push them over with your foot. It’s easy. They will not grow again.

Then cut all mature canes to the ground. If your neighbor has bamboo, make sure they do it, too. Every spring, watch for new culms sprouting. Push every one over. If you and your neighbor keep doing this, eventually you’ll starve the root system and the bamboo will die.

If you find your efforts to kill bamboo plants thwarted by spread from a neighbor, you will need to build a barrier to keep the bamboo from spreading to your yard. The barrier can be made of concrete, metal or a study plastic garden edging. The barrier will need to go down two feet deep and should come up at least six inches. Inspect the barrier every few months to make sure that no bamboo has crept over the barrier.

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