Update on Boxwood Blight.......Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck

First it was impatiens now a new blight is taking hold on an important woody shrub in American history. Boxwood blight is infecting every species of boxwood grown in the U.S. and abroad.

Boxwood blight causes black spots on leaves that look a lot like black spot on roses. Boxwood blight spreads quickest during warm rainy periods and occurs more often in shaded areas. Another cause of transmitting the disease is overhead watering and infected tools. Infected tools include hoes and tools used for weeding. Pruners and loppers carry the disease spores on their blades after trimming and pruning. Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum is the organism responsible for the latest blight on the American  landscape.

Boxwood is an important shrub in American history as well as today. According to The American Boxwood Society Boxwood is man’s oldest garden ornamental. Boxwood was introduced from Europe In the 1600s and was used extensively in colonial American landscapes.  Today boxwood is important because it has replaced Taxus in the landscape due it’s’ resistance to deer. Boxwood are commonly referred to as American and English. However there are over 90 species and more than 365 cultivated varieties.

Here are some warning signs that my indicate boxwood blight in your garden. Dark brown spots appear on leaves often in a circular pattern. Shortly after the disease takes hold dark brown cankers and black streaks appear on what are normally green branches. During periods of high humidity whites spores may grow from these lesions. Sometimes though, boxwood blight symptoms appear similar to those of cold damage.

To control the blight prune away dead and severely infected branches. It is also helpful to mulch with uninfected mulch material. Check to make sure the soil is not overly soaked, and reduce irrigation if it is. During periods of heavy rain it may also help to remove mulch from under the plants to reduce places where spores show up. Make sure you disinfect your pruners after every cut so as not to spread the disease. A spray of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water is fine.

Unfortunately fungicides have shown little effect on the disease. I would however spray with a systemic fungicide like Infuse to offer some protection from other spores entering the lesions on stems and branches caused by boxwood blight.

The Country Living Fair will be at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds on June 6 thru 8. Country Living Magazine celebrates the country life each month in its’ magazine.

The Country Living Fair is normally held twice a year at much larger population centers. Columbus Ohio and Atlanta Georgia are the usual venues. The Country Living Fair draws tens of thousands of visitors.

Dozens of talented speakers will give demos and talks on food, farming and crafts. The list of speakers include

Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell of the Beekman Boys. The Beekman Boys own a bed and breakfast farm near Cherry Valley New York. There they not only entertain overnight guests but grow most of the food served at the dinner table.

Ken Greene is a seedsman, seed farmer, and co-founder of the Hudson Valley Seed Library. His unique approach to integrating seed-saving and the arts has led to presentations at National Heirloom Expo, Seed Saver's Exchange, Culinary Institute of America, and many gardening groups. The Seed Library has been featured in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, A Way to Garden, Horticulture Magazine, Vogue and more. Ken also has a market garden/farm where he grows organic heirloom crops to sell at farmer’s markets throughout the region.

I am honored to be included in the “talent” as well. I will be speaking on the main stage Saturday June 7^th at 4PM. I will be discussing the importance of not just shopping at local merchants but also purchasing locally made goods. While this may be hard for many items food should not be. I will focus on the direct correlation between the carbon footprint of an item and the economic footprint and how they both go hand in hand.

Community gardens are springing up all over in towns and cities throughout the Hudson Valley. The city of Kingston alone has, at last count, thirteen community gardens. These gardens play an important role in many neighborhoods and not just as a source of fresh food. Community gardens have become a social gathering place.  Neighbors get together at these gardens not just to pull weeds and carrots but to discuss events of the day. Many gardens have regular dinner or breakfast events where members share their harvest with another over a great meal. I am somewhat jealous of community gardens. I live in a rural area where anyone who wants a garden grows one on their own backyard.  In fact where I live it is so rural my mailbox is one mile from my house and the nearest store is five miles.

One of the remedies for my jealous rage is to help out at community gardens. I am more than happy to offer advice, give talks and demonstrations and help plan gardens like these. Anyone looking for help in their community garden or urban farm please contact me at gsdraiss@aol.com.

Especially of interest to me are gardens at schools. It is so important to keep the momentum going. While gardens at schools are a wonderful idea just as school is letting out for summer vacation early crops are getting ready for harvest. Imagine the disappointment when the busses return to school in the fall and the gardens are chock full of weeds!

Garden advice you can dig!

If CO2 Traps Heat Should It Also Not Block It From Entering As Well

Look at it this way. Insulation in a home does two things. It keeps warmth in during the winter and blocks heat in the summer. It is simple physics. Insulation of any kind acts as a buffer. So a large blanket of CO2 in the atmosphere may prevent heat from leaving. But is also keeps heat from the sun out as well. This blanket acts much like a Thermos. But here is the catch. Eventually without a source of new heat anything hot inside a thermos will sooner or later cool down. So it makes sense to say that a blanket of CO2 that while keeping heat trapped in the atmosphere will also cause anything inside the CO2 blanket to cool down over the long run since it restricts the amount any new heat from entering (the sun).

Seems Data from NASA supports this as well: 


(Natural News) Practically everything you have been told by the mainstream scientific community and the media about the alleged detriments of greenhouse gases, and particularly carbon dioxide, appears to be false, according to new data compiled by NASA's Langley Research Center. As it turns out, all those atmospheric greenhouse gases that Al Gore and all the other global warming hoaxers have long claimed are overheating and destroying our planet are actually cooling it, based on the latest evidence.

As reported by Principia Scientific International (PSI), Martin Mlynczak and his colleagues over at NASA tracked infrared emissions from the earth's upper atmosphere during and following a recent solar storm that took place between March 8-10. What they found was that the vast majority of energy released from the sun during this immense coronal mass ejection (CME) was reflected back up into space rather than deposited into earth's lower atmosphere.

The result was an overall cooling effect that completely contradicts claims made by NASA's own climatology division that greenhouse gases are a cause of global warming. As illustrated by data collected using Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER), both carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO), which are abundant in the earth's upper atmosphere, greenhouse gases reflect heating energy rather than absorb it.

"Carbon dioxide and nitric oxide are natural thermostats," says James Russell from Hampton University, who was one of the lead investigators for the groundbreaking SABER study. "When the upper atmosphere (or 'thermosphere') heats up, these molecules try as hard as they can to shed that heat back into space."

Almost all 'heating' radiation generated by sun is blocked from entering lower atmosphere by CO2

According to the data, up to 95 percent of solar radiation is literally bounced back into space by both CO2 and NO in the upper atmosphere. Without these necessary elements, in other words, the earth would be capable of absorbing potentially devastating amounts of solar energy that would truly melt the polar ice caps and destroy the planet.

"The shock revelation starkly contradicts the core proposition of the so-called greenhouse gas theory which claims that more CO2 means more warming for our planet," write H. Schreuder and J. O'Sullivan for PSI. "[T]his compelling new NASA data disproves that notion and is a huge embarrassment for NASA's chief climatologist, Dr. James Hansen and his team over at NASA's GISS."

Dr. Hansen, of course, is an outspoken global warming activist who helped spark man-made climate change hysteria in the U.S. back in 1988. Just after the release of the new SABER study, however, Dr. Hansen conveniently retired from his career as a climatologist at NASA, and reportedly now plans to spend his time "on science," and on "drawing attention to [its] implications for young people."

You can read more details of the new NASA SABER study by visiting:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/22mar_saber/

You can also check out a informative, four-minute video report on the solar storm here:
http://youtu.be/EEFQHDSYP1I


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/040448_solar_radiation_global_warming_debunked.html#ixzz2U7n2rNqY

Garden advice you can dig!

Watch Out for Leaf Blight on Box Wood

To get rid of leaf blight, prune away dead and severely infected branches. It is also helpful to mulch with uninfected mulch material. Check to make sure the soil is not overly soaked, and reduce irrigation if it is. 

Make sure you disinfect your pruners after every cut so as not to spread the disese. A spray of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water is fine.

Fungicides provide only limited control I like Infuse by Bonide which is a systemic fungicide.

Garden advice you can dig!

No Dig Raised Bed: Compost as Bottom Layer is Key Ingredient

See my You Tube Video on no dig raised bed gardening

The only way to garden on lousy soil if you you have back problems or do not want to double dig.

Any method of layering works. I chose compost on the bottom to hasten break down of carbon into usable soil faster









Garden advice you can dig!

Just What The Gardener Ordered

The Center for Disease Control has issued a medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically.  This virus is called Weekly Overload Recreational Killer (WORK).  If you receive WORK from your boss, any of your colleagues or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT!!! This virus will wipe out your private life entirely.  If you should come into contact with WORK you should immediately leave the premises.

Take two good friends to the nearest liquor store and purchase one or both of the antidotes - Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract (WINE) and Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter (BEER).  
Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system. 

You should immediately forward this medical alert to five friends.  If you do not have five friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life.

Garden advice you can dig!

Just as CO2 Reaches Levels it Was Before Two Nights of Frost Predicted for Global Warming

CO2 levels have reached 400 PPM in Hawaii. No need for alarm though because apparently this is not the first time. Some 10 million years ago our cave dwelling ancestors burning all those fossil fuels made from organic trees caused CO2 to rise to that height way back then.

Mind you plants in a grow room thrive at up 1200 PPM. More plants growing more leaves means more oxygen for us!

So why is now different?  It's not it is just another cause celeb for the climate change crowd. Meanwhile The Denver Rockies had to cancel baseball games several times this spring due to snow, cold weather continues to plague spring in the mid west and here on the east cost frost is  predicted fore tonight and tomorrow.......

Now that is not warming and that is certainly not global  

Garden advice you can dig!

Earthbound Farms Nation's Largest Shipper of Organic Produce Up for Sale

The Produce News A major industry trade publication today announced rumors have 
Earthbound Farms, with sales of $460 million dollars, is for sale.

The company had earnings of $75 million dollars last year before taxes deductions and interest.

Estimated sale price is 7-10 times earnings

Garden advice you can dig!

Radius Garden Tools Now Labels for Miracle Gro

Looks like all the eNeRGy from this line will go
to the box stores now

from IGC Retailer;

If you sell the popular line of ergonomic Radius garden tools get ready to lose more market share to the boxes.  Miracle Gro's name will now be on the ergonomic tool line.


Radius Garden Rolls Out Miracle-Gro Garden Tools Under New Licensing Agreement with Scotts
MARYSVILLE, OH - Under a licensing agreement with Scotts Miracle-Gro, Radius Garden has begun marketing and selling a line of Miracle-Gro-branded ergonomic garden tools. The line is being distributed nationally by lawn and garden distributors, as well as through True Value, Ace Hardware and Do it Best Corp., and will be featured at Radius' booth at this summer's IGC Show, August 20-22 at Chicago's Navy Pier.  







Garden advice you can dig!

Free Rein Chickens Need to Wear Diapers!

Urban Farming Spawns Accessory Lines

          How to size up and measure your chicken for diapers

Chicken diapers and chicken lingerie lines take off as urban farming takes on free rein chickens!

 At left is a diagram on how to turn tube socks into chicken diapers. Not to be outdone by home made diapers Julie Baker sells a line of designer chicken diapers to the tune of 100 per week.

Chickens sometimes need to come inside on an urban farm. Nothing protects urban chickens from urban rats like a warm living room. And nothing protects kitchen floors from ammonia rich chicken shit like a chicken diaper. At left Betsy Ross models the rear view of a patriotic version of chicken diapers..............

Garden advice you can dig!

Mushroom Workshop: Stone(d) Ridge NY

SUNY Ulster Continuing Education, Stone Ridge NY

May 4, 9-noon

NO....... NOT THIS KIND!

Mushrooms are a remarkable source of food and medicine that have been cultivated and wildcrafted for thousands of years. This workshop offers an introduction to the world of mushrooms--their link to healthy soils and forests and their growing potential on a home and commercial scale. Participants will inoculate shiitake, oyster, lion's mane and stropharia varieties. $59, includes materials fee.

(845) 339-2025;sunyulster.edu/continuing_education

Garden advice you can dig!

Lessans (NOT LEARNED) Former Commerce Boss now at BFG

FROM IGC RETAILER:


 Richard Lessans, Former Commerce CEO, Now Working with BFG Supply in Advisory Role
BURTON, OH - Richard Lessans, Commerce Corporation's former CEO, is now working with BFG Supply Co. in an advisory role reporting to BFG Supply CEO Rob Glockner, IGC Retailer learned from Tim Ward, BFG Supply's Marketing Director, in an exclusive interview just moments ago. "We brought Richard on mainly because he's been in the industry for so long, and he can give us a good perspective on the last 30 years in lawn and garden," Ward says. "It was kind of a no-brainer to bring him on from a strategic standpoint." He went on to say, "Richard does not oversee our lawn and garden division, and he is not involved with operations of any sort. It's mainly strategic and involvement with any special projects where we can use his skills and knowledge."
BFG Supply also just made the announcement to its vendors that Mike Cyphert is overseeing the company's lawn and garden division. The news of Lessans joining BFG comes as no surprise to IGC Retailer Publisher and IGC Show Founder Jeff Morey, who had been told by Lessans directly during the time of Commerce's closures that Lessans had his sights on staying in the industry. Lessans served as CEO at Commerce Corporation before it closed its Ontario, CA, and Grand Rapids, MI, offices and warehouses beginning late last year. Three weeks after Commerce’s closing, BFG Supply announced it was taking over Commerce’s former facility in Grand Rapids, MI, and hired more than 50 former Commerce employees. BFG also secured ownership of Commerce’s former website, www.commercecorp.com, where users can enter their existing Commerce login information to place orders through BFG.   







Garden advice you can dig!

Emerald Ash Borer Control Possible in Parks and Yards

There is little to control ash borers in the forest. However it does make sense just to let the ash pass on to the wood pile of history.

An easy control that lasts for an entire year against ash borers and other chewing insects is Bonide Annual Tree and Shrub Insect Control:

One application poured as a drench at the base of trees and shrubs gives systemic protection against borers for an entire year. Systemic means it does not wash off since it works from inside the tree. This also means that the entire tree/shrubs is inoculated with the insect killing ingredient. Pouring as a drench also means no spray drift and very little if any runoff.

Police Stakeouts Hurt Hydroponics Shops

Are you sure the police did not follow you home
from the grow shop?

Kansas City Police staking out hydroponics shops are causing some to question the practice as invasion of privacy. One customer reported that within two hours of buying  seed starting equipment the cops were at his door.

Maybe 10 or 15 years ago staking out an indoor grow shop was legit. I don't think so but many do. However today commercial hydroponic greenhouses are spouting out food crops to feed millions. And many people are growing food at home in their basements.................LIKE ME!

Probable cause does not mean it's OK to get grandma arrested for growing tomatoes.













Garden advice you can dig!

Sex, Lies and Flower Seed Tape. Prestigious Garden Club Becomes Reality TV

Never would have thought a nice little garden club, Roosevelt Island Garden Club, would end up like a soap opera. Charges of adultery public sex and more.

Their tool shed burned down and arson is being used to describe the origin of the tool tower fire.


April Ward club president has been accused of almost being a dicator by requesting members address her as Madam President. She also began to threaten expulsion by "weeding out" those who were delinquent in paying their dues.

 Garden advice you can dig!

Celebrate Grdening May 4th With Hudson Valley Gardening Association

Hudson Valley Garden Association has announced the start of advanced ticket sales and pre-registration for Garden Fair, a one day festival and celebration of gardening in the Hudson Valley taking place on Saturday, May 4, 2013 at Orange County Arboretum in Montgomery, NY.

Featuring local and specialty plant vendors, non-profit garden groups, lecture program, free demonstrations, and guided arboretum tours, Garden Fair is destined to become a regional garden tradition that inspires and excites gardeners of all experience levels, from beginner to expert.

“Garden Fair will bring attention to the wealth of gardening experiences available in the Hudson Valley by gathering everyone together in recognition of our thriving garden community of people, plants, places and knowledge,“ said HVGA co-founder, Rebecca Glembocki.

Over twenty vendors will be selling plants and garden wares of all kinds. Local perennial growers Lorjon Nursery and Shawangunk Horticulture will be there, as will Twin Ponds Nursery with wrought iron planters and colorful, mixed annual baskets. Organic vegetable seedlings will be available from Midsummer Farm, Silver Heights Farm and Greene Bee Greenhouse. Area landscape professionals like E.P. Jansen Nursery and Bloom Fine Gardening will be on hand, along with local deer repellant company, Deer Defeat. From nearby Connecticut, Broken Arrow Nursery will be selling unusual trees and shrubs and Cricket Hill Gardens specializes in tree peonies.

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet with and learn about the dedicated volunteers behind numerous area garden groups including the Beatrix Farrand Garden Association, Newburgh Rose Club, Tri-State Hosta Society, Vanderbilt Garden Association, and local garden clubs. Many of the organizations will be providing free demonstrations throughout the day on a variety of garden topics.

The Garden Fair Lecture Program includes presentations from three exceptional women of horticulture. Nationally known, best-selling garden author Tovah Martin will speak on Lawn Alternatives. Hudson Valley landscape architect and contributor to many of the region’s historic landscapes, Kate Kerin, will discuss the history and future of Innisfree Garden in Millbrook. Marie Iannotti, About.com’s garden expert from Ulster County, will present “Great Tasting Heirloom Vegetables,” and be signing copies of her 2012 book on the subject.

Garden advice you can dig!