Ask the master gardener: Winter sowing and growing in small spaces
Tips for creating your own mini-greenhouses using milk jugs, potting soil, and setting it in the snow with this relatively new alternative to starting seeds under lights.
Written By:
Jackie Burkey and Jennifer Knutson | U of M Extension Master Gardeners | 12:00 am, Jan. 31, 2021 ×
By creating your own mini-greenhouses using milk jugs, potting soil, a little moisture and seeds, you can let nature decide when the seeds should sprout. Submitted photo
Dear Master Gardener: I keep hearing about winter sowing seeds. What is it and how do I do it?
Answer: Winter sowing is a relatively new alternative to starting seeds indoors under lights. By creating your own mini-greenhouses, you can let nature decide when the seeds should sprout. This works especially well for seeds that need to go through cold-stratification to break the seed coat.
Activities for the year were also reviewed Written By: PineandLakes Echo Journal | 2:00 am, Jan. 26, 2021 ×
Crow Wing County Master Gardeners met via Zoom on Monday, Jan. 11, to welcome 10 interns and review 2020 activities.
Crow Wing County Master Gardeners belong to the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program. Their mission is to provide educational outreach and project-based efforts using research-based horticultural knowledge and practices.
To become certified Extension Master Gardeners in 2021, the 10 Master Gardener interns will complete the University of Minnesota Core Course and 50 volunteer hours in Crow Wing County under the guidance of certified Master Gardeners. To maintain certification, Master Gardeners complete a minimum of five hours of continuing education and 25 hours of volunteer work in their community yearly.
Bark stripping is a common practice among many types of squirrels. They don’t actually eat the bark; they strip away the top layer to get to the sweet, phloem tissue underneath.
Ask the Master Gardener: Aloe vera plant grown indoors offers surprises
Plant also features an aloe baby offsets or pups and produced around the base of the mature plant.
Written By:
Jennifer Knutson | U of M Extension Master Gardener | 5:00 am, Jan. 9, 2021 ×
Jennifer Knutson s flowering aloe vera plant.
Dear Readers: The aloe vera plant being grown in captivity at my house has flowered! As it turns out my plant’s flower is neither red nor yellow as anticipated, but is orange with tubular-shaped blossoms. I also discovered I am going to have a baby – an aloe baby that is. Aloe babies are called offsets or pups and are produced around the base of the mature plant. To cut the umbilical cord, wait until the pup is a couple inches tall, then cut it away from the mother plant with a clean, sharp knife. Allow the wounded area to dry and scab over for a few days before planting it in its new home. This will prevent disease organisms from harming the you
Dangers for birds eating from feeders in the winter include contaminated food, injury or disease.
Written By:
Jennifer Knutson | U of M Extension Master Gardener | 4:00 am, Jan. 3, 2021 ×
Photo courtesy Metro Newspaper Service
Dear Master Gardener: I’m worried about the backyard birds getting enough to eat in the winter. Is it a good idea to have bird feeders?
Answer: Winter is a favorite time to take care of our feathered friends. However, there are both positive and negative consequences to feeding them. Some of the risks include: contaminated food or feeders, window collisions, and increased dependence on supplemental food. Many birds have been killed because of disease outbreaks at feeders, so it is extremely important to keep them clean and disinfected. If a feeder is designed where birds can easily contaminate food with their droppings, this also increases the risk of disease.