Yellowstone County Master Gardener Association

01/13/2025

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

01/12/2025

January is pruning month as the trees are dormant or in some cases nearly dormant. This is the perfect time to safely prune for good summer fruit production or encourage healthy growth from an ornamental.

Different trees require different pruning techniques so do your homework before embarking.

Do not top. It causes more problems than it solves

Do not uses wound dressings, your tree can heal itself and some dressings encourage rot and fungal issues. Instead cut better

Sanitize your tools between trees as this helps reduce the spread of disease

Remove dead and dying branches as well as weak and rubbing branches promotes overall tree health.

Removing interior branches encourages airflow and helps reduce pathogens. It also encourages better fruiting

I’ll be pruning this month and posting how to videos here as well as some of my espaliering techniques

01/11/2025

See how to easily it is to build your own beautiful, low cost raised bed garden boxes. Grow all of your vegetables anywhere - with ease!

01/11/2025

Fruits and vegetables grown decades ago were much richer in vitamins and minerals than the varieties most of us get today. The main culprit in this disturbing nutritional trend is soil depletion. Modern intensive agricultural methods have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from the soil in which the food we eat grows. The solution is to purchase local, organic food from farmers that value their soil and allow produce to achieve full ripeness in the sun. Know your farmer, know your food!

Source links for information:
Symphony of the Soil http://vimeo.com/64662202
University of Texas paper:
http://www.utexas.edu/news/2004/12/01/nr_chemistry

https://www.cncahealth.com/explore/learn/nutrition-food/declining-nutrition-of-fruits-and-vegetables #.Upy-x5Q4Vr0

http://www.nationofchange.org/nutritional-value-food-risk-fruits-and-vegetables-now-less-nutritious-1355070081

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss

12/22/2024

12/18/2024

Register today!

12/16/2024

Girdling Holiday Lights🎄💡
It is easy to forget about string lights on outdoor landscape plants once the holidays are over. Leaving lights on a tree or shrub indefinitely can have negative impacts on the health of your tree.
Girdling happens when an object, like string lights, are left on a tree and restrict the flow of nutrients and water. As the tree grows wider, the strings become tighter and damage the vascular system. The vascular system is located just beneath the bark and that is where the xylem tissue, that transports water from the roots and the phloem, which moves nutrients from the canopy to the rest of the tree is located.
Girdling damage is harmful to the health of your tree and can even be fatal if left unchecked. Remove lights, zip ties and wire as soon as you can. Make sure these items are removed before the growing season.

12/15/2024

Looking for an off-season scavenger hunt ?
The arboretum is the home of two unique collections that are scattered throughout the grounds and eager for you to find. The first is the Lewis and Clark Collection. These specimens were discovered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and most if not all are native to Montana. The second is the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit. These trial tested plants have received Britain's premier award for lasting durability. Find the information about both of these groups under the collection tab of the arboretum website.

12/15/2024

It's seed catalog season, everybody! Garden expert Susan Mulvihill shares her tips for getting the most out of seed catalogs. Learn about a new development w...

12/15/2024

Just a heads-up that we have just about made all of our 2025 vegetable and flower seed selections! You can find them on my website at this link: https://www.susansinthegarden.com/guides/susans-garden-2025/. We are just waiting to hear of any other new varieties that we might want to include in this list. Be aware that Vegetable list comes first on that page, then scroll down to the Flower list. Whew, there are a lot but boy, are we excited!

12/14/2024

MUCFA welcomes PlanIT GEO to our Montana community !
https://planitgeo.com

11/30/2024

In cold conditions many starchy vegetables turn the starches in their cells into a botanical 'anti-freeze' to avoid cold damage. That anti-freeze is sucrose, also known as sugar! Vegetables that all taste better/sweeter after frost; Kale & cabbage, chard, carrots, parsnips, brussels Sprouts, beets, leeks, turnips, swedes and celariac.

Artist GARY BUNT Parsnips, Sprouts & Greens

11/30/2024

11/21/2024

Mycelium, the underground fungal network made up of thread-like structures called hyphae, plays a vital role in supporting plant growth and improving soil health. Here are several key benefits of mycelium and how it promotes plant growth:

1. Enhanced Nutrient Absorption
Mycelium forms symbiotic relationships with plant roots through a network called mycorrhizae. This network enables plants to access nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, that might otherwise be out of reach.
Mycelium extends beyond the plant roots, allowing the plant to access a larger area for nutrient uptake, promoting healthier and more robust plant growth.

2. Improved Water Retention and Drought Resistance
Mycelium helps retain moisture in the soil, creating a more stable environment for plants. This additional moisture reduces drought stress on plants, helping them survive during dry spells.
The fungal network acts like a sponge, holding water and slowly releasing it to plants, which improves their resilience to varying water levels.

3. Soil Structure and Health
Mycelium plays a crucial role in improving soil structure by binding soil particles together, which increases soil aeration, drainage, and stability.
Through decomposition, mycelium breaks down organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and creating humus, which enriches the soil and supports microbial life.

4. Protection Against Diseases
Some mycorrhizal fungi can protect plants from soil pathogens by creating a protective barrier around the roots, which blocks harmful organisms.
Certain fungi also produce natural antibiotics, which can suppress pathogenic bacteria and fungi, reducing the likelihood of root diseases.

5. Support for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health
Mycelium networks connect various plants within an ecosystem, creating a “Wood Wide Web” that enables nutrient exchange and communication among plants.
These networks promote plant diversity and support healthier ecosystems by redistributing nutrients where needed, helping weaker plants survive, and supporting beneficial organisms like earthworms and insects.

6. Carbon Sequestration
Fungi play an essential role in carbon cycling by breaking down plant matter and storing carbon in the soil, a process crucial for mitigating climate change.

Mycelium contributes to this process by capturing carbon as it decomposes organic matter, helping to maintain soil carbon levels that support plant growth and soil fertility.
Overall, mycelium benefits plants by increasing nutrient and water availability, strengthening their resilience, enhancing soil health, and supporting a balanced ecosystem.

Colorado Master Gardener - Jeffrey - November 2024

11/08/2024

11/03/2024

Grafting by MSU. Hope to see these as a semi-dwarf eventually.

Keeping the chief's apples growing in Pryor

11/03/2024

WHAT IS SOIL PH AND ITS IMPORTANT

SOIL PH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, specifically the concentration of hydrogen ions (H⁺) present. It is a logarithmic scale ranging from 0 to 14:

pH < 7: Acidic solution (higher concentration of H⁺ ions)

pH = 7: Neutral solution (pure water)

pH > 7: Alkaline (basic) solution (lower concentration of H⁺ ions)

Importance of pH:

1. Soil Health: pH affects nutrient availability and microbial activity in the soil, influencing plant growth.

2. Water Quality: In aquatic ecosystems, pH impacts the health of organisms and the solubility of minerals.

3. Agriculture: Understanding soil pH helps in managing fertilizers and improving crop yields.

4. Food Science: pH levels are crucial in food preservation and fermentation processes.

Maintaining the appropriate pH level is essential for various biological and chemical processes in agriculture and environmental science.

Regards, AgriHarvest Hub -Agriculturist