About the Newsletter

The Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Southern Nevada provides research based, horticultural information on gardens, landscapes, plants and other related topics. This newsletter of March 2022 is one of many resources of information available to the public to help accomplish this mission. To contact our Help Desk call 702-257-5556 or via email at Extension-ClarkMG@unr.edu

Upcoming Special Events*

  • Master Gardener (MG) Booth and classes at Garden and Home Improvement Show, March 4-6, 2022 at World Market Center, Las Vegas, NV. See details below.
  • Class: Compost, Gardening in Small Places Series, March 5, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, via Zoom ($10 fee) registration required.
  • Class: Intro to Beekeeping,  March 12, 2022 9:00 a.m.-noon, in-person class at Extension Office 8050 Paradise ($15 fee).
  • Class: Hive Talk, March 26, 2022, 9-11 a.m. at Research Orchard 4600 Horse Drive (free).
  • Clark County Fair, April 6-10, 2022, MG Booth, Moapa Valley, NV. See details below.
  • Class: Understanding Your Irrigation, Gardening in Small Places Series, April 16, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, Zoom class ($10 fee).
  • Night Market, MG Booth, March 26, 2022 at Tivoli Village, Las Vegas, NV. See details below.
  • Classes & Field Trips: Nevada Naturalist Program Spring Session 2022, April 4 to May 25, 2022. Fee.
  • Night Market, MG Booth, April 30, 2022 at Tivoli Village, Las Vegas, NV. See details below.
  • Class: Solving Your Garden Problems, Gardening in Small Places Series, May 7, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, Zoom class ($10 fee).

* For details on classes and registration links, see the Horticulture Classes section below.  For MG booth information, see MG Booth section below.

GARDENING INFORMATION AND HELP: Contact the Master Gardener (MG) Help Desk via telephone Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except holidays at 702-257-5556 or by email at (lvmastergardeners@unr.edu).  Walk-ins are welcomed.

Botanical Garden: Open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (except holidays) for self-guided tour. Scheduled tours are every Thursday starting at 10 a.m. at the Extension Facility on 8050 Paradise Road weather permitting. To register go to Eventbrite.com and type in garden tours in the search bar. For more information call the Help Desk at 702-257-5556.

For Extension gardening publications go to (extension.unr.edu). Select Publications in the QUICKLINK drop down. Change the year to All Years for a more complete listing of documents. Use keywords such as tomato to narrow you search.

 

Master Gardener Booth, March 4-6, 2022

Home show booth at garden and home improvement expo.

Visitors gathering information at the MG booth.

Garden and Home Improvement Show World Market Center
435 South Grand Central Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89106

Extension Master Gardeners will have a booth at the home show Friday through Sunday answering gardening questions and handing out publications, native wildflower seeds and young tomato plants. We will also have presentations and round table discussions on gardening topics. Show hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Sunday it will close at 4 p.m. Entrance fee ($0 to $5). Seniors and Veterans entrance is free on Friday. In addition to the MG Booth, the home show will have a variety of vendors displaying and selling home, gardening, health, and beauty items and services.

Presentations and Round-Table Discussion schedule:

  • Presentation, about 45 minutes with questions.
    • Hydroponics, Friday at 1 p.m.
    • Grafting Cactus, Saturday at 10:15 a.m.
    • Care of Trees & Shrubs, Saturday at 11 a.m.
    • Roses in Spring Care, Saturday at noon
    • Beekeeping, Saturday at 1 p.m.
    • Care of Trees & Shrubs, Sunday at noon
    • Grafting Cactus, Sunday at 2 p.m.
  • Round-Table Discussion, about 1 hour long. There may be a short presentation, but mostly a question and answer session.
    • Care of Trees & Shrubs, Saturday at noon
    • Roses in Spring Care, Saturday at 1 p.m.
    • Beekeeping, Saturday at 2 p.m.
    • Vegetable Gardening, Saturday at 3 p.m.
    • Care of Trees & Shrubs, Sunday at 1 p.m.
    • Vegetable Gardening, Sunday at 2 p.m.

Note: Schedule may be changed. Contact the  Help Desk at 702-257-5556 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except holidays. to get the latest information.

 

Rose Tips, March 2022

By Master Gardener and ARS Consulting Rosarian,  Judith Kafantaris

Rose bush in bloom.

Spring time and Roses are blooming.

Roses are heavy feeders especially after being dormant and now awake and getting ready to set blooms. Let us start:

Epsom Salts
Add 1/3 cup Epsom salts scattered around the base of each rose bush. The rationale is that Epsom salts help the bush to set new canes known as basal breaks. New canes are needed as the old canes age, turn grey, brittle and eventually need to be pruned away. Some roses will set new canes without any help, such as some miniatures and some shrubs. All bushes though get Epsom salt.

Compost
In the rose garden we celebrated Valentine’s Day by spreading compost in all the rose beds to a depth of 1 inch.

Fertilizers

Fertilizers have 3 main ingredients: Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potash/Potassium. Some fertilizers are balanced and have numbers such as 10-10-10 (all the same). Other fertilizers are complete and have numbers such as 2-5-3, 5-12-5, 15-30-15. The middle number is to be the highest especially for blooming plants, such as roses, tomatoes etc. ML Robinson has always said that plants do not know if the fertilizer is used for roses or tomatoes, so always check the numbers before buying. Follow the instructions on the container as to amount to spread under the bushes or in containers scratched into the soil. Water in well.

Aphids
Aphids arrive as the blooms appear on the bush and can be seen on stems, leaves, and buds. Aphids are a sucking insect and can be controlled with a spray of water from the hose. Some aphids are green although some can be black and orange. They leave a shiny coating on the leaves, buds, and stems known as honeydew, a hint that aphids have arrived. Ants are known to commander the aphids because ants feed the honeydew to their offspring. Most aphids leave when the blooms open.

Powdery Mildew
Powdery Mildew arrives when the days are warm and the evenings cool; and is a fungus that produces spores and spread by the wind. Mildew covers the leaves, stems and buds as though sprinkled with dusting powder. Some rose varieties appear more susceptible than others. Treatment choices range from fungicides to home remedies.

 

Horticulture Classes & More

*Gardening in Small Places - Compost- March 5, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, via Zoom ($10 fee)

Have you heard you cannot compost in the Mojave Desert? Have you tried to compost in the desert and have not been successful? If you would like to be greener and reduce vegetable waste, please consider joining our compost class. When purchased in the stores, compost can be expensive. So why not make your own? If you eat fruits, vegetables and throw any parts of them away, you have the beginning makings of compost. Even if you live in an apartment, you can make compost. Let Dr. Angela O’Callaghan show you how can make compost in the smallest of areas, just maybe not conventionally. Register at (Compost).

Intro to Beekeeping, March 12, 2022 -9 a.m.-noon, in-person class
University of Nevada- Extension 8050 Paradise Road, North Las Vegas, NV ($15 fee).

Jon Zeh, Master Gardener & Beekeeper, and Laura Pingree, community volunteer, will cover the following topics:

  • The role and life cycle of the queen bee, drone bee and the worker bee.
  • Which subspecies of honey bees are good for the beginning beekeeper.
  • Types of hives and choosing a safe location for your hive.
  • The components of a hive and the purposes each serve.
  • Protective clothing and the tools you will need to get started.
  • The Africanized honey bee in Southern Nevada.
  • The biggest threats to managed honey bees.
  • The costs associated with purchasing the equipment and honey bees.
  • Beekeeping definitions.

They will discuss practical information on how to set up your first bee hive. Per University policy indoors, face coverings are required. Register at (Bees).

Hive Talk, March 26, 2022, 9-11a.m. (Free)
Extension Research Center and Demonstration Orchard
4600 Horse Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89131 

Come & see honey bees in action in a see-through hive! Learn about the bee life cycle. Speak with our beekeepers and get your questions answered.

Master Gardener Booth, March 26 and April 30, 2022, 5-9 p.m.  
Night Market at Tivoli Village,  Las Vegas, NV 89145

Crafts, collectibles, gifts, foods, and DJs music along with our Master Gardener Booth for your enjoyment and learning experiences.  Tivoli Village is location at 400 South Rampart Boulevard. Free admission and parking. The booth will provide gardening information, answer your gardening questions and can provide visitors with two free native seeds packets per family. 

Nevada Naturalist Program, Spring Session 2022, April 4 to May 25, 2022
Southern Nevada

Nevada Naturalist Program, the premier adult environmental education and volunteer training program in Southern Nevada, sponsored by the University of Nevada Extension, begins their spring session on April 4, 2022 continuing through May 25, 2022. This 8-week, in person program focuses on the identification and conservation of the natural resources in southern Nevada. This session will focus on Mojave Desert plants and animals, ecology and climate change, native pollinators, conservation biology and more. Participants attend classes and field trips; and receive volunteer hours for participating in local conservation projects and events. The registration fee includes all books, materials, entrance fees, and some refreshments. Carpooling is available for most field trips. Contact Denise  Parsons at  (parsonsd@.unr.edu) or 702-948-5906 for registration information.

Master Gardener Booth
Clark County Fair and Rodeo April 6-10, 2022
Logandale, NV 89021

The County Fair features animal exhibits, arts and crafts, foods, amusement park rides, judging competitions, a rodeo, MG Booth and much more.  The MG booth will provide gardening information, answer your gardening questions and can provide visitors with two free native seeds packets per family and seeds starter kits for children. Fair location is 1301 Whipple Avenue, Logandale, NV 89021.  Fair hours are from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. except Sunday closes at 9 p.m. The Master Gardener Booth in the Horticulture Building will close around 7 p.m. depending on volunteer staffing.

*Gardening in Small Places - Understanding Your Irrigation,
April 16, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, Zoom class ($10 fee).

With the spring season upon us, it’s time to start thinking of our landscapes again, including the often-neglected irrigation. As your plants grow, and your landscape changes, your irrigation needs change, too. No one type of irrigation is good for all plants. When you have a variety of plants in your landscape, you need a varied irrigation to accommodate those plants. Hint, there is more than one type of drip irrigation. If you'd like to have a better understanding of your irrigation system, or you want to make your system more efficient, then this class is for you. Proper irrigation can prevent water waste and help you save money. Come let Professor ML Robinson help you discover the right type of irrigation for your landscape. Register at (Irrigation).

*Gardening in Small Places, Solving Your Garden Problems, May 7, 2022, 9am-noon, Zoom class ($10 fee).

You may notice holes in leaves, black spots on the bottoms of tomatoes, spots on the leaves, your squash not developing or other things. Learn about common problems in the garden, how they happen, how to avoid them and what to do about them if they occur. Register at (Garden Problems).

* For more information on the "Gardening in Small Places", please contact Elaine Fagin (efagin@unr.edu) or 702-257-5573. If expecting an email,  please check your spam and junk mail folders. Our notices are sent via Listserv emails, which sometimes go to these folders. 

Kafantaris, J., Sgamma, R 2022, Desert Gardening in Southern Nevada (2022-03), Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, MG Newsletter, Edition 22-03
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