In this edition
- Upcoming Special Events
- Research Center and Demonstration Orchard
- The Good Weed Series: Common Dandelion
- Master Gardener Booth, March 4-6, 2022
- Horticulture Classes
About the Newsletter
The Master Gardener Volunteers of Southern Nevada provides horticultural information on gardens, landscapes, plants and other related topics. This newsletter is one of many resources of information available to the public to help accomplish this mission.
For home gardening help or to be added to our email list, contact the Extension Master Gardener Help Line at 702-257-5556 M-F 9am to 3pm, or email us anytime at:
lvmastergardeners@unr.edu
Upcoming Special Events*
- Class: Intro to Beekeeping, January 15, 2022, 1-4 p.m., Pahrump, NV ($15 fee) registration required.
- Class: Pruning, Gardening in Small Places Series, January 22, 2022, 8 a.m.-noon, in person class ($10 fee) registration required.
- Class: Vegetable Gardening, Gardening in Small Places Series, February 5, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, via Zoom ($10 fee) registration required.
- Class: Grape Growing in the Desert, February 12, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, in person at 4600 Horse Drive, NLV ($12 fee).
- Classes: LV Arborist Certification Exam Prep & Certified Arborist Review Course, February 15-17, 2022, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., in person class ($150-425 fee) registration required.
- Class: Grape Growing in the Desert, February 17, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, in person at 4600 Horse Drive, NLV ($12 fee).
- Class: Palm Tree Care & Pruning, February 26, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, in person at 4600 Horse Drive, NLV ($12 fee).
- Master Gardener (MG) booth and classes at Garden and Home Improvement Show, March 4-6, 2022 at World Market Center, Las Vegas, NV.
- Class: Compost, Gardening in Small Places Series, March 5, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, via Zoom ($10 fee) registration required.
* 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.
Research Center and Demonstration Orchard
4600 Horse Drive, North Las Vegas, NV 89131
Orchard Manager: Louise Ruskamp, 702-786-4361(LVResearchCenter@unr.edu)
Ask to be placed on our email list, where the most up-to-date information on produce or plants available, classes and events. Emails are most often sent out weekly.
Hours of Operation: Open to the public from 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays. Closed only on major holidays. Volunteers can come during these same hours to work. Major task right now is fruit tree pruning and we can use all the extra hands we can get!
FYI: We are NOT a “you pick it” facility.
Wood Chip Mulch: We have mulch! Donations are appreciated when homeowners load their own containers. “Tractor loaded” has a $5 fee and is limited to 5 scoops per day. For those of you who compost, we do have horse manure. Fill dirt is also available.
Produce Available in January: Curbside or walk in available for plants, seeds, produce, hops, and fresh herbs. Produce includes dates, jujubes, pomegranates, quince, some fresh herbs and greens. Dried hops available: Amalia, Cascade, Columbus, Galena, Kirin II, Magnum, Neo1, Petrosky, Willow Creek, or Zeus. Fresh herbs: oregano, rosemary, curry, rue, green onion tops of I'itoi bunching onions, Asian or Caribbean lemongrass. Please note that we cannot guarantee to have these products available when you visit the Orchard due to supply and demand.
Bare Root Tree Sale: The bare root tree sale is SOLD OUT. For those of you that placed an order, the trees are delivered to the Orchard during the first week in February.
Plants: Lots of native, desert adapted plants, trees and agave are available in all sizes! It is the perfect time to plant these! Ask for the updated list.
The Good Weed Series: Common Dandelion, the Dandiest Weed of Them All, Taraxacum officinale
By Dr. Don Deever, Assistant Professor, Extension Educator, Lincoln County, UNR, aka ‘The Weed Whisperer’
Figure 1: The three stages of the dandelion flower.
“Dandy” used to be a common term to describe a man who placed particular importance on his appearance, style of clothes, impeccable sense of fashion, highly educated manner of speech, and trendy choice of avocations, all of which served to show off his refinement and good taste. Dandelions, on the other hand, place their greatest emphasis solely on good taste, although a lawn full of their showy spring blooms also represents the highest sense in fashion.
One can’t deny that dandelion is a beautiful weed, but most people don’t realize that it is also a harbinger of healthy lawns, and that dandelion supplies a plethora of tasty, nutritious and highly medicinal products. The name of dandelion comes from the French term, “dent de lion,” which means “lion’s tooth,” referring to the toothy shape of the leaves. The genus and species name of dandelion is Taraxacum officinale and is believed to come from an ancient Persian term talkh chakok, which translates to “bitter herb,” while the officinale portion of the name refers to it being a medicinal herb that was once listed in official European pharmacopeias.
According to WebMD, dandelion root tea contains polysaccharides known to relieve stress on one’s liver by helping it produce greater quantities of bile to filter out harmful chemicals in the foods we eat. Dandelion greens are rich in Vitamin A, B6, C, D calcium, copper, and potassium. The roots are rich in inulin, which helps to promote healthy probiotics in the gut. Dandelion leaf or root tea is powerfully diuretic, so restraint is in order by those on blood pressure medicines or other blood thinners. This tea is not highly recommended to use just before going to bed. The French refer to it as pissenlit, which basically means “bed wetter.” While dandelion is the favored “go to” wild herb by many wild food foragers, it is also equally the “I need to go” herb as well.
Having never eaten dandelion greens, on April 2nd, I collected three cups of dandelion leaves, which I boiled and served with butter, balsamic and a sprinkling of salt. It was one of my favorite greens ever. This might even beat lambsquarters for its flavor and delicate texture and taste. At the time, I did taste some fresh young dandelion leaves raw, and was quite surprised at the initial sweetness of the greens; and the bitterness that I expected was drastically less than I expected.
For the complete article go to (Pubtitle=4503).
Master Gardener Booth, March 4-6, 2022
Figure 2: MG Booth at Garden & Home Improvement Show.
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 and native wildflower seeds. We will also have presentations and round table discussions on gardening topics. Presentations will last about 45 minutes with a brief question and-answer period to follow. Round table discussions are informal with question- and answer sessions lasting from one to two hours. People will be coming and going. 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.
The Home Show will have a variety of vendors displaying and selling home, gardening, health, and beauty items and services. A schedule listing the dates, times and topics of presentations and round-table discussions will be provided at a later date as they become finalized. Information on our booth and schedule of presentations can also be obtained by calling our Help Desk at 702-557-5556, Mondays through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except holidays.
Horticulture Classes
Intro to Beekeeping, Pahrump, NV, January 8, 2022, 1-4 p.m. ($15 fee)
The class will cover:
- 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.
- We will discuss practical information on how to set up your first bee hive.
Register at (Beekeeping).
Pruning*, Gardening in Small Places Series, January 22, 2022, 8 a.m.-noon, in person class at Extension classroom, 8050 Paradise Road, LV ($10 fee)
In this class you will learn the what, when, where, why and how of pruning your landscape plants to keep your plants healthy and looking their best. Dr. Angela O’Callaghan leads this hands-on class and gives you the opportunity to get a feel for pruning by letting you try your skills on our landscape before doing your own. If you want to get some hands-on experience, please bring your pruners, gloves and eye protection. Please do not purchase pruners for this class. One of the topics is tools and we want you to know what to purchase before you do. We have tools here you can try out, but please bring your own gloves. Register at (Pruning).
Vegetable Gardening*, Gardening in Small Places Series, February 5, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, via Zoom ($10 fee)
This workshop is geared to help gardeners of all skill levels learn how to be successful growing their own food in the Mojave Desert. Hint, it is not as hard as you might think! Come and join us and let Dr. Angela O’Callaghan teach you what you need to know to get started and have a successful garden this year. Let us help you to make 2022 your most successful vegetable garden yet! Register at (Vegetables).
Grape Growing in the Desert, February 12, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, in person at 4600 Horse Drive, NLV ($12 fee)
Master Gardener Don White will teach the fundamentals of how to plant, care for and maintain healthy vines. Part of the class will be in a classroom setting and the latter part will be a hands-on demonstration of how to prune the canes. Register at (Grape Growing 2-12).
LV Arborist Certification Exam Prep & Certified Arborist Review Course, February 15-17, 2022, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., ($150-400 fee)
Course will focus on the ten areas of knowledge in the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) ISA Certification Arborist Application Guide. Materials to be used include the current ISA Arborists’ Certification Study Guide ANSI, Standards and ISA Best Management Practices. Register at (www.nevadashadetrees.org). Registration opens January 4, 2022 and prices go up after January 25th. ISA certification exam will be held on February 18, 2022 at 8 a.m., location to be determined. Exam fee is extra. Courses sponsored by Nevada Shade Tree Council, UNR Extension and Southern Nevada Arborist Group.
Grape Growing in the Desert, February 17, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, in person at 4600 Horse Drive, NLV ($12 fee)
Master Gardener Yutaka Nomura will teach the fundamentals of how to plant, care for and maintain healthy vines. Part of the class will be in a classroom setting and the latter part will be a hands-on demonstration of how to prune the canes. Register at (Grape Growing 2-17).
Palm Tree Care & Pruning, February 26, 2022, 9 a.m.-noon, in person at 4600 Horse Drive, NLV ($12 fee)
Professor ML Robinson will cover how to care for and maintain a healthy palm tree. He will also cover when and how to prune palms. Register at (Palm Trees).
Compost*, Gardening in Small Places Series, 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).
* For more information, please contact Elaine Fagin. 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. We are pleased to make reasonable accommodations for members of the public who are disabled and wish to participate in our programs. If special arrangements are necessary, please notify Elaine Fagin at (efagin@unr.edu) or 702-257-5573 at least 3 days prior to the event.
