The Franklin County Conservation District and the Penn State Cooperative Extensions Master Gardeners are holding a rain barrel workshop for the public on Tuesday, October 28th at 9 AM to 11 AM. The workshop will be held at the Ag Heritage Center at 185 Franklin Farm Lane. There is a $25.00 registration fee to cover the cost of the materials and at the end of the workshop you will have a rain barrel to take home in your truck or SUV. This is a 55 gallon barrel so it won't fit in most cars. Please register by October 21st by stopping by our office at 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, PA; or by calling 717-263-9226. Our class size is limited to 25.

A rain barrel is a great way to collect rain water from your roof and store it to use in your yard and garden. In our area we get about 40 inches of rain. For each inch of rain that falls on a 20 x 50' roof you can collect 600 gallons of water for each inch of rain fall. You can see that you will have no problem filling just one 55 gallon barrel.

The workshop will give you background information on water sheds and the Chesapeake Bay and how to use a rain barrel. You will also get to put together your own rain barrel and learn how to set it up at home. Then you can add additional barrels in the future. This project is partially funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts.

Oct. 28 9:00 AM - Making a Rain Barrel Workshop, Franklin County Master Gardeners, Call to register. (NEW)


Nov. 1 9:30 AM - Tree & Shrub Fall Garden Tour, Franklin County Master Gardeners, Elmer Greey Garden, Call (717) 263-9226.

Dec. 6 9:30 AM - Fresh Holiday Centerpiece, Franklin County Master Gardeners, Ag Heritage Building, $20 per person, call (717) 263-9226 to register. (NEW)


Robert Kessler, Penn State Cooperative Extension
717-263-9226

Have you seen a Wooly bear caterpillar yet this fall? This is the time of year when you can see them as they move in our landscape as they search for a place to overwinter. These are the critters that kids and adults like to pick up and look at and some even use them to predict what the winter is going to be like.

Wooly bears are the caterpillar stage of a medium sized moth known as tiger moths. There are actually eight wolly bears in the U.S. and two you might find in this area. The most often found is the banded wolly bear, which is black at both ends and reddish brown in the middle.

The woolly bear has been the best known caterpillar because in 1948 Dr. C.H. Curren of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City proposed a scientific study to see if the woolly bear does indeed indicate what our winter will be. The publicity from this study made it famous. What is known is the black on the caterpillar is affected by the age of the caterpillar and by the moisture levels in the area where it developed. Yet today you will still find people who swear by the wooly bear as a predictor of our winter weather.

Some people are so serious about them that they hold a festival in Vermillion Ohio. This year s festival will be October 5. It is the largest one day festival in Ohio and includes a huge parade that takes over two hours. There is also entertainment, food booths, craft booths and merchants selling wooly bear t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats. If you are headed that way, look up Woolly bear Festival on your computer to get more information.

This fall when you see a wooly bear caterpillar moving through your landscape, stand back and give the caterpillar proper respect as one of the most famous caterpillars we have. And remember the more black on the ends of the caterpillars does not mean a bad winter. Yet interesting enough it is right more than half the time according to some people who watch the woolly bear.

If you would like to grow your own oak tree to plant in your yard, you need to collect acorns this fall. It is very important that if you are going to try to grow your own acorns that you do not let them dry out. If you have a tree in your yard, pick up the acorns you are going to plant as soon as they fall. You can test acorns by placing them in a pan or a bucket of water and the ones that sink should be ok to plant. The ones that float are not likely to germinate.

Once you have your good acorns, you can either plant them in a bed in your yard or you can plant them in a container. A third option is if you have the exact location you want for your tree, plant several acorns in that area and then next year thin out to one tree. In any of these sites you should plant your acorns about two inches deep and plant at least three to four acorns for each tree you want to have.

The type of tree you collect your acorn from will determine what happens next. If your acorns came from an oak tree in the white oak group, they will germinate this fall, start a root system, but the top growth will show up next year. If your oak is in the red oak group, nothing will happen until next spring. If you are using a container, you should use a good potting mix and you will need to protect the container from drying out this winter. If you can't do that, then place your acorns in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you can plant next March. Keep in mind that trying to start in containers is very tricky. You will be more successful by planting in a bed and then moving it to a new location in a year or two.

If you grow pine, spruce, fir or hemlock trees, you should be aware of spider mites. If you have seen yellow needles on your tree that are mottled in appearance, this is probably from spider mites. They like the cool weather of spring and fall, so they may be active now. The damage they do will not show up until next spring when you will notice yellowing needles.

To check for spider mites, take a plain sheet of white paper and place it under the branches of your trees and give the branch a sharp tap. Now look at the debris that fell on the paper. If you see dirt specks that start to move, then you likely have spider mites. Check your trees in several spots to be sure your trees are clean, especially if you saw yellow needles in the spring.

To control spider mites, you should use three or four percent horticultural oil. You can get horticultural oil at most garden centers. Spray your trees so you have plenty on the needles (to the dripping point) for good control. Do not use horticultural oil on blue or silver colored spruce and silver colored junipers as it will remove the blue or silver color from the needles. Be sure to check the label for more details.

Oct.2-Nov.6 7:00 - 9:00 PM - Landscape Design & Plant Selection Classes, Franklin County Master Gardeners, Ag Heritage Building.

Oct. 4 9:30 AM - Water Features for Your Garden, Franklin County Master Gardeners, Ag Heritage Building.

Nov. 1 9:30 AM - Tree & Shrub Fall Garden Tour, Franklin County Master Gardeners, Elmer Greey Garden, Call (717) 263-9226.(NEW)

The University of Maryland Cooperative Extension in cooperation with Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Penn State School of Forestry will conduct a program designed to educate green industry professionals about managing backyard forests. "Landscapes and Backyard Woodlots: Business Opportunities for the Green Industry" will take place Thursday, November 11 in Gettysburg, PA at the Adams County Cooperative Extension office.

"Backyard woodlots offer landscapers, arborists and others with significant opportunities to expand the traditional business model," says Jonathan Kays, natural resources specialist with the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. "And this program will provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to serve the expanding market in managing and creating backyard woodlots."

Topics will include:
* principles of forest & wildlife management
* establishment and maintenance of small tree plantations
* creating natural areas through natural succession
* invasive species control
* recreational trails,
* wildlife habitat improvement,
* forest health improvements
* merchandizing trees, and
* much more.

PDA and MDA pesticide credits, as well as ISA credits will be awarded to licensed applicators.

Cost of the program is $75 for those who register by November 4, and $95 thereafter. The registration fee covers lunch, program materials, The Woods in Your Backyard workbook and CD (NRAES -184), and break snacks. Pre-registration is required.

For additional information and registration forms, please contact Steve Bogash at 717-263-9226 or smb13@psu.edu. A brochure with registration information is also available for download at www.naturalresources.umd.edu . Click on the link to the calendar and find the event to access the brochure.

Submitted by Steve Bogash, Regional Horticulture Educator

Soon you will start to hear the thump of black walnuts hitting the ground as they drop from the trees. For some people, this is a great sound and they rush off to gather up all the black walnuts they can.

If you want to give it a try, you need to know that black walnuts are not easy to get out of the shell. You need to remove the green hull as soon as they are ripe. This is when they start to fall. Be sure to wear gloves while handling the nuts as you remove the hulls. Some people will drive their car over the nuts to dislodge the hulls. This is not recommended. Use a corn sheller or use a hammer and hit the ends of the nut. Another method I read about is to drill a hole in a board that is big enough to let the nut but not the hull go through. Then pound the nuts through the hole to remove the hulls.

Spread the nuts without the hulls on an area like wire mesh and wash them by spraying. You can also add them to a tub of water. This is also a good way to separate out the good nuts from the bad, because the bad nuts will float. Throw the bad nuts away.

Once washed, you spread them out in a cool dry spot like a shed or garage and let them dry a few weeks. You will know they are dry by opening a nut and trying the meat. If the meat is dry, it will snap and will be crunchy to chew, not soggy. If you don't get them dry enough, they will mold.

Once dry, you can store whole nuts in cloth bags and place in a well-ventilated area that stays around 60 degrees. Or you can open the hulls by hitting them on the point end of the shell with a hammer until the shell opens. Remove the nut meat and store it in plastic bags in the freezer. And if all of this seems way too much work, you can buy them in stores and on line, but I am sure they don't taste as good.

About 80 percent of plants are pollinated by beetles globally. In most cases, the pollinator is going after nectar for it's own nutritional needs. In the process of getting nectar, it brushes against the, sometimes small, particles of pollen. The insects sticky legs or furry body collects the pollen. Then it flies or craws to the next flower and it does the same thing there. It also leaves pollen behind which fertilizes the flower.

According to the Pollinator Partnership, "Pollinators are essential to the fibers we use, the medicines that keep us healthy, and more than half the world's diet of fats and oils."

Native plants are the most effective means of supporting local pollinator bugs. Native plants have markings that native insects are drawn to, such as odor or ultraviolet nectar guides on flower petals. These markers lead the insects to the nectar and pollen. Penstemon flowers, for example, have flat portions that serve as landing pads. Hybrid flowers have mostly been manipulated to appeal to flower enthusiasts and many times the markers have been breed out of the flower, leaving the pollinators unable to identify or be drawn to the plants. Essentially they are invisible to the insects that depend on them as a food source.

In addition to food, pollinators need water and good habitat. If you are a gardener or land owner (or renter), you can help to supply all three. Plant good pollinator flowers like clover and set up a small water feature that can be changed regularly to keep out mosquitoes. Providing habitat can be a little more difficult. Try to set aside an area to collect leaf litter, this will allow insects to burrow, hide, and find cool protection from the hot sun.

For more information about how to support our local pollinators, visit http://www.pollinator.org.

Whether you are a gardener or a farmer, fall is an excellent time to manage biennial and perennial weeds according to Bill Curran, Penn State Weed Specialist. If you have biennial plants like burdock, wild carrot and thistles, they are much easier to kill when they are in rosette stage of growth and they haven't gone through winter. Once they start to grow next spring, they grow rapidly with the goal of producing seed and they are difficult to control.

Fall is also a good time for perennial weeds because they will move systemic weed killers to their underground portion of the plant, which will give you better control. In general, you can apply your herbicide from early September through October. Since we just had some rains in our area, things are greening up, which means the weeds are more actively growing. I would go ahead soon and apply herbicides. If you have weeds like horse nettle, ground cherry or multifloral rose, you should get to these real soon. Plants like Canada thistle, dandelion and quack grass can be controlled into early November. As you go later in the season for these weeds, try to spray when you have days that the temperature is at least 50 degrees. Cool nights will reduce and slow the effectiveness of your sprays.

If you spray dandelions and other weeds in your lawn, wait several days after you mow to spray them and wait a few more days until you mow again. It is also important to recognize that these weeds sprayed late in the season will not look like they are dying as they do in warmer times of the year. Don't respray thinking it didn't work. Next spring those weeds will not reappear.

For most of the weeds you will be spraying, you want to use a product that contains 2, 4-D, MCPP and dicamba. When you look at the ingredients or the label of your weed killer, you won't see this in exactly this form. For instance, 2, 4-D is really 2, 4-Dichloro phenoxyacetic acid, so look for this on the label ingredients. MCPP is even a longer list of names that 2, 4-D. If you need to buy a material to control your broad leaf weeds, I would encourage you to purchase a ready to use product for spot treatments because it is easier to use and store. Look for products like Ortho Weed B Gone Lawn Weed killer, Dragon Lawn Weed Killer or Trimec. For larger areas, use a concentrated product and mix only enough for you to cover the area you need to spray.