Tips on summer care of azaleas

(Distributed 11/24/09) FOLSOM, La. – Growing citrus on a commercial level is not something you expect to see north of Covington, but one grower is proving it can be done – if the weather is favorable. Sherwood Loyd from Folsom said he saw an opportunity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that has proven to be a wise decision that’s beginning to pay off.

Monthly Louisiana Master Gardener Newsletters for St. Tammany Parish

The monthly Newsletter of the St. Tammany Master Gardeners Association. Topics include association events, gardening topics, and photos of member activities.

Provides dates and other information for the 2009 St. Tammany Parish Livestock Show, 2009 Southeast District Livestock Show, and 2009 State Livestock Show

The 2009 Master Gardeners are well prepared for the upcoming year as volunteer horticulture educators.

Most people’s favorite autumn colors include some reds, yellows, and oranges in line with the colors of tree landscapes. Obvious fall colors for LSU fans would be purple and gold or for Saints fans, black and gold.

The most common insect causing problems in our lawn is the chinch bug

Do you want to become more involved in community service projects, learn about working in groups and develop some leadership skills? Then the St. Tammany Parish 4-H Junior Leadership Club may be the program for you.

Important information on upcoming events for St. Tammany 4-H'ers, leaders, volunteers and parents. Topics covered include: Character Counts Week, enrollment, National 4-H Week, talent showcase, parish fair, livestock news, outdoor skills field day and the calendar of events.

A compilation of 4-H programs and ideas from past and present 4-H Leaders, 4-H Junior Leaders, and 4-H Agents in St. Tammany Parish.

All too often I get a simple question to a complex answer. I wish it were the other way but more often it doesn’t happen that way. Like the title, “What is the green stuff in my tree?”I usually have to ask several questions to decide what the real problem is.

Information regarding the 4-H Shooting Sports Program in St. Tammany Parish.

Information regarding the 4-H youth development programs in St. Tammany Parish, La.

Vines, by design, grow quickly! They are all manageable if plans are made to maintain them.

Fall-Winter 2009 Edition. Topics covered in include: details on when to plant vegetables in the garden; yellow leaves not always a problem; avoid landscape practices that encourage termites; dividing irises; reduce winter damage to ornamentals; repotting indoor plants; storing caladiums; cool season flowers; private pesticide applicator; St. Tammany Parish Fair.

Many trees and tall shrubs typically are affected by the strong winds following a hurricane. Planning before and attention after the storm can help your trees to recover.

Important information on upcoming events for St. Tammany 4-H'ers, leaders, volunteers and parents. Topics covered include: Character Counts Week, enrollment, National 4-H Week, talent showcase, parish fair, livestock news, outdoor skills field day, and calendar of events.

Normally I wouldn’t suggest planting much in our August heat. The ground is dry, water is scare with below 12” of annual rainfall, and temperatures are daily in the high 90’s, bumping the 100’s. Still we can dream of things we can do during more tolerant weather.

The Azalea Caterpillar (Datana Major) is very active in August and September. The adult moths (not butterflies) lay their eggs in late spring. As the eggs mature the young caterpillars skeletonize the azaleas, particularly the Southern Indica Hybrids.

The 2009 St. Tammany Parish 4-H Achievement Day was an essential and inspirational day for the youth of St. Tammany Parish. It was a day filled with competition and freindship as 4-H members displayed their courage, courtesy and cooperation as they identified, demonstrated and judged. 4-H Achievement Day was held at Magnolia Park in Folsom on April 29, 2009 hosted by 4-H Agents Amy Long-Pierre, Bobby King and Janie Kelly with the LSU Agricultural Center.

There is a lot of information to learn about when starting a new 4-H club. Where can I learn the facts about the program and how it is organized? This is a great resource for a new leader or a parent looking for answers about the program. It will answer many of your questions as they relate to the club, the project, what are life skills, character counts, the four H's, emblem, colors, motto, pledge and why volunteers are needed.

Ninety-One St. Tammany Parish 4-H members in grades 4 - 6, Ten Teen Counselors, and 4-H agents Amy Long-Pierre and Bobby King enjoyed an exciting week at Camp Grant Walker near Pollock, Louisiana during the week of June 23 - 27, 2008.

Nineteen 4-H'ers from St. Tammany Parish competed in 4-H University held on the LSU Campus in Baton Rouge from June 17 thru June 20, 2008.

Procedures on taking a soil sample.

The tune “Bad Boys, Bad Boys, watcha gonna do?” could easily be replaced with “Bad Bugs, Bad Bugs watcha gonna do?” in our area. We seem to have insects of Biblical proportion at certain times and especially late spring and summer.

After-school partnerships provide a statewide network for training and supporting educators, after-school personnel and parents in providing a safe and nurturing environment for youth. For more information on After School opportunities in St. Tammany Parish, contact Amy Long-Pierre.

Show your commitment to the largest youth development organization in Louisiana with a 4-H license plate.

This is a guide to help leaders plan their programs. It gives suggestions on things to consider in planning and organizing a program. The guide emphasizes the three parts -- planning, participating, and review and evaluation.

The purpose of these six letters is to give suggestions and ideas and answer questions about some of the best practices in developing a 4-H youth program. These letters and reference material serve as a useful handbook. Each program can be unique in its own way, so every idea or suggestion may not apply to each club situation. This series should be used as a guide to better understand what the program is about and ways to organize your club.

What is expected of me as a leader? To be successful in any job, people must know what is expected of them. Based upon those expectations, people then need the information and training to enable them to complete the job successfully. This resource guide will explain your role; give suggestions for accomplishing the job, conducting election of officers, working with officers, how to get parents involved and what they can do.

It can be a challenge for 4-H leaders to plan exciting, involving meetings. Active club programs help create interest and provide inspiration and stimulation for members to learn through new experiences. There are many ways to incorporate active, fun learning into the 4-H club experience. This publication provides a 4-H Club Planning Worksheet as a helpful resource for your club.

There newly formed 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) club in St. Tammany Parish is for Fourth- through Eighth-graders and focuses on exploring careers by scheduling hands-on workshops and activities with professionals in various occupations to give youth a chance to try out a career they might be interested in for the future.

The 2008 St. Tammany Parish 4-H Achievement Day was an essential and inspirational day for the youth of St. Tammany Parish. It was a day filled with competition and freindship as 4-H members displayed their courage, courtesy and cooperation as they identified, demonstrated and judged. 4-H Achievement Day was held at Magnolia Park in Folsom on April 30, 2008 hosted by 4-H Agents Amy Long-Pierre and Bobby King with the LSU Agricultural Center.

On Tuesday, April 15, 2008, four St. Tammany 4-H members were eligible to participate in the 2008 4-H District Commodity Cookery Contest.

Great tomatoes are a matter of opinion. Read about twenty-five favorites.

Some insects are questionable as to there “good purposes on Earth", but.....

4-H Challenge Camp employs the concept of adventure-based experiential learning which parallels the 4-H hands on, learn by doing philosophy. 4-H Members from the 7th Grade are selected randomly to attend 4-H Challenge Camp each year.

St. Tammany Parish 4-H Members enjoyed a beautiful day at Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville participating in the Annual 4-H Bike Hike on Tuesday, April 14, 2009.

4-H Chefs were encouraged to start testing their recipes to enter the 2008 St. Tammany 4-H Food Fest Contest held on Monday, November 24, 2008 hosted by 4-H Agents Amy Long-Pierre, Bobby King and Janie Kelly .

St. Tammany Parish 4-H Members were invited to attend the 4-H Babysitting Workshop on Monday, November 24, 2008 to learn skills to be an effective babysitter.

St. Tammany Parish 4-H Members were invited to attend the 4-H Babysitting Workshop on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 to learn skills to be an effective babysitter.

St. Tammany Parish 4-H members descended on the Covington Fairgrounds to display their pets in the annual 4-H Pet Show on Monday, April 13, 2009 hosted by LSU Ag Center 4-H Agents Amy Long-Pierre, Bobby King and Janie Kelly.

A list of Farmers Markets, Roadside Markets and Fruit Producers located in St. Tammany Parish.

Many people are quite capable of taking care of their garbage. Just put in the plastic bag, take it to the road and it’s gone.

On Monday, March 24, 2008 St. Tammany Parish 4-H members descended on the Covington Fairgrounds to display their pets in the annual 4-H Pet Show hosted by LSU Ag Center 4-H Agents Amy Long-Pierre and Bobby King.

On Monday, March 24, 2008 St. Tammany Parish 4-H members descended on the Covington Fairgrounds to display their pets in the annual 4-H Pet Show hosted by LSU Ag Center 4-H Agents Amy Long-Pierre and Bobby King.

This new year is quickly becoming a little surprising already. Many of the calls I’ve received are suspiciously starting with “S” subjects. The winter season has its usual calls about early spring fertilizing (don’t do it), spinach harvesting (yes, do it), and soil sampling (absolutely yes, do it). In addition, I’ve had some unusual winter calls about spiders, snakes, snails and slugs.

Interested in becoming a St. Tammany Master Gardener?

4-H Members celebrate the 100 Year Centennial at the St. Tammany Parish Livestock Show.

Weed control in flower beds

The best time to plant citrus is January or February

Use this invitation to invite other students to your 4-H Club Meeting.

Write Thank You notes to local 4-H supporters and volunteers who deserve a BIG Thank You for all they do!

Please use this form to apply for a counselor position at 4-H Camp Grant Walker. Applications are due to the 4-H Office no later than March 13, 2009. Please mail forms to 4-H Office (Camp Counselor Application); P.O. Box 5438, Covington, LA 70434.

Provides summer camp information and links to registration information, health form, parental consent for administering medicine form, code of conduct form, and camper email procedures required for attendance.

The 4-H Award of Excellence is open to Junior 4-H members who have shown excellence in 4-H. Application forms are due on January 9, 2009

The annual Northshore Sping Garden Show will be held from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. March 21-22, 2009, at the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington.

“More pudding, please!” Remember that line from Oliver Twist. Well, for December and the remaining winter season and beyond, your trees and shrubs may be asking “More mulch, please!”

A Community Nutrition Education Program that will imrprove your family's health.

A quarterly newsletter from the LSU AgCenter's Family and Consumer Sciences Division.

St. Tammany today enjoys the status as the most prosperous parish in Louisiana.

MyPyramid for Kids reminds you to be physically active every day, or most days, and to make healthy food choices. Use this fact sheet to help you figure out the symbols of the new food guide pyramid.

The new USDA recommendations for healthy eating and activity for kids.

This publication provides information on a healthier diet for young children including some suggestions for substitutions in meal planning and preparation.

information on 8 Steps for Health program, food facts and jump roping for exercising.

5 a day. That’s how many vegetables and fruits you need to eat each day. This illustrated children's nutrition book provides more information. (PDF Format Only)

Selecting your show pig will be one of the most interesting experiences you will have in your pig project. Many times, it will be very rewarding; other times, it may be frustrating. Use these guidelines to help you select your show pig.

Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and western equine encephalitis (WEE) virus infections occur in horses and other equids. Where does EEE come from? What's the best way to protect a horse? Find these answers and more.

To help educators and caregivers help youth cope with the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the LSU AgCenter 4-H Youth Development program is reviewing and recommending curriculum materials that emphasize hands-on activities.

A brief review of the common health problems that can afflict cattle, sheep and pigs. Symptoms and treatments are described, but this is not meant to be a treatment guide. (PDF Format Only)

This guide for 2009 contains suggestions for management of the most important or more prevalent diseases of Louisiana plants. It includes information on fungicides, bactericides and nematicides, as well as safety precautions for using them.

A quarterly newsletter from the Horticulture Division of the LSU AgCenter's School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences.