About The Lee County ledger. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1978-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 2019)
Page 4C, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, December 11,2019 Giving a gift that grows: Tips for picking the right plant to gift Special to the Ledger By Sadie Lackey for CAES News Searching for the right gift for the holidays can be difficult, and if you’re stuck on what to buy for that person who has everything, consider gifting a plant. There are plenty of op tions for the perfect gift when giving a plant and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension has plenty of tips to make sure your gift is the right one. Whether it be a college student or a hard-to-buy-for friend, a house plant may be the perfect answer to any gift-buying predicament. No room is complete without a house plant. Take a look into any home decor magazine and you’ll find house plants adorning most every room, providing a homey, natural look. House plants purify indoor air and pro vide mood-enhancing qualities to offset harsh winter weather. UGA Extension has a plethora of information to make sure you give the perfect plant and to ensure that it is well taken care of. “Most people love their houseplants to death by overwatering them. Homeowners should let their plants dry down until they feel light, then water them well,” said John Ruter, director of the UGA Trial Gardens in Athens, Georgia. “Make sure they drain properly be fore putting them back in their decorative con tainer. If older plants get dusty, cover the pot and substrate with a plastic bag and rinse the foliage off with warm water in the shower.” Below are some other helpful tips to consider while shopping for the perfect plant to give a loved one: Get the right light. LEE COUNTY SCHOOLS BREAKFAST MENU Monday, December 16 Pastry Crescent, Cheese Stick or Cereal, Toast, Fruit, Milk Tdesday, December 17 Smoked Sausage Biscuit or Cereal, Toast, Fruit, Milk Wednesday, December 18 Chicken & Waffles or Cereal, Toast, Fruit, Milk Thursday, December 19 French Toast Sticks, Bacon or Cereal, Toast, Fruit, Milk Friday, December 20 Pancakes, Sausage Links or Cereal, Toast, Fruit, Milk PRE-K LUNCH MENU Monday, December 16 Fish Sticks, French Fries Baked Beans, Fruit, Milk TUesday, December 17 Vegetable Beef Soup. PB&J Sandwich Carrot Sticks with Dip, Fruit, Milk Wednesday, December 18 Mini Com Dogs, Baked Chips Green Beans, Fruit, Milk Thursday, December 19 Wild Mike’s Cheese Bites with Marinara Sauce, Seasoned Com Fruit, Milk Friday, December 20 Early Release Day Sack Lunch KINCHAFOONEE PRIMARY & LEE COUNTY PRIMARY SCHOOL LUNCH MENU Monday, December 16 Fish Sticks, French Fries Baked Beans, Fruit, Milk TUesday, December 17 Vegetable Beef Soup. PB&J Sandwich Fresh Garden Salad, Cookie, Fruit, Milk Wednesday, December 18 Pepperoni Fun Lunch or Corn Dog, Baked Chips Carrots with Dip, Fruit, Milk Thursday, December 19 Wild Mike’s Cheese Bites with Marinara Sauce, Seasoned Com Broccoli with Cheese Fruit, Milk Friday, December 20 Early Release Day Sack Lunch TWIN OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL & LEE COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LUNCH MENU Monday, December 16 Chicken Soft Taco with Cheese Sauce & Salsa or Wild Mike’s Cheese Bites with Marinara Sauce, Seasoned Com Refried Beans, Fruit, Milk TUesday, December 17 Vegetable Beef Soup. PB&J Sandwich or Cheese Pizza, Fresh Garden Salad Cookie, Fruit, Milk Wednesday, December 18 Pepperoni Fun Lunch or Chicken Sandwich Baked Chips, Carrots with Dip Green Beans, Fruit, Milk Thursday, December 19 Chicken Tenders, Dinner Roll or Meatball Sub with Cheese, Scalloped Potatoes Broccoli with Cheese, Fruit, Milk Friday, December 20 Early Release Day - Sack Lunch Submitted Photo Air Plant (Tillandsia) is quite unique as it has no roots and absorbs its nutrients and water through its leaves. It doesn’t need soil, but this plant requires a bit more maintenance than others. These plants need to be misted outside of their container or soaked for 30 minutes a week. Keep air plants in bright, indirect light. A window in a bathroom is a perfect location due to the humidity. Generally, houseplants should be kept out of direct, bright sunlight, which can burn the leaves. To ensure your gift stays healthy and lasts well past the hol iday season, you need to know the lighting situation it will live in. Know the lifestyle. Will the recipient remember to water the plant? Or will giving a houseplant that can survive weeks without attention be a better choice for them? An swering this question is vital to the survival of your gift. Give it some space. What kind of space does the receiver have? There are plenty of choices, but you have to know if you are buying a plant that will be perched on a small desk or which will hang from the ceiling. Package it well. The right container is vital to keeping a plant healthy. It’s very important that the plant’s pot has a drainage hole. Many decorative containers don’t have drainage holes, so be sure to check. Not allowing water to drain from the pot creates a perfect environment for root rot and diseases. Give the gift of infor mation. A great way to give your gift even more life, so to speak, is to include a care card that includes the plant’s name and all of the instructions on its water and light requirements. Once you have your parameters set, select a plant from these UGA Extension recommenda tions. Snake Plant, Sansevie- ria tr if as data This plant is incredi bly low maintenance. It can be found in many airports and only needs to be watered once or twice a month. The long, straight leaves pro vide a sharp architectur al look. The plant likes lower light conditions and will burn in the sun. Pothos, Epipremnum aureum For those who have some room, pothos is perfect in a hanging basket or draping down a bookcase or tabletop. This plant prefers to stay on the drier side, so be sure to check the soil before you water. It also prefers indirect light. Jade plant, Crassula ovata Some believe that succulents are easy plants to take care of because they do not need much watering, but they can be picky about water and light. Even so, jade is a relatively low-maintenance plant. It tends to like to be watered a little bit more than other succulents but can tolerate being dry. If the leaves are soft, that means it’s time for water. This is also a good plant for a sunny windowsill. Dracaena, Dracaena fragrans This plant has a palm- tree look and comes in a variety of shapes. It can grow to several feet tall and likes indirect light and thorough watering when the soil becomes dry. Spider Plant, Chloro- phytum comosum Also called an airplane plant, spider plants are great for hanging baskets or decorative pots. They produce pups that hang down from the plant and can be prop agated by placing the plantlet roots-down into a new pot. This plant likes indirect light and should be watered when the soil is completely dry. Air Plant, Tillandsia Air plants are quite unique as they have no roots and absorb their nutrients and water through their leaves. They don’t need soil, but this plant requires a bit more maintenance than others. These plants need to be misted out side of their container or soaked for 30 minutes a week. Keep air plants in bright, indirect light. If there’s a window in the bathroom, they’d love this location due to the humidity. ZZ Plant, Zamioculcas zamiifoli Sometimes known as Zanaibar gem or emer ald palm, this plant has very attractive glossy foliage that grows well in low light conditions. For more informa tion on how to grow houseplants, see UGA Extension Bulletin 1318 at extension.uga.edu/ publications/detail.htm- l?number=B1318 Sadie Fackey is a student writer for the CAES Office of Com munications and Cre ative Services. Georgia Ag F orecast set for five locations in 2020 Special to the Ledger By Clint Thompson for CAES News Jeffrey Dorfman, the state fiscal economist for Georgia and a profes sor at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and En vironmental Sciences (CAES), will serve as the keynote speaker for four of the five locations during the 2020 Georgia Ag Forecast seminar series set for Jan. 21 through Jan. 31. Dorfman will speak in Macon, Fyons, Bain- bridge and Tifton, Geor gia. Todd Southerland, a senior vice president and food and agribusi ness industry manager at SunTrust Bank, will be the keynote speaker and provide a more in- depth poultry outlook in Gainesville, Georgia. The meetings allow UGA agricultural econ omists to speak with Georgia farmers, lenders and agribusiness leaders and provide an assess ment of the economic outlook for Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agricul ture. “Right now, econom ic data is mixed with good and bad news for the future of Georgia’s economy. There is a lot of uncertainty surround ing regulations and how they will impact farmers, agribusinesses, rural communities and Georgia’s overall econo my,” Dorfman said. “It’s important to cut through the noise and focus on the fundamentals.” Dorfman is a national ly known economist and author, having written three books, most re cently, “Economics and Management of the Food Industry.” He’s authored more than 90 academic journal articles and a variety of other articles that have been published in trade publications and popular press. He was elected as a fellow by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association in 2013. Southerland provides commercial banking solutions to organiza tions in the food and agribusiness sector. Economists from the CAES Department of Agricultural and Ap plied Economics will forecast the 2020 grow ing season for Geor gia producers with an emphasis on Georgia’s major commodities, such as cotton, peanuts and corn. “Ag Forecast is an important opportunity that the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences uses to provide the ag industry with an idea of what it can expect for the upcoming growing season,” CAES Dean Sam Pardue said. “The decisions producers make now will bene fit them next year and that’s why these meet ings are important every year.” Adam Rabinowitz, an agricultural economist in the CAES Depart ment of Agricultural and Applied Economics, will also be a guest speak er. While predicting markets and providing an accurate account of the future is not an exact science, Rabinowitz said he and other economists will provide information that will position stake holders statewide to make the best possible decisions. “We are in a period of great uncertainty in agriculture, with lasting depressed commodity prices, ongoing trade disputes and a continued recovery from natural disasters,” Rabinowitz said. “As a result of these challenges, it is of great importance that agricultural producers and agribusinesses plan for the upcoming grow ing season.” The 2020 Georgia Ag Forecast registration fee is $25 per person and includes a meal. The series will be held on the following dates at the locations below: Tuesday, Jan. 21: Macon — Georgia Farm Bureau Building Thursday, Jan. 23: Gainesville — Jaemor Farms Tuesday, Jan. 28: Fy ons — Toombs County Agri-Center Thursday, Jan. 30: Bainbridge — Decatur County Agricultural Center Friday, Jan. 31: Tifton — UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center The Georgia Ag Fore cast seminar series is presented annually by UGA CAES. For more information on the 2020 Georgia Ag Forecast se ries and to register, visit georgiaagforecast.com. Clint Thompson is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sci ences based in Tifton.
