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PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 5. 2015
Social Studies Fair winners advance to regionals
Bridget Murphy (Tate Elementary), 1st place Will Dodson (Tate Elementary), 1st place (tie)
(tie)
Ty Payne (Jasper Elementary), 3rd place
Piper Duncan (Harmony Elementary), Best in
Show
By Gifted Coordinator Krista Collins
Pickens County elementary schools hosted the
annual Social Studies Fair on January 13.
The Best in Show and 1st, 2nd, 3rd place win
ners will advance to the regional competition at
North Cobb High School on Saturday, February 28.
Thanks to all who participated and congratulations.
Time to shake off those winter blues
with garden planning and yard projects
By Heather Kolich
UGA Extension
Bleak winter landscapes and
cold, uninviting temperatures can
try a gardener’s patience. It does
n’t have to be that way. Think of
this horticultural lull as an oppor
tunity to plan and prepare your
dream garden. Here are some
gardening activities - mental and
physical - to keep your green
thumb thriving throughout the
dormant season.
Beautiful Dreamer
There’s a stack of gardening
catalogs on my desk and in my e-
mail inbox. Each is filled with
beautiful photographs, inspiring
ideas and loads of knowledge
just waiting to be plucked. One
company specializes in garden
ing tools. Another showcases
greenhouses in all shapes and
sizes. There are also seed cata
logs for herbs, flowers, vegeta
bles and one that’s almost
entirely tomatoes.
Gleaning through gardening
catalogs or websites is an excel
lent and economical way to learn
about growth habits and environ
mental needs of many different
plants. Knowing how tall a plant
grows and whether it needs full
sun or partial shade can help you
decide if that particular specimen
is suitable for the bare spot in
your yard or if something else
would be a better, more success
ful choice.
This is also a good time to get
reacquainted with the University
of Georgia’s Extension publica
tions website
(extension.uga.edu/publications),
where you can find Georgia-spe
cific answers to almost all of
your gardening questions.
Prepared Pruner
Most woody plants need
pruning at some point and, for
many shrubs, that point is before
they start to sprout their new,
spring growth.
Pruning stimulates growth,
flowering and fruit production;
opens the plant to airflow and
sunlight, inhibiting fungal dis
eases and helps maintain the
plant’s shape and size. Winter -
while the leaves are on the
ground and the branches are vis
ible - is a great time to give your
plants a good inspection and
begin plotting your priming strat
egy.
Take some plastic tape or rib
bon with you so you can flag the
limbs you plan to prune.
First, you’ll want to mark bro
ken or damaged branches. Next,
look for branches that grow in
ward toward the center of the
plant and mark these for re
moval. Identify branches that
cross other branches, especially
if they are rubbing together. Se
lect one to keep and mark the
other for removal. Branches that
cross and rub against each other
damage protective bark, creating
openings for diseases and insect
pests to enter the plant.
Once you’ve flagged the
branches, step back and assess
the whole tree or shrub from all
sides. Then walk away. It’s not
time to prune, yet.
Over the next few weeks, re
turn to the plant several times to
reassess and firm up your plan of
attack. By late February or early
March, when it is time to prune
many types of trees and shrubs,
you should have a greater level
of confidence as you approach
your plant with pruning tools in
hand.
Learn more about pruning
tools, techniques and timing
from the UGA publication, Basic
Principles of Pruning Woody
Plants.
Building Up
Winter is a great season for
building - raised beds, pergolas,
retaining walls and even soil
health. Why not get out and
move some dirt to get excited
about playing in the dirt later?
Raised beds: Raised beds can
be constructed out of many ma
terials, but there are some basic
rules that can help make sure
they’re successful. Planter
height, materials and planter di
mensions can make a difference
in the success of your garden.
Search for “raised beds” at exten-
sion.uga.edu/publications for
guidelines and ideas.
Trellises and other garden
structures: Maybe it’s time to add
a little architectural interest to
your garden. Whether built into a
fence line or in the middle of
your garden, trellises and arbors
provide support for many flow
ering and edible vines. Many
trellis and arbor plans are avail
able for free online. Search for
“native plants” at
extension.uga.edu/publications
for information on vines that
grow well in Georgia.
Soil health: Now is the time to
get your soil test done so that you
can adjust factors like pH and
nutrient levels before you plant.
Find out more about soil testing
Brad Haire, UGA CAES / Photo
Now is a great time to check trees and shrubs to see which need
to be pruned and to plan a pruning strategy.
by calling your local UGA Ex
tension office at 1-800-ASK-
UGA1 or order a testing kit for
$ 15 from the UGA’s Agricultural
and Environmental Services Lab
at aesl.ces.uga. edu/scripts/store
Once you find out what your
soil needs, you can enrich your
soil with amendments of organic
matter, such as compost.
Heather Kolich is an Agricul
tural and Natural Resources Ex
tension agent with the Forsyth
County UGA Extension Office.
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