March 2019

1. The state president of IRSPA was introduced by President Paula Schaefer. The state

membership is 6,000. Benefits keep improving. She invited everyone to attend the district 5 meeting in May. The annual meeting will be in Dennison in October. Be sure to let someone know if you are not receiving the newsletter.

2. Bill Snyder introduced Jerry Holub, from Holub Greenhouse, who presented the March program. His father got started with just a small garden beside the house. His father’s favorite was the geranium; his mother’s the pansy. In 1979, they expanded to Ames; his brother runs that greenhouse. In 1981, they expanded to SE 14th for over 14 years; in 1994, he opened a greenhouse in Johnston, but the project fell through because of developers. He is on Channel 5 every Friday, from 10 am to 12 pm. Last year, they opened a greenhouse on Merle Hay Road, south of Gabe’s Ford. They use the best Canadian-based soil in 4 1/2 “ pots.

About 10 years ago, he traveled to Minneapolis to see miniature gardening or Fairy gardening, which started in San Francisco. The miniature garden can even have a water fall. Always put charcoal, but not the same kind that’s used in a grill. Make sure you have a good potting soil, with brown peat pearlite . The bag is usually lighter; otherwise, it has sand or liquid. Have at least five holes in your pot. Don’t use top soil because the roots need air; top soil is too heavy. If you find brown or black roots, don’t buy the plant. If you have a miniature garden, have a raised garden. One women has seven miniature gardens in her back yard.

Container gardens need top soil. If you grow vegetables in a pot, use bush varieties. A bungee cord is helpful to hold plants. Jack’s fertilizer is good, as well as Miracle Grow. Have at least a 12 inch pot.

Herb gardening is the most popular now. Always take the blooms off of herbs; keep 6-8 inches tall. Take the leaves, put them in your microwave. Make sure they don’t bloom; the flavor isn’t as good. Keep herbs dry; even a little wilting is good. Rosemary and Lavender have trouble with dampness. The bigger the pot; the bigger the yield. Peppermint and spearmint are the best to keep off varmints, but these plants spread. Be sure to wash herbs thoroughly. Use organic as much as you can. Hard to keep out beetles. Dump traps daily .

More people are getting sick from white residue on grapes. WASH any residue you see. Flower gardens - blue/purple is the number 1 color. If you want to attract hummingbirds, use red or purple miniature petunias. Edible flowers - nastertiums. Make sure where you get them so chemicals are not on them. People put them on salads. Violas are nice; once they have been outside, they can stand cold temperatures.

New varieties - Impatients- Downey mildew is rampant. Go with hybrid impatients. There is a chemical, but it’s expensive. Beacon is the name of one chemical to put in the ground. Wave petunias is a favorite and easy to grow. Be sure to feed them. Red and white are favorite colors. A new one is great for Cyclone fans - the same colors. Good plants for sunlight are Dragon Fly Begonias . Wave petunias are also good.

Insect control - number 1 problem - mosquitos. For rabbits and deer, use Liquid Fence. Hostas plants with holes have slugs; use SLUGO. Beer can also be used. Ash trees are still around. Ash boors came from China in wood used in pallets. He has a product that will last a year to protect the tree from any insects, $22, TREE AND SCRUB INSECT CONTROL. Carried in firewood in US. Use it right before Mother’s Day. Just put it in ground two feet away. Don’t use this on trees that bloom. Use copper fungicide on leaves that have problems - mold, grey colored, etc. NEVER double the amount. Black peat attracts gnats. Don’t use a systemic chemicals that will harm bees.

Tomatoes - super sweet tomatoes. Should have 12-hours of sun.

3. March and February birthdays were celebrated by the singing of Happy Birthday. 4. Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence. 5. Lunch 6. Business meeting - called to order by Paula Schaefer at 11:57 am.

A. Minutes: Sherry Wilkinson , secretary, read the January minutes, which were approved as read.

B. Treasurer’s Report: Sandra Petree - The January 24th balance was $8144.23 with $1228.00 expenses. Balance on hand 3/28/19 was $6916.23. The balance on hand for the Scholarship Fund was $1573.53 March 28 balance for two accounts is $8489.76. C. Legislative: Gary Thelen - absent D. Courtesy (and puzzle) announcements: Dee - Cards were sent to Mary Alice Baker, whose niece passed; thinking of you cards to members who haven’t been here since September. Four of those people came today. Scholarship - board met and they voted to fund four $1500 scholarships . Twelve completed applications thus far. Ten or eleven in progress. Dee also read the puzzle answers. E. Joke of the Day - Marilyn Reese F. Old Business:

1. Nominations for President elect and Vice President

A. No nominations from the floor. B. Paula explained what the jobs would entail. C. Question - if we rotated past-presidents, could this be done?. D. Marla Karr was nominated for Vice President. E. No nominations for President-elect. F. Motion to table nominations for president-elect for next month; seconded by Jan Johnson.

1. Motion passed. G. New Business:

1. Reminder that the program committee will be meeting on April 11, at 11:30am, at Noah’s Ark. 

2. Bill Snyder will be upgrading our web site. It will be a public group for advertising purposes to attract new members. It’s becoming more difficult to acquire new retiree names. We will now be able to do targeted adds. We won’t have the membership book viewable to the public. 7. Door prizes donated by Jerry Holub - won by Tina Olson and Paula Herman. 8. Sunday afternoon program at Central Presbyterian Church Choir. 8. The March 28, 2019, DMARSPA meeting was adjourned at 12:33 pm. The next meeting will be April 25.

Respectfully submitted,

Sherry Wilkinson Secretary