April 30, 2013 - Kim’s Weekly
Garden Newsletter
These weekly garden notes are
written by Kim Willis, unless another author is noted, and the opinions
expressed in these notes are her opinions and do not represent any other
individual, group or organizations opinions.
Hi Gardeners
This newsletter is coming to you a bit later in the day than
usual because my baby chicks arrived a day early and I had to get them settled
this am. What says spring more than baby
chicks? They are mesmerizing to watch
too, you can waste a lot of time watching chickens. Another sign of spring is all the baby calves
on the farms around me. They are so cute
when they are tiny babies.
When I went out to feed early this morning I snuck in a
quick trip to my pond. The forsythia was
starting to bloom out there and when I went into town to pick up the chicks I saw
magnolias beginning to bloom. My
apricot will probably bloom tomorrow and the plums are not far behind. Tiny
green leaves are starting to show up on some trees and shrubs, the coming warm
weather should have them popping out like crazy.
I spent some time putting up new bluebird houses this
weekend and was pleased to see a pair of tree swallows checking them out this
morning. They like the bluebird houses. I
get them more than bluebirds but that’s ok they are so graceful and they eat a
lot of bugs. I have still not seen any
orioles or hummingbirds but my feeders for them are out.
Work is progressing on my new vegetable garden. We have three of the five beds filled with
soil and I planted potatoes in one. I
also planted romaine lettuce, spinach and beets in a mixture for greens. I have been digging up huge clumps of comfrey
that had been growing at the fringe of the spruce that we cut down to make room
for the new garden. I want to get them
dug out instead of just trying to smother them with wood chips or soil. The roots of some of those clumps were 3
inches in diameter. Talk about an
invasive plant!
Plant Shopping tips
I talked to my sister a few days ago and she was telling me
she dug out all her iris, daylilies, coreopsis and other perennials in front of
her house because she wanted just one simple thing in the whole bed. I asked her what she replaced them with and
she proudly told me bee balm, a garden shop employee had recommended it. I asked a few discrete questions to make sure
she really got beebalm and it seems she has.
She bought 4 small plants, which the same helpful employee told her
would spread out and fill out the whole bed in no time. You can guess that this sister is not much of
a gardener by now. I tried to gently
suggest that she add some other plants and explained to her that while the bee
balm would eventually spread, it wasn’t always the most attractive plant for a
whole bed in front of the house. I also
told her about powdery mildew, which can make bee balm look pretty bad. But she remained firm, the garden shop
employee had given her his recommendations and that was it.
The point of the story is that there are a lot of sales
people in the garden shops and many of them are not too knowledgeable,
especially those in big box stores. As
you are out and about in the greenhouses this spring selecting plants, remember
to do your own research on plants you are not familiar with. If you
have a smart phone I see that many plant tags now have a code to scan that will
give you more information about the plant. Try to pick up plants that have a
tag, there is usually some general information on them and when you get the
plant home you will have that information as well as a plant name.
Also check the hardiness zone rating of plants that you
buy. I have noticed plants that aren’t
reliably hardy in zone 5-6 being sold.
The zone rating is on the tag so they aren’t really cheating you, but
many people just choose plants that have pretty flowers or pleasing foliage without
considering whether the plant will over winter here. And there are varieties of some common garden
plants that are hardy in our zones while other varieties of the same plant are
not. Buddleias, roses, azaleas, lavender,
perennial salvias are just a few plants that have hardy and not so hardy
varieties.
April is considered a good month for planting trees. Arbor Day is in April. So for the last newsletter of April I am going
to present some tree information.
The breath of trees
When you
walk into a forest you immediately notice the smell, a woodsy aroma that’s soothing
and invigorating at the same time. That
aroma comes from gases that trees give off and it’s most noticeable when trees
are concentrated in groups, but all trees emit gases. The gases contain biogenic aerosols --
particulate matter that originates from plants.(Tree poop) When exposed to oxygen in the atmosphere
these particulates cling to other particulates in the air, gradually growing
larger, forming clouds that reflect the suns heat, cooling the earth and
forming raindrops. This function of
trees emitting gases is helpful, and works to offset global warming, because as
the world warms, trees produce even more gases.
In forested
areas of the world gas emission by trees can reduce the effect of global
warming by about 30%. Rain falls more frequently and regularly where
there are forests because of favorable cloud formation. And even in urban areas where they are not as
concentrated, trees provide a cooling effect as well as making your property
more valuable and desirable.
But there is
a bad side to the gases that trees emit also. Trees emit isoprene, a chemical manufactured to protect leaves from
oxygen damage and temperature fluctuations.
Isoprene is abundant in the atmosphere but it’s not helpful to humans. A
study recently completed by researchers at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that isoprene unites with
air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides emitted by cars and coal burning plants to
form harmful particulates at least partially responsible for lung cancer,
asthma, and other lung disorders. These
isoprene-nitrogen oxide combinations also produce smog and are damaging to the
environment in other ways. It’s important to remember that without humans
producing those nitrogen oxide emissions though, isoprene would be harmless.
And here’s
some more news about the breath of trees. When trees are attacked by insects,
particularly bark beetles, the trees produce chemicals to protect themselves
and these chemicals are released into the atmosphere. The chemicals are
predominately a monoterpene called ß-phellandrene. This chemical is also part of unhealthy smog
and haze and harmful to those breathing it.
It gets
worse. Researchers at Queensland University of Technology in
Australia found that trees produce electrically charged ions in their
vicinity. Charged ions are more likely
to attract other molecules to stick to them and they are also more likely to “stick”
to your lungs when breathed in. One of
the molecules that charged ions like to collect is radon.
Radon is
produced when rocks containing radioactive material gradually breakdown in the
soil. It is water soluble and radon is
often found in ground water. Radon
emissions from the soil as a gas and from the ground water vary in concentration
from one area to the next depending on the rocks underlying the area. Michigan has some high radon areas, where
radon seeps into basements. Radon is
known to cause cancer.
Here’s the
connection between radon and trees. Trees
with deep root systems act as pumps for radon, bringing the radon in ground
water and from the soil to the surface, discharging it attached to charged ions
in their gas admissions when they transpire (or breathe). Recent research suggests in areas with deep
rooted trees, tree transpiration accounts for more than a third of the radon in
the air.
How to plant a tree
I have been
playing the devil’s advocate here, telling you about all the bad things trees
do. In fact there is more reason than
ever to plant trees. Trees help regulate
the climate and they become even more important as our climate changes. The small health risks associated with trees
breathing are generally caused by our own pollution of the planet. While trees may emit radon when they emit
water vapor during transpiration they are also unlocking water stored in the
soil and returning it to the atmosphere.
Without rain we couldn’t grow crops very well and our world would be a
dry and barren place.
A real
estate agent will tell you that large, mature, well cared for trees add value
to your property and make it easier to sell.
And who can deny the beauty of trees as well as all the useful products
they supply us with, including food? It
is said that you plant trees for your grandchildren. All I know is that I continue to plant trees
because I like them. I have planted
several this year, in part because I have had to remove a few. One should always replace a tree that you
have had to remove, maybe with a more suitable tree for the area, but always
keeping the balance Nature is working to achieve.
Several
studies of urban trees have found that more than 2/3 of the trees in cities
were from natural regeneration, they grew from seeds floating in the air or
carried in by animals and were not deliberately planted. However the remaining third of trees in a
city, those planted by us, had a somewhat higher survival rate and were
healthier overall. This is probably
because they were more valuable specimens, and because if you plant something
you tend to care for it.
So what is
the best way to plant a tree? First
choose a tree suitable for the area you want to plant it. You can find a tree that will grow in almost
any situation. Make sure you take the
adult size of the tree into account as you choose and plant it, making sure
there will be room for it when it’s grown.
How many of you have seen (or planted yourself) those beautiful young
blue spruce trees planted up close to a house, in front of windows or too close
to driveways? After ten or 15 years of
growth they have to be cut down or moved in a very expensive maneuver. And look up and see if there are any overhead
utility wires that will result in the power company wacking the top off the
tree just as it gets beautiful.
Give your
tree room to grow. Leave enough space
between trees so they aren’t distorted and crowded as they grow. Those tiny twigs you plant look so small it’s
tempting to put them too close together but consult a reference and give each
tree the space it needs when it is an adult.
Next dig
your hole twice as wide as it is deep.
It should be as deep as the root system of the tree you are
planting. However one of the biggest
mistakes people make in planting trees is to plant them too deep. Look for the top horizontal root, the root
that goes sideways. This root should
only be about 2 inches below the soil surface.
This will allow the tree to form a “flare”, a wider base just above the
roots that makes for a healthier and stronger tree.
Remove pots,
even peat pots from the roots. Remove at
least the top half of the burlap in a balled and burlapped root ball. If you do not see that top horizontal root
gently scrape away soil until you do, so you can properly place it in a
hole. Often as trees are “balled” or
re-potted at a nursery that primary horizontal root gets buried too
deeply. Removing peat pots and burlap
also avoids the wicking away of moisture from the roots and lets the roots
expand rapidly into the surrounding soil.
Refill your
hole with the soil you took out, even if you think it isn’t very good
soil. Research has proven that this is
the best way to get your tree growing well.
You can mix in some tree fertilizer with the soil but avoid throwing it
in a heap at the bottom of the hole. Don’t
add peat, topsoil or other things to the soil.
This hinders rather than encourages root growth.
Water your
tree after planting and keep it watered during its first year if conditions are
dry. Don’t put more than 3 inches of
mulch around the tree and keep mulch from touching the trunk of the tree. Protect the trunk of young trees from animals
including humans with mowers and weed whips.
A mulch circle helps but you may need a circle of wire or a tree
tube. Tree tubes are great for small
deciduous trees, especially valuable ones or those that are hard to start. These are translucent fiberglass tubes with
open tops that act as a semi-greenhouse, they protect trees from wind, cold and
animals. They need a stake to hold them
in place but you won’t need to stake the tree.
They also encourage a straight, un-branched trunk until the tree is over
the tube height. Remove the tubes when
the tree grows well above them, usually in a couple years. I cut tree tubes in half to protect things
like shrubs and vines.
One other tree
planting tip. Remove all tags, wires and
strings from the tree after planting.
These will cut off circulation as the tree grows and kill a branch or
worse the whole tree if the string is around the trunk. If you want to keep the tag with the tree so
you remember what you planted, put it on a stake near the tree.
Trees for small gardens
Love trees
but have little room in the garden to plant them? There are many small trees that won’t hit the
power lines and are easy to fit into small spaces. Trees add vertical lines to the garden and
pleasing structure. Here are some to
consider. Maples, some Japanese maple varieties
and other maples ( Snake bark, (A. grosseri), Moose bark, A. griseum are good
for small areas. Redbuds, ninebark,
magnolia, strawberry tree, birches, dogwoods, hawthorns, sand cherries ( purple
leaf cherries),weeping cherries, weeping peach, wisteria trained to tree form, crabapples(
height varies, look for smaller types), Golden Chain Tree, cotoneaster, bristly
locust, “Lace Lady” or “Twisty Baby” locust, purple smoke tree, witchhazel, Japanese
stewartia.
There are
also many dwarf or slow growing evergreens that can be added to the
garden. Narrow, columnar evergreens are
also useful in the landscape. Don’t
forget that tub trees, (marginally hardy or tropical trees) can be added to the
garden in the summer and stored in a suitable place over the winter. These would include figs, pomegranates,
citrus trees, bay laurel and olive trees.
Now everyone
outside to plant a tree!
Kim Willis
Garden as though you will live forever. William Kent
More Information
How to help the flooded garden
An article
by Kim Willis at Examiner.com
This spring has been
wet in many parts of the United States and many homeowners are having trouble
with flooding or water standing on the lawn and garden areas. While dry
conditions can be harmful to plants conditions that are too wet can be equally
bad if not worse for the landscape. Here are some tips to help you deal with
landscape plants that have received a little more water than they like. Read more by clicking on the link below.
Ready to Plant: ‘Iron Lady’ Tomato
Punches Out Blights
April 17, 2013 From
Cornell University
ITHACA, N.Y. - If the name fits, grow it: "Iron
Lady" is the first tomato to resist three major fungal diseases - early
blight, late blight and Septoria leaf spot - plaguing New York's growers for
years. For farmers, this new tomato dramatically reduces the need for expensive
fungicide.
Iron Lady is available to both producers and home gardeners
for the upcoming growing season.
Favoring the Northeast's moist, cool conditions, one or more
of these diseases occurs yearly, prompting Martha Mutschler-Chu, Cornell
professor of plant breeding and genetics, to create tomatoes that resist late
blight and early blight.
However, since those plants could still be defoliated by
Septoria leaf spot, Mutscher-Chu worked with research associate Stella Zitter
and plant pathologist Tom Zitter to create Septoria resistance.
Experimental hybrids using these "triple blight
resistant" tomatoes were successfully grown in trials in North Carolina,
West Virginia, Virginia and New York, in a project supported by the Northeast
Regional Integrated Pest Management Center.
"We have demonstrated that we have tomato hybrids with
good medium fruit that will stand up to these diseases," Mutschler-Chu
said. "In order to reduce the need for fungicides, you need to genetically
control all three diseases."
Iron Lady, the cross of a "triple resistant" Cornell
line and a late blight/early blight line from North Carolina State University,
is the first of these hybrids to become commercially available, via High Mowing
Organic Seeds. In addition to the strongest possible resistance to late blight
-- provided by the combination of two genes, Ph2 and Ph3 -- tolerance to early
blight and resistance to Septoria leaf spot, the plant also has resistances to
verticillium and fusarium wilts, common to most modern tomato varieties.
Early blight tolerance is not as strong as resistance, so
the need for fungicides may not be completely eliminated. But Mutschler-Chu
teamed up with professor Tom Zitter to identify a complementary fungicide
strategy with the lowest possible environmental impact. This led to a potential
reduction of sprays from weekly application to once or twice a season. That
information is available to growers via Cornell's Vegetable MD website.
"Tolerance alone is not enough, spray alone is not
enough, but together there is good synergy," Mutschler-Chu said.
Iron Lady is suitable for organic production, and was tested
by organic farmers as part of a federal Organic Agriculture Research and Extension-funded
project coordinated by Cornell breeder Michael Mazourek. He said
disease-resistant tomatoes were identified as a top priority for organic
growers, who currently use copper to control blight, a solution that can be
just as bad for the environment as chemical fungicides.
"This represents a really valuable tool for
growers," Mazourek said. "And the tomatoes are head and shoulders
above those you would find shipped to the grocery store."
Mutschler-Chu said she wanted to make Iron Lady available to
growers quickly because of the real and immediate need. "We have even
better lines coming along," she said. "We are testing
second-generation hybrids now."
While breeding the new lines, Mutschler-Chu and her team
created molecular markers that can be used to detect the presence of Ph2 and
Ph3 in plants. "Use of markers cuts in half the number of generations it
takes to breed," she said. "Development of a similar marker for the
Septoria resistance gene is nearing completion."
Mutschler-Chu is sharing her discoveries with scientists and
seed companies, so that the resistance traits can be incorporated into other
varieties.
This project was supported in part by a New York Specialty
Crop grant.
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