© Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used
without permission.
Hi
Gardeners
 |
| Harvest before the rain |
Remember last week when I was talking about the drought
here? There’s no longer a drought here,
indeed many places are flooded. Since
Friday we have received 5 and 6/10 inches of rain. More may be coming later today and next
weekend. And it’s not just Michigan; many of you readers from other parts of
the country are experiencing the same thing. We are getting an amazing amount
of rain. Further along I have some
advice for flooded landscapes.
Yesterday I went out in the sauna that was my yard and
picked what I could from the garden because I knew more rain was on the
way. I am posting a picture of my haul
here. The blackberries went into the freezer;
we ate the corn last night. The corn ears
were quite small from the drought but still very tasty. I didn’t have to cut
them to put them in the pot, natural half ears. The huge pepper was cut up and frozen. Tomorrow I will be canning some tomatoes and
making some more pickles. The cabbage
will be shredded and hopefully eaten up over the next week. I am going to try a recipe for freezer
coleslaw and I’ll tell you how that works.
The flowers are washed and wet but many are flopping. I am going around staking things up. My beautiful double pink hibiscus is blooming
but the blooms are hanging down all wet and soggy. My brugmansia is growing like Jack’s
beanstalk, it loves tropical weather. I
counted 15 buds on the plant so far, some that will bloom soon. It had a flush of bloom earlier but was just
sitting there through the drought.
I have a big pot of orange leafed coleus on the deck
and it has a bloom spike on it. If you
know coleus you know the blooms are small.
But those blooms are getting a lot of attention from the
hummingbirds. Its amazing watching them
hover there, going to each tiny flower on the spike. We have more hummingbirds then I have seen in
a long time this year. I have 3 feeders
for them to fight over plus a lot of plants they love.
Our red delicious apples are starting to get color and
I saw some maples getting a touch of color too.
It’s sad to think fall is right around the corner.
How
to help a flooded landscape
It’s hard to imagine I was speaking about drought last
week and this week many people are experiencing flooding. In my sandy soil we
rarely get saturated soil for long and we are high enough and far enough from
streams and rivers we don’t get submerged. But many of you with heavy soil may
be experiencing very saturated soils, standing water around plants or even gardens
submerged in flood water. 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. Remember if you must walk in flood water that
it is probably contaminated by a variety of things so take precautions for your
own health. Wear boots, waders if need
be, and gloves. And footing may be
slippery so use caution.
First try to drain the water away from your lawn, trees
and ornamental plants if it’s possible.
You may have to dig a trench to a roadside ditch or another place to let
water flow off. If you have a place to
safely pump it you can also use a sump pump, irrigation pump or even a fountain
or pond pump to remove water. Pay
attention to where the water will flow as you pump or trench it off. It’s not fair to send it to a neighbor’s
property unless the neighbor agrees to allow it.
Try to drain off the water as soon as possible. Even 24 hours of standing water can affect
plants, some types of plants more than others.
If some part of the plant remains above water chances are better than if
they are totally submerged, but root damage will begin in soaked soil soon
after flooding. Even if there is no
water visible on the surface of the ground soil that is totally saturated will
cause root damage to plants. Roots need
air spaces in soil or they simply drown.
If you dig a shallow hole in the soil and water pools there, your soil
is saturated or waterlogged and needs draining.
Of course there are cases when there is nothing you can
do to get rid of the water but wait and hope.
In some cases the plants will make it through, in other cases be
prepared to replace some of your landscape.
If you have flood insurance, check with your insurance company to see if
landscape damage is covered. Regular home owners insurance rarely covers
flooding.
Signs
of plant damage from flooding
Plants that emerge from under water after being covered
for many days may look yellow and limp.
If the water left in the soil quickly drains some of the plants may
recover and develop new leaves. Plant
species vary in how long they can be submerged without problems.
Very wet, saturated soil for several days also presents
problems. Plants may turn pale green,
yellow or reddish purple; this indicates they are not getting enough oxygen through
the roots. They may wilt-because the
roots are rotting and can’t provide water to the upper plant parts, a paradox
that cannot be solved by you adding additional water. This wilting may be more prominent when windy
warm weather occurs after a flood.
Do not add Epsom salts to flooded soil around plants. Salt attracts and holds water. I say this
because many people now feel Epsom salts can fix anything. You’ll make your problems much worse if you
do this.
Lawn
grass
Grass that is totally under water for any period of
time greater than 48 hours will probably die.
Warm, sunny conditions while it dries the ground, will hasten grass
death if water can’t be removed. Grass
only partially submerged will last longer but totally saturated soil leads to
rotting of the grass roots and if the condition lasts a week or so the lawn may
die.
Bluegrass, the most common Midwestern lawn grass, has
some tolerance to flooding while perennial and annual rye is less
tolerant. Bentgrass, common on golf
courses is pretty tolerant. After you
can get to the grass dig a small clump to check on it. If you see firm white roots and bases of the
leaf stems,(crowns) the grass may make it.
Black or brown mushy looking roots and crowns mean the grass is dead.
If silt and debris were deposited on the lawn during
the flooding the chances of lawn grass surviving may be less. A small layer, less than an inch, may not
impact the lawn much unless it is heavily contaminated with harmful substances
such as salt, oil and gas, but a deep layer of mud or debris will kill the
grass. If the muck cannot be removed with
raking or shallow scraping, you will probably want to re-seed the lawn.
If you suspect contamination of the soil with something
like salt or gasoline, seed a small area with annual rye grass, which will
germinate quickly and grow if the debris isn’t heavily contaminated. Then you can seed with more expensive lawn
grass. If the ryegrass doesn’t grow well
you may have to scrape off the contaminated soil down to the original soil, removing
the dead sod, before re-planting. Even
removing the deposited layer of muck may leave you with less than ideal growing
conditions.
If your grass seemed to make it through the flood it
will benefit from fertilizing with nitrogen, especially if it is looking yellow
or pale green. Use a lawn fertilizer
without any weed killers or insecticides for this. Follow the label directions or use about 3
pounds per 1000 square feet. Unless your
soil has really dried out, don’t water the fertilizer into the soil as is
normally done, it should dissolve in contact with wet soil.
As long as the soil is wet, limit traffic on the lawn
so that the soil doesn’t get compacted or rutted. You may even have to let it get a little
longer than usual before mowing. If you do, only take off a third of the grass
blade on the first mowing. If it needs
to be shortened further wait a few days then mow again. Keep the grass blades about 3 ½ inches. Never use a weighted roller on the lawn when
it’s wet to “flatten” it. This will
cause serious soil compaction and limit the growth of grass roots.
Trees
and shrubs
Generally trees and shrubs will take a few days of
flooding, as long as they are not totally submerged, without problems. Shrubs and small trees that are covered by
water will probably die if the water doesn’t recede in 2-3 days. Some species may be harmed after 24 hours of
submergence. Species of trees that
typically grow in wet or bottom land areas such as willows, river birch, black
gum, red maple, black ash, cottonwood, swamp oak and so on will generally have few
problems with flooding.
Some species of trees will not do well if the ground
remains saturated or they are in standing water for more than a few days. Redbuds, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida),
sugar maple, white oak, hickory, pine, spruce, cedar, junipers, and most fruit
trees are examples of trees which really suffer from wet feet. If you cannot
drain off the water around them you may expect a weakened or dead tree.
Trees that have had their roots too wet for too long
will often begin to wilt, or will fail to leaf out. The symptoms are similar to being too dry,
because the rotted roots cannot transport water to the rest of the tree. Trees that survive may appear yellow, pale
green or have reddish tinted leaves. Use
a wait and see approach for trees and shrubs that have been flooded. Give them a little time to recover before
deciding they are dead.
Fertilizing surviving trees may help them recover. Many nutrients are washed out of flooded
areas and damaged roots have a difficult time efficiently collecting nutrients
that are left. And this seems counterintuitive,
but if the weather turns dry later in the season, water the trees and shrubs
because their damaged root systems may make them more susceptible to death from
drought conditions.
Ornamental
perennials
There are of course some perennials that like wet
conditions. But most common garden
perennials, mums, daylilies, iris, poppies, sedums, hosta, roses, lavender,
peonies and so on, don’t like waterlogged soil or being submerged. If you cannot drain water away from them you
stand to lose many of them in just a few days.
You may want to wade into the water and lift your favorites right out of
the ground. Pot them somewhere drier and
wait for better soil conditions to re-plant them.
Remove silt and mud buildups around plants to the
original soil level. You may need to
stake or support some plants flattened by water but let the foliage dry for a
day or two to see what happens. Water
soaked flowers should be trimmed off.
As with trees and shrubs use a wait and see attitude
with your perennials after the water goes down. Some may recover slowly from just
a bit of live root system that’s left.
And like lawns and trees fertilization of flooded perennials may speed
recovery.
If you suspect that flooding may occur again you may
want to replace the dead perennials with plants better suited to wet conditions
or install a drainage system. Plants
that are called “rain garden” plants usually survive short periods of flooding
or saturated soil.
Annuals,
potted plants
Check containers to make sure there is no standing
water in them. It may help drainage if
you elevate containers that sit directly on the ground a few inches after there
is no standing water around them. Push small rocks or pieces of wood under
them, making sure you don’t block drainage holes. Of course if containers are
sitting in water and you can move them to higher ground you should do so.
Annuals may die if they are submerged for 48 hours,
sometimes less. It may be possible to
replant them when the soil has dried out a bit, if you can find new plants. Keep a close eye on container plants for the
next few weeks. A damaged root system
may make them need more frequent watering after the container dries out. And in hot, windy weather containers you
thought were saturated may also dry out before you think they need more water.
Vegetables
and small fruit
After a flood, especially if the weather was dry before
it, plants like tomatoes may crack or get blossom end rot. Cabbage may split open. You may get rotten, mushy areas on leaf
vegetables. You will have to discard fruits and vegetables submerged in flood
water. If you suspect your garden is going to flood you may want to pick
tomatoes, even those that are just starting to turn red. They will ripen inside
without cracking. Harvest cabbage and
any other crops that are ready to eat before it floods.
Vegetables that are flooded may need to be replanted
after the soil has dried to reasonable conditions, if there is time left in the
season. Mature plants like tomatoes may
or may not survive, depending on how long they were submerged or waterlogged. Generally 48 hours of submersion will prove
fatal. Perennial vegetables like rhubarb and asparagus may also need to be
replaced if they were submerged in water for more than 48 hours or if there is
standing water or waterlogged soil for more than 3 days.
Give plants a few days to recover after water recedes
and then check them carefully. Sometimes
leaves will be limp and brown but if the stem looks green and firm the plants
may recover. If plants continue to look
wilted the roots may be rotted. For most
vegetable plants this will mean it’s time to pull and discard them.
After flooding plants may be more susceptible to fungal
diseases. You may want to begin preventative sprays of a garden fungicide.
Strawberries that are submerged for more than 48 hours
will probably die and need to be replaced.
Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and grapes will not stand being
submerged for more than 48 hours or maybe 4 days in standing water at the base. As with perennials if you can get the fruit
plants out of the ground and hold them somewhere until the water drains you may
save them.
After a flood any fruits or vegetables that were in
contact with flood water shouldn’t be eaten as they may be contaminated with
disease bacteria or heavy metals. Pick and discard those fruits and vegetables.
New fruits that develop after water recedes should be fine. Stay out of the garden as much as possible until
the soil has dried out to avoid compacting the soil. Raised beds will help prevent flooded plants
in the future if your garden is in a low spot.
After a flood gardeners should assess their landscape
to see how likely a future flood will be.
Drain tiles, ditches to carry off water, pump systems, raised beds, or
moving gardens to higher ground should be considered. Too much water is usually just as bad for
plants as too little and there is generally less time to deal with the
situation. Planning ahead is your best insurance.
Preserving
peppers
Do you have an abundance of peppers this gardening
season? There are many ways you can preserve
your peppers so you can continue to enjoy them through the fall and
winter. You can freeze, can, pickle or
dry peppers, both sweet and hot types.
For new gardeners here’s a tip. Peppers can be harvested at almost any stage
of growth. But if you leave those “green”
peppers on the plant for a bit longer they will turn into red, yellow, orange
or other colors when fully ripe. Color
depends on the variety. (Both sweet and
hot peppers generally change color as they ripen.) It’s always nice to let some sweet green
peppers ripen to other colors so you’ll have some color in your cooking.
When working with hot peppers, especially in large
quantities, you may need to take some precautions. Wear gloves and keep your hands away from
your eyes and mouth. Some peppers can
cause actual skin blisters or a rash on bare skin and if pepper juice is rubbed
or sprayed into the eyes it can cause serious damage. Don’t allow small
children to help when preparing hot peppers. The hottest part of a pepper is the seeds and
the white membrane surrounding them so use caution even when discarding waste.
Freezing
peppers
If you use peppers in cooking frequently, frozen
peppers are convenient and it’s easy to preserve them this way. Both hot and sweet peppers can be
frozen. When thawed, frozen peppers can
be soft, so they are better used in cooking than in a salad.
To freeze peppers wash them, core them and remove the
seeds, rinsing the cavity out with clean water.
Then chop or slice them in the ways you prefer them for cooking. I dice peppers and also make long slices to
give me flexibility. You can even half
large sweet peppers to freeze. If you
stuff them while they are still frozen you can use them to make stuffed peppers
later this winter.
Use plastic freezer bags for the peppers or freezer
containers and mark them with the date and label what type of pepper they are
if you have several types.
Canning
and pickling peppers
You can process peppers for canning without pickling
them but most people would prefer they be pickled. When you use a pickling method you can use a
water bath canning system, if you don’t use a pickling technique peppers should
be canned in a steam canner. To
understand more about basic canning techniques consult a good canning book or
see the page listed on the side of this blog titled Preserving Fruits and Vegetables.
Here’s basic directions for canning peppers without
pickling, either sweet or hot types. Pint
sized jars are the best size for canning peppers safely. You’ll need peppers, canning salt, water and
a pressure canner.
Clean pint jars and lids with hot water. Select firm,
fresh peppers, don’t use diseased or soft peppers. Amounts to use vary, it takes about 1 medium
green pepper to fill a pint jar and maybe 6 small hot peppers.
Wash the peppers, remove stems, cut open and clean out
the seeds and white membrane. Most peppers do not need to be peeled but you may
want to scald and then peel chile and other tough skinned peppers.
Cut the peppers into the type and sizes pieces you
prefer, however larger pieces such as quarters or halves are easier to handle. Whole hot peppers can be canned if they are
small, either seeded or not. The pieces
should not come above an inch from the jar rim when packed.
Bring canning water to a boil, a pint (2 cups) for each
pint jar you are canning. Bring another
pot of water to boil to blanch peppers and have a pot of cold water
nearby.
Using a colander or strainer dip your pepper pieces
into the hot water for about 10 seconds then into the cold water to blanch
them. If you have scalded tough peppers
to remove the skin you can skip this.
Put a ½ teaspoon of canning salt in the bottom of each
jar. Pack peppers in loosely, leaving 1
inch of space to the jar rim. Fill the
jars to within 1 inch of the rim with boiling water. Run a spatula or bubble
stick through the jar to remove bubbles.
Wipe the rim and put on the lid.
Place jars in a pressure canner only. Process for 35
minutes at 11 pounds pressure for dial gauges, 10 pounds pressure for weighted
gauges. For more on pressure canning see
a good canning book like this one, Knacks
Canning, Pickling and Preserving.
Cool jars, make sure they seal and label them.
Pickled
Peppers
There are many good pickled pepper recipes but here’s
one to get you started. It’s from my
book. It’s a medium hot recipe although you could make it hotter or milder
depending on pepper choice. Any peppers
could be used. Tip- you could add a few
pieces of red pepper for color to each jar.
Pickled Pepper Rings- 6 pints
You’ll need 6 clean pint jars and lids, and a water
bath canner.
1½ pounds jalapeno peppers
1½ pounds yellow banana peppers
6 tablespoons mustard seed
3 tablespoons celery seed
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1¾ cups water
7½ cups cider vinegar
2½ tablespoons canning salt
Wash the peppers, remove stem end and slice the rest of
the pepper into ¼ rings.
In the bottom of each jar place 1½ teaspoons celery
seed, 1 tablespoon mustard seed, and divide garlic evenly between jars. Pack pepper pieces loosely in jars to a ½ inch
from the top.
Put the water, salt and vinegar in a pot and bring to a
boil. Ladle over the peppers to a ½ inch
from jar rim. All pieces must be below
liquid.
Run a ladle or bubble stick through jars, wipe rims and
put on lids.
Put jars into water bath canner for processing. Processing times are 10 minutes for up to
1,000 feet altitude, 15 minutes to 6,000 feet and 20 minutes over 6,000 feet.
Cool jars, make sure they seal and label them.
Drying
peppers
Peppers, particularly hot peppers are often dried to
preserve them. You could do it the
modern way with a food dehydrator or open air method where you hang the peppers
to dry.
Wash and dry peppers.
Most types of peppers will dry best when cut into rings or pieces. Small hot peppers like chili are sometimes
dried whole. Cut off pepper stems remove
seeds and membranes and slice the peppers into 3/8 inch rings for hang drying
or in short pieces for food dehydrators.
Follow food dehydrator directions if using. Expect 8-12 hours of drying time.
To hang/air dry peppers run a string through pepper
rings and hang it in a warm, dry place.
If drying small whole peppers use a needle to draw a string through them
and make sure to space them along the string.
It will take several days to a week or more to dry peppers this
way. Air drying works best when a string
of hot, dry days are expected. Cool
humid weather may give poor results.
Peppers are dried when pieces can be snapped. Discard any moldy pieces. Store in a cool, dry place.
Pepper
Jelly
Yes you can make jelly from peppers! It’s not sweet though you do use sugar. You’ll need a food processor and a water bath
canner plus you’ll need liquid pectin, which you can buy where canning supplies
are sold. You’ll need some ½ pint or
jelly jars and lids too. This recipe will make about 5 jars.
You can vary the peppers you use in this recipe. Usually a mixture of hot and sweet peppers
are used. Pepper colors will determine
the color of your jelly. You can add
food coloring if you don’t like the color too.
8-10 peppers, depending on size
1 cup white vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 pouch (3 oz.) liquid pectin
Sterilize your jars and keep them hot. Wash and core peppers, remove seeds and cut
into small pieces.
Place pepper pieces and vinegar into food processor and
blend until liquefied. You will probably
have to do this in batches, dividing peppers and vinegar.
Place the liquid peppers and sugar in a large pot. Boil slowly for 10 minutes.
Add the liquid pectin and boil 1 minute longer. Skim
off any foam that forms.
Pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving a ¼ inch of space
to the rim. Wipe rims and add lids.
Process 5 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Cool, check for a seal, label and store.
Sempervivums
or “Hens and Chicks”
“Hens and chicks” are an old favorite of gardeners.
Hardy and easy to grow these plants got their common name because the original
plant or “hen” produces lots of little plantlets on long stems, dubbed
“chicks.” These succulent plants are
more properly called Sempervivum tectorum. They are native to Europe and in English
gardens are often called houseleeks. In
Europe Sempervivums often grew on thatched or slate roofs. The Latin name means “live forever on roofs”.
 |
| Sempervivums grow in small pockets of soil. |
Sempervivums are rich in garden folklore. It is said when they grow on roofs that they
protect the house from lightning and fire.
This may have some basis in fact because something green and moist would
make it harder for a fire to start, at least on a thatched roof. Grandmothers are supposed to give their
grandchildren “chicks” to grow for good luck.
Sempervivums are said to be a favorite of fairy gardeners.
Color,
form and varieties
Sempervivums or “hens and chicks” come in hundreds of
varieties. Most form a loose rosette of
fleshy, rounded leaves that grows about 4 inches high. There are some odd shaped varieties with very
tight small leaves, some with larger, more pointed leaves and even varieties
with rolled or tubular looking leaves.
There are very tiny plants and some quite large sized sempervivums.
 |
| Sempervivum rubra |
Sempervivum foliage color is also variable from green
to reds, oranges, silver and blues.
“Chicks” may vary in color from the “hen” plant and the amount of sun
the plant gets will also affect color.
Most plants have more than one color in the foliage and color tends to
darken in the center or on the tips of leaves.
Some varieties on the market are ‘Booths Red’ a large sempervivum with a bright red starburst look, ‘Pacific Mayfair’ a mixture of tawny
orange and red, ‘Aglow’ a brighter
orange red, ‘Highland Mist’ a small
very dense leaved rosette of green outer leaves and a red center, ‘Big Blue’ a large open rosette of blue
gray, ‘Bronco’ a purple black
rosette, ‘Lilac Time’ a soft lilac
colored rosette, ‘Green Gables’ a
tiny green grape colored variety and ‘Oddity’
which has tube like green leaves with red tips.
There are hundreds of other named varieties but those
named varieties may be hard to find in your local garden center even though a
variety of colors may be offered. If you
want named varieties you may need to order from specialty catalogs or on
line. Sempervivums can become addictive
to plant collectors.
A closely related succulent species, Jovibarba, is sometimes sold as “hens
and chicks” also. These require the same
care as sempervivums but they don’t produce long stems with the little “chicks”
on them, instead the ‘chicks” form near the edges of the mother “hen” plant and
are cut out or broken off to form new plants.
Sempervivum
care
Sempervivums are cold hardy, thriving in zones 4-8 and
they actually require a period of cold dormancy to grow well. Sempervivums prefer full sun although some
will grow in a partly sunny location. Hens and chicks are also drought tolerant
and require very little soil to grow. They
can grow in rock garden crevices, pots, garden beds, or on topiaries.
Sempervivums require very well drained soil, preferably
a sandy loam. If you have heavy clay
soil you may want to grow your sempervivums in raised beds or containers that
have a light, sandy potting mix in them.
You can blend sand, vermiculite or fine gravel with heavier soil in
containers or raised beds if needed.
They prefer a soil pH that is close to neutral, in the range of 6.5-7.5
but can tolerate slightly more acidic or alkaline soil. Sempervivums or hens
and chicks are also grown in sphagnum moss on topiaries.
Sempervivums need to dry out between watering for the
best growth. You may want to separate
them from garden plants that require more frequent watering. Topiaries are watered by soaking the peat
moss or other medium in the topiary frame from time to time. Some sempervivum collectors cover their
prized plants with glass or plastic shields when there is a long rainy period
so the plants don’t get too wet and rot.
 |
| Sempervivum flowers |
Generally sempervivums don’t require fertilization but
when grown on topiary or in a soil-less mix you may want to add a liquid
fertilizer to your water a few times in the summer months. Sempervivums have few diseases or pests, with
over watering being the most likely cause of problems. Deer and other animals rarely bother
them. They do have short root systems
and are easily dislodged from their growing area, especially if it is a pot or
stone crevice. If you find a dislodged
plant quickly replant it and give it just a touch of water.
“Hens and chicks” are short lived perennials. In the third year of life the sempervivum
generally produces a flower stalk, which will have tiny star-like pinkish
flowers on top. The flowers will produce
a dust-like seed that blows away in the wind.
After the plant goes to seed it will die. Cutting off the flower stalk will not prevent
the plant from dying in the third season.
However, it should have left plenty of plantlets behind.
Because they do need a cold dormancy period, most “hens
and chicks” do not do well indoors.
There are some closely related succulents, Echevera, various crassulas
and Aeonium that do better in homes and have a similar appearance.
Propagating
“hens and chicks”
As sempervivums grow in a natural setting they produce
mats of rosettes from the stolons or stems that grow out from the “hen” with a
plantlet or “chick” on the end, which eventually roots near the mother
plant. In the garden setting you should
try to space your plants so that each plant has a chance to develop a wide rosette
shape - about 6-8 inches apart. This
helps the plants dry out and prevents rotting at the base. It also makes for a prettier patch.
Sempervivums that are thriving will produce numerous
plantlets, sometimes in the first season, almost always in the second and third
year. You can take a “chick” off the mother plant at any time to root, but you
will be more successful if you wait until the stolen or stem has dried out and
the little plantlet has formed a nice rosette.
This is generally in late summer.
Place the plantlet in slightly moist, well-drained soil and keep watch
that it doesn’t get dislodged until it has a chance to anchor itself with new
roots. Remember not to give away all of
the little plants because the mother plant will die in about 3 years.
Sempervivums do produce seed but it is hard to collect
and hard to germinate. Seed grown plants
may not look like the parent plants.
Plants started from plantlets will sometimes be different from the adult
plant also.
Sempervivums or “hens and chicks” are great plants
because they thrive with minimal care and provide you with plenty of plants to
share and trade. They are an old
fashioned plant that is seeing new interest among plant lovers and they well
deserve the attention. If you don’t have
any in your garden it’s time to get some.
Fall
webworm
 |
| Fall webworm on Black Walnut |
If you are noticing those huge webs of wiggling worms
on the tips of branches on trees in your area, don’t be alarmed. The fall
webworm is a native seasonal pest that doesn’t significantly harm trees even
though they look pretty ugly. In Michigan we begin seeing the “tents” of fall
webworm in late August. Even after a hard freeze kills the worms inside, or
they have become pupae, the nests may hang in the trees until winter winds
dislodge them.
Fall webworms are often confused with their spring
cousins, the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. Fall webworms enclose leaves at the end
of a branch with their white, web like tent. They feed inside the tent and
enlarge it when all the leaves inside are eaten. Eastern tent caterpillars make
their tents in the crotches of branches and they leave the tent to feed on
leaves, returning to the tent for protection from weather. Eastern tent
caterpillars appear in late spring and early summer, fall webworms late in the
summer.
The nests of fall webworms are usually on the outside
branches of a tree, where the branch extends over an open sunny area such as a
road or lawn. This makes them very visible to concerned gardeners. Each nest
contains a colony of small caterpillars, busily feeding on tree leaves. The
caterpillars are either red headed or black headed. Black headed webworms are
greenish, with two rows of black bumps on the sides. Red headed webworms are
tan with orange or red bumps. Both are covered in long white hairs.
The adult fall webworm is a small white moth, occasionally
marked with a few black spots. She lays her eggs on the underside of leaves,
where they hatch and begin feeding. The young feed for about 6 weeks then drop
to the ground to pupate and over-winter. Occasionally in Michigan’s southern
counties there is enough warm weather in fall for the first generation to turn
into moths and create a second generation. Levels of the pest are higher in
some years too, with heavier populations every 5-7 years.
Fall webworms prefer to feed on trees such as wild
cherry, walnut, hickories and fruit trees but can feed on almost any tree. They
seldom feed on willows and cottonwoods. When a tent or web is disturbed all the
little caterpillars move in a peculiar synchronized jiggling movement. This may
be their attempt to make a predator think something much larger is lurking
within.
Controlling
fall webworm
Since trees are near the end of their active cycle the
loss of leaves from fall webworms doesn’t harm them much. If the nests offend
you, you can use your garden hose to spray them out of the tree or use a stick
to knock them down, and then smash the worms. Worms won’t crawl back up the
tree when knocked to the ground. You can trim the tents out of the tree if
doing so doesn’t harm the looks of the tree. Valuable ornamental trees can be
treated with systemic pesticides early in summer. These go through the tree and
kill the worms as they start to feed on leaves later in the year.
Pesticide sprays are not recommended as the collateral
damage to the environment isn’t worth it, as trees are barely affected by the
feeding of the fall webworm. Most pesticides do not effectively penetrate the
webs; they would have to be torn open. Spraying foliage around the nests may
kill the caterpillars when they enclose more leaves into the web. And burning
the tents with a blowtorch is as dangerous to the tree and to you as it is to
the worms.
Fall webworms have several natural enemies including
yellow jackets and paper wasps. If you tolerate these insects on your property
then you may have fewer fall webworms. Birds also like to eat the worms,
especially if you tear the web for them.
This week’s weed- Common reed, Phragmites
The Common Reed, (Phragmites australis), is found along
roadsides and ditches, wetlands and even in shallow flowing water. It is often mistaken for Pampas grass, which
is not hardy below zone 7. Phragmites
is a perennial grass that returns each spring, forming large colonies over the
years. It prefers sunny areas with damp
or wet soil.
The Common Reed looks like a large sturdy grass plant,
which it is. They can grow to over 6
feet high in good conditions. The seed
heads have tufts of filaments on each seed which gives them a hairy, fluffy
appearance as the seed heads mature.
These picturesque seed plumes can persist all winter and are excellent
for dried flower arrangements. They are
a purplish gray in early fall that fades to silver gray.
 |
| Common reed or Phragmites |
Despite the lavish seed heads Phragmites rarely has
fertile seed. It spreads primarily
through the root system. Small pieces of
the roots carried on farm equipment or even shoes can begin plants in new
locations.
Phragmites is interesting because it represents
something biologists are just recognizing, the spread of foreign genotypes
which look similar to native species and therefore often go unrecognized. Phragmites, or Common Reed, is a native to
the Americas. However before the 1900’s
it was a relatively uncommon species confined to marshy lands along both the
east and west coast. In the 1900’s it
began to rapidly expand its range across the U.S. and became much more prevalent in wet areas
everywhere.
Biologists recently discovered that this is probably
because of genes introduced from Europe and Asia from the Phragmites that grow
there. Somehow the genes from these
areas made the Common Reed hardier and more aggressive in colonizing new areas. This is remarkable because these plants do not
readily reproduce by seed, which is necessary to incorporate genes from new
locations. The genes that did recombine
produced very adaptable varieties of the Common Reed, which made the rapid
spread of the plant possible.
Give
a child a plant this week.
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
Events, classes and other offerings
Please let me know if there is any event or class that
you would like to share with other gardeners.
These events are primarily in Michigan but if you are a reader from
outside of Michigan and want to post an event I’ll be glad to do it.
Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share? Post them here by emailing me. You can also
ask me to post garden related events. Kimwillis151@gmail.com
An
interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook
Here’s a
seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
Invitation
If you are a gardener
in Michigan close to Lapeer we invite you to join the Lapeer Area Horticultural
Society. The club meets once a month, 6:30 pm, on the third Monday at various
places for a short educational talk, snacks and socializing with fellow
gardeners. No educational or volunteer requirements for membership, all are
welcome. Membership dues are $20 per year. Come and visit us, sit in on a
meeting for free. Contact
susanmklaffer@yahoo.com Phone
810-664-8912
For Sale: I have baby parakeets for sale, hatched this
spring $10 each. Special offer 1 parakeet and new, small cage only $20. They are not hand
fed. Beautiful colors, lutino, (yellow)
and shades of pale green, olive green, and sea green. Some I can sex now, others are a guess. You’ll need to bring your own cage if you don't purchase cage. Parakeets are active birds that are a lot of
fun to watch. Call at 989-761-7609.
Also for sale Muscovy
ducklings, black laced, about 3 months old, fine to be without mom but you must
buy at least 2, unless you have other ducks.
$5 each. Call the number above.
Muscovy are flying ducks, large sized and make good meat ducks. They do not quack- and are very quiet.
If you live in the Lapeer, Michigan area a gardener has a large Norfolk Pine that needs a new home and its free! Its 5 feet + and wide, and heavy. You must move it. Norfolk Pines are houseplants that must be brought inside before frost. You can contact Mary Lou at marylafond@frontier.com
Native Shrubs & Trees- Thursday, Sep 8, 2016 6:30-8:30pm,
MSU Tollgate Education Conference Center, 28115 Meadowbrook Rd, Novi, MI
Come
discover the usefulness of native woody plants in the landscape. Gardeners
wishing to include more natives in their plantings have lots of beautiful
options. Natives look good, often require less care, and can be more beneficial
to native insects and other creatures than are non-native ornamentals. A
component of this class will be a walk around the Tollgate grounds to view some
of the plants discussed in the lecture. Mary Wilson has been an MSU
Horticulture Educator for 30 years with a focus on environmental horticulture. $25.
For more information http://tollgate.msu.edu/events.
Basics of Honey Bees and Beekeeping, Thursday September 22, 6:30-8:30pm,
MSU Tollgate Education Conference Center, 28115 Meadowbrook Rd, Novi, MI
Bees have
been in the spotlight lately – for good reason. So many food crops depend on
bees and other pollinators for production – including our vegetable gardens and
fruit trees. Clay Ottoni will introduce us to the fascinating world of honey
bees and beekeeping. We will also learn what we can grow in our yard to support
and encourage these industrious insects. One lucky attendee will win a bottle
of honey! In addition to being an attorney, beekeeper, and farmer, Clay is
current president of SEMBA (Southeast Michigan Beekeepers Association) http://www.sembabees.org/ and a long time beekeeper.
$25. For more information http://tollgate.msu.edu/events.
Southeast Michigan Dahlia Show, Sep 10 – 11, 2016 Orchard Mall, 6337 Orchard Lake Rd,
West Bloomfield Township, MI
See
hundreds of dahlias on exhibit during the hours the mall is open presented by
the Southeast Michigan Dahlia Society. Free.
For more information: judy892@wowway.com.
Summer is
here! Our days are longer and there is more hours of light to enjoy being
outdoors. We welcome you to join us: experience nature and be inspired! Back
Track To Nature will offer programs on two of Lapeer Land Conservancy
properties. As well as at Three Roods Farm and the Tibbits Nature Sanctuary
both located in Columbiaville, MI.
We offer
environmental education programs for scouts, seniors, homeschoolers, garden clubs,
youth groups, retreats, special interest groups and we will tailor programming
to fit your specific needs.
A Great
Hundred Acre Wood Adventure ( Kids
program) 2pm - 3pm Sunday, August
14,2016 Tibbits Nature Sanctuary
Aldo
Leopold Bench Building Workshop 1:30pm
- 4:30pm, Saturday, August 27, 2016
Tibbits Nature Sanctuary
Reservations
are needed for all programs listed. Please call or email Karen at 810-969-1023 and
pagekp@gmail.com Directions to the
Tibbits Nature Sanctuary and Riseman Refuge will be given at the time of
registration. Thank you!
Here’s a facebook page link for
gardeners in the Lapeer area. This link
has a lot of events listed on it.
Here’s a
link to all the nature programs being offered at Seven Ponds Nature center in
Dryden, Michigan. http://www.sevenponds.org/
Here’s a
link to classes being offered at Campbell’s Greenhouse, 4077 Burnside Road,
North Branch.
Here’s a
link to classes and events at Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor
Here’s a
link to programs being offered at English Gardens, several locations in
Michigan.
Here’s a
link to classes at Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy and Shelby Twsp. MI, and now
combined with Goldner Walsh in Pontiac MI.
Here’s a
link to classes and events at Bordines, Rochester Hills, Grand Blanc, Clarkston
and Brighton locations
Here’s a
link to events at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road Ann
Arbor, Michigan | Phone 734-997-1553 |
http://www.lesliesnc.org/
Here’s a link to events at Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214
Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI
Here’s a
link to events and classes at Fredrick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Mi
http://www.meijergardens.org/learn/ (888) 957-1580, (616) 957-1580
Newsletter/blog
information
If you would
like to pass along a notice about an educational event or a volunteer
opportunity please send me an email before Tuesday of each week and I will
print it. Also if you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to
me or you can comment directly on the blog. Please state that you want to have
the item published in my weekly notes. You must give your full name and what
you say must be polite and not attack any individual. I am very open to ideas
and opinions that don’t match mine but I do reserve the right to publish what I
want.
I write this
because I love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across
in my research each week. It keeps me engaged with people and horticulture.
It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If at any time you don’t wish to
receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to
receive a notification by email when a new blog is published have them send
their email address to me. KimWillis151@gmail.com
