 |
by Rett Davis | |
Gardening Q&A by Rett Davis appears in
Alamance County's daily newspaper, The Times-News,
every Sunday in the Accent section. Each week's installment is
posted to this
website, beginning with January of this year. Scroll to the bottom of
this page to navigate to other Gardening Q&As. Please contact
Rett via e-mail with questions
or
comments in regard to this column.
Question:
Last week there was an article in the paper about a man that
inscribed his artwork into living trees? The artist contends that his
work with a chains would not hurt the tree. I am a little skeptical.
Is this practice really safe for trees?
Answer:
I have had several inquiries on this news article and the
validity of some of the artist's statements. Although this type of
artwork is attractive and very creative, it should only be done to dead
trees. Professional arborists (tree professionals), foresters, and
other tree professionals spend a great deal of time and effort trying to
protect trees and to help them recover from injury. Intentional
injuries of such magnitude create a whole host of problems for trees.
To begin with, the cambium, the phloem layer, and the bark, has now been
destroyed. These tissues are needed to protect the tree from insect and
disease and to supply all plant parts with needed food. Now that this
has been destroyed, the tree will suffer the consequences. The greatest
threats will come from insect borers and the invasion of wood destroying
fungi. No amount of sealer will prevent this from happening. Research
has shown that these types of topical dressings are worthless. The size
of this injury will not allow callus tissue the time to form and cover
the wound. Therefore decay will begin within a few years.
Question:
Our maple tree is dropping a sticky sap all over the deck and
everything below it. Many of the tree's leaves are falling off and are
covered with a white substance. What is all this and can I do anything
about it?
Answer:
You are experiencing one of the many pleasures of owning a
silver maple. Ever so often they will get invaded by woolly alder
aphids. These small insects are covered with waxy filaments that make
them resemble snowflakes as they blow in the wind. These aphids love to
feed on the underside of maple leaves. Unfortunately they secrete a
tremendous amount of the sap they cannot digest. Their excrement is
referred to as honeydew. It is high in sugar and therefore is
reportedly very sweet. Not only is it sticky, but within a few weeks it
will turn black. Sooty molds will grow on it very soon and all your
deck furniture and flooring will turn black. Although this is very
alarming, the tree will be just fine. There is little that can be done
that is practical to avoid this from happening again, and getting rid of
them once they appear. One benefit of all this rain is that the
honeydew is being washed away almost daily.
In just a few weeks these insects will be gone.
Question:
I have a new lawn that was sown in bermuda grass seed. The
seed has germinated. How can I get this grass to grow as fast as
possible to cover my yard this summer?
Answer:
The quickest way is to fertilize every 3 weeks with nitrogen.
There are several ways to do this. You can apply 10 pounds of 10-10-10
fertilizer per 1000 square feet of lawn at each application. Another
way is to apply 3 pounds of 34-0-0 fertilizer per 1000 square feet every
3 weeks. Both fertilizers contain fast releasing forms of nitrogen.
With a little water, the bermuda will spread at a rate of inch per day.
Do not fertilize unless you can water or rainfall is eminent. Mow your
new bermuda at a 1 to 1 1/2 inch height weekly.
Question:
There seems to be a lot of generic Roundup products on the
market. I have heard different stories as to whether they are just as
good as Roundup. I am better off spending more money for the 'real'
thing?
Answer:
Over the last several years the number of herbicides containing
glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has skyrocketed. This has
been driven by the patent ending for glyphosate and the large number of
acres that are treated with it. Most agricultural companies that
manufacture pesticides will have a glyphosate formulation. Increased
competetion has resulted in many debates in the agri-chemical industry.
Recent trials at N.C. State University have concluded that weed control
is the same from these generic Roundups regardless of the manufacturer.
Therefore you can get the same degree of weed control from these
products that are now appearing at most farm and garden centers.
Gardening Q&A Navigation Options
If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis