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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:
My oak tree was struck by lightning last night. What if anything can I do for it?
Answer:
I have seen trees literally blown apart, stripped of their bark, and have heard that some actually have caught fire. However the nature and extent of lightning damage to a tree can vary greatly. This variation appears to be related to lightning intensity, the tree species, and the amount of water in and on the bark. The tree species that rank at the top for lighting strikes are maple, ash, tulip poplar, sycamore, oaks, elm, and pine. But keep in mind that lightning is most likely to strike the lone tree regardless of species. The tallest tree in a grove of trees, trees near water, and those near buildings are also targets. Trees that have obviously received major damage as evidenced by large sections of bark blown off and severe cracks or splits in the trunk will need to be taken down. The leaves on these trees will turn brown in a few weeks. Some lightning struck trees show little evidence of lightning damage other that a small crack down the trunk or some dead limbs. Since the extent of lightning damage to the internal parts of the tree cannot be immediately assessed, repairs can be made by the removal of damaged limbs if present. Watch these trees for a full season of growth. If there is no evidence of dieback in the top of the tree and it appears to be reasonably healthy, then it is worth letting it stay in the landscape. However, lightning struck trees may continue to fail over a period of time due to decay on those tree parts damaged by the strike that we cannot see. This is why I encourage those with lightning struck trees to photograph them if they intend to keep them. Date the photos. Most homeowner insurance plans allow some payment toward their removal. You need to document the strike just in case 5 years from now the tree does die from the those injuries.
Question:
We recently moved here and have discovered some of our trees are shedding leaves all over our lawn and patio. Do some trees shed here in late summer?
Answer:
Many landscapes here are full of trees that will shed leaves under drought stress. River birches are very popular trees in the landscape industry and if located properly pose little problems. I have always said river birches should be left by the river. But I am in the minority and my landscape/nursery friends take issue with me. However, river birches, sycamore, tulip poplar and even post oak will shed leaves when we have extended periods of drought and intensive heat. These species, except oak, prefer the moist soils along rivers and streams. When they are planted in full sun in landscapes with little or no topsoil or natural mulch, they will drop leaves early in the season. By no means does this mean they will not survive, they just make a mess.
Question:
I have always used Thiodan to keep the weevils from stinging my peas. Why can't I buy it anymore and what can I use in place of it?
Answer:
Thiodan was removed from the home garden markets about 2 years ago. Thiodan (endosulfan) can still be purchased but only in the commercial agricultural chemical lines. Farmers can use Capture (bifenthrin) and Asana XL (esfenvalerate) to control this insect we call the cowpea curculio. Homeowners can find the same chemical ingredients in two products sold by Ortho. You will find them marketed under the trade name Ortho Max Insecticides. Be careful when you go to grab one of these products off the shelf. The Ortho Max Insecticide that contains bifenthrin has a 3 day waiting period. The other Ortho Max Insecticide contains esfenvalerate which has a 21 day waiting period. I would advise you to use the bifenthrin product. Begin spraying your peas when they are 1/2 inch in length. By the way, the curculio insect is the one that makes those little sting marks on the pod. It is not done by a wasp.
Question:
Many of our crapemyrtle trees have suckers growing up from the trunk and roots. Can I stop this with some type of weed killer?
Answer:
Suckering, as it is called, is the result of stress, injury to the tree, severe pruning, or improper planting. Suckering is the tree's survival response. Breaking those shoots by hand is the best form of control. Removing them during the summer is actually better than winter removal. So break them off now at the base of the tree. The use of chemicals is risky. Spraying those sprouts either accidentally or on purpose with systemic herbicides such as Roundup will cause injury to the entire tree. Always remove sprouts or carefully avoid them prior to spraying out grass and weeds around the trunk. Avoid getting the spray on the cut or broken surfaces too. So forget the use of weed killers and do a little hand removal. Also, try to avoid what happened in the first place that caused all this suckering.
LAWN CARE WORKSHOP
On August 21s and 22nd, I will be teaching my annual lawn care workshop at the Agricultural Building, 209 N. Graham Hopedale Rd. in Burlington, N.C. The class is two parts beginning at 7 pm. You will learn what it takes to grow our various turf grasses. I will cover all aspects of lawn care including turf selection, fertilization, weed control, and maintenance. Cost is $5 per person. Call the Cooperative Extension Service at 570-6740 to register.
North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commitment themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation, North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&;T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.