June is a great time of the year to take a little extra time in the yard. What are your landscape plants telling you? If there is any time of the year to find out, June is it. Cool cloudy weather and late May rains cause disease symptoms to appear on many plants. Foliage infected with different diseases has been the common question for early summer.
The use of product and chemical brand names in this article does not constitute endorsement of one product to the exclusion of similarly labeled products.
Dogwood Disease Powdery Mildew on Crape Myrtles Brown Patch on Lawns June Pruning Baby Snakes in the Yard Messy Trees Ground Cover Problems Chipmunks Summer Transplants Tree & Grass Competition
The dogwoods have really had a battle on their hands for the past few years. I have seen these problems most often on the weaker dogwood trees. So, the first step I would suggest is to assess the planting site. Are there other plants, like grass, fighting for the same water and nutrients? If so, remove the competing plant and place mulch around out to the drip line of the dogwood. This will give it a buffer and a great area for the roots to grow.
Now for the spots on the leaves. It seems as though you have a disease commonly found on dogwoods during wet years. The disease is 'Spot Anthracnose'. It is not deadly, unless the trees is under severe stress from other environmental conditions:
- over fertilization
- wet and/or tight soils
- too much lime
- pollution
- a tree moved from shade to sun.
The white spots/areas on the new leaves is a disease that has been seen on dogwoods the last few years. This disease goes by the name of 'powdery mildew'. To this point, the NC State University Plant Pathology Specialist has seen little long term injury to dogwoods from powdery mildew. The infected leaves will drop off the tree before the fall color change. Again the cloudy wet weather has spread this disease. Warmer drier weather will stop powdery mildew in its tracks; later emerging leaves will develop normally.
If your dogwoods are healthy and have small amounts of these problems they will quickly grow out of it as we move into the summer. Recheck them next spring. Don't fertilize or lime dogwoods; they are woodland trees.back to the list
Q. My crape myrtles have a white powdery dust on the leaves and don't seem to be growing well. What is it and what can I do?
"Carolina Beauty" and "Potomac" are two very popular Crape Myrtle cultivars that are susceptible to powdery mildew and if you have one or both go out and take a close look. Powdery mildew on Crape Myrtles shows up as a white powdery substance on the leaves and stunted new growth, thus effecting flower development. Currently Bayleton 25W is the fungicide recommended that is available at most garden centers. After a few sprayings, you will become a believer in the use of resistant cultivars, such as "Byers Standard Red, Byers Wonderful White, Miami, Osage, Natchez, Seminole, Tuskegee, Yuma and Zuni". back to the list
Q. I have a tall fescue lawn. Some parts of my lawn are turning brown in spite of watering. What is it?
Brown patch on tall fescue appears during this time of the year and is especially active following rainy periods, when the humidity is high and temperatures are warmer at night. Early symptoms are small brown lesions that develop on some leaves which seem to cause few problems. However, as the weather becomes favorable, brown patches of turf appear. These small patches quickly increase in size and number in certain areas of the yard (partially shaded areas, low areas...). If the disease has moved across the entire lawn, the turf looks off color and brownish and there may be no brown circles visible. This fungus is always present in turf areas; it becomes noticable in susceptible plants when conditions for rapid growth of the fungus exist. Tall fescue lawns that are fertilized after March 15 and are still in a high grow cycle are more susceptible than cool season grass that have lower levels of nitrogen and are slower growing. Also, water left on the leaves at night provide the ideal growing site for this disease. Mowing with a dull blade tears open the ends of the grass blades and offers easy entry for disease. Other practices to help reduce the severity of brown patch are:
- irrigate in the morning hours
- mow the turf when the leaves are dry
- improve air circulation
- irrigate only once a week with enough water to wet the soil 6 inches deep.
- Daconil 2787
- Bayleton 25W
- Chipco 26019
- and others
Q. My flowering shrubs look scraggly now that they have finished blooming. Can I prune them now (June)?
June is a time to prune spring-flowering shrubs. The appearance of many shrubs can be improved with a general pruning at this time of year. With new growth well on its way and beginning to slow, many shrubs are getting out of bounds. Now is a good time to take the hand pruners and shape them up. Make the cut slightly down into the plant; this will reduce the size of the plant and hide the cut made at the same time. back to the list
Q.I just found a small snake and it looks like a baby snake from this spring. Do I have more baby snakes and how do I control them?
One point I would like to make is that snakes are very beneficial. They help keep the rodent and many insect populations under control. The majority of the snakes found in this area are nonpoisonous.
The chance of more baby snakes in the same area as the one you found is possible but not likely. Mother snakes do not stay around to help the little ones and the baby snakes scatter to hunt insects. This hunt for insects will take them in many directions.
The best approach to take to prevent snake and man contact is to reduce the snakes' favored habitat. This includes keeping all wood piles as far away from the house as possible. Also, keep all grass areas mowed at recommended heights, this discourages rodents and reduces hiding sites for the snake.
Click here for information on identifying snakes. back to the list
Q. My trees seem to be dropping a lot of branches in my yard. What could be the cause?
Be observant about the plants that surround your home. Look at the new growth on the trees and shrubs. There should be several inches on the ends of the branches. New growth usually follows flowering (on spring flowering plants). This growth is an indicator of progress. Also, look at the tops of old shade trees in the yard. There should be foliage all the way to the tips. If the ends are bare, there may be some future, serious problems.
The practice of "topping" trees to limit their growth also can cause this kind of problem. The tree reacts to the severe pruning by putting out many small weak branches which are much more susceptible to storm damage.back to the list
Q. I planted a ground cover in my shady yard. Last year it looked great, but this year it is not doing as well. What's wrong?
Groundcovers should be in or just past a full growth period. New growth should be apparent on liriope, english ivy, periwinkle and pachysandra. If new growth from this spring season is not visible, or is less than normal, then investigate the problem. Possible causes include:
- environmental stress
- poor drainage
- low nutrient availability
- pH problem
- construction damage to the rootzone area
- possible chemical or fertilizer injury
- insect injury
Q. I have chipmunks in my planting beds and they have dug tunnels under almost all my plants. Several of the shrubs have died. What can I do to control the chipmunks?
Chipmunks (aka. ground squirrels) are fun and enjoyable to watch as they scamper around the yard playing their game of tag. Two chipmunks are cute; before you know it there are 6 or 8 or more and they are digging under everything and your plants start dying. Chipmunks will eat the bulbs, the roots of shrubs and more. They feed on these plant materials when other food sources are low. There are several prevention and control methods:
back to the listDeveloping exclusion areas involves rodent proofing specific locations that normally would be good habitat areas for them. This includes placing 1/4 -inch mesh hardware cloth (wire screen) around the foundations of buildings and it must be buried 6 - 8 inches into the ground. Also, this wire screen can be used in flower beds and plant seed or small plants between the openings.
Chipmunks are a type of rodent. Be careful with landscape areas that make good rodent habitats; some of the spots will need to be modified. Store all food items, such as bird seed, dog and cat food, in rodent-proof containers. Ground covers, shrubs, and wood piles should not be located adjacent to structure foundations or even close to them. Also, do not plant ground cover in a continuous fashion near woodland areas; this provides rodents with cover protection. Place bird feeders 25 - 30 feet away from buildings so spilled bird seed does not attract and support chipmunks. The primary diet of the chipmunk consists of grains, nuts, berries, seeds, mushrooms, insects and carrion. There is no need to offer an invitation with additional food. back to the list
Repellents have been used, but they are not the most effective way to keep populations under control. The most common repellent that is referred to by homeowners is Naphthalene (moth balls). Moth balls are not effective and I do not recommend them to repel chipmunks.
One taste repellent that you may want to consider is a hot pepper spray or powder. Cayenne pepper lightly sprinkled around newly planted areas will repel the chipmunk for 5 - 7 days or until the first hard rain. But be careful; sometimes the pepper can damage plant leaves.back to the list
In North Carolina, chipmunks are protected by law as a nongame species. It will require a permit to kill a chipmunk. This permit can obtained through the North Carolina Wildlife Officer here in Gaston County. That said, the most practical method to eliminate chipmunks is through the use of the common rat snap trap. To avoid killing or injuring songbirds in a rat snap trap, it is advisable to place traps under a small box with openings that allow only chipmunks access to the bait.
Another method is the use of Live-catch wire-mesh traps. These traps catch the animal in a cage without harming it. Two common makers of Live-catch traps are Tomahawk and Havahart traps. Various baits can be used for either of these traps:
- peanut butter
- raisins
- nutmeats
- prune slices
- common breakfast cereals.
Q.I transplanted some healthy looking plants this morning and this afternoon they look terrible. What can I do?
Newly transplanted plants have disturbed roots and need extra water. It does not take long for newly transplanted plants to wilt when summer temperatures are in the 80's or 90's and the wind is blowing, so keep a close eye on them and water as necessary. In the future, try transplanting in the evening or on overcast days so the plants have longer to recover before faced with sun and heat. back to the list
Q. Are trees and turf compatible and how can they be grown in the same landscape?
All of us have seen thin grass under those large shade trees. The major reason is the competition between the grass roots and tree roots. If the tree is healthy, it will usually get the lion's share of moisture, nutrients and soil space. In addition, grass under the trees imust be mowed. Mowing can damage the large surface roots that will develop as the tree ages as well as dull the mower blade, leading to other turf problems ( brown patch).
Trees and turf are essential elements of the landscape and both deserve a place in the urban environment. For homes, offices and many other places trees and turf offer distinct personal, functional and environmental benefits that one alone can not provide. I would suggest developing sweeping grass areas to carry the eye through the garden with trees in mulched and protected areas to add height, depth and support to the landscape. As a general rule the mulched area should be as large as the width of the tree canopy and on some of the larger trees that can be 50 to 60 feet wide.back to the list
Mark Blevins , Horticulture Agent
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