‘Force’ Flowering Branches to Bloom Indoors

     I look at the calendar and it tells me that spring in not far away.  I can hardy wait for all the spring blooms!  But I do not want to wait so I am going to ‘force’ Mother Nature to wake up early for me.

Spring flowering trees and shrubs develop their flower buds during the fall of the previous year.  By late January, most woody plants have gone through enough cold period to break dormancy.  

Success in forcing branches to early bloom depends on the plant type, stage of dormancy, and how close to their normal flowering time they are forced. The closer to normal flowering time that forcing takes place, the greater the degree of success. 

Start by selecting and cutting 12-24 inch long branches with many flower buds. Flower buds tend to be larger, round buds whereas the smaller buds are leaf buds.  Most of the flower buds are found on the portion of the branches that grew last year.  Use sharp pruning shears to cuts the branches.  Remember to use good pruning techniques and not destroy the shape of your shrub or tree.

     After you bring the stems indoors, recut them one inch from the base and insert in water immediately.   Some ‘forcers’ submerge branches in the bathtub in warm water overnight.  Place the container of cut branches in a cool (60–65°F) corner of the house.  High temperatures near heaters and vents cause the buds to dry out and drop off.  Be sure to remove any buds and twigs that will be under water.  Change the water every few days.  Adding a floral preservative to the water can help to control bacteria and extend the useful life of the branches.

Here are a few favorites for forcing: redbud, flowering quince, flowering dogwood, parsley hawthorn, forsythia, saucer or star magnolia, crabapple, flowering almond or peach or pear, black cherry, pussy willow, spirea, Carolina jessamine, and serviceberry.

If you want to be different from everybody else, try forcing the branches of some trees such as red maple, hickory, pecan and oak. The young, developing leaves can provide a different aspect to an arrangement.  When pruning fruit trees, save a few branches of your apple, peach, pear, or plum tree for forcing indoors.

The hardest part of forcing branches is the wait for the flowers to open.  It might take one to six weeks for the blossoms to open. Branches cut later in the dormant season will open their buds faster.  But that takes away the challenge of ‘forcing’.

Never forget that it is not nice to fool with Mother Nature.  Several weeks ago I brought in some forsythia branches to ‘force.’  The branches finally began to have some open flowers…. the same time the plants in my yard began to open their buds!

Preventing ‘Crape Murder’ Starts with You!

   The crapemyrtle is a very popular plant that produces dazzling blooms all summer long in Mississippi. During the winter months, their stems add form and texture to the landscape. Late winter is the optimal time to prune crapemyrtles.

'Crape Murder'

    And here is where the problem begins.  Most homeowners and many landscape maintenance companies do not know how to properly prune them.  They simply go out and top them at some arbitrary height - a practice that has become known as "crape murder."

   Often this mishap had its beginning at the garden center where the plant was purchased.  The homeowner buys a nice 3 – 5 foot crapemyrtyle in full bloom for that perfect spot in their landscape.  Once the plant gets established and starts to grow it becomes too big and has to be severely topped to maintain its space.
   In reality, crapemyrtles need very little pruning.  The secret is in the variety selection – select the right size variety for your site.  Crapemyrtles can range in size from one foot to over thirty feet in height!  But this is a story for another day.

   For now, let us focus on the ones you already have.  Proper crapemyrtle pruning is as simple as 1, 2, 3, here is how:

1. Remove suckers (small sprouts that can develop along main stems or at the base of the plant).

2. Remove crossed, damaged, or diseased branches.  For crossed branches, remove the weaker of the two limbs that are crossing or rubbing.  If you have maintained your plants on a regular basis, you might not have any of these to remove.

3. You might want to remove the tips of branches with last year’s seed heads on them. 

   Okay, now that you know the error of your ways how do you rehabilitate all those crapemyrtles that have been murdered in the past?  You can try one of the following options:

1. Choose the strongest two or three sprouts from each stub and remove the rest. This will encourage the remaining sprouts to grow. After a couple of seasons, the plant will improve in appearance.

2. Cut the plant back to within one to two inches of the ground while it is dormant. After two to three weeks of growth, select three to five of the most vigorous new shoots on each trunk and remove all others.  Remove any new shoots that emerge through the summer.  Or you can apply a sprout inhibitor to prevent the emergence of new sprouts.  Within three to five years, you will have a natural-looking crapemyrtle again.
  
  Use proper pruning techniques on your crapemyrtles to show your friends and neighbors to help eliminate “crape murder.”  Also, remember to choose the right size plant for your site, train it properly, and prune sparingly to maintain naturally beautiful crapemyrtles in your yard.

Selection and Care of Live Christmas Trees

Leyland Cypress

    One of the great joys of the holiday season is decorating the Christmas tree.  For many families, selection and purchase of a Christmas tree is an annual tradition.  Thanksgiving Day is the unofficial beginning of tree sales and tree decorating.

            There are many varieties of trees available for purchase.  Some of the more popular ones are Leyland cypress, red cedar, Virginia pine, Fraser fir, Arizona cypress, white pine, and blue spruce.  There is a tree to fit everyone’s taste.  The most commonly planted Christmas tree in Mississippi is the Leyland cypress.

            Pre-cut Christmas trees are available from a variety of sources: garden centers, nurseries, and local retail lots.  You can even order one through the mail and have it set directly to your home.  With all these pre-cut trees available how do you know if you are getting a good one?  Here are a few things to look for when purchasing a precut tree.

 

Purchase your tree early so that it can go in water closer to the time when it was cut.  Try to buy trees are that locally grown rather than those that have been shipped from Minnesota, North Carolina, or other far away places.  Locally grown trees are fresher and usually less expensive.

Look for a tree with a healthy, green appearance and few dead or brown needles.  If a tree looks wilted, do not buy it.  The base of the trunk should be straight and the bottom 6 to 8 inches free of branches to allow placement in the tree stand.  Avoid trees with splits in the trunk.  These trees most likely will have dried out and will not take up water.

            Run your hand along a branch. Needles should be fresh and flexible and should not come off in your hand.   Next bump the trunk of the tree on the ground.  If green needles fall off the tree, it is not fresh. A few brown needles will fall from the tree but that is natural.

            Select a tree that is at least one foot shorter than the ceiling height in the room where you will display your tree.  An eight foot tree in homes with eight-foot ceilings does not work out when you put them into a stand.

             If you want a truly fresh tree, get one at a choose-and-cut farm. These trees are also usually cheaper than at retail lots.  Most farms have several different species from which to choose.  The farms provide hand saws or saw the tree you select, and will help you load your tree.  For a list of choose-and-cut farms check the Mississippi Market Bulletin or call your local extension serve office.

            No matter where you get your tree, you should make a fresh cut across the bottom, about one inch above the original cut when you get it home.  This removes any clogged wood that may not readily absorb water.  Immediately place the tree in a stand with a large reservoir of water.  Depending upon the size, species, and location of the tree, it may absorb a gallon of water per day.  Your tree should be checked frequently and water replenished as necessary.

             A frequent question: is should I put additional substances (aspirin, bleach, soda, etc) in the water to preserve tree freshness?  The best additive is plain old tap water. Keep the tree properly watered and it will be reasonably fire-resistant throughout the holidays.

            Living Christmas trees are showing up in some garden centers.  The idea is that they can be planted outdoors after Christmas and provide a long-term, eco-friendly alternative to cut trees.  Great idea, but mostly what you find are trees that are not adapted to Mississippi growing conditions.   Look for Leyland cypress, Virginia pine, or red cedar if you want an adapted species.

            The first Christmas tree retail lot was set up in New York City in 1851.  Since that time Americans have been enjoying the tradition of a live tree to celebrate the holiday season.  Each year over 32 million Christmas trees are sold.  Artificial trees are nice, but remember ‘nothing is as good as the real thing!’

Walking on the Wildflower Side

    The glorious displays of the goldenrod announce that the cooler days of fall are at hand. Not only does the goldenrod remind us of fall, they also remind us that wildflower-planting season is upon us.

            There are many species of wildflowers but only a few provide us with the mass of color that we want. Wildflowers come in many categories. They can be vines, grasses, reseedining annuals, or hardy perennials. What we must do is choose those that are indigenous to our growing conditions and specifically adapted to the site on which we want to plant them. Are we trying to plant large meadows or do we want a spot of color in the corner of our property? Is the planting site high and dry or low and boggy? Proper selection of wildflower species to meet our site is the first step to a successful planting.

   Some of my favorite annual wildflowers that grow well in Mississippi are cosmos, calliopsis, patridgepea, crimson clover, morningglories, and sunflowers. Great perennials to grow are purple coneflower, blackeyed susan, cardinal flower, swamp mallow, bitter sneezeweed, and lanceleaf or tickseed coreopsis. Choose your favorites to fit your growing site.

Ideal wildflowers planting time are the months of September through November. The cool, wet weather during fall and winter help the seeds to germinate and get the young seedlings established.

            To get your planting underway, remove all the weeds in the area by spraying with glyphosate (sold under the trade names of Roundup, Eraser, etc). Once the weeds are dead, scratch the soil surface with a rake to a depth of about one–quarter of an inch. The biggest cause of failure in planting wildflower seeds is planting them too deeply. Mix the seeds with some dry sand to aid in distribution and spread uniformly. After the seeds are spread, tamp or roll the area so the seeds will be in contact with the soil. Lightly mulch the area with straw and water thoroughly.

            The annual wildflower species will bloom next spring whereas the perennials should bloom the following spring. If you are in a hurry to have perennial wildflowers in bloom, check the local garden centers for container-grown plants. 

            Remember where you plant your wildflower seeds and tell everyone who works in your yard. When the tiny seedlings appear, they look just like weeds so lawn care people often spray them with weed killer. Just ask my mother-in-law!

There are many books on wildflowers including one entitled ‘Wildflowers of Mississippi.’ On the Mississippi State University Extension Service website, www.msucares.com, look for Publication 1709 ‘Wildflowers for Mississippi Meadows and Gardens.

Join me at your local extension service office at noon on September 15 to learn more about 'Wildflowers for Mississippi Landscape.'

         

Water Conservation and Collection

Late June rains provided some relief from the drought.  But as sure as the sun rises, another dry spell is around the corner.  With dry conditions and rising prices of almost everything, water conservation is more important than ever.  A typical home sprinkler system can account for 30 – 50% of the cost and water use in a household during the summer.

            Mississippi typically has droughty periods every year.  These usually coincide with the hottest part of the summer and early part of the fall.  There are ways to conserve water in the landscape during these annual drought periods as well as extended ones.

            One of the simplest things to do is to mulch your trees and shrubs.  Adding a 3 – 5 inch layer of pine straw, bark, gravel etc. will reduce moisture loss from the soil.  The mulch also prevents emergence of water-stealing weeds.  Another benefit is the mulch insulates the plant roots from high summer temperatures.

            Lawns, landscape plants, and gardens can be conditioned to drought conditions and lower water usage by the way they are watered.  Apply supplemental water only one time per week.  At this single watering, apply 1inch of water.  This method of watering will encourage the plant’s roots to grow deeper into the soil where there are greater soil moisture reserves.  Hint:  an inch of water is the amount it takes to fill an empty tuna can.

            An efficient way to water gardens is to use “trickle" or "drip" irrigation systems. These methods use 25 to 50 percent less water than do hose or sprinkler systems and puts the water where it is needed.

            The “rain barrel” is being revived in many parts of our state.  Rain barrels allow you to take advantage of excess rain water when it does occur and save it for a sunny dry day. Rain barrels collect rainwater that runs from your rooftop into a gutter.

The gutter funnels water into a plastic food-grade barrel or other container (30 -120 gallons) fitted with screen to keep out debris and insects.  Did you know that during a ¼ inch rainfall that 280 gallons of water runs off the roof of a modest 2000 square foot home! 

I am using a rain barrel to collect condensate from my air conditioning unit.  I get about 10 gallons of free water a day!

All of the suggestions above can help your plants and pocket books during our annual and extended droughts.  If you are interested in learning more about using Rain Barrels or how to build your own, a rain barrel workshop will be hosted at the Lauderdale County Extension office on July 21 at noon or by video conference through your local extension service office.