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.

Insect Galls on Pecan Leaves



Galls caused by pecan phylloxera



I have been getting lots of calls and e-mails about pecan phylloxera. This insect is widespread this year.

This insect is about 1/5 of an inch long and causes galls (knots) on stems and leaves. The galls generally split open in late May and early June and release small, greenish, winged aphid-like insects. The galls then dry, which causes twig dieback and leaf drop. Severe infestations of this insect can cause loss of the pecan crop for the current year and also for the following year.

 

No effective control of phylloxera is available once the galls are present. Sprayed insecticides will not reach the insects inside the galls.

The most effective control of pecan phylloxera is in the spring when the eggs hatch and the small insects crawl to the buds. One or two sprays in early April when new leaves are 1 inch long with a possible second spray a week later are usually effective in controlling this insect. Recommended insecticide for homeowners is Sevin.

Controlling Fire Blight

A disease called fire blight has been widespread on susceptible varieties of apples and pears in home orchards this spring. In the landscape and ornamental trees such as Bradford pears as well as ornamental shrubs like flowering crabapple, hawthorn, roses, flowering quince, and pyracantha are also affected.

Fire blight usually shows up about this time of year in our area, however it’s been more common this season because of wet conditions and cooler temperatures over the past few weeks. This is a bacterial disease, it shows up on the tips of the branches of diseased trees and they have a “scorched” appearance like they were burned. Hence, we have the name “Fire Blight.”  Also, tips of infected branches are curved like a shepard's crook.

 In some cases, branch dieback is so severe that many homeowners become concerned about the survival of the tree. Death of a tree or shrub from fire blight is not common, but can occur from damage building up over several seasons.

 Unfortunately, for the homeowner with fire blight problems, there are few control procedures that can be carried out at this time of the season. Some control has been reported using a streptomycin antibiotic solution during the bloom time which prevents the bacteria from entering the branches through the flowers. However, at this late in the season, about the only control is pruning of diseased branches, and it is not recommend at this time of year unless fire blight damage is severe.
 

First, do not prune during rainy weather; second, all cuts must be made several inches below the point of visible infection. Third, pruning tools must be disinfected with each cut, and you may use a 10% household bleach solution by mixing 9 parts water to one part bleach. Make sure to rinse, dry and oil the pruners after use, because bleach is corrosive.

Other practices used in conjunction with pruning are to prevent cankers on large limbs and trunks by rubbing off water sprouts during the spring and summer. Also, avoid heavy nitrogen fertilization at any time during the season because it promotes succulent new growth that is susceptible to fire blight infection.

Holey Moley, Maybe Not

     I get lots of questions beginning in the spring about holes in the yard. Clients call in describing holes and want to know what caused them and how to get rid of the culprit.

   Following is a list of hole descriptions and the critter that made them:12 - 36 inches in diameter, thoroughly plowed three inches deep, in flowerbed: armadillo


6 - 10 inches in diameter, no mound, scattered in lawn: skunk or raccoon

6 - 10 inches in diameter, mound four inches high, near garden or barn: groundhog


2 inches in diameter, no mound, scattered in lawn: squirrel digging acorns

2 inches in diameter, small mound one inch high, under a shrub, log pile or concrete slab: chipmunk or rat

2 inches diameter, small mound, in lawn with markedly raised grass nearby: mole

1 inch diameter, no mound, next to hosta: vole
1 inch diameter, soil thinly scattered around hole, middle of the yard: cicada killer wasp

1 inch diameter, two inches high and made from balls of mud, near creek: crayfish

One-fourth inch diameter, mound two inches high & wide, several in middle of the lawn: ground bee

No hole, mound two inches high & wide, several in middle of the lawn: earthworm

    As well diggers might joke, their work involves lots of deep thinking! I am hopeful this table will help you solve landscape ‘hole’ puzzles without a great deal of thought. For answers on control of these varmints, call your local extension service office.

Carpenter Bees

They are out there harassing not only you and me, but they are also harassing the unpainted wood around your house. While these buzz -bombing rascals may look like bumble bees, they are actually carpenter bees, sometimes called wood bees.

 Carpenter bees are solitary nesters, although there may be several females nesting in the same basic area. The female chews holes into unpainted wood, sometimes into dead trees, and establishes nest compartments off of the main tunnel. She then lays an egg at the end of each nest compartment and packs nectar and pollen in over the top of the egg. After the egg hatches, the larvae eats the food then pupates, and late this summer they’ll hatch out. Now, the male carpenter bees hang around where there are females and act threatening and fly around you and buzz bomb you. Don’t worry! Males do not have stingers. 
The females are busy gather food and won’t bother you UNLESS you grab them or pick them up. The best solution is to paint the wood. If you cannot do that, then spray the entrance tunnels with sevin or permethrin.  A dust works better than a liquid, but leave the tunnel unplugged.  This fall you can fill the holes with wood putty and then paint over it or apply a wood stain so that the area won’t be so attractive next year.

Mississippi Medallion Plants 2011


   The Mississippi Medallion program was started in 1996 to To increase awareness of outstanding garden and landscape plant materials and to promote sales and production of ornamental plants in Mississippi.  Fifty-eight plants have been selected as Mississippi Medallion winners since then. For 2011, 3 plants are being featured.




SunPatiens



  'SunPatiens' are hybrid impatiens that thrive through the hottest parts of summer. Provided with adequate water, they will flower from spring until first frost.  There are 15 Sunpatiens selections that come on colors  include white, red, orange, coral, pink, blush, and magenta.  They have been solid preformers in trial gardens in Mississippi.

 



   'Aristotle' bell pepper very widely adapted green to red, blocky bell pepper with tremendous yield potential. Its extra large, dark green fruit and heavy sets have impressed growers everywhere. 'Aristotle’s' vigorous 20-24 in. plants offer good sun protection to the fruit and have intermediate resistance to bacterial leaf spot (races 1,2,3), potato virusY, and tobacco mosaic virus.

 



   Itea virginica, commonly known as Virginia Sweetspire is a native plant in Mississippi. This shrub has erect, densely branched stem when grown in full sun. The plant is evergreen most years in the coastal region and semi-evergreen to deciduous in northern Mississippi. The foliage is dark green and changes to a brilliant red fall color.  Flowers are produced on the previous year’s stems, prune after flowering. There are no serious pest or disease problems.  Virginia Sweetspire needs adequate moisture during dry periods inorder to grow well.

 

   Look for Mississippi Medallion plants at your local garden center.





Prime Pruning Time

Do not commit crapemurder!

    February is prime time for pruning time in Mississippi.  This spell of warm weather has ever gardener outside working in their yards.  Pruning shears are in a flurry of activity.

   But gardeners need to stop and slow done for a moment.  Why are they pruning and do they really need to be doing it?  Not every plant needs to be pruned every year!  Stop and look at the plant before you make any cuts.  Plan your cuts carefully.

   A properly pruned shrub is like a good haircut; hardly noticeable at first glance. Pruning cuts should be selective and hidden inside the plant where they will be covered by remaining leaves.

   The first step in pruning a shrub is to remove all dead, diseased, or damaged branches. Remove branches that cross or touch each other and those that are growing in the wrong direction.  This might be all that is needed.

   One of the main reasons people have to prune every year is that they planted the wrong plant for the space and it has over-gown the area.  In this situation all the branches are headed back or entire limbs are thinned out.

   In extreme situations the entire plant might need to be rejuvenated. In this case the plant is cut back to with 4 - 24 inches of the ground and encouraged to regrow.   As the plant grows back, some of the branches will need to be removed inorder to have a well-shaped plant.

   Another reason for pruning is to create a special-shaped plant or a topiary design.  We do not see lots of ornately-shaped plants in Mississippi, but they can be created if an ambitious gardener chooses to do so.

  The take-home lesson is to prune only if you need to or have to do it.  Otherwise relax and take time to enjoy this warm spell.

Pruning Muscadine Vines



Properly pruned vine.



       The best time to prune your muscadine vines is during the winter when they are dormant -sometime between mid-January to mid-March. Pruning of the past seasons growth must be done each winter to ensure a high quality crop with vigorous growth. Failure to prune annually can result in a night-mare mass of vines and very few fruit.

     After a muscadine vine has been trained, you want to cut off 70 to 90 percent of last year‟s growth. The shoots of muscadine grapes arise from buds in the leaf axils of the past seasons growth. The fruit of mus-cadine grapes is borne on the current year‟s growth. A good recommendation is to prune the previous year‟s growth back to 2 to 4 buds.

    Also, prune out lateral branches every 6 inches between each branch. Re-member to remove excess tendrils to prevent girdling of the vine.