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.