October 4, 2008

October is a busy month of preparation in the garden before the winter sets in. Today to do list of what needs to be done. Continue enjoying the fruits of your labor this week by harvesting the last of your summer fruit and vegetables. Collect and store carrots and potatoes and finish picking outdoor tomatoes before they succumb to disease and cold. Be sure your apples are ripe before harvesting and allow onions and garlic to dry out before storing.

How do Plants Know it's Autumn, and what are they doing? In April I talked about how plants know when spring comes. Looking out our windows, April seems like a distant memory. Those maples and poplars seem to think the end of the world is coming, and they want everybody else to know about it, shouting “RED! ORANGE! YELLOW!” For many gardeners, the beginning hockey season is certainly not the end of the world. But it is a premonition of the harsh environment to come, especially if you are a plant--rooted in place with very little water in liquid form or shelter from the bracing winter cold. Plants prepare for winter so they can survive and grow again in spring. Preparations include protecting important tissues from being damaged by freezing, and mobilization important nutrients and minerals out of tender tissue and into hardy or protected tissue. But plants don't play hockey, football, or volleyball; how do they know it's autumn?

Well, how do you recognize autumn? You notice your alarm going off in the darkness of the morning hours, unlike in July, when it was light enough to eat breakfast outside. You can't grill outside at 9 PM anymore, and daylight savings is only partially to blame. The earth is getting closer to the sun, but the sun is moving further and further south in the sky and becoming increasingly rare. The Autumnal equinox was Sept. 22, when the sun was directly over the equator. It will make a trip to the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere, then return to the northern Tropic of Cancer next summer. The seasonal changing of daylength is a signal for us to carve pumpkins, and a signal for plants to prepare for winter. Shortening daylength (perceived by plants as lengthening night length) is a reliable predictor of lower temperatures, so shorter days serve as a good signal to begin preparing for winter.

While the change of color and subsequent leaf loss seems to coincide with the cool, crisp days and nights of fall, it is actually induced with the shortening length of the day for many species. This is a photoperiodic response, or a response to the length of the day. Photoperiod also plays a role in breaking dormancy and flowering for many species. Some of our native plants such as red maple (Acer rubrum), staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and American elm (Ulmus americana) and ornamental plants such as catalpa tree (Catalpa bignonioides), katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), European larch (Larix decidua), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and weigela (Weigela spp.) respond to the shortening days of late summer and early fall by initiating dormancy.

Temperature also plays an important role in promoting dormancy in plants. Without the chill in the air during autumn, plants would be ill-prepared for winter. In the event of an August day that suddenly hits 10ºF, many plants hardy to the area would die. But similarly, if it never gets below 70ºF until one day in November, when it drops to 10º, the same fate would befall many plants. The declining daylength is a signal for plants to prepare for getting prepared for winter. As the temperature decreases, exposure to the gradually decreasing temperatures enables perennials and biennials to acclimate to the temperatures, which increase their cold hardiness. Plant membranes are like an oily fluid; membranes can flow and allow things dissolved in the membranes to move, which is important for cell function. If the temperature falls and the plant isn’t ready for it, the membrane becomes a solid and the cell stops working. So one way the cells prepare for cold is to adjust the composition of membranes as it gets colder to maintain fluidity at low temperatures.

One way cold hardiness is increased in plants such as trees is with the presence of sap. Sap is water with dissolved sugars that flows through the phloem tissue of the plant. Dissolved sugars in the water decreases the freezing point of the solution below that of plain water. The xylem, water-conducting tissue, has water withdrawn because it would be vulnerable to damage from freezing water as it expands. Individual living cells are protected from freezing as well. So-called ‘antifreeze proteins’ may protect the cells from ice crystal damage. Also, when ice is formed externally to plant cells, it draws water from within the cell. This effectively concentrates the solution within the cell, which again, decreases the freezing point and protects the contents of the cells.

An important part of winter dormancy is to protect next year’s leaves and growing tips, or meristems. With the shortening days of the late summer and early fall, minute leaves on very compressed stems are formed near the axils of leaves and at the tip of stems or underground storage structures in herbaceous perennials. These are the buds that will break next spring and provide next year’s growth. For deciduous woody plants and shrubs, these delicate tissues are above-ground and will be exposed to the cold and dry winter environment, so they will need extra protection. This is provided largely by the formation of bud scales. Bud scales will primarily function in three ways: one, to keep the tissues warm; two, to prevent oxygen from reaching the buds; and three, to keep the low humidity and winds from desiccating the tissue. In addition to protecting the buds during the winter, bud scales serve an additional, albeit, recreational function- they can aid woody plant identification during the winter! For example, willows and poplars have one single bud scale, while lilacs have eight.

Once next year’s buds are ready, both deciduous woody and herbaceous plants must loose their leaves. This is a two-stepped process starting with senescence and followed by abscission. Senescence is the process of leaves aging, which includes the loss of green coloration. Senescence is important because it allows the plant to hold onto valuable resources, like nitrogen. Herbaceous plants and deciduous woody plants move nitrogen (a valuable resource) from their tender leaves to their hardy stems and roots so the buds can re-use it next spring. Chlorophyll is the green pigment plants use to turn light into biomass, and it (and associated proteins) is full of nitrogen. So when the plant senesces, it moves its nitrogen from the leaves and the less nitrogen-rich pigments which tend to be richly colored remain (anthocyanins and carotenoids). The plant just makes its pigments from scratch next year, and uses the nitrogen it saved up to make chlorophyll and other proteins.

Senescence and abscission are controlled by plant hormones, or phytohormones. When the cytokinin-to-ethylene ratio is high, senescene is delayed; as cytokinin levels drop compared to ethylene, leaf senescence proceeds. Senescence is followed by abscission. Leaf abscission is again controlled by the ratio of two hormones: auxin and ethylene. Auxin, the hormone in rooting powders or liquids that promotes rooting of cuttings, also delays the senescence of leaves. As the ratio of auxin to ethylene decreases, cell walls in a region called the separation layer between the leaf and stem break down. Next to the separation layer is a group of cells called the protective layer. This layer provides protection to the area of the stem where the leaf was attached. Consequently, this is where the leaf scar is formed…another useful too for winter tree and shrub identification! For example, maple (Acer) has 3 bundle scars (dark dots) in each leaf scar, while ash (Fraxinus) leaf scars have a continuous line of bundle scars.

So wake up late this weekend and see the sunrise, get out your jacket and enjoy the fall colors, and enjoy a 7:30 PM dinner by candlelight. Plants will be working hard to ensure they’ll be around after winter to do it all over again.

Garden Calendar for October If you still have some spring blooming bulbs plant them soon so they have a chance to root in before the ground freezes. Good root development before winter helps the plant to get off to a strong start in the spring and produce higher quality blooms. If one has a large rodent population consider spreading hardware cloth or chicken wire over a newly planted area to prevent them from digging up bulbs. Remove the wire as the bulbs emerge in the spring. In addition, if gophers are a problem, one can line the planting bed with buried wire.

Consider decorating for fall with things such as flowering cabbage or kale, mums, corn stalks, bittersweet stems, pumpkins, and gourds. Flowering cabbage or kale can endure considerable cold before their appearance is compromised. A hard freeze can damage blooms on mums. If mums are in containers and easy to move, consider brining them in on an especially cold night. Consider making a trip to a small farm that has pumpkins and other fall products for sale as well as family-friendly entertainment. Picking out ones own pumpkin from the field, going on a hayride, and meandering a corn maze can provide a great adventure for children and adults alike.

Begin lifting tender bulbs and other geophytes such as gladiolus, dahlias, cannas, caladium, and tuberous begonias. Typically they can stay in place until the top growth experiences damage from a frost, but can be dug before this point as well. Temperature and moisture are the critical factors that will impact successful overwintering. Gladiolus corms have a thick waxy coating that helps to retain moisture and they typically survive well just kept dry. Most of the others, however, will begin to dry out and shrivel if stored dry and benefit from being packed in a slightly damp material. Saw dust, vermiculite, or peat moss typically work well. Keeping the material slightly damp is best as too much moisture can encourage rot. Temperature is also important. Dahlias, tuberous begonias, and gladiolus can be stored relatively cold at about 40-45F. This will help to keep them dormant longer over our relatively long winters before they start to sprout. Cannas and caladium are warm season plants and need to be stored at warmer temperatures (about 50-55F) or they will suffer from chilling injury.

After the ground has begin to freeze is the time to add extra mulch to insulate tender perennials. The goal is to keep the soil frozen without dropping too far below freezing and to prevent alternating cycles of freezing and thawing. Putting insulation on too soon can trap moisture and encourage fungal growth and be inviting to overwintering rodents. Mulch that is more open and airy such as ground wood and bark and oak leaves are typically better than maple leaves that become soggy and matt. One can use bagged leaves right over beds. The air spaces between the dry leaves inside the bags will add extra insulation value and the bags are easy to remove come spring.

Making leaf mold Recycling your falling autumn leaves is one of the easiest ways to make free garden compost. Follow these simple tips to get the best results.

What leaves can I use? Most leaves can be turned into leaf mold, but some take longer to compost than others. Oak, alder and hornbeam will soon rot down, while sycamore, beech, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut take a little longer. Leaves from conifers and evergreen plants will take between two and three years to compost and are best added in small quantities only, shredding them first to help speed up composting.

Collecting leaves If you only have a small garden, you can save them in bin liners, but if you have the space - and a lot of leaves to collect - try building a leaf bin. It's a simple cage-like structure that shouldn't take any longer than 30 minutes to put together.

How to make a leaf bin Here's how to make a bin - if you change the dimensions, make sure you can still reach easily into the bin to remove the leaf mould.

You will need:

* 1 roll galvanised chicken netting: 10ft x 3ft

* 4 tree stakes: 4ft x 1.5in

* 20 galvanised staples

* Mallet

* Hammer

* Wire cutters

* Heavy gloves

Leafmold bin Hammer the tree stakes into the ground, 3feet apart, to make a square frame. Keep as upright as possible and leave 4ft of stake above ground. Unroll chicken wire and attach to first stake with five galvanized staples. Pull tightly to the next stake, attach with staples again and repeat on all sides. Wearing gloves, snip off any excess wire with clippers and bend in any sharp edges.

Natural gardening Encouraging wildlife to live and feed in your garden is great natural pest control, and is increasingly important as natural habitats are lost in the wild. Follow these tips to making a haven for birds and insects.

What to do

* Choose plants attractive to birds and insects eg berry bearing shrubs like cotoneaster in winter and flat headed plants like yarrow in summer.

* Let some plants like sunflowers and goldenrod go to seed to provide winter food for seed eating birds

* Plant some native species with single flowers to attract bees, like mallow, foxgloves and poppies.

* Feed birds in winter at bird feeders or tables.

* Pile some logs in an undisturbed corner to provide homes for insects and even a hedgehog or toad - both love to eat slugs and snails.

* Provide water, even a simple bowl to allow birds and animals to drink and dragonflies to breed.

Why are the seeds in some spent zinnia flowers germinating in the fall right on the mother plant?

Daily overhead irrigation has allowed old floral tissue to hold enough moisture and trigger the seeds contained within to germinate. The daily irrigation has also allowed the natural plant hormone abscissic acid that helps to instill dormancy in developing seeds and prevent premature germination to be leached away. The phenomenon of seeds germinating while still in the fruit on the parent plant is called vivipary. Some specific varieties of plants are more prone to it than others and atypical environmental conditions can also trigger it. It is common to find germinating seeds within grapefruits or oranges because of storage temperatures atypical from what would be found in nature. Generally, viviparous germination is negative because seedlings soon find themselves with limited resources and die. For mangrove trees, which live in coastal areas viviparous germination is an advantage. A thick young taproot emerges from seeds while still on the parent plant which helps them take hold in the soft soil after they fall and drift into shallow water.

People love purple plants and this summer two new purple grasses were showstoppers in my garden. 'Princess' and 'Prince' are dwarf and semi-dwarf, respectively, purple-foliaged napier, or elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum). Originating from the turf and forage breeding program at Coastal Plains Experiment Station, Tifton, Georgia, these grasses were jointly released by the USDA and University of Georgia College of Ag. and Envi. Sci. Athens Select TM program. Perennials in USDA hardiness zones 8-10, or where minimum winter temperatures are 100 F or warmer, these grasses will be grown as vigorous annuals for much of the US. They love warm hot weather, and as the summer heat intensifies, the deep purple foliage color becomes more pronounced. In containers or in the garden, these grasses will grow well in warm weather.

In the garden, quart containers were planted in mid to late June and by early September ‘Prince’ was 50-55” tall and ‘Princess’ was 40-45” in height. Each plant has 30-50 stems, (or culms as grass stems are called) each with 1-2” wide, long dark red- purple leaves.

In colder climates, north of zones 8-10, these plants do not flower, if fact, they can be problematic for self-seeding in mild climates. ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ are not recommended for warm areas “where a hard freeze will not occur by Dec. 1” to prevent self-seeding. In Africa, where Pennisetum purpureum is native, it is a wide-spread weed. It has also naturalized in tropical areas of the world, including southern Florida.

For gardeners, ‘Prince’ or ‘Princess’ can be planted in a container and makes a dramatic plant for a porch or patio. Other plants in the same container must be vigorous growers also, or they will be crowded out! Ipomoea 'Marguerite', the chartreuse sweet potato vine, makes a good companion plant for these grasses.

In comparison to the purple pennisetum we have been growing, Rubrum grass or Pennisetum advena, with thin purple foliage and long foxtail like purple flowers, ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ are taller and coarser, and resemble Phormium, or New Zealand flax.

These two new grasses can be a dramatic focal point in your garden and add a tropical look. However, if you garden in the Deep South, do not plant ‘Prince’ or ‘Princess’ due to reseeding issues.

The Potting Bench A potting bench is a workbench for gardening. Made of wood or sometimes metal, the classic potting bench has a flat, countertop-like surface that can be used to pot up plants, as well as shelves, drawers, or cabinet spaces to hold supplies like pots, bags of soil, garden tools, and any other gardening items you have laying about.

Usually potting benches are kept outdoors, which means that they need to made from weather and rot resistant materials. Cedar and fir are probably the most popular choices of materials. Less expensive options include plastic and vinyl, with teak being a more expensive option. Metal is also an option but there’s the possibility of corrosion to worry about.

Potting benches are available in a variety of sizes from small and portable (some even have wheels) to large. Most look like this Classic Potting Bench. Some potting sheds are built into a greenhouse or garden shed. Some potting benches have built in dry sinks or are hooked up to a water source.

While different many types of potting benches sold on the market, they can be somewhat expensive. If you’re a do it your-selfer type of person, it’s fairly easy to build on yourself to meet your specifications and needs. Or, like I did, you can recycle an old sideboard or dining room hutch into a potting bench.

Growing Garlic Anyone interested in growing garlic should be planting it right now at the beginning of October, because garlic (Allium sativum) is a bulb and must be planted in the fall. Sure, you can use that garlic that’s sprouting in your pantry, or buy the garlic seed cloves sold in vegetable catalogs specifically for growing garlic crops.

The nice thing about garlic is that it can be grown is almost every climate including colder climates where the growing season is short. There are two types of garlic, hardneck and softneck, each with a number of varieties. Most home gardeners plant hardneck garlic such as "Rocambole," "Purple Stripe," "Glazed Purple Stripe," "Marbled Purple Stripe" and "Porcelain." Softneck varieties are typically grown commercially, some that are suitable for the home garden. Within these varieties are “named selections,” which is what you’ll see in the vegetable catalog. Because there are so many varieties of garlic you might want to try growing several different ones to see which you prefer once it’s harvested.

Garlic prefers a sunny location with well-drained soils high in organic matter, with a neutral pH. If your soil is low in organic matter add some well-composted manure or equivalent. Plant the garlic seed cloves by the beginning of October to allow the root system to get established. Separate the cloves from the bulb on the day of planting. Each clove should be planted 2 to 3 inches deep and about 6 inches apart, and then covered with 3 to 4 inches of straw mulch for the winter. Make sure the soil remains moist but not wet in preparation for the winter months.

Woody ornamental of the week is COMMON WITCHHAZEL - (Hamamelis virginiana). Approaching first bloom across the area at this time is the common witchhazel. This small tree and/or large shrub grows to 25' in height throughout its native habitat within the eastern hardwood forest of North America. The flowers have four dainty, strap-like, crumpled, petals that are fragrant and yellow in color. Common witchhazel will remain in full bloom from early October up to December, depending on weather conditions. This plant is plenty hardy for our area. It produces a good yellow fall foliage color that complements itself as it continues to bloom. It prefers moist, shady areas and is somewhat tolerant of city conditions. Hamamelis virginiana is also valued for its unique branching habits.

Perennial plant of the week is GARDEN MUMS (Dendrathmum spp) - One of the backbones of the fall gardens, hybrid mums are providing a display of color in gardens at this time. Mums come in a variety of colors as well as flower shapes and sizes. They can be used in beds and containers, growing best in full sun and well-drained soil. Once mums finish blooming in the fall, leave them alone; however, don't forget to continue to water them in order to help establish the root system. Remember, they are a living plant and even though the top looks dead, the roots continue to grow. Mulch the plants after the ground freezes and cut them back to the ground in the spring. Despite all the good care that they might receive in the fall, not all cultivars are reliably hardy in Ohio; however, they do a great job of filling in holes in the fall garden.

Annual plant of the week is MORNING GLORY (Ipomea tricolor) - This perennial (but tropical) plant is still looking wonderful in most gardens - until the frost hits, that is. They are not hardy in here but are extremely easy to grow from seeds each spring. They are so easy to grow that they can become a bit annoying as they re-seed readily. However, the beautiful colors and ease of growth makes them worth the effort of weeding out a few extras. Plants bloom best in full sun but will grow a nice healthy vine in the shade. Colors are in the blue, pink, red, and white ranges; some are multicolored with stripes or spots. Since it is a vine, it looks better in the landscape if grown on some type of support. This is where gardeners can get very creative and provide all types of structural support. Dead trees, tree limbs suck in containers, tomato cages and more support this quick-growing vine.

Weed of the week is PENNSYLVANIA SMARTWEED (Polygonum pensylvanicum). Lots of weeds are producing lots of seeds right now. Polygonum pensylvanicum is no exception. Pennsylvania smartweed is a summer annual that is distributed throughout the United States. This time of year it is still producing blooms and seeds. P. pensylvanica is a weed of horticultural and agricultural crops. It can be found in landscapes as well, but rarely a problem in turfgrass. This multi branched plant has leaves that are hairy on the upper surface and smooth on the lower surface. The leaves are alternate and somewhat elliptic in shape with a pale purple blotch that is visible on each one. The stems of pennsylvania smartweed are a greenish, red in color. Look for the bright pink to white spike-like cluster of flowers that drop seeds when disturbed. The best programs for control of this plant and other summer annuals include preemergence herbicides.

More Mushroom Madness Cool temperatures and higher moisture levels in lawns and landscapes are bringing up the usual crop of mushrooms and subsequent calls about their control. Mushrooms are the fruiting portion of a colony of microscopic threads of fungus. These threads, called mycelium, grow throughout the area and consume organic matter in the lawn and garden. When conditions favor their development they produce a fruiting body we recognize as a mushroom. The mushroom develops and disperses spores to begin new colonies. Some mushrooms specialize in consuming certain types of organic matter and are therefore associated with a particular type of tree or wood.

Two of the mushrooms commonly reported this past week were GIANT PUFFBALLS (Calvatia gigantea) and the DOG STINKHORN (Mutinus caninus). The puffballs are known for their large size reaching diameters of over 12" in some areas. They begin as round, white, small, firm growths pushing up from below the turf or mulch. As they mature they turn dry and tan releasing clouds of spores when disturbed. The stinkhorn, on the other hand, is orange or pink with a brown head. It gives off an extremely foul odor and should not be handled without gloves or plastic bag.

As interesting as they are, mushrooms become a nuisance in landscapes. Large colonies can seriously impact the quality of turf. Homeowners are often concerned about risks to children or pets. There are no fungicides available to control these microbes. Control in the landscape involves manipulation of the food source or the mushrooms themselves.

*Remove individual mushrooms as they emerge. They will, however, continue to be produced until conditions change or until their food source is exhausted.

*Remove the organic food source on which they are feeding. This may be an old tree stump, buried construction material, thick layers of mulch or even accumulated thatch in turf. In the case of thatch, core aerifying can speed up the decomposition process.

*Do not eat the mushrooms you find. Loss of life and serious health problems occur every year to people who guessed wrong when identifying mushrooms. Do not make a casual identification of mushrooms and do not recommend eating wild mushrooms; leave the identification to the experts.

Hopper Horror Show I noticed this week large numbers of grasshopper cadavers in various stages disintegration clinging to goldenrod stems. The macabre scene was the work of a fungal grasshopper pathogen, Entomophaga grylli. E. grylli is actually a fungal species complex that has at least two distinct pathogens in North America: E. macleodii and E. calopteni. These fungi are common in the Western U.S. and Canada where they are very important agents in managing grasshoppers in crops and rangelands.

Infected grasshoppers crawl to the tops of plants and die with their heads pointing upward and their legs wrapped tightly around the stalks of the plants. The disease is commonly called a "summit disease" because of the grasshopper's weed-climbing behavior. The cadavers remain attached to the plants for several days until their bodies, having been digested and consumed by the pathogen, dry out and fall apart. As the grasshopper disintegrates, millions of resting spores are released into the environment.

These spores fall to the ground were they remain on or under the soil. When these spores germinate, in the present or the following year, they produce sticky spores that are ejected into the surrounding area to adhere to the exoskeleton of unsuspecting foraging grasshoppers. The spores then germinate and penetrate the body of the new host and the bizarre effects of the fungal infection repeats. Summit disease is capable of causing high mortality in grasshopper populations. Unfortunately, epizootics (outbreaks) are usually sporadic and localized. Heavy infections generally occur late in the season after the heaviest grasshopper feeding damage has occurred.

Scavenger beetles indicate not-so minute problem Two species of the MINUTE BROWN SCAVENGER BEETLE, Family Lathridiidae, were found in ceiling tiles of a hotel room. Although the unusual looking beetles are minute (0.06"), they feed on molds and indicate a moisture problem.

Often found in grain elevators and under grocery shelves, they feed on molds that grow on plaster or stale grain, and are often called plaster beetles. They may also be found in newly constructed homes, which have freshly installed plaster walls. In most situations, once the source of attraction is removed and/or the relative humidity in a home has dropped to 40%, the incidence of these beetles diminishes. Similarly, once the source of moisture (condensation or leak between hotel floors) is corrected, the beetles should disappear.

Clusters of crane flies This week I saw high levels of adult crane fly activity in a number of landscapes. I was a little surprised to see so many crane flies after such a dry summer. However, one place where the crane flies were plentiful was a landscape that had been irrigated most of the summer leading one to believe that the extra water helped the crane fly's survival. Yet other gardeners reported seeing crane flies in their dry areas as well without the irrigation. A quick review of the crane fly's life cycle explains how these observations can be. There are several native species of crane flies in the tri-state area. Some species emerge as adults in the spring and others in the fall. Those that emerge in the fall, mate in the fall, lay eggs and die. The eggs hatch into larvae called leatherjackets that begin feeding in the fall, overwinter as partially developed larvae, return to feeding in the spring, then enter into a pre-pupal quiescent state to spend the summer. Late in the summer the larvae pupate. Thus the dryness of the summer may have had limited impact on the quiescent larvae.

Crane flies look like extra large mosquitoes. Fortunately, they do not possess the mouthparts to bite or suck blood. Most species of crane fly larvae feed on organic materials in the soil and thatch layer, especially in moist to wet areas in the yard. There are some species that feed directly on living grass plants such as blades and crowns, that are of concern. These are the European crane flies (Tipula palodusa).

Just observations in the garden POWDERY MILDEW on peony and DOWNY MILDEW on European cranberrybush viburnum were seen. These are caused by very different types of fungi. The powdery mildew on peony was rampant and joined on the foliage by purplish blotches due to another fungal disease, CLADOSPORIUM LEAF BLOTCH. On the undersides of the peony leaves the powdery white fungal growth was accompanied by little black specks, which were the overwintering fruiting bodies of this powdery mildew fungus. The downy mildew on viburnum exhibited the symptoms of angular scorching of the upper leaf surfaces matched with the downy off-white sporulation of the fungus on lower leaf surfaces.

LEAF RUST on GOLDENROD was seen on a walk. The alternate host for this disease is certain species of pine, with Coleosporium pine needle rust being a mostly minor problem on pines, but as goldenrods become more popular herbaceous perennials, such as on the 'Firecracker' cultivar, this disease is causing more concern from the goldenrod perspective. Other diseases seen included PHYTOPHTORA ROOT and CROWN ROT problems of a number of woody plants growing in soils with poor internal drainage situations (heavy clay soil).

Don’t guess, monitor

Several topics during a recent garden talk I gave discussed the need to make decisions based on factual information. There’re many inexpensive and even free monitoring tools and methods that professionals fail to use. On the list of underused scouting techniques is sampling for grubs. A spade or shovel and a few squares of turf are all that is needed to not only determine if grubs are present, but also to verify what type of grubs are in the turf and whether the overall population has the potential to cause significant damage.

The second underused diagnostic and management tool talked about this week was the soil test. This simple test gets to the root of the problem, providing nutritional information about the landscape or nursery. The test can rule out some problems and point out others. Also, with fertilizer prices continuing to climb, the soil test allows for fertility programs customized to individual fields or landscapes. Don't guess, soil test!

Banded Ash Borer Banded ash borer is native to North American, and it belongs to the beetle family Cerembycidae. Members of this family are referred to as "longhorned beetles," based on their unusually long antennae; however, the antennae of banded ash borer beetles are not particularly long. The cylindrical-shaped beetles are 3/4" - 1" long, and their dark brown to brownish-black bodies has distinctive yellow and white markings. The front edge of the prothorax, which is the segment that is just behind the head, is trimmed with a yellow band. The wing covers have two white circles at the front, which look like shoulder-pads, followed by two thin, white transverse bands. The band closest to the circles looks like a flattened "M." The underside of the abdomen sports yellowjacket-like yellow and black bands, thus the common name.

Cerembycid larvae are commonly referred to as "roundheaded borers" and banded ash borer larvae look like typical cerembycid larvae. The segments towards the front of the fleshy, thin-skinned, yellowish-white larvae are larger in diameter than the rest of the segments. This makes the larvae look like they have round heads and tapering bodies. Banded ash borer larvae feed parallel with the grain of the sapwood, and they fill their tunnels with tightly packed sawdust-like frass. Heavily infested logs and firewood may be honeycombed with frass-filled tunnels.

Banded ash borers infest dying or recently dead trees. In fact, the beetle is most frequently viewed as a forest products pest since they often target fresh-cut logs to be used for lumber or firewood. The beetle will not infest wood that has been dried or processed into home furnishings or structural wood. Beetles emerging from infested firewood in a home are only a nuisance pest.

Common names of insects can be confusing. Despite its common name, banded ash borer will also infest hickory, elm, hackberry, pecan, and occasionally white oak. Adding to the confusion, the borer also shares part of its common name with another native ash borer, the BANDED ASH CLEARWING (Podosesia aureocincta), which is a moth. Unfortunately, both insects are sometimes referred to as "banded ash borer." The clearwing moth targets ash trees that are alive, but suffering from stress.

The ethicalgardener What choices do you make?

The plastic plant pot is the gardener's equivalent to the shopper’s plastic carrier bag: we know we use too many of them - some 500 million each year - but they’re really cheap and they’re handy. The only trouble is that like carrier bags, they have become a huge waste problem: they pile up, in our gardens, in our bins, and the majority of them are either sent to landfill or incinerated. And the manufacture of virgin plastic uses significant amounts of fossil fuels (4% of the worlds annual oil production is used to produce plastics and a further 3% to manufacture them).

An obvious alternative is to recycle them, not just by giving your surplus to neighbors or a local community project, but by being able to take them back to be recycled commercially, ideally to be made into more pots. Until recently, the argument against recycling on a large scale has been that it is too complex and costly to sort the mixed plastics. But now the majority of plant pots are made from polypropylene, with trays made from polystyrene, and advanced technology means that mechanical sorting is feasible. However, the specialized machinery is very expensive.

The challenge for gardeners is to persuade garden centers and nurseries to take back used pots - this will entail them providing staff to sort, stack and shrinkwrap them - and set up a collection scheme with one of the country’s specialist plastic recyclers who can clean and granulate the plastic so that it can be re-used.

Using degradable plastic – plastic, which has been treated with an accelerant so that it will degrade when finished with – throws up problems of emissions and the length of time it takes to break down and does nothing to promote lasting solutions to plastic waste.

Biodegradable pots, made from a range of materials such as coir, wood chips, rice husks, miscanthus or seaweed, are becoming increasingly popular, especially with organic gardeners. There are two types: ones that last a few months and can be planted straight into the soil, where they gradually break down and add humus to the soil; and more rigid ones made from plant materials such as rice husks and latex which last up to three years and can be put on your home compost heap to degrade.

I have recently switched to coir pots, which has a ‘rustic look.’ The roots establish quickly and once they push through the sides of the pots are air pruned, which encourages them to branch more inside the pot. This avoids rootballing and creates a well-developed root system that enables the young plants to grow quickly, with no disturbance, as soon as they are planted out in their pots.

This kind of biodegradable pots dry out more quickly than ordinary plastic pots and need to be handled more carefully. Except for the ones you make yourself from newspaper, biodegradable pots are also more expensive and their manufacture has a carbon footprint. In the case of coir, which is mainly sourced from Sri Lanka, there’s the extra transport costs, although very little energy is used in their manufacture as the coir is dried by the sun for most of the year. We should consider the social costs of what we’re using too. In this case, the pots, which are finished by hand, provide a livelihood for communities hit by the tsunami.

Did you know?

* Each household produces over 1 ton of rubbish annually.

* The average net saving of CO2 from recycling plastics is estimated to be between 1 to and 1.5 tons CO2 equivalent per ton of plastics.

* Worldwide, we produce and use 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago.

* Plastics make up around 7% of the average household trash.

* Nearly 57% of litter found on our beaches was plastic.

Viewpoint

Recycling plant pots is a low carbon form of recycling as the material has already been manufactured and you are making use of materials that would normally be returning empty to the growers. If we simplify the kinds of plastics we offer in our garden centers, it will make the recycling process even easier.

Coir pots provide valuable employment in an under-developed area of Sri Lanka and work brilliantly as a pot. Last year I grew hundreds of plants in them. You plant the whole thing in the ground so avoiding waste and giving the plant a great start in life.

The gardening industry has long been very conscious of the environmental challenge caused by used plastic pots and has for many years been seeking both alternative materials and cost-effective collection and recycling schemes. There are no quick fixes to this problem. It continues to require diligent development and trial work.

What you can do?

* Take any unwanted plastic pots to a garden center that offers a recycling service. If your nearest center doesn’t offer one, suggest the idea to them.

* If you want to buy plastic pots (with or without plants in them) choose ones that are made from recycled plastic (such as Plantpak).

* Make your own seed pots from newspaper. Use cardboard tubes for seedlings that put out long roots, eg sweetpeas.

* Experiment with biodegradable pots, both ones that you can plant directly into the soil and ones which can be used over longer periods and that can eventually be put on the compost heap.

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