PLANT CARE TIPS

Fall Plant Health Care

fireblight on pear

The rainy gardening season this year has created a prime environment for the spread of disease in our landscapes. These diseases, once present, will not go away. To prevent the reoccurrence next season, it is necessary to have problems evaluated now and schedule a program to protect your plants as new growth begins early next spring. Timing is a critical factor in managing disease in the landscape.

Some diseases are easily seen with the naked eye. Leaf spots, browning and wilting, alert the gardener that disease may be present. Any plant debris from these plants cleaned up in the fall should be disposed of in the trash. Composting these materials may allow re-infection as many home compost piles do not heat up enough to kill these pathogens.

Evergreens have been infected with devastating disease problems this season. These problems are much more difficult to diagnose because the organisms (spores) are not visible to the naked eye. Our professionals with experience and specialized equipment have the ability to diagnose many of these problems. Arrange now to be on a spray schedule to protect new growth very early next spring. Often, experts are called in to correct a problem when the opportunity for effective management has passed. If left untreated, these diseases can make short work of killing a tree.

If your pear, apple or hawthorn tree has branches that are brown, wilted with leaves still attached, you may have fire blight. A characteristic symptom is the bending of the tip of the branch into a shepherd’s hook. This disease is bacterial therefore; many fungicide treatments are ineffective. Affected branches should be pruned out in dormant (winter) season only. This prevents the spread of the bacteria. If trees have been highly infected throughout the crown, tree removal may be necessary. Have our arborists evaluate your situation. Many trees in the rose family have been left in poor health from this disease.

Protecting Plants for the Winter

Blustery winds have begun to blow and the time spent in the garden diminishes throughout November. Before we head inside to spend winter in our climate controlled homes, there are some plants that should be prepared for the onslaught of old man winter. How we protect our plants will depend on the species and the location they are growing in.

Evergreens; Before the ground freezes, be sure to give all evergreens ample watering. Evergreens lose moisture throughout the winter, but with frozen soils they can’t replenish water through their roots. The area around them should be mulched with a three inch layer of an organic mulch like shredded bark or shredded leaves. Mulch will regulate soil temperatures and keep the soil in a thawed state longer in the season. Evergreens that have been added to the landscape this past season would benefit from a protective barrier around them. This is especially important if they are in an exposed area. This can best be done by driving in wooden stakes around the drip line and stapling burlap to the stakes to create a wind screen. Broadleaf evergreens may benefit with the addition of a spray of antidesicants. These sprays create a protective barrier on the leaves that prevents moisture loss. They should be re-applied in January. Brown Hill technicians can provide this service.

Deciduous woody plants; Rabbits and voles are active all winter and can acutely injure plants. Deciduous plants (those that loose their leaves) should not be mulched until late November. If mulched now, rodents may take up residence in this winter protection and gnaw the bark. Removal of bark is a serious injury to the plants vascular system and also creates an opening for pathogens. Newly planted woody ornamentals can be protected by installing a tree guard on the trunk. Guards should be as tall as possible to provide protection during deep snow cover. Rabbits will stand on top of a snow bank to do their damage. These guards should only remain in place during the winter. It is very important to remove them in the spring. Voles can be managed with mouse snap traps baited with peanut butter-oatmeal mixture in their runs. To protect the traps from other creatures and pets, cover traps with inverted coffee cans with entry holes for the voles.

Roses: Roses should be minimally pruned to make them a manageable size. Save major pruning until spring. Tie the canes together to prevent wind damage. After carefully cleaning up any leaves from around the roses, mound up a loose textured soil (taken from another area of the garden) approximately 12 inches high around the crown. Do not scrape soil from around the roots to do this as it may result in winter injury. Cover the remaining exposed area with leaves or a styrofoam rose cone that is anchored to the ground. Air ventilation holes should be cut in the top and sides so air inside the cone doesn’t heat up prematurely on sunny days.