NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota
State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
June 11, 1998
Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University
Q: Can you identify the enclosed samples of flowers that were in a bouquet I received. They grew on a farm near here. No one here seems to know what they are. Also, are they available anywhere to purchase? If not, how could I propagate from the original? Will they root if I keep them in water? (Harvey, N.D.)
A: Thanks for the good samples. The sample with the yellow tubular flowers was either Clove or golden currant (Ribes odoratum). The white flowered sample appears to be the common plum—Prunus cerasifera. They are available in most nursery and garden centers around the region.
Q: I found this tree growing near Holland, Michigan. It was about 12 feet high and was completely covered with pink flower clusters. Is it hardy for Minnesota and can you identify it? (Kerkhoven, Minn.)
A: The sample was pretty well on the way to being confetti by the time I got to it. However, on trying to piece it together, it looks as if it may have been a hawthorne.
Visit a local nursery and see if they have one that matches what you saw. Hawthorns are hardy in our area.
Q: Am sending the leaf and flower from my peony. I was told it is a Chinese peony. I know what the peony looks like, also the fern peony. It is now blooming, and has been for about three weeks. It makes a nice bush plant. (Devils Lake, N.D.)
A: Boy, do you ask a simple, but difficult question! There are many peonies out there that closely resemble each other.
The flower you sent had shattered, but in reconstructing the number of flower petals in the bag, I determined it was a single red form and possibly Paeonia tenuifolia, if the center was filled with gold-colored anthers.
Q: I'm writing concerning the webworms that are very abundant this year. I do spray them and destroy the webs when small. I'm wondering, what lays the eggs and can they be controlled in the fall?
Also I find brown-like clusters on branches, which appear to be dried up. Where do they come from?
How can I control these worms in the fruit trees: plum, currant, gooseberry, chokecherry? (New England, N. D.)
A: Whether you are talking about webworms or tent caterpillar, the egg-laying adult is a moth. The webworm makes nests over the ends of branches, while the tent caterpillar makes them at tree crotches. These can be controlled by spraying with dormant oil and lame sulfur in the early spring, just before leaf-out.
The larvae in fruits is controlled by spraying with Sevin or Malathion just at petal drop. Following good sanitation in the fall—picking up leaf and fruit litter also helps.
Q: Enclosed is a leaf from an amaryllis. It has been doing very well, bloomed beautifully, then developed this leaf problem recently. It has been fertilized with a fish emulsion fertilizer. Could too-cold water be the cause of this type of injury? Sometimes the plants are watered with leftover ice water that has been carried to and from work, but it has never hurt any of the other plants.
I just planted the amaryllis bulbs outdoors for the summer. When is the proper time to take them in and let them rest before repotting? (Braddock, N.D.)
A: Watering with leftover ice-water is not good for amaryllis. It is a tropicalloves warmth and mild. Summering it outdoors will be a big help. Take them in well ahead of the first frostLabor Day weekend.
Q: I have enclosed a specimen of a plant a young lady says is growing as a shrub on her property. I have had no success whatever in finding it in any of the resources I have. It looks similar to a hawthorne, but the growth habit she describes and lack of noticeable thorns makes that identification seem questionable. (Sidney, Montana)
A: The plant is common buckthorn. Rhamnus culthcutica—usually spread by birds feeding on fruit. Nice shrub, but birds are poor landscape designers!
Q: How can I remove mushrooms from my lawn? (Grafton, N.D.)
A: Order some dry weather! Seriously, there are no effective means of ridding the lawn of mushrooms.
These are the fruiting bodies of decay fungi that are activated during wet weather. When the soil dries, the mushrooms disappear.
I suggest mowing with a bagger, or go out and practice your golf swing. Their source is decaying organic matter in the soilusually old tree roots or stumps or rotting construction debris.
Q: Could you please identify the problem we are having with these trees? Whatever it is, nearly every tree in our shelterbelt is suffering some stage of damage. The chokecherry bushes are all nearly dead! (Maddock, N.D.)
A: The samples you sent showed two problems: first, sooty molda low-grade fungus that results from "honeydew" secretions of aphids feeding. The Siberian elms showed some herbicide damage.
There are several things that can wipe out chokecherriesblack knot and the x-disease.
At this point, I would suggest spraying with an insecticide like Malathion or Sevin, to control the aphid population.
In the future, spray your shelterbelt with lime sulfur while they are still dormant in the early spring. This is a good deciduous plant sanitizer.
Q: I have a problem and am enclosing a photo. We have some arborvitae that look bad. When we moved here several years ago, they looked nice and green (they had been shaped round) .
We gave them a little fertilizer each summer, and I did a little trimming. (Munich, N. D)
A: From a photo only, it is very difficult to tell. It could be winter desiccation or salt burn from deicers.
Arborvitae are fairly durable plants for our region. I suggest waiting 30 days to see if you get a positive response to your fertilization. The plant often outgrows the problem.
If it doesn't look any better by the end of the month, then send me a sample.
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Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-6929