NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota
State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
September 10, 1998
Hortiscope
Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University
A Request of Hortiscope Readers:
I personally answer each inquiry sent to me that you see appearing in the Hortiscope column. In the 13 years since I've been doing the column, readership—and the number of inquiries—have gone up significantly. As a consequence, our outgoing mail load grows increasingly larger.
Like any other institution, organization or business, the NDSU Extension Service has a budget to adhere to, and part of that budget involves mail expense. In an attempt to continue providing personal service to readers who make inquiries, and at the same time reduce our mail expense, I am asking those of you with access to e-mail to begin corresponding with me electronically. That way, my responses back to you will be quicker, and you'll be saving yourself and the NDSU Extension Service money.
I want to emphasize that I'm not interested in cutting my service to you. My only goal is to save what money I can, so I'll continue forwarding to you those extension publications not available via our Web site. With that said, here are the electronic addresses you'll need to know.
ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu (my e-mail)
http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/ (our Web address)
Once you're at our Web site, click on the NDSU Extension Service link and see all the good information that is available. Thank you!
Q: Can you tell me what is causing this black spotty film on the apples I have enclosed? Also, what kind of apple is this and when should it be picked? (Oldham, S.D.)
A: I'll dispense with the tough question first: Apples are like twins, sometimes (actually most of the time) difficult to tell apart. My guess is that it could be a Jerseymac (a complex hybrid) or Lodi. Of the two, I would place my bet on the latter.
The spotting on your apples is known as sooty-blotch and flyspeck. This descriptively named fungus is mostly a weather-caused problem and does not impair the eating quality of the fruit, once it is peeled. A good orchard fungicide spray in early summer will easily control this.
Pick the fruit when it tastes good to you! Select a likely apple—wash and peel it, take a bite, and if it is everything you ever wanted in an apple, pick away! If not, wait another week or two. The longer apples remain on a tree, frost or not, the sweeter they become.
Q: Enclosed are some branches from my 6-year-old maple tree, which seems to be dying. Can you tell me what is wrong with it? (Deer Creek, M.N.)
A: I strongly suspect either flood damage or an elevated water table is causing the death of your tree. When leaf margins brown up like they have on your tree, it is a strong certainty that the root system is experiencing anaerobic conditions. You might try aerating around the drip line of the tree, but I doubt that will save it at this point.
Q: Could you please identify the enclosed leaves? (Valley City, N.D.)
A: The samples you sent were from a weed known as velvetleaf, botanically known as Abutilon theophrasti. Because of the shape of seed pod, it is sometimes known as buttonweed. It is becoming increasingly common in our area and is considered a pest in South Dakota and Nebraska. It starts slowly, then takes off during the hot part of the summer once the farmer has completed cultivation. The seeds are eaten by mourning doves, which accounts for its distribution in our region.
Q: Is it safe to plant new trees now or should I wait until spring? (Cooperstown, N.D.)
A: In no way keep the trees in their containers through the winter. It is best to get them planted ASAP and water in well. Fall planting will allow the roots to establish without competition for top growth. Next spring a well-established vigorous tree will be the result of this effort now.
Q: Can you tell me what is eating the enclosed leaf? It is from my Champlain shrub rose. (Linton, N.D.)
A: The damage resembles that of a slug or caterpillar. Use a systemic insecticide (Orthene) if there is no physical evidence of slugs. If there is evidence of slugs, use something like slug-getta, a molluscacide.
Q: Enclosed is a sample of snow on the mountain and another sample of some plants that are growing among them. Can you tell me what the plain green plant is that is trying to take over the area? (Barnesville, Minn.)
A: It is a "green mutant" of snow on the mountain—actually, the variegated form is the true mutation and is simply reverting back to the nonvariegated form. It is more aggressive because of the more efficient photosynthesis it can carry on. I suggest cutting out the "plain green" form, or it will take over the variegated type.
Q: I have enclosed a sample of my red maple's leaves that are starting to pale and get brown spots. (Fergus Falls, Minn.)
A: Your maple has terminal chlorosis. This could be brought on by a number of factors: a rising water table, root decay, a high soil pH (alkaline soil) or flooding during a critical part of the growing season.
The tree may hang on for a year or two before it dies. I have seen many heroic attempts to save them at this point, but none have succeeded. I suggest making plans to convert it to firewood. Sorry!
Q: I have two questions for you. First, why aren't our raspberries producing? They are planted in native sandy soil, with nothing added. We are wondering if we should add some black dirt and manure. Second, we are planning to put a garden on the east side of our garage. Is this a good place? There are also two small evergreens on the east edge of where the garden would be, is this bad? (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
A: Raspberries need fertile soil, so the addition you are thinking of can only improve production!
East side gardens are good in that the foliage dries sooner, cutting down on disease problems. To be productive, at least six hours of direct sunlight is needed.
Your evergreens are going to get larger, cast more shade, so I would suggest moving them.
Q: Can you tell me why the leaves are falling off of the enclosed sample of cottonless cottonwood in the first part of August? (Groton, S.D.)
A: Unfortunately, poplars have so many problems they have a book dedicated to the subject!
Two diseases have been common on poplar this year, which your sample shows evidence of: Septoria leaf spot and rust, two different fungi that are largely brought on by rainy humid weather and elevated temperatures.
The best controls are these: one, do not fertilize the tree, as this causes excessive succulent growth, which is more disease prone, and two, follow good sanitation, which requires cleaning up of all fallen leaves.
Next spring, spray the dormant tree just before leaf-out with lime sulfur. It is a good sanitizer and may help to control the disease problem.
Q: Can you tell me how to dry geraniums? (Garrison, N.D.)
A: Knock off excess soil and store in coolest part of basement. When it appears to be dehydrated, immerse in tepid water for an hour and rehang. Repeat process through winter until February and then repot.
Q: A warning for those people making chokecherry jelly! Don't throw the pits out the window because they will grow. They can become as bad as any noxious weed. Twenty to 30 years ago my parents made chokecherry jelly, and they threw dishpans full of pits out into a grove near the house. They grew all over the place, and the birds carried the seeds to two other groves on the farm, which became like jungles with chokecherries. I've attempted to clean out the groves, but I still have many that are impossible to get rid of. I would not even want to dispose of these in the landfill unless it was guaranteed that they would be deeply buried for 5,000 years! (Centerville, S.D.)
A: Thank you for sharing your experiences about chokecherry pits with us. It gave me a chuckle, although the battle you have fought is not a laughing matter. Good luck and don't give up!
Q: Enclosed is a twig from my basswood tree, and I'm wondering if I should spray the tree this fall. It seems to have a cottony growth, and the leaves are already almost all off the tree. Can you tell me what can be done to save the tree? (Ada, Minn.)
A: Spraying when the tree is dormant (free of leaves either in the fall or early spring) with dormant oil will kill the cottony cushion scale that have heavily infested your tree.
Once free of this pest, the tree should rebound nicely provided it has not been weakened extensively.
If all leaves have dropped off by the time you receive this, scrape the bark back on a twig with your thumb nail and see if the cambium is still green. If it is, use the dormant oil now and again next spring. If the cambial tissue is brown, check several locations on the tree. If they are all brown, then it is too late—the tree is dead. Good luck I hope you can save the tree!
Q: When do I bring my poinsettia in and put it in the dark? Also, how often should it be fertilized, and what kind of fertilizer? Should cannas be started in the house in the spring or put directly outside? (Wimbledon, N.D.)
A: The poinsettia needs more than 12 hours continuous darkness every 24 hours starting at the end of September. The top leaves should begin coloring up around Thanksgiving. A good, general-purpose liquid fertilizer should be applied once per month, following directions on the container label. Refer to the enclosed extension publication, "Poinsettia Care in the Home" (H-906), for more details.
Yes, start the cannas indoors in February. That way you can enjoy the flowers and foliage much longer when they get set out.
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Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161 ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136