NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota
State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
January 7, 1998
Hortiscope
Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University
At the start of each new year, I think it is important to provide a number of guidelines to those of you who wish to correspond, send in samples, or ask questions. For 1999, I'll offer four:
1. All correspondence, questions, and samples must have a return address. Neither I, nor my secretary Melissa, is a mystic! We need a name, street address or box number, city, state, and zip code. Each year letters come in with just a name and no city, or a city and no name, or neither. As I have said before, I answer each inquiry individually so that you can be assured your concerns are addressed. I have no control over what gets put into the papers—that is up to the individual editors. Several of you have said, "I'll wait to read your answer in the paper" and then have not included a name or address. That literally renders me helpless to assist you!
2. With e-mail, I need a city and state at least. Editors often like to localize their columns to at least the state level, and when this information is not provided, they resist printing the questions and answers. This is unfortunate, as many of the questions that come via e-mail are excellent and worth being read by many of you.
3. Samples of plants should be packed dry, in a ziplock bag if possible. I often get samples in two states: as confetti or in the initial stages of compost. Again, this makes it impossible for me to help in a timely manner. If you want a plant or disease identified, give me as much information as possible about the plant, along with flowers and/or fruit. Keep in mind what our mail goes through! Padded envelopes or protected boxes are best.
4. With insects—kill them off first, please, with denatured alcohol. This is available in local supermarkets or drug stores as rubbing alcohol. Melissa opens my mail for me, and when things crawl out after her, I hear about it! That, plus the fact that I have plants growing in my office which I don't want to become hosts to whatever is working your plants over! So, the best way to send insect samples is in a alcohol-filled plastic vial with a sealable top, in a small box or padded envelope. Again, be as descriptive about the damage and plant material it has been found on.
When I am in town, I try to answer my correspondence each day, if it isn't too overwhelming! When I am out of town, Melissa makes a judgment call and may have someone else answer your concerns; otherwise, I get to it at the end of the week or over the weekend.
Finally, I'd like to thank you all, for being such faithful and interesting readers and correspondents! It is your input that makes the column lively! I hope 1999 turns out to be the best year for each and every one of you!
Q: Does putting Christmas lights on live evergreen trees do any harm? In the past 10 years we lost two trees that were decorated every season and were wondering if it was just coincidental that they were the only two in a tree row which died. (Butte, N.D.)
A: I hope it is coincidence. The only damage I have seen is a "spiral burn" where the lights were strung and got too hot, causing the needles in those locations to turn brown. It all depends on the light intensity used. Too much for too long could cause damage.
Q: I would like to answer a question you received from someone about growing cyclamen. Purchase a pot and a larger saucer, plus a clear, thin, plastic saucer that can be cut with a knife or scissors. This smaller saucer will be placed upside down in the bottom saucer. Cut a hole in the clear saucer the size of a nickel. When you water the plant make sure you always have water in the bottom saucer. This will allow this water to "wick" up to the bottom of the plant, which must be moist, but never standing in water.
I also mulched my cyclamen with the old leaves as they fell off the plant. Just place them very loosely around the stem of the plant. You don't want to create mold and mildew.
Place the plant in an east window with filtered light in the summer, I kept the windows uncovered in the winter. This room was cool in the evenings and normal living temperature during the day. Good luck, I hope they enjoy these jaunty flowers as much as I did. (e-mail)
A: Thanks for the advice on the cyclamen.
Q: I have read in your article about nightshade as a poisonous weed. I know of people who pick these as they are really blue and use them for pie in place of blueberries. They haven't been sick, so I am curious why you say them are poisonous. (e-mail)
A: The fact that they pick them very ripe is what is keeping them from becoming sick. This is related to the tomato, potato, pepper, and eggplant. We eat the potato tubers, which are not poisonous, but the "fruit" (a cherry tomato-type structure) is. The potato tuber is very edible, but as the skin and the meat turns green with chlorophyll, they become inedible.
The study of poisonous principles in plants is interesting and quite complicated, requiring the efforts of the best plant biochemists in our country. It is generally believed that toxicity of a given species may vary over wide limits, with factors being environment, plant part and degree of maturity.
The term poisoning is often interpreted to mean death. In many cases it unfortunately does, but in most cases, depending on the dose and a slew of other factors, it simply means a number of maladiesanxiety, insomnia, nausea, etc.
The reason I don't encourage the deliberate planting of nightshade is the possibility of kids eating them in an immature form and suffering because of it.
Q: Is an old barnyard a good place to plant raspberries? The cattle have been gone for about 10 years. What variety should I plant, so they will be ready to pick in the fall? Is Autumn Bliss a good variety? (Fillmore, N.D.)
A: You asked the right person about raspberries! They are one of my favorite fruits, having grown a couple of acres of them in my younger days!
Here are the answers to your questions. Other information is available in a publication titled "Refreshing Raspberries for Home-Grown Goodness" (H38), produced by the NDSU Extension Service. Yes, Autumn Bliss can be grown and Black Hawk is the only hardy black-fruited variety that can be grown. Those that have grown Black Hawk swear by the good flavor of the fruit. Boyne and Latham are two of the best red-fruited ones to grow. Boyne is truly winter hardy, while Lathum needs some winter protection.
Q: My bulbs that I planted this fall are starting to show signs of life. Are they going to be OK, or should I dig them up and put them in pots outside for the winter? (Jamestown, N.D.)
A: If you got the bulbs planted, the best thing to do is leave them where they are. ND has never let us down in the snow department, and when it finally does arrive, the snow will act as insulation. Digging and repotting then now would hurt more than help! They are completely winter hardy, and unless it drops overnight to -10F or lower with no snow cover, they will survive! Hope this helps!
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Do you have a gardening or houseplant question? Write to Hortiscope, Box 5051, NDSU Extension Service, Fargo, ND 58105 or e-mail to Ron Smith at ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu.
Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161 ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136