NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
October 19, 2000
Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University
Q: Can I get a Trumpet vine to grow up the side of my house, which is vinyl sided, with not much support? I would have a trellis but not as tall as I would like the vine to grow. I have one growing up my yard light pole but I see no tendrils. How do they hang on? If this type of vine won't work, will another do the job? (E-mail reference, Glyndon, Minn.)
A: It will not work. Try a clematis on your trellis. You'll be much happier! The trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) is a rampant, clinging, strangling, take-over-everything vine. Don't get me wrong, I like this vine, but you need to keep it at a spot where you can reach it to keep it pruned. It supports itself with root-like holdfasts which could cause a problem with your vinyl siding.
Q: I have a line of chokecherry trees along the side of my house and they have grown up over the roof. They are scraping on the roof and I'd like to trim them to below the gutters. If they are trimmed now, will it hurt them? I've heard that the time of year you trim trees makes a difference. And will they bush out if they are trimmed that much? It would be nice to be able to reach those berries! (E-mail reference, Bozeman, Mont.)
A: It probably won't hurt them, but it won't do them any good either. Pruning this late in the season exposes the plants to potentially insufficient time for proper healing of the cutting wounds. You are better off to let the birds get the ones out of reach this year and prune them early next spring before leafing out takes place. Yes, they will bush out as a result of pruning them back.
Q: I got a call from a person who wants to put in his own three-hole golf course. He was asking me about the grass for the greens. Someone had told him that he shouldn't use bentgrass because it is too expensive to maintain and that he should plant ryegrass. After talking to him for awhile I figured out that he had been talking to a farmer to get some rye seed for his greens. Rye for planting rye grain, not ryegrass. What should I tell him about planting grass for greens? I know about the grass that cows eat but not much about the grass that golfers putt on. (E-mail reference, Rugby, N.D.)
A: Golf courses, and greens in particular, require daily care -- meticulous care- - to be attractive and playable. Bentgrass - Penncross, Penneagle, Seaside, etc. is the only grass to consider for greens. They need to be mowed daily at 1/8 inch or less height, with an 11-bladed reel mower that costs about $5,000 new or about $3,000 used. Daily irrigation is a must, as well as weekly light feeding with an appropriate blend of fertilizer. Since the grass on the green will be under constant stress, a preventative program of disease control will need to be followed, as well as some means of control for any invading weeds. Since bent is vulnerable to many herbicides, this poses a challenge even for the experienced golf course superintendent. USGA greens construction is very detailed and expensive, with average costs running between $30,000 and 35,000 for a green that is about 6500 square feet. If he wants three greens he has close to $100,000 minimum invested before tackling the headaches of establishment and maintenance.
Q: I live in a fairly open area and we have some mature shelter belts that are providing some cover from the wind. I would like to add some fall color to my yard with a nice maple or two. I already have some aspen and poplars but most of my specimen trees are evergreens. What would you recommend for my location? I saw your recommendation for an autumn blaze for Fargo. Would that work in a less protected environment? (E-mail reference, Bismarck, N.D.)
A: I would like to see you give 'Autumn Blaze' (Acer x freemanii 'Autumn Blaze') a try. It is a hybrid between red and silver maple, with the beauty of the red and toughness of the silver. Try to be generous with preparation of the soil when planting. You might also consider 'Indian Summer,' as a cultivar of the same maple but one introduced in Canada, so it should be hardy enough to take your site. It too, has excellent red fall color.
Q: Can you tell me if its possible to grow a mountain ash from the orange-red seeds/fruit that are formed on the tree this time of year? If so how should I proceed? (E-mail reference, Syracuse, N.Y.)
A: Yes, you can use the fruit. Here is what needs to be done: Pick the fruits when they are in full color. They need to be dead ripe. If the birds have started eating them, that is a good indicator of ripeness. Next, macerate the fruit to extract the small seeds within the fruit. The seed can be separated from the pulp via floatation or by screening. Once the pulp is floated off, the seed needs to be dried. If this is too much work, then simply plant the seed and pulp together - no problem. If you are going to store the seed, it needs to be cleaned and dried. Sorbus (mountain ash) seeds need to be stored at stratification temperatures just above freezing for about 60 days. Usually the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator works best. Place the seed in a ziplock bag with some moist sand. Again, if you want to bypass this step, simply sow the seeds this fall, barely covering them, and you should get about 40-60 percent germination next spring.
Q: This year something started to destroy my evergreen trees. There are small brown markings all the way up to the top in spots. Needles are stripped from the branches and tips of the tree broken like to mark territory. Could this possibly be a squirrel? Is there anything I can do to keep them away from my trees? (Onaka, S.D.)
A: It sure sounds like squirrel damage. Generally, their damage is only cosmetic with no permanent damage. No control is needed, as they usually stop and move on.
Q: I have a bur oak that is about 5 feet tall. All summer it has been covered with large ants. Will they hurt it and how can I get them off? (Tappen, N.D.)
A: The ants are "working the aphids," which are more difficult to detect. The aphids feed on the foliage and stem tissue, secreting a "honeydew" which the ants harvest for food. Nothing to worry about!
Q: I have two climbing roses which are about 7 feet tall. I pruned them once this summer and they are the same height again. Do I prune them for winter and how far back? (Grafton, N.D.)
A: You can prune them again this fall. If your goal isn’t to cover a fence or trellis, then cut them back far enough to cover them with a bushel basket or some other cover, after mounding soil over the crown. Otherwise, you have to carefully lay the canes in a trench and cover the entire thing with ample soil.
Q: When they were building the section of apartment that I live in they pushed some of the rocks from the excavation into a "U" shape, put some dirt over it and planted some trees on the top. It has an elevation of about 10-12 feet. The top grows grass passably and trees well; however, the sides are terrible. The slope is quite steep so it is also difficult to water without runoff problems. It looks like a big sand pile. I heard you on the radio answering a question from a caller, giving two alternatives to a problem similar to this. Would you be able to give me some suggestions? (Bismarck, N.D.)
A: Two solutions: Create pocket gardens of wild-flowers and ornamental shrubs that can be planted by hand, or have a hydro-mulching contractor come in and spray a wildflower-prairie grass mixture on the mound. The material has a tackifier in it that holds the seed and mulch in place as the seeds germinate and become established. You might contact local nurseries to have them help prepare the site for the hydromulching and perhaps for the operation itself.
Q: Is there a chemical that can be sprayed on lawn grass (Kentucky bluegrass) that would reduce the growth so it would not have to be mowed as often? It looks like Plateau herbicide might be an option on established grass. (E-mail reference, Billings, Mont.)
A: Chemical mowers or PGRs (Plant Growth Regulators) are frequently used by golf course superintendentss or others involved in the turfgrass profession. They are not without their problems, the main one being the inconsistency of turf response following application. Turf response can vary with environmental conditions, with the time of year, and with stage of plant development, and it is also very difficult to predict response. Except for the very best turfgrass systems, a turfgrass canopy will have something other than 100 percent Kentucky bluegrass- - some quack, some crabgrass, and possibly some broadleaf weeds. All are not affected by the PGRs the same way. Add to that the fact that no equipment or technology exists to perfectly apply the PGR's - any skips, misses, or overlaps become glaringly obvious. Generally PGRs are used for areas that are difficult to mow, such as slopes or out of the way places that are not seen up close.
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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: Gary Moran, (701) 231-7865