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April
14, 2005
Hortiscope
Ronald C.
Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service
Q: How do aloe plant
leaves create a microclimate? (e-mail reference)
A: Size is what
matters. When small, the environment influences the plant by killing
or nourishing it. If the plant adapts to the ecosystem (assuming no
outside human help), chances are good that it will survive if it is
overlooked by herbivores or predatory insects. As the plant mines the
nutrients and water from the soil matrix, it increases in size and vigor
and is able to make and store food. As the plant size and vigor increase,
the plant begins to affect the local or microclimate by spreading its
foliage and cooling the soil. This creates a habitat that can help support
other living organisms that could not have survived if that plant was
not there. Parts of the plant will continue to increase in size and
number and parts of it will die and drop off (as we humans lose hair
from our heads). This decaying organic matter provides nutrients that
may help support other forms of plant life. Aloe plants are unique in
their leaf arrangement. The leaves capture rainwater, which can be used
by small wildlife and insects. Again, a microclimate is created that
was not there before the plant matured. In a nutshell, this is how an
aloe or any other plant can create a microclimate. I hope this is what
you were looking for.
Q: My husband and
I are worried about an apple tree on our property. It has a large hole
between the two largest branches. The hole has standing water in it about
a foot deep. The wood inside looks like it is rotting. The tree produces
apples, but they aren’t very good. It does give us nice shade, so
we don’t want to cut it down. What are your thoughts? (e-mail reference)
A: I’ve seen
many an apple tree in similar shape! The tree won’t win a beauty
prize or a prize for good-tasting fruit, but the shade it provides and
the birds it attracts make it worth keeping. Get an assessment from
an International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist. The cavity
can be cleaned out and modified in such a way that it won’t be
a mosquito-breeding site. The main branches can be braced or cabled
professionally to keep the tree from splitting.
Q: I have a single-stem
yucca plant. About a month ago, the lower leaves started turning pale
green and then yellow and dying off. I removed the dried leaves and repotted
it using general compost. I always thought my watering regime was fine,
but after I repotted there was some excess water in the bottom of the
pot. Could I have damaged the roots by overwatering? I have never fed
the plant until yesterday using some slow-release pellets in the compost.
Should I start over with another plant or is there a way to bring my plant
back? Is it possible to cut the stem back to get it to grow? (e-mail reference)
A: Attempting to
grow a plant in a nondraining container is a mistake that many amateur
gardeners make. There ought to be a law against such sales! Repot the
plant in a free-draining pot. Place a saucer under it to collect the
drained water. Dispose of the excess water 20 to 30 minutes after watering.
Yucca thrives in the dry lands of our country because it needs very
little water. When you think it needs watering, wait at least 24 hours
before doing so. Even after waiting that long, you still might be overwatering.
The plant should perk up a few weeks after repotting. The plant eventually
will produce new growth, which will allow you to cut back the gawky
looking stem. In the meantime, those few remaining leaves are acting
as competent emergency medical personnel by producing food to help the
plant recover from being in a boggy root environment.
Q: I have a small,
heated room off of my garage. I always keep the room temperature in the
mid-50s range. What is the minimum room temperature to keep a dozen spider
and various other common houseplants actively growing during a Wisconsin
winter? (e-mail reference)
A: Spider plants,
along with most houseplants, will survive temperatures as low as the
mid-50s. Keep in mind that surviving and thriving are two different
states. Most houseplants are relocated tropical plants that are expected
to survive in the environment, in which we put them. In most cases,
the environment we place them in is less than ideal!
Q: I have a question
about my schefflera. Originally, the plant was in a shallow casserole-type
pot. It had four trunks, all with healthy foliage. I was concerned that
the pot did not drain properly because there were no holes in the bottom.
I transplanted the plant into a deep pot, with a layer of gravel at the
bottom and built-in drainage holes. The largest trunk and foliage seem
unchanged, but the foliage on the three smaller trunks is wilting more
and more each day. I mist them and give them plenty of light, but they
don’t seem to be getting any better. (e-mail reference)
A: Repot and get
rid of the gravel in the bottom. Keep it in a free-draining pot with
a saucer under it. To keep the soil from washing out with each watering,
place a stone over each of the holes. This will allow drainage to take
place without the perched water table that you are creating with the
gravel in the bottom.
Q: We are looking
for a good privacy hedge variety. The area we are looking at has poor,
rocky soil and gets full sun. We would like to plant a fast-growing hedge.
We also need to find a variety that will not poison our dogs. (Bitterroot
Valley, Mont.)
A: You are in juniper
country. Visit a local garden center to see if it has a selection of
junipers. In general, junipers can tolerate the soil conditions you
described. You may want to consider a Medora juniper because it is a
North Dakota native.
Q: My cat knocked
over my cactus plant, knocking off the top. The plant now has mold on
top.
It has been a couple
of months since then and the mold is spreading. I’d like to save
it if I can because it’s probably more than 60 years old! (e-mail
reference)
A: The top breaking
off is unusual, unless you have been keeping it too moist or the air
is too humid. Are you sure it isn’t callus growth? That is the
usual pattern when something like this happens. If you are sure it is
fungus growth, all you can do is make a fresh cut back to where there
is no mold. Dust the surface with a locally purchased fungicide, such
as a Bordeaux mixture.
Q: I was told (by
a new acquaintance) that planting native cottonwoods is regulated in many
North Dakota communities because the cotton is considered a nuisance.
He added that in 100 years we won’t have any native cottonwoods
left. Can you verify or comment on what I was told? We have Populus deltoides
here at Wind Cave National Park, which we are trying to save with the
assistance of a wildlife enclosure. I am interested and concerned about
efforts to limit the species in other areas. (Hot Springs, S.D.)
A: I agree, cottony
cottonwoods are a nuisance, but I have not heard of a ban on them in
any North Dakota community. I also have not heard any statements about
the native species not being around in 100 years. Sorry I couldn’t
be more helpful!
Q: I read some articles
written about problems with cyclamen plants. They were very helpful. I
got a beautiful cyclamen with pink blossoms for Valentine’s Day
this year. I’ve had a few of the leaves turn yellow and some of
the blossoms are dying, but I now know what I need to do with my plant
to keep it alive. (e-mail reference)
A: The plant now
needs a decrease in watering so it can dry out. Carefully pull off,
but not cut, all the dead and dying leaves and flowers. Keep the corm
dry from around May through July. After July, gradually return to your
original watering cycle. Be sure you are watering the soil, not the
corm or foliage. When the plant begins to flower, fertilize with diluted
solutions about once a month. Keep the plant in a bright location, but
not in direct sunlight. When it flowers, try to keep the temperature
as close to 60 degrees as possible.
Q: I would like to
grow some new willow trees from cuttings. How do I get the cuttings to
root? I tried cutting new growth at an angle and putting it in water with
root starter, but it didn’t work. I’m not sure why because
I have used this method successfully on ivy and wisteria. (e-mail reference)
A: Willows have
what are known as “preformed root initials” all along their
stems. Cut off a healthy stem to the desired length, insert it into
a moist medium and voila, roots form in no time.
A quick story about when I was a graduate student at the University
of Georgia. I took a job on campus to put up a temporary animal pen
using logs stuck in the ground and then laced with barbed wire. Later
that season, a couple of the logs started to sprout and also the roots
at the base. The logs I was using, as it turned out, were willow logs.
Q: My husband bought
me a spider plant for our anniversary. It is big and has many babies.
Three of the babies had more than 2-inch roots. I cut them off and planted
them in their own pot. Was it safe to do this? One of the babies was hanging
on to the mother plant by a thread. It looked like someone tried to pinch
it off, but was unsuccessful. I cut it off and placed it in a cup of water.
How long does it take the roots to grow? In addition, I have a friend
who lives in West Virginia who wants some of the babies. I said I would
mail her some when they get big enough to cut. What is the safest way
to mail them? I live in Virginia, so she should get them in two or three
days. Since I am new to the spider plant family, thank you for your help.
(e-mail reference)
A: Welcome to the
family of spider plant lovers! The spiderette that you placed in water
should develop roots in two to three weeks, if not sooner. For your
friend in West Virginia, I would suggest sending the plants by express
or priority mail. It will get the plants to their destination overnight
by express mail and in two or three days using priority mail. Be sure
to send the plants dry and in a padded pack with “perishable”
marked on the package. For better roots that will adapt to the soil
environment, allow the plantlets to develop roots in air while attached
to the mother plant, or pin them to a sand/peat media that you can keep
moist. Water-rooted specimens look nice, but from a plant’s vantage
point, they do not transplant well into a soil media after the water
roots have developed. This is not to say that all water-rooted plants
will fail, but they do have a better chance of becoming established
in a soil media environment.
An e-mail came from
Texas asking about the desirability of a lacebark elm for their location.
Having lived in Texas for some six years, I was familiar with the species
Ulmus parvifolia. It’s a tree that is (unfortunately for us in North
Dakota) only hardy to zone 5. Many people get lacebark (Chinese elm) confused
with Ulmus pumila, commonly known as the Siberian elm, which (fortunately
for us) is hardy enough to grow in North Dakota. The two trees couldn’t
be farther apart from a qualitative standpoint. Chinese elms flower and
bear the typical elm fruit (single “wings” known as samaras)
in the fall, which sets them apart from all other elms. The bark, hence
the source for one of the common names, is lacy and exfoliating, somewhat
like the river birch exfoliates. It gives the tree a very handsome appearance,
with exhilarating orange and red fall foliage, which again sets it apart
from other elms. In essence, with this species’ resistance to leaf
beetle and Dutch elm disease and other aesthetic features, it easily would
be a No. 1 tree in North Dakota if it were hardy enough. I have seen it
thrive in the high plains of the Texas Panhandle, where the weather is
anything but kind.
The point of all this is that when the question and answer appeared in
the Hortiscope column, the question simply appeared as an e-mail reference,
without stating the location. My colleague, Dale Herman, was approached
by at least two people in an audience he was addressing concerning the
inaccuracy of the statement I made about the lacebark elm. I said in the
column, “the lacebark elm is an excellent choice!” The assumption
was that I was stating it is an excellent choice in North Dakota, which,
of course, it is not. I apologize for the confusion. In the future, e-mail
references will have their location included, if known. Also, I would
appreciate people who have any comments to make concerning anything I
have written that they agree or disagree with to address me directly.
I will clear up any confusion that I may have caused, apologize for any
errors I may have made and thank you for pointing them out. Complaining
to a colleague only places him in a position of not knowing the details
and possibly in a defensive position on the subject. I am a gentle person,
not prone to tantrums or fits of anger and never have shot down any “bad
news” messenger. If you have concerns about the information in this
column, go directly to the source, me, instead of beating around the bush.
Thanks!
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.
Note to e-mail correspondents: please identify your location (city and
state) for most accurate recommendations.
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Source: Ron
Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu
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