Submitted by: agcomm, Thu Aug 28 09:15:19 1997 Hortiscope Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist North Dakota State University Q.A beautiful, tall, slender fir tree grows at the end of my garden. I do not know its name. It is 10 years old and 15 feet high. This spring it suddenly started to bend over so it had to be braced to keep it from falling. Meanwhile, one side of the tree began to look like these samples. Can you give me one of your usual sharp diagnoses and perhaps suggest a solution? Thank you. (Britton, S.D.) A.Abies concolor, white fir, a real beauty. Wish we could grow them up here. Since there is an absence of any pathogen or insect activity, I suspect a possible herbicide injury, which typically shows needle cast and curled leader growth. This is the only possibility I can come up with based on what you sent. Q.My husband has a lot of pride in two silver maple trees he planted three years ago. They are growing fairly well. The branches are 4 to 5 feet long. He keeps cutting the branches near the ground (6 to 7 feet) up. I think he is doing harm to the tree itself. They are now about 8 to 10 feet high. Can you tell me what is the right way to cut those lower branches? Yes, he cuts next to the trunk of the tree. (Velva, N.D.) A.I don't want to get between spouses with differing opinions on plant culture. Enclosed is extension publication H-1036, "Pruning Trees and Shrubs." Others may obtain a copy of htis publication at their local county extension office or by contacting the NDSU Extension Distribution Center, Box 5655, Morrill 10, NDSU, Fargo, ND 58105-5655. What your husband is doing raises the canopy of the tree, allowing for better air and light penetration and easier movement underneath it when mowing. Q.Asparagus is salt tolerant and I would like to salt its soil to keep weeds down. 1.Will salt help the plants, or have a neutral effect? 2.How much salt should I use? 3.Should the salt be left on the surface or tilled into the soil? 4.Should the salt be applied before or after planting? 5.If after, how often? 6.What other aspects of using salt around asparagus should I keep in mind? Thank you. (Howard, S.D.) A.With my master's degree in soils, I just cannot bring myself to recommend salting the soil deliberately to control weeds. There are herbicides that you can use to control both the grass and broadleaf weeds. Sinbar can control emerged annual broadleaved weeds and Fusilade or Poast will control emerged grasses. For pre-emergent treatment, use Princep or Devrinol. For really obnoxious perennials, including quackgrass, use Roundup, applying at least one week before the first spear appears. Salt use will destroy the structure of the soil and would not be a complete herbicide anyway. Q.I look forward each week to your column in the Aberdeen American News and enjoy it very much. I plan to move quite a number of my lilies this fall and am wondering just when to do this. Can I do it when the stems are still evident so as to be able to locate them? I would appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks. (McLaughlin, S.D.) A.Thanks! I am pleased you enjoy the column. I enjoy hearing from people like you who help to make the column interesting. Your answer is yes. You can move lilies this fall after a couple of good frosts with the foliage attached. Q.I would like to know how to get rid of quackgrass in my raspberry patch. I enjoy reading your articles. (Rutland, N.D.) A.Quackgrass in raspberry patches can be controlled with Roundup, if the canes are dormant, in late fall or early spring before new growth begins. It can also be controlled selectively with a material known as Poast or another one called Casoron. Don't be discouraged quackgrass is difficult to control and may take a couple of applications to completely control. Q.I enjoy reading your articles about plants and trees. My problem is that I planted a dwarf Jonathan apple tree and last winter the rabbits chewed all the bark about 3 feet up, so it died. Now it is sprouting limbs from the bottom. Will it ever be any good and bear fruit or will it just be a bush? Will be watching for the answer in the paper. Thank you. (Canova, S.D.) A.This has happened a couple times to me as well. The result was a better tree for what it had to endure. Check to make sure the growth is not coming from the graft union or below it. If it is, then dig it out and replace. If the new growth is emerging from the remaining stem, then you likely have nothing to worry about. Q.There are two weeds I would like to know how to kill. The small one has little yellow flowers. It is taking over my lawn. We had professionals spray our lawn and still they keep coming back. What are the names of the two weeds? The large leaves with brown spots are from our flowering bush. Is this serious? Also, when they planted it they never told me how to take care of it. Do I cut it down in the fall after it turns brown or do I cut it only in the spring? Will it get as large as it is now, which is about 10 feet? Read your articles all the time and they are a great help to me. Thank you. Also, did I send the samples correctly? Thank you again. (Valley City, N.D.) A.Your two weed samples were oxalis (small one taking over your lawn) and wormseed mustard. Both are annuals producing lots of seed. The best approach is to have your lawn service apply a pre-emergent next spring. That will keep them from germinating. Your shrub is a Rhus, or smooth sumac. It is showing a leaf spot fungus which at this time you can do nothing about. Clean up fallen leaves this autumn and apply a multipurpose fungicide next spring, after the leaves emerge, as a protectant. Your samples were not properly sent, although my good secretary rescued them! Samples should be sent dry and in ziplock bags. Thank you. Q.Could you please tell me what type of a tree this is, as we moved and are trying to weed out the hedge. Thanks. (Anamoose, N.D.) A.The sample you sent was from Rhamnus cathartica, common buckthorn, most likely planted by a bird. The fruits are apparently tasty to the bird population and seeds benefit from passing through their digestive systems sprouting into shrubs anywhere they are dropped. In essence, if it is not what you want or where you want it, it is a weed. You have my permission to remove it! Q.Enclosed is a sample of a perennial I have had for about 20 years. I would like to know the correct name for it, if possible. Some have said it is a phlox, while others call it snowball. The flowers vary on plants from white simple flowers to the sample I have enclosed which has pink-hued to almost white double blossoms. I have planted our former vegetable garden into perennials and would like some information on transplanting native flowers into it, including information on soil variances and how we can replicate the native sod if possible. Enjoy your weekly column in the Steele Ozone. Keep up the good work. (Steele, N.D.) A.Your sample was one known as Bouncing Bet, Sapanaria officinalis. It is a good naturalizer (aggressive) as you would know after dealing with it for 20 years. This plant can be propagated from collected seed, or by division in fall or spring. I don't like to encourage collection of plants from native habitats, but to have individuals make purchases from legitimate purveyors of native seeds or plants. ### NDSU Agriculture Communication Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161 Editor: Barry Brissman (701) 231-7866