Submitted by: agcomm,  Thu Oct 16 11:32:31 1997


Hortiscope
 
Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University
 
Q.   Would you examine these samples of apple tree and tomato
     leaves and identify the problem they have? 
 
     I took a sample of the tree leaves to two nurseries. One
     said it was a blight and we bought the spray recommended and
     it didn't help. (Don't know what it was.) The other said it  
     was a fungus and sold us Daconil. That didn't help either.
     What would you recommend?  Do the tomato leaves have the
     same problem? I would appreciate your help, I would hate     
     to loose the trees. They are about 6 years old and bear
     apples every year.            
 
     I enjoy your articles. Thank you for your consideration.
     (Martin, N.D.)           
 
A.   The tomato plant has late blight, a relative of the blight
     that caused the potato famine in Ireland. Fungicides will
     not help at this stage. Try to plant in a different location
     next year and use resistant cultivars.
          
     Your apple tree has scab and what appears to be a root
     problem. Application of fungicides must precede the
     appearance of the disease. I also suggest aeration around
     the dripline of the apple tree to possibly correct
     compaction, or other root anaerobic       problems.
          
     Enclosed is a copy of PP-659, "Disease Control in Home-Grown
     Tomatoes," and PP-454, "Diseases of Apples and Other Pome
     Fruits." Others may obtain copies of these publications at
     their local county extension offices or by contacting the
     NDSU Extension Distribution Center, Box 5655, Morrill 10,
     NDSU, Fargo, ND  58105-5655.          
          
 
Q.   How does one rid the basement of salamanders? We have so
     many. My husband caught seven in one day. We cannot find how
     they get into the basement. They are not easy to catch, they
     run so fast. Some are quite defiant.
          
     My husband puts them in the garden, which is a little
     distance from the house. He says they eat insects.
          
     My question to that is, do they come back? This is the first
     time that we had this problem. I hope they can't climb
     stairs. (Binford, N.D.)           
 
A.   It must be a good year for salamanders. Yours is the second
     letter this year, and I never had any inquiries about them
     before.
          
     Your husband is right. They eat insects and the garden is a
     good place for them. They also like cool, damp places such
     as basements, and apparently word has gone out that your
     basement is available as a good place to hang out for
     salamanders. You should be flattered. Think how bug-free
     your basement will be!           
 
     The only thing I can suggest is to really try and find where
     they are coming in. Caulk around the basement foundation,
     light a candle and see if it picks up a breeze from an      
     unseen opening and plug it, and keep on catching them.       
       
          
Q.   I am sending two samples of plants that are growing wild in
     yellow clay soil. It was virgin sod and 3 feet was scraped
     off the top to level the land. I would like to plant them    
     in the yard if they aren't a noxious weed or they don't
     spread too rapidly.           
 
     No. 1 reminds me of creeping phlox, with its needle-like
     leaves.           
 
     No. 2 reminds me of sage.
          
     Thank you for your help on this. (Walford, N.D.)           
 
A.   Thank you for the good samples and the challenge with
     identifying these plants.           
 
     I think the first one is a Plains grass-leaved goldenrod.
     The description comes closest to it: leaves alternate along
     hairless stems with minute, resinous, gland-like spots;
     prominent vein, flowers yellow, small and occurring in
     flattened clusters.           
 
     The second, and very aromatic plant is white sage,
     Artemissia spp.            
 
     Neither plant is considered invasive. Enjoy.
         
          
Q.   I would like to start a perennial garden this fall. What can
     I do to stop quackgrass from growing into it in a few years.
     Would using railroad ties filled with dirt help to keep it   
     out? (Tappen, N.D.)
          
A.   Yes, railroad ties would help, but they are a lot of work.
     It would be better to use landscape edging that you can push
     into the soil about 4 to 6 inches deep. This is usually      
     deep enough to keep quack rhizomes from invading.
         
          
Q.   I look forward to reading your "Hortiscope" articles in my
     paper.           
 
     I have a 4-year-old, 5 foot ash tree with leaves that are
     drying and curling up and it looks like its dying. Can I
     save this tree? Also, next to it is a flowering crab tree,
     the center branches keep dying. I have cut the branches off
     but the whole tree is yellow and sick looking. I have only
     the lower branches left at ground level. Would there be a
     connection of the disease between the two trees? Should I
     remove and destroy both trees? I have two other ash trees in
     my yard, 10 to 12 feet high and they seem to be doing OK.
     Any advice you can give will be most helpful. (Garrison,
     N.D.)
          
A.   Your crabapple tree is beyond hope--go ahead and remove it.
     The small green ash looks as if it is planted too deeply, or
     it has been the object of over-watering. It could also be a  
     possible root rot fungus.
          
     Your large green ash leaf looks "normal" for this time of
     year, with "normal" stippling from earlier ash plant bug
     activity.
          
          
Q.   Thank you for your informative column. I'm hoping you can
     help me.           
 
     Samples 1a to 1c are the same plant at various stages of
     growth (earlier this spring the new leaves were an even
     deeper shade of crimson). It has taken over my flower beds
     and now is starting on the lawn. I have dug it up countless
     times and pulled up each new shoot, to no avail. (I think
     the roots must start in Indiana!) What is it and how do I    
     eradicate it? Since it grows in a perennial flower bed I
     would like to avoid chemicals.           
 
     Sample No. 2 is a mystery visitor to my garden. It came up
     when I started growing my seeds indoors last winter. I like
     it--how can I be sure to have it again next year           
     
     Thanks for all the information. (Casselton, N.D.)           
 
A.   Thank you. People like you make it interesting with your
     questions and samples. I simply provide the information.
          
     Both of your plant samples probably have roots in Indiana.
     Your multiple sample plant is known as fleece flower,
     Polygoncem cuspidatum, and it worries me that it is growing
     in your town. It is not supposed to be hardy this far north. 
         
     The best non-chemical control is our cold weather. Don't
     mulch or encourage snow cover, and if you see it coming back
     next spring, be vigilant about painting or spot spraying
     with Roundup.
          
     The other sample is hairy vetch. This is a nitrogen fixing
     plant (a legume) that is used as a soil conditioning cover
     crop. How it got into your garden is likely from the soil
     source. Anyway, simply mowing it short will usually kill it. 
              
     Thanks, by the way, for sending in such good samples. It
     made identifying easy.          
          
 
Q.   I have noticed spider mites on a pointed ivy houseplant and
     the morning glory that is covering all the walls of our
     deck. I sprayed it with Ortho Isotox with a pressure sprayer 
     to get under the leaves twice, a week apart.
          
     Two weeks later the morning glory was 40 percent yellow and
     losing leaves, and all my flowers around the deck were about
     wiped out.
          
     I sprayed the morning glory again with ivory dish soap,
     diluted, three nights in a row, as well as the ground area.
          
     Still, the leaves continue to be sucked of all life and
     drop. Also, my ivy inside is infested again. I had used
     Shult 2, Instant Pyrethrin, and it had worked for awhile. Is
     it something other than spider mites?
          
     Also enclosed are branches from a nice bush next to the deck
     that is also infested. It must also be sensitive to the
     spray used. The brown spots weren't there earlier. It was a  
     beautiful light green in June.
 
     Lastly, we have 10 to 12 large (30 to 40 year old)
     cottonwood trees on our end of the block. The last week of
     August they dropped about a third of their leaves all at
     once. Was it the shift from three weeks of cold back to hot
     weather? Are they infested also? The leaves are spotty, but
     there is no "web" underneath.           
 
     This has been very discouraging so any assistance or advice
     would be greatly appreciated. (Aberdeen, S.D.)
          
A.   I will give you an "A" for effort and for a partially
     correct diagnosis.           
 
     It looks as if you have some high salts in your soil or
     water supply, or poor drainage in the areas where you have
     been growing your plants. I suggest a good fall clean up
     after killing frosts and then incorporate generous amounts
     of peat moss to improve drainage. Soils in your area are
     typically high in pH, and the peat, especially if it is
     sphagnum, will help to lower it.
          
     Morning glories are usually a piece of cake to grow and are
     often included in kids' garden kits.
          
     You are obviously a very vigilant person and while that is
     generally good, don't overdo it.
          
     Yes, the poplars will abscise their leaves following wide
     temperature and moisture swings.
                                  ###
NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161
Editor: Naomi Dahlberg (701) 231-6263