Dan West Garden Center

September 2007 Newsletter©

More FAQ's in the summer.

So what's happening to my Leyland Cypress?

Is the top dying out?  Do you have limbs dying?  The problem is Seiridium canker, a fungus that causes sunken dark brown lesions on the stem or trunk.  Everything beyond the lesion dies.  There is no cure.  Infected limbs should be trimmed an inch or two below the canker and destroyed.  The disease is transmitted by rain, splashing water and by infected pruning tools, so clean your tools between every cut with rubbing alcohol.  Severely infected trees should be removed. 

So what's happening to my Japanese Hollies?

Does it have a few limbs dying?  One on this side, one in back...it's black root rot. Halt fungicide will control it but...you have to spray every 21-28 days, for the rest of your life, so the best option is to remove them when they get ugly and replace them with dwarf yaupon hollies or wintergreen boxwoods that don't get the disease.. We usually see the disease hit plants in the 5 years and up range and it moves by water, so it slowly spreads to your other Japanese hollies.

So what's happening to my Japanese Maple?

Are the leaves losing their color?  Are they spotted brown with lots of holes in the foliage?  Are the edges crispy brown?  Perfectly normal...for Memphis.  It's just heat stress.  It happens every year and they'll be beautiful next spring.  It has nothing to do with water on the foliage.  When soil heats up, the roots don't move water as efficiently so the leaves dry.  In USDA Zones 7 and 8, they are going to scorch, you can't stop it. There's less damage when the maple is shaded, but red maples don't have the intense color in the shade.  Some of the newer cultivars, like Emperor 1, don't burn as bad, but they still burn.  Laceleaf varieties are the worse.

So what's happening to my Euonymus?

Are there white spots on the leafs? Are there white and black "things" on the stem and undersides of the foliage?  Are they beginning to lose their leaves? You've got Euonymus scale (it's an insect) and probably powdery mildew (a disease).  Best solution...cut them down, dig them up and plant something that's not as much trouble. If you must keep them, for scale you can use summer oil if the temperatures are below 85 and above freezing, or use a systemic such as Acephate or Di-syston.  For powdery mildew use Fertilome Systemic Fungicide.  Want to go organic? Use Fertilome Triple Action but follow the same temperature restrictions as an oil.

So what's happening to my Crape Myrtle?

Are the leaves black and sticky?  Are the blooms not opening? Black leaves are covered with sooty mold.  Sooty mold grows on "honeydew".  Honeydew is secreted from aphids and scales. Kill the aphids and scales on the crape myrtle and you will not have the sooty mold. I'd use Acephate, especially if the crapes are very tall and difficult to spray.  Acephate is absorbed by the plant and moves upward and outward to the tenderest foliage where the insects are.  If the flowers aren't opening, you've probably got powdery mildew.  Use the Fertilome Systemic Fungicide.

So what's happening to my Bradford Pear?

Are the tips turning black?  It's fire blight.  Fire blight is a bacterial infection.  Preventing the disease is your best option.  Spray with agricultural streptomycin (ferti-lome Fire Blight Spray) in late winter before the tree leafs out.  Once you have it, cut out the infected limbs.  Make your cut about 12 inches below what appears damaged because the disease has progressed down the stem.  Clean your pruners with rubbing alcohol after every cut to prevent spreading the disease back into the plant.  Best solution...cut it down!  It's going to break from a brisk wind soon anyway!

So what's happening to my Azaleas?

Do the leaves look white or sort of a salt and peppered appearance?  Are there black spots on the back of the leaves? You've got lacebugs.  They get on the back side of your leaves and suck out the green!  To let you know they've been there, they leave black droppings on the back side.  I'd use Acephate again.  Sucking insects that fly away when sprayed are easier to kill with systemic insecticides.  The chemical is inside the plant and gives you several weeks of protection.  Be sure to start spraying earlier next year (April) to prevent the damage...or move the plant out of the sunlight.  Lacebugs usually only attack azaleas that are exposed to direct sunlight. 

So what's digging big holes in my flower bed?

Could be raccoons, could be foxes, but chances are good that it's an armadillo.  During times of drought, these varmints are more likely to find grubs and earthworms in the moist soil around the plants you're watering.  Trapping them is one option.  Use a large trap and bait it with earthworms placed in a nylon stocking.  Use caution when handling a trapped animal.  Avoid contact with the animal and it's fecal matter.  Rabies and tapeworms are carried by all three of these animals and about half the armadillo population carries the bacterium responsible for Leprosy.  I think the risk of being infected is very low.  It appears most infections have occured from eating the uncooked meat (I hear it tastes just like chicken!), but the risk is still there.   Because these animals have very sensitive noses, anything that smells bad usually tends to repel them.  We sell several repellents including a liquid castor bean oil that works or you might fertilize the area with a light coat of Milorganite fertilizer, many animals don't like the smell.  Spraying the soil with a light vinegar solution may work also but will require frequent applications and you'll need to monitor the pH.

So what's happening to my Dwarf Alberta Spruce?

Could be bagworms, could be spider mites, could be drainage, could be drought.  This is a hard plant to grow in the Mid South. They like colder temperatures and better drainage than we have here.  (Did you notice the "Alberta" part of the name?)  The root damage often occurs during the winter.  If the soil is excessively wet for long periods, they basically drown.  They look good in the Spring.  You even get new growth. Then in mid to late summer they go backwards and you think you've over or underwatered it. Well it died last winter...you just didn't know it until now.  The same scenario happens with ones planted in containers, except they die from lack of water, especially planters that are under eaves and never receive any rain. Container plants must be watered during periods of winter drought. Bagworms and spider mites are easily controlled with an insecticide, but check them often because damage comes quickly.  Once the foliage has turned brown or is eaten, it will not re-sprout.  Avoid planting them where they would get reflected heat or shade from a wall. I've even seen sides die off that were exposed to constant light such as a gas or security light left on at night.  They need darkness as well as light.  So where's the best place to plant a Dwarf Alberta Spruce...Nashville and northward.

Usually these questions come from panicky gardeners standing at our counter with a sample of the ailing plant.  Being able to see the specimen makes it easier to correctly diagnose the problem, so we really appreciate the customer that takes the time to come see us.  But occasionally, we have gardeners call us, wanting a diagnosis over the phone.  Some problems you can't diagnose over the phone, and it usually irritates them when you tell them they need to bring in a sample, but some problems are easy to diagnose and then the caller often asks...

Can I get that at Wal-Mart?

Yes, that's one of our most frequently asked questions. How I answer it, usually depends on what kind of day I'm having. 

For those of you with shady lawns, late September and October is the time to plant fescue.  We covered the "how to" last fall but if you missed it, and would like a copy of that email, I'll be happy to forward one to you.  We also have a maintenance schedule for established warm and cool season grasses which is yours for the asking. 

September is also the month to put down a pre-emerge herbicide to prevent annual bluegrass, chickweed, henbit, deadnettle and other late winter, early spring weeds.  We have several, but for my money, I'd use Hi-Yield's pre-emerge with Dimension.  You can use it on the lawn and the flower beds. Use it again in February and then again in late May and you just won't have many weeds. Pre-emerges form a chemical barrier on the soil surface that kills seed as they germinate so avoid cultivating or disturbing the soil surface after applying and don't apply anywhere you want to plant seed.

Very shortly (but not yet, I'll let you know!), you'll be able to access our past newsletters, our "How To" sheets, weekly specials and a whole lot more on our new website... www.danwestonline.com.  We'll be adding to the website almost daily, so visit it often.  There will be daily and weekly internet specials and Dan's Garden Blog where we'll chat about what works, what doesn't, what's new, what's easy, difficult or impossible to grow here, bugs, diseases, anything that pertains to gardening.

Just a moment ago, I had a very nice gentleman stop in to ask if he could fertilize his azaleas that were looking bad...with the fertilizer he just bought at Sam's.

Got a problem or a question?  You can email us at questions@danwestonline.com.

DAN WEST GARDEN CENTERS

4763 POPLAR            12061 HWY 64

MEMPHIS, TN 38117    EADS, TN 38028

901-767-6743            901-867-2283

KENNETH MABRY - MANAGER          JIM CROWDER - MANAGER