Monitoring the June Garden

By the 3rd week of June, there are several things we should be watching for and giving our immediate attention too. Weeding the garden, of course, is always on the top of the list. If the garden has not been weeded by this time, those tiny carrots, among other vegetables will be fighting for light, moisture(although there is no shortage this year) and nutrients. If we let even one of those weeds go to seed, they will produce enough seed to keep us busy for many years to come. Hemp-Nettle (Galeopsis tetrahit) for example is a prolific seed producer and its seeds can remain dormant in the soil for several years before germinating. This weed is a vigorous competitor with garden plants for space and nitrogen.

Hemp Nettle

If the garden is basically weed free, loosening the top ½ -1 inch of soil every week, or at least after every rainfall will promote good aeration in the soil. That 1 inch of loose dry soil also acts like a mulch and helps prevent the soil from drying out as quickly during periods of hot, windy weather.

Some ornamental and fruit trees may have produced young new shoots from dormant buds that sprout from the trunk or main stems of the tree. These should be removed as soon as they are noticed at any time of the growing season, unless they are needed to replace broken branches or fill a hole in the trees profile. This is easily done by simply pinching them off with thumb and finger while they are small. Once they have grown several inches long, a secateur will be required to remove them.

Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea Pungens)

If you have Spruce (Picea spp.) or Pine (Pinus spp.) trees in the yard and their branches appear sparse, now is the time to promote a bushier, fuller tree. The new shoots on spruce and pine (known as candles), may be cut in half while they are young and soft. Three or four new buds will form at this cut during the summer, producing a bushier tree the following spring. If each of those are cut in half the following spring, the tree can become very bushy and beautiful.

Top: Cooley spruce gall Adelgids (Adelges cooleyi)
Below: Ragged spruce galls form at the end of new growth and are often covered with needles, making twigs appear scraggly.

Watch for cone-shaped galls that may have developed on the branch tips of your spruce. These galls are swellings about 2 inches in length. They contain hundreds of Cooley spruce gall Adelgids (Adelges cooleyi). The adelgid is a species of aphid and for this reason it is also commonly known as the Cooley spruce gall aphid. These insects are inside the gall and are feeding on spruce sap. Initially the galls are green colored (at which time they should be removed and burnt), later turning to reddish purple and drying out. Old galls have needlelike projections and are reddish brown in color. They remain on the tree for several years giving the tree an unsightly appearance. Growth and vigor of the tree may be reduced if gall formation is heavy, but rarely are the trees killed. The presence of Cooley spruce gall adelgid may also be indicated by white specks that appear on affected trees in the spring and summer. This white speck (flocculence) is a protective cover produced by the female insects to protect their eggs. Spruce needles may dry out and fall off if infestation is heavy.

Malathion and Carbaryl (Sevin 50 WP) are both approved insecticides for the control of Cooley spruce gall adelgid. Three applications are needed for satisfactory control once the white specks appear. These are made at 7-10 day intervals. Follow all instructions and precautions listed by the manufacturer when using insecticides.

Yellow-headed spruce sawfly (Pikonema alaskensis)

The Yellow-headed spruce sawfly (Pikonema alaskensis) becomes active near the end of June, feeding on the needles of spruce species. Newly hatched sawfly larvae have a yellowish head and a light yellowish-green body. When mature, the larvae are 16-20 mm long, have a yellowish-brown head, olive green on top of the body and pale colored beneath with dark stripes along the back and sides. Heavy infestations can completely defoliate spruce trees. Two or three consecutive years of moderate defoliation can kill a spruce tree.

Methods of control include hand picking the larvae off the trees or washing them off with a garden hose. For many trees and large trees, spraying with an insecticide is the only means of control. Organic based pyrethrins are effective as well as chemicals such as Malathion or Diazinon. Always follow precautions and instructions on the labels when applying pesticides.

Spruce spider mite (Oligonychus ununguis)

Another insect to watch for on spruce and other conifers is the Spruce spider mite (Oligonychus ununguis). This mite is scarcely visible to the naked eye. One can see it by using a hand lens or tapping a branch over a sheet of white paper. If present, the mites can be seen crawling against the white background of the paper. A high population of mites is indicated by the presence of silken webbing. They begin feeding in mid-to late May and cause damage by sucking cell sap out of the needles. Damage is first noticeable on the inner portion of lower crown branches, then spreading upwards and outwards within the tree crown. The needles will appear yellow to brown, to reddish brown. They can remain feeding on the tree all summer long.

Control methods include trimming larger lower branches to improve light and air circulation within the crown of the tree which helps limit population buildup. Small trees and lower branches of large trees may be hosed down with a strong jet of water several times during the summer to wash off the mites. The application of a registered insecticide or acaricide may be necessary if infestations are severe. Malathion is registered for the control of Spruce spider mites.

Pear sawfly (Caliroa cerasi)

The Pear sawfly (Caliroa cerasi) is another pest appearing from mid-June until mid-July. The shiny black, slug-like larvae feed on upper leaf surfaces of ornamental trees, fruit trees and shrubs. The trees or shrubs appear scorched when their damaged leaves turn reddish-brown. Preferred hosts (plants the insects prefer feeding on) include cotoneaster, mountain-ash, pin-cherry, hawthorn and various fruit trees.

Control these insects using a strong jet of water from a hose, insecticidal soap or pyrethrin spray. Registered chemical insecticides may also be used.

There are a great number of insect pests that invade our yards and gardens. The best method of control is to monitor all of your plants on a regular basis. Removing those first few insects by hand prevents major population buildups and is environmentally friendly. Before grabbing chemical sprays, remember that there are beneficial insects in your garden and yard. Pesticides are extremely toxic to these insects as well. Birds and frogs should be encouraged to visit your yard and garden as they consume many harmful insects. Gardeners who keep the balance of nature in mind when planning their yards and gardens usually have very few problems with insects.

Jade Plant

Common Name: Jade Plant

Botanical Name: Crassula argentea

Plant Family: Crassulaceae

Description: A tree-like succulent plant with smooth, thick, fleshy leaves 1 to 2 inches long. In bright light where they should be grown, the leaf edges are tinged with red. Old or potbound plants occasionally bear small, fragrant white flowers during the winter. The average height for this plant in the home is 2 feet. A miniature form of Jade Plant is also available with leaves only ½ inch in length.

Light: Full sunshine or bright indirect light is required. 450 footcandles and up. Lower light conditions will produce weak, pendulous stems and leaves without the red tinge.

Water: In spring and summer allow the soil to become nearly dry between thorough waterings (in poor light even less). In winter, water only when the leaves become soft to keep the plant from shriveling. Overwatering causes leaf drop and root rot.

Temperature: Adapted to a wide range of temperatures from 40-100 degrees F. The plant prefers 50 degrees at night and 70 degrees F. during the day.

Media: Good drainage is required. A potting soil consisting of two parts of loam and one part of equal quantities of coarse sand and perlite or broken brick is best.

Feeding: Every 3-4 months with a balanced plant food like 20-20-20 as long as the plant is not dormant.

Propagation: Root 3 inch long cuttings in moist sand in March. The cuttings will also root at any other time of the year, but take longer. Let the cuttings sit in a dark, dry spot overnight before inserting them into the sand. A callous will form over the wound which helps prevent the cutting from rotting. A single leaf may also be used to start a new plant by simply laying it on moist sand or potting media.

The Fruit Garden

Pincherry

Today, if you have the room in your yard or garden, there are at least 24 different kinds of fruits and berries you can grow in our zone. There are many new cultivars (cultivated varieties) with much larger fruits or berries than the native species. 'Jumping Pound' pincherry has cherries that are 7/16 inch in diameter, while 'Thiessen' saskatoon has berries over ½ inch in diameter. Cultivars may be chosen which have resistance to disease. Some apples and crabapples are resistant to the bacterial disease Fire Blight (Erwinia amylovora), as an example. This disease can be very devastating to any member of the rose family including apples, crabapples, pears, cotoneaster and mountain ash.

It is very important to plant your fruit trees, shrubs and other plants in a well sheltered area to protect them from the cold north, north-west winds. Fruit buds are very sensitive to the cold, especially with plums and cherries. This is one of the main reasons many cultivars are not hardy in our zone. Choosing a gentle slope to the east or northeast is also helpful as it delays blossoming which may help avoid our late frosts.

Many nurseries are now growing their nursery stock in containers. This is to our advantage because a tree or shrub may be planted at any time of the growing season without the plant suffering from stress. Early spring is the best time to plant because it allows the tree to become established before the onset of winter. Fall planting, after the tree is dormant (the leaves have fallen) is also a good time to plant trees. Even though the top part of the tree is not growing, the roots continue to grow until freeze up, getting the tree off to a good start in the spring.

The most important thing to remember is to check the root ball (growing medium and roots) after taking it out of the container. If the roots circle around the rootball or the bottom of the container, they must be spread out and, or shortened with a pruning secateur or sharp knife. The long, large roots may be cut back to the rootball. Leave as many fine roots (these are the feeder roots) on as possible and don't expose them to the air for too long. These tiny roots die very quickly when exposed to warm, dry air.

Before planting, prepare the soil as you would for a garden. The only difference is to loosen the soil to a greater depth for trees and shrubs. These plants, unlike your vegetables, must remain in the same spot for many years. Getting them off to a good start is important. If the tree or shrub is also going to be used as an ornamental plant and will be located on the lawn, a circle of sod must be removed before planting. It should be at least 4 feet in diameter. Grass simply draws too much moisture and nutrients from the soil to try growing any other plant next to it. This circle of sod should be widened as the tree or shrub grows, to at least 1 foot wider than the drip line (the widest branches on your tree or shrub). This is where the heaviest feeder roots are, not near the trunk or base of the plant.

Remove the topsoil from the planting area and set it aside. Loosen the subsoil with a spade and mix some coarse sand, well-rotted manure and bonemeal with it. It is a mistake to remove the subsoil and replace it with topsoil. This may result in the soil settling to deep, or drainage problems occurring. Replace the topsoil and mix the same above mentioned amendments with it. The soil is now ready for planting your tree or shrub.

Make the hole a bit deeper so that when the tree is planted, there will be a 1 or 2 inch dip below the soil line. This makes it easier to water. Rain water will also run into the hole instead of away from it. If the plant is container grown, simply check the roots over and place the rootball about 2 1/2 inches deeper in the hole than the ground level. This allows ½ inch of soil to be put over the rootball soil. This is important because some of the nursery stock soil contains a lot of peat moss. This soil can dry out very quickly if not covered with your soil. Use your feet and the weight of your body to firm the soil around the rootball. Do not pack it.

If the nursery stock is barerooted (not grown in a container), but just packed in moss or soil, the roots must be spread out when planting. Do not cram them into the hole. Dig the hole deep enough and wide enough to allow for this root spread. Place the largest roots facing west to help anchor the tree from the prevailing winds. After covering the roots with soil, firm the soil using your feet and the weight of your body. As above, do not pack it. There should be a 2 inch dip for watering the plant.

Fruit trees that have been budded will have a crook or slight bend just above the roots. This bud union should remain above the soil, not covered with soil when planting. Any growth that appears below the bud union should be removed as soon as it is noticed. This growth is from a wild variety of rootstock used to bud trees onto and will produce no edible fruits or berries. This growth will rob water and nutrients from your fruit bearing plants.

Once the tree or shrub is planted, it should be watered immediately. Keep pouring water onto the soil until it reaches field capacity. In other words, pour water into the hole until it goes down, pour some more until it goes down and keep doing this until it remains on the surface for what seems like a much longer period of time. At this point the soils pores should have 50% water and 50% air. This is the ideal amount of water when watering for all of your plants, including vegetables, flowers and lawns. It is important to water your plants immediately after planting them as this settles the dirt around the roots and removes any large air pockets that could harm the roots by drying them out.

One thing you must not forget to do is to remove the wire name tag (if one was used) from the tree or shrub. If left on the tree it will strangle the tree as the tree grows, cutting off the food supply. Your tree will certainly die. I use a book in which a picture or map of my yard and garden is drawn. As new trees, shrubs or perennials are added, they are drawn in the book and the name of each plant is recorded. You may forget the name of your plant after several years, otherwise.

After the tree is planted, it should be mulched with a 4 or 5 inch layer of organic material. Use clean straw, grass clippings, manure, or alfalfa, for examples. The mulch prevents the soil from drying out, keeps the soil temperature from fluctuating, prevents weeds from growing (as long as there are no perennial weed roots in your soil), keeps the soil loose and friable which allows good air and water infiltration, and as it decomposes it adds nutrients to the soil. Black plastic may be used as a mulch, but it adds nothing to the soil in terms of nutrients. When using organic mulch, do not put it right up against the tree trunk. Leave a 10 or 12 inch circle of bare soil around the trunk. A 1 inch layer of peat moss may be used here to prevent the soil from drying to fast.

If you do not use mulch for weed control, shallow cultivation is very important. Deep cultivation scars the roots (especially on plums and cherries) and this will result in the tree sending up many suckers. These, as well as being a nuisance, rob the tree of valuable water and nutrients.

As a rule, most of the fruit trees will not require additional fertilizing. Our soils generally have sufficient nutrients to keep them healthy and bearing fruit. A continual decomposing mulch will help prevent any nutrient shortage. If additional fertilizing should be required, use organic fertilizers or chemical fertilizers with a higher phosphorous ratio such as 11-48-0. Too much nitrogen will result in tender new shoots which could suffer from winter injury (dieback).

Apple and crabapple tree branches should be trained at a 45-60 degree angle. This angle produces the heaviest amount of fruit. You can train them by loosely wrapping some cloth around the branch, tying a rope to the cloth and then tying the rope to a brick on the ground. Do not tie the rope too tightly around the branch. One year is generally enough time to establish this angle.

While your tree is young, prune out any sharp angled (V-shaped) branches. These are very weak branches and usually break or split when the tree is heavily loaded with fruit. Select strong, right angled branches that develop from the trunk. These branches should be spaced at least one foot apart and should spiral around the tree as they go up.

One more important thing to remember about some apple cultivars is that they will require fruit pruning. If this is not done, the tree produces too many apples of inferior size and also uses up too much energy in producing that fruit. There is a good chance that the tree will not produce any flower buds the following year as it requires a full year to rebuild its energy supply. To fruit prune, remove all but one apple from a clump when they are about marble size. These single apples should be spaced approximately 6 inches apart on the tree branch. You will be rewarded with large, tasty apples for your effort every year as long as frost does not damage the blossoms.

Protect your trees from rodent damage in the winter by placing nylon window screen around the base of the tree trunk. This should be as close to 2 feet high as possible. Tie it to the tree with a piece of soft wire. This must be done in the fall before the snow falls. Spraying or brushing Scoot (a product used to keep animals away from your plants) on branches and tree trunk is also beneficial. Mice can destroy a whole orchard in one winter by chewing the bark off trees near ground level if the young trees are not protected. This must be done yearly until the tree has developed mature bark.

To prevent sunscald injury on the south-west side of your apple trees in the winter, they should be painted with a mixture of 50% water and 50% white latex paint. The white paint reflects the suns light away from the tree trunk. This is what happens. In late afternoon, the sun shines directly on the south-west side of the tree. The direct heat from the sun causes the temperature to rise just under the bark. The water outside of the plant cells is drawn back into the plant cells. When the temperature drops suddenly, the water in the cells is unable to withdraw from the cell before it freezes. The ice is sharp and lacerates the plant cell. Once a plant cell is lacerated, it dies. This freezing results in the death of tissues (bark) on the south-west side of the tree. Once the bark is dead, there is no means by which the tree can carry water or nutrients up the tree.

Which Variety Or Cultivar To Grow

There is a large selection of hardy fruit trees, shrubs and other fruit plants available from nurseries today. I recommend purchasing your plants from a local nursery in our area. These plants are acclimatized to our area and are generally more hardy than plants purchased from a milder zone. Due to the large selection of trees, shrubs and plants (strawberries, rhubarb, etc.) available, it is impractical for me to list them all. Instead, I will list some that have proven hardy and reliable for me, and a few others that are hardy in our zone 2.

You must have 2 different apple cultivars, or applecrabs, or an apple and applecrab for cross pollination. Choose cultivars that blossom at approximately the same time. Crabapples will also pollinate any apple or applecrab. The same applies for plums and cherry plums. Also, any cherry can be used to cross pollinate plums and cherry plums. Nanking cherry or Western Sandcherry are great pollinators.

Apples (Malus)

Apples (Malus): 'Heyer #12'; 'Westland'; 'Norland' (Early fruiting-August); 'Mclean'; 'Brookland'; 'Norda'; 'Parkland'; 'Patterson' (Mid-season-late August to late September)

Applecrabs (Malus): 'Rescue'-by far my favorite, almost better than apples; 'Dawn' (both are Early-August); 'Trailman'; 'Rosybrook' (Mid-season- late August to late September); 'Kerr'(late season-late September to late October)

Crabapples (Malus): 'Dolgo' (Early); 'Osman' (Mid-season); 'Columbia' (Late season)

There are many more apple, applecrab and crabapple cultivars besides the ones I have mentioned. Many of these are recommended for milder zones, although with good shelter some have proven hardy for me.

Plums (Prunus): 'Brookgold' (my favorite, sweet and juicy); 'Brookred'; 'Ptitsin #5' and 'Ptitsin #9';

Hybrid Plums (Prunus): 'Patterson's Pride'; 'Pembina'; 'Prairie' and 'Supreme'

Hybrid Cherry Plums (Prunus); 'Kappa'; 'Manor'; 'Opata'; 'Beta' and 'Dura'

There are several other cultivars of plums, hybrid plums and hybrid cherry plums available.

Cherries (Prunus)

Dwarf Sour Cherries (Prunus): 'Evans' and 'Sk Carmine Jewel' (hardier than 'Evans'). 'Evans' has over-wintered well in our garden for the last two years (as long as we've had it)

Small Shrub Cherries (Prunus): Nanking Cherry (Prunus tomentosa)- a very sweet cherry. Western Sandcherry (Prunus besseyi) - a large black cherry of good taste. Mongolian Cherry (Prunus fruticosa) - up to ½ inch red cherries. Two kinds are required for cross-pollination. Excellent plants for pollinating other plum types.

Pincherries (Prunus): Native Pincherry (Prunus pensylvanica); cultivars include: 'Jumping Pound'; 'Mary Liss' and 'Lee #2'

Chokecherries (Prunus); Native Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana); cultivars include: 'Garrington'; 'Boughen's Yellow'; 'Robert'; 'Boughen's Chokeless' and 'Canada Red'. There are others.

Pears (Pyrus)

Pears (Pyrus): 'John' and 'Peter' - definitely not a Bartlett, but edible. You must have both for cross pollination.

Saskatoon(Amelanchier)

Saskatoon (Amelanchier): Native Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia); cultivars: 'Northline'; 'Pembina'; 'Smokey'; 'Honeywood'; 'Regent' and 'Thiessen'. It is hard to believe the size of the fruit on these cultivars. Our 'Thiessen' has had berries almost ¾ inch in diameter, and very tasty. All have proven hardy in our sheltered garden. You may need to throw one of those cheap nets over the bush. Robins love them too.

Raspberries (Rubus idaeus): 'Boyne'; 'Chief'; 'Trent'; 'Rideau' and 'Killarney'. 'Boyne' is the hardiest cultivar in our area. A new and interesting type of raspberry is 'Primocane'. They require no pruning or thinning -just mow them down each year and they produce fruit on the new annual canes. I have not tested it for hardiness in our zone 2, but plan to.

Strawberries (Fragaria virginiana): June-bearing cultivars: 'Kent'; 'Cavendish' and 'Protem' - produce fruit in July in our area. Everbearing cultivars: (not quite as hardy in our area - produce fruit in July, August and September) 'Ogallala' is best followed by 'Tristar'; 'Fern'; Fort Laramie'; 'Hecker' and 'Sea Scape'. With the shortage of snow cover these last few years, all strawberries should be mulched with a 6 inch layer of clean straw shortly after freeze up or there can be tremendous plant loss from winter kill.

Red Currants (Ribes rubrum)

Black Currants (Ribes nigrum): 'Willougby'; 'Boskoop'; 'Consort' and 'Black Missouri'.

Red Currants (Ribes rubrum): 'Viking' and 'Red Lake'.

White Currants (Ribes): 'White Imperial' and 'White Pearl'.

Gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa): 'Pixwell' and 'Pankiw'.

Grapes(Vitis)

Grapes (Vitis): Native Grape (Vitis riparia); cultivars: 'Beta' and 'Valiant'

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum); cultivars: 'Canada Red'; 'Cherry Red'; 'Macdonald'(the strawberry rhubarb); 'Honey Red'; 'Cherry Wine'; 'Victoria' (the old sour one); 'Valentine'; 'Tilden' and 'Ruby'. There are at least 6 other cultivars available.

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca): 'Westcot'

High-bush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum): excellent jelly and juice. This native cranberry also makes a beautiful ornamental plant when planted in an open area.

Blueberry (Vaccinium): Native blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides): cultivars: 'Northsky' and 'North Blue'.

Edible Sweetberry Honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea edulis): a beautiful small round shrub with tasty dark blue fruit. Very hardy.

Cherry Prinsepia (Prinsepia sinensis): This hardy tree-like shrub has beautiful cascading branches and edible fruit. It does have thorns.

Silver Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea)

Silver Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea): small, red (sometimes yellow) edible fruit. This is a dioecious plant. You must have both male and female plants to have fruit.

Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)

Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides): This plant is also dioecious (male and female flowers are produced on separate plants). The shrub is quite thorny. Berries are orange-yellow in colour. These berries are rich in Vitamins C, K, E, A and P as well as proteins, carbohydrates, organic acids, and amino acids. They contain over 20 trace elements such as calcium, iron, magnesium, etc.

Canada Plum (Prunus nigra): Our own native hardy plum with yellow-orange fruit over 1 inch in diameter suitable for jams, jellies and wine.

Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana)

Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana): This native plant produces large rose hips suitable for making rose-hip jam. It is very high in Vitamin C.

One word of caution! It may take you a lot of time to decide which jam, jelly or syrup you are going to use on your hot baking soda biscuit on a cold winter morning. But then, variety is the spice of life!

Spider Plant - Tips Turning Brown

I have a spider plant in my living room and the tips are turning brown. I keep the soil moist, but there may be fluorides in the water. Is there any way to get rid of the fluorides so the tips of the plant do not get brown?

Spider Plant

There are several methods used to remove fluorides from drinking water. The least expensive one is to purchase a small unit that sits under the kitchen sink and is hooked up to your water line. The small canister contains activated carbon which removes fluorides and other pollutants from your water as it is forced through the carbon.

Reverse osmosis systems remove almost 100% of all water impurities. These systems are, however, much more expensive and cost several hundred dollars.

A Tricalcium Phosphate filter is a cheaper method of fluoride removal than reverse osmosis.

There are also activated carbon countertop filters that require no plumbing. The filters require replacing periodically.

My best suggestion is to visit a reliable company that handles water purification systems and make a choice from there. Another alternative is to collect rainwater and use it for watering your houseplants. In many large cities, however, rainwater is often more polluted than treated water. Finally, if the air in your home is low in humidity, it is difficult to prevent some plants from developing brown leaf tips.