Garden Questions of the Week

“I have English ivy growing up my tree trunks.  Is that okay or should I remove it?”  – Ivy will grow on the ground as well as vining up fences, walls, and other places it can get the roots in.  Trees included.  And whether or not it’s a good or bad thing on tree trunks can be a very controversial topic.  In my opinion, the short answer is “not to worry”.  If you like the look, and the tree is a more mature tree, let it grow.  The ivy will root into the bark but will not penetrate the bark.  It is not parasitic and will cause no direct damage to the tree.  And no, ivy does not constrict the tree trunk.  There are trees covered in ivy in some of the finest gardens and landscapes around the country, and many have supported those vines for decades.   If the tree is mature with thick bark, keep the ivy and enjoy the beautiful effect.  Now, the cons of letting ivy grow on trees – the major issue is the roots will compete with the tree for nutrients and water, so be sure the tree has adequate amounts of each.  If ivy is allowed to grow on smaller trees and it becomes aggressive, it could reduce some of the tree foliage, so again, for mature trees only.  Another concern could be that the ground cover often provides a home for voles or other critters who may gnaw at the bark (at ground level).   And lastly, the ivy could mask the signs of borers, cankers and other tree problems that we couldn’t see.  So there are pros and cons to ivy growing on trees and personally, on mature trees, I say if you like it leave it.  But if you don’t and want to remove the ivy, fall is a great time to do it.  Simply cut the vines just above ground level.  The vines will die and the roots will start to dry and decay.  By next spring, these dead vines should come off the tree fairly easily.  And to keep those ivy cuts from re-growing, treat the cut ends with a little bit of Roundup.

“Should I cut off the foliage on my iris now?”  -Yes, that’s a good idea.  Cut it off and dispose of it.  Iris borers can over winter their eggs on that foliage.  So cut it off and pitch.  For garden mums (also getting questions about those) just remove the spent flowers but leave the foliage – green or brown.  We’ll cut that old mum foliage off next spring before they start to re-grow.

“I have a bag of weed and feed.  Is it okay to use this for our last lawn feeding?”   Nope.  It’s too late for weed control, so although the fertilizer formula is good, you’re wasting the weed killer.  Save it in a dry place for next year.  By the way, let’s get that final feeding on by this weekend.  And remember, as long as the grass is growing, you need to keep mowing!  (PS…In the future, let’s switch to feeding the lawn with lawn food, and spot treating the weeds as needed with a water soluble fertilizer.)

“I have too many leaves to use them all in my yard.  Can I just burn them?”  – Technically you can, but you’re missing out on the nutrients of the leaves, watch adding ashes to the soil, and of course air pollution (many communities won’t allow it – and with the drought we’ve had, burning isn’t allowed) – and, yes, it smells good!  Last year I just happened to see an article on this same topic, and in addition to the things we mentioned, they also included burning leaves as being a fire hazard that can easily get out of control, and the fact that the smoke introduces many types of pollutants that can actually be irritating to your respiratory passages, and carcinogenic.  The EPA also notes that if leaves are moist when being burned, they burn poorly and emit even higher levels of dangerous hydrocarbons.  Geez, not sure I want to smell those burning leaves anymore!
[North Carolina usually produces the most turkeys each year, but looks like Minnesota will win this year, with Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia, and California right behind them.  Californians eat the most turkey in the country each year, eating 3 pounds more than the average American consumer.  More than 46 million turkeys are cooked each Thanksgiving averaging 15 pounds in size.  And the most popular way to eat turkey is the good old turkey sandwich.  By the way, June is National Turkey Lover’s month.  Go figure.]

Garden Questions of the Week

“When planting iris rhizomes do you measure the depth of the planting hole at the bottom of the rhizome or top?”   -You want the top of the iris rhizome (tuber) to be just ‘barely’ below soil surface.  If some of the top shows it’s okay, but buried and nestled in solidly just barely below soil surface.  As they grow, they increase in size and appear on the surface of the soil.

“My asters were tall and floppy this year.  Any suggestions what to do?”  -Don’t forget that asters can be pinched back during the growing season, usually until early July, to keep them shorter, fuller and more compact (less floppy).  In the future, look at the more compact asters available (which will still require dividing and maybe some light pinching).

“Anything I need to do for my new garden mums now that they’re finished blooming?”  -Deadhead spent flowers, but keep all foliage.  Keep watering as needed until we get cold consistently.  Once the ground gets into the low 30’s, mulch for the winter.  Remove the dead foliage next spring.

”I have some dead branches in my Japanese maple.  When should I prune those out?”  – Remove dead branches from any plant as soon as you know the branches are dead.  Never leave dead branches on a plant, as they can harbor insect and disease problems.  See dead branches, clip them out!  And the best time to prune that Japanese maple (if regular pruning is needed) would be in the spring just before it leafs out.

“I have many leaves from a Southern magnolia.  Can these big things be composted?”  – They can, but just like oak leaves or pine needles or twigs and branches, they are slow to break down.  So, grind them up before you put them in the compost pile.  Some folks will actually have a separate pile for the ‘slower’ composting materials.

”My hydrangeas still have flowers.  Should I cut them off or leave them on over the winter?”  – You can enjoy them over the winter if you’d like, but sometimes ice or heavy snows will collect on the old flowers and cause the branches to bend down and possibly snap.  I prefer to remove these spent flowers before winter so this won’t happen.  And remember – if the hydrangea is a macrophylla type, be sure to remove the flower head just below the flower.  These hydrangeas bloom buds for next year have already formed on the existing branches, so you need to leave the rest of the branch alone, or you’ll be removing next year’s flowers.  By the way, I’ve been noticing over the past couple years just how late in the season those Endless Summer Hydrangeas keep blooming!  They’re still showing good colors and I see more bloom buds getting ready to open!  Not bad for late fall colors – definitely giving Knock Out roses a run for their money.  But I have seen Knock Outs blooming as late as the second week of December.

“Is now a good time to feed my trees?”  – Right now, the tree’s tops may be shutting down, but the roots are firing up!  More roots are developed in the fall than any other time.  And those developing roots are collecting and storing away nutrients for next year.  Which makes mid to late fall one of the best times for feeding your trees.  And if you’d like to do it yourself, here are 3 easy ways to get ‘er done!

1.) If your trees are newly planted this year or this fall, use a root stimulant such as Bonide’s Plant Starter.  It’s a light and easy feed for new trees, and helps promote early strong root development.  Mix this with water and pour around the base of the tree.  If using a tree bag to water, pour your diluted solution directly into the bag for a slow drip feeding.

2.) If your trees have been planted for 1-2 years, still use a water soluble fertilizer like Plant Starter, or move to something stronger, like Miracle Gro.  Again, mix with water and pour around the base of the tree.  You also have another option, which is the Ross Root Feeder.  This unique tool injects water soluble fertilizer right into the soil, watering the tree at the same time.

3.) If your trees have been planted longer than 2-3 years or are mature trees, you have several options for feeding.

-Fertilizer spikes driven into the ground, although not one of my favorites, make it pretty easy to feed the trees.  I do suggest you calculate how many are needed, then break them in half and evenly distribute them around the tree.  Be sure they go 6-8 inches down into the ground, to feed the tree more than feeding the grass.  And yes, your trees will also benefit from your regular lawn fall feedings.

-Ross Root Feeder again is one of the easiest ways for homeowners to feed their larger trees, by injecting a water soluble fertilizer directly into the soil.  This is the same process many professional tree care companies will use to feed the mature trees. 

-And then there’s Vertical mulching – drilling holes in the ground around the tree with an auger, and putting granular fertilizer (TreeTone / Plant Tone / Milorganite / 10-10-10, etc, into the holes, followed by a good watering.  This is a great way to feed the trees, and helps improve the flow of air and water into the soil, but takes a lot of time and is labor intense -and may be one to consider having the professional tree care companies take care of for you!   Whichever method you use, fall is an excellent time to feed your trees.

Its still extremely dry, so be sure to keep watering your trees, evergreens, newly planted plants etc until we get the regular moisture back into the soil.