2008 Poinsettia Crop

In 2008 Cherokee County, Texas producers will grow and sell more than 1 million poinsettias.

Assessing Tree Damage

The site below gives very good information on assessing damage and restoring trees after a hurricane.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/EP/EP29100.pdf

Yard Long Beans

Linda Cryer, Cherokee County Master Gardener, reports the yard long beans she grew during the spring gardening season of 2008 tasted much the same as other green beans. She reports that her six plants yielded about a pound of beans per plant. The diameter is described as about that of a pencil and the plant height to be 20 feet!

Master Gardener Course

To Be Held

At

Courthouse Annex

Rusk, Texas

Starts September 9th - For More Information Call

(903) 683-5416

Lambkin Melon

2009 AAS Vegetable Winner

The most important trait of this melon is the flavor. This is the reason to invest your time to grow ‘Lambkin’ in your garden. The oval shaped melon weighs between 2 and 4 pounds with a thin rind surrounding sweet, aromatic, white, juicy flesh. Another advantage is the earliness. Most other gourmet melons of this type mature much later than the 65 to 75 days of ‘Lambkin.’ Because of the early harvest, the vigorous vines can produce more melons. This results in more melons to share with close friends. It is classified as a Piel de Sapo melon a. k. a. Christmas type. The yellow melon skin with green mottling is unique and named, Piel de Sapo. As a Christmas melon, ‘Lambkin’ can be stored longer than other melons. They should be stored in a cool place such as a refrigerator. ‘Lambkin’ was bred by Known-You Seed Co. Ltd., Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Seed and plants of ‘Lambkin’ will be available in retail stores.

Trees Going Dormant Due to Extreme Drought

Homeowners and gardeners across the state are worried about their trees’ shedding leaves weeks before normal.

Dr. Ken Tilt, a horticulturist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says the ongoing drought is taking its toll on trees.

“One survival mechanism for trees is early leaf drop,” says Tilt. “If there is no leaf exposure, demand for water decreases. They are going dormant to survive.”

He explains that leaf drop is just one way trees conserve water in drought. Sometimes leaves roll up to reduce the exposed area to wind, sun and heat, which reduces water loss. The primary mechanism is the closing of pores in the leaves that allow water movement into the air.

Essentially the plant shuts down—halting photosynthesis and growth. Leaves and stems may wilt or droop. Leaf edges may burn and turn brown from the heat and dry conditions.”

Tilt says the lack of photosynthesis may have another effect.

“People should also not be surprised if we have early fall color this year. When photosynthesis stops, the green will fade exposing the other pigments in the leaves.”

Shane Harris, an Extension regional horticulture agent, says leaf drop is happening around central Alabama.

“I have had a number of calls from people who are worried about their trees,” he says. “I’ve seen yellow poplar and several kinds of oak, including water, red and post species dropping leaves.”

Tilt and Harris agree that early leaf drop does not necessarily mean the tree is dead or dying. They also agree that it is an indication of extreme stress that will affect trees after normal weather patterns resume.

“Some plants tolerate this stress better than others,” says Tilt. “Some will leaf out in spring but others may die.”

He says that site conditions and moisture content are two factors in how a specific tree responds to drought.

Harris says that a favorite tree of Alabama gardeners is very susceptible to drought.

“Dogwoods have shallow roots and suffer the most from heat and drought,” says Harris. “Dogwood leaves may turn brown along the edges, turn completely brown, or the tree may die outright.”
“

Drought has long-lasting effects on trees.

“A tree might not die this year but stress is cumulative,“ says Tilt. “Root disturbance, storm damage, soil compaction or another drought are all types of stress. In most cases where the tree dies, it’s the result of a number of years of problems and stresses and not just one particular thing. “

Tilt emphasizes that stress makes trees more susceptible to disease and insects.

“A severe drought might not kill a mature pine, but it weakens the tree tremendously,” says Tilt. “That makes the tree more vulnerable to pine beetles, which can kill it. While the beetles are the agent of the tree’s death, it was drought-related stress that opened the door for the beetles.”

Tilt and Harris say the obvious answer to drought stressed trees is irrigation.

“But irrigation can be a challenge because restrictions and bans on landscape irrigation are often in place during droughts,” says Tilt.

He suggests homeowners placing mulch over trees’ root zones and to use systems such as rain barrels to capture and recycle any rain that falls.

All the above is true for East Texas in the summer of 2008. The tropical storm didn't seem to make much difference in Cherokee County.

Champanel Harvest

Wayne Guinn and Chuck Gabbert are seeking success at growing a few bunch type grapes on 69 North. This week they picked a few.

http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/

The above web site is a good place to increase your Texas grape and wine making knowledge.

Barnyard - Good For All Plants?

With today’s interest in being organic, may folks seem to think “Barnyard Is Best”. Following is an excerpt from the July Pecan Press in which Dr. George Ray McEarchern discussed nitrogen sources for pecan orchards.

“Barnyard manure can be ruled out. In 1949 A.O Alben at the USDA Pecan Station in Shreveport learned manure from the Fort Worth Stockyards caused zinc rosette to the extent that it was discontinued. F. R. Brison called it the barnyard effect when trees failed to grow in soil containing manure. I learned pecan trees can actually die from barnyard manure at a sheep show lot in Lamesa and at a dairy feedlot in El Paso. So manure, even if it is free is not a workable source of nitrogen for pecans."

Bananas Blooming in Rusk

Bananas are blooming in the landscape of Jamie Magruder on FM 2972. Jamie reports that the last time the plant produced fruit they were some of the sweetest bananas he had ever eaten.

Phosphorus and Flowering

It is not likely your plants will produce more flowers if you buy and apply a fertilizer with high amounts of phosphorus.

Mitchell, C.C.; Pinkston, C.B.; and Wheeler, E.J.

Garden centers and retail fertilizer companies often promote high P fertilizers for blooming plants with no regard to soil test P levels. Master Gardeners in Cullman and Marshall Counties in northern Alabama wanted to determine if applying a high P fertilizer to a soil that was high in P would actually improve flowering for summer annual flowers. Identical experiments were conducted in 2006 at two locations in North Alabama. Soil test prior to establishment indicated that both sites tested very high in extractable P; no additional P was recommended. Ten treatments replicated 4 times were applied that included various N: P ratios, two commercial fertilizers for blooming plants and poultry broiler litter (a 3-3-2 grade fertilizer). The highest N and P rate applied was equivalent to 120 lb. N and 120 lb. P2O5 per acre applied twice during the growing season. Annual blooming plants were planted in each plot and monitored during the growing season. Additional P fertilization had no effect on number of blooms, bloom quality or vegetative quality. Nitrogen fertilization alone up to 120 lb. N per acre produced healthier plants and more blooms at both locations. This applied research activity provided local Master Gardeners with an opportunity to contribute to agricultural experiment station research.