Gardening with the Masters - by dagardenguy

We will post the answers to questions, gardening tips here and other articles written by the dagardenguy on the Gardening with the Masters page. If you have any questions for our Master Gardener dagardenguy , please E-mail him at dagardenguy@yahoo.com.  You can read these and other articles written by the dagardenguy in his column in the Bluffton Today.

Bluffton Today #110:

Today’s column is about gentle quiet giants in need of help. I got an email from Kate Tyminski who lives with her husband Don in a home on a tidal basin of the May River. She writes… We have several magnificent oaks on the property. A few years back we contacted a local tree company “specializing” in preserving old trees. We wanted them to help with one of our tree’s problem. They had no idea what to do, none. The oak has a large scar cavity that is growing. This cavity was apparently caused by a limb loss many years prior to our purchasing the property. I am afraid we are going to loose a major limb and maybe eventually the tree. I hope that you can take a look at the tree and provide a solution to save this wonderful tree.

I stopped over to take a look at the problem and discovered a massive ancient Live Oak complete with far reaching branches, a coating of Spanish Moss and a VERY LARGE indentation were physical damage, insects and time had taken it’s toll. I spoke with Kate about what she knew about it. She related that the tree along with a few other ones were there when she and her husband bought the property. She was concerned in the fact that the cavity was becoming more pronounced. Indeed, when I looked at it, there seemed to be about a little less than one third of good branch tissue left, supporting the remainder of the limb that came very close to her home.

I told her that what I would do is to contact a local Certified Arborist. She could find one on the website of the International Society of Arboriculture www.treesaregood.org . After going to that website, she could input her location and get Certified Arborists for all of Beaufort County. They truly should be the ones making the call regarding this quiet giant that was in distress. Not only would they be the ones to treat the cavity problem, but also decide whether steel cabling of the extended limb should come into play. The weakened limb without support may indeed make the oak’s recovery more problematical. In any case those folks are the true tree professionals for this question. Good Luck Kate, keep us informed.

Pampas Grass forms the basis of the next question from Tom Martinotti, he asks… We have mature pampas grass clusters but no plumes. Last year we had them. We've noticed other pampas grass with plumes in Sun City. Are there different types that plume later than others? How do we tell, should we fertilize. Help.

Well, Tom…let me lay out one word that should say it all…Fertilizer. Pampas grass is a voracious feeder.... To obtain good growth and plume production, pampas grass should be fertilized with a complete fertilizer (that is having Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus) at the rate of two pounds per 100 square feet four times each year. That being said, how about some cocktail small talk information you can dazzle your friends with about pampas grass. Pampas Grass is native to South America. It’s Botanical name is Cortaderia jubata or Cortaderia selloana. It is a member, naturally, of the Grass Family. It is considered a problem plant in California and is discouraged because of the massive seed distribution that occurs when the plumes are picked and waved around.

Lastly, I am going to give all those “fallen away” Master Gardeners a chance to come back into the fold. The Lowcountry Master Gardeners Assn. would like to cordially invite all certificated Master Gardeners whether you’re from South Carolina or other areas to our next meeting. The meeting will take place at Palmetto Electric on August 31st from 1 till 3. We would also like to invite you to see what we are doing and to add your input to plans and ideas. Please note that if you would like to participate as an “inactive” (no hours committed) Master Gardener that option is also available to you. We just want to touch base with you and bring you back into the Master Gardener ranks.

In any case if you have any questions about rejoining your fellow Master Gardeners drop me an email at dagardenguy@yahoo.com and I will fill you in on the details. Please, we really want you back in the Master Gardener Association. The time to act is NOW.

Thanks, and see you next week.

Bluffton Today #102:

Today, “the wind is truly in the willows”, with all due respect to author Kenneth Grahame. We have a question from the Lowcountry from Trish in Sun City concerning the suitability of Corkscrew Willows as trees for this area.

Corkscrew Willows Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa' are medium sized trees of about 30 feet with a 15 foot spread with a feature of contorted branches and twigs. Being deciduous, or losing it’s leaves in the fall, the tree reveals it’s truly unusual trait, it’s artistic shape of twists and turns which make this tree much more of a “standout” than it’s horticultural cousin the weeping willow.

As far as soils go, it’s happy with most soils, even Sun City’s jumbo, just remember to plant as usual, meaning in a raised hole more horizontal than deep and take your time to always dig a $500 hole for a $50 plant. It’s not the longest living tree around and likes a moist but well drained environment and will tolerate some drought conditions. As for pests, it’s pretty resilient.

And finally, most florist arrangements come with corkscrew willows as tall background features in the vase. Not only do they add to the flower arraignment, but when you are getting rid of the spent flowers, you can put the corkscrew willow in another clean vase with fresh water and with a little patience, the cutting will root and can be planted as trees. All it takes is time and patience.

Now for the question of the day submitted by “magucci” on the Bluffton Today blog site, he or she writes, “I have been having this problem with some 'stink' weeds in our yard. They are orange colored and smell like rotting animals. We thought they were gone last fall, but recently came back. Have you seen these before? Also, what do you suggest we do to get rid of them”?

The little smelly devils “magucci” is referring to are called Stinkhorns or Stinky Squid, but their official name is Clathrus columnatus. They are type of mushroom, hence their thrive in damp decomposing material and produce through spores They love hardwood mulches to grow on and that is their common habitat. There is no recommended fungicide for them. The best is to remove the white, egg/ball forms from the area before they sprout into the smelly, orange fruiting head (this is when it releases spores and makes more stinkhorn). The white eggs/balls are usually right at or just below soil level. But the biggest advice I give is wait it out, they usually disappear with a change in the weather.

This is not, what I would call, a sure fire solution to the problem, but short of paving over the ground they are growing in, it’s the best one around.

Keep those questions coming… dagardenguy

Bluffton Today #101:

Today, we delve into the land of animals that aren’t native to the Bluffton area. Some bloggers at the Bluffton Today site recently asked about Dasypus novemicunctus that’s Armadillo to you, pard’ner.

Although these critters are relatively new to this area, still they have caused major concerns for it’s gardeners and homeowners. They dig small to medium size holes looking for grubs, worms and to some extent lizards, frog and snakes. They also can, during their active periods of twilight to early morning, rub their protective armament against buildings causing an unusual racket for some folks.

As far as getting rid of them goes, there are no known repellents or poisons that are registered for use against them. About all you can do is remove as much as the brush and weeds they use for nesting material from your property as possible. One of the few things you can think about as you see their damage is realize they have only one litter a year, they have very poor eye sight but a keen sense of smell and for your next cocktail party..you can tell the astonished partiers that armadillos can actually walk underwater across small stream beds and ponds…isn’t that amazing!

Now, on to some more normal questions submitted by Bluffton Today readers, first, from Sun City a question about lantanas and Sherwood Abelia shrubs. Lantanas, a main stay for Bluffton Gardens should be trimmed after they cease blooming and not that drastically since the excess wood acts as a protection against hard frosts. It is better to really “whack” them back in early spring to promote new growth. The writer also asks about trimming “long upright shoots” on Sherwood Abelia shrubs. These shoots are called “water spouts” and should be trimmed to keep the bush symmetrical.

Lastly, questions from Moss Creek. Ann writes that she sees white cottony masses on the tips of new growth of her plants. From these masses “pop”white bugs that hop away. Without seeing the masses or the bugs in question, I would say they might be “white flies” and a safe way to deal with them would be the application of “insecticidal soap”. It is available at most big box stores, but as always… “Follow package directions exactly”.

She also asks about using Roundup on suckers? I don’t think I would, unless you want to also get rid of the plant putting out the suckers. Roundup is a type of Glyphosphate-based herbicides that inhibit a specific enzyme that plants need in order to grow. Without that enzyme, plants are unable to produce other proteins essential to growth, so they yellow and die over the course of several days or weeks.

Until next time…Great Gardening to You! .