Lone Star Tick “questing,” or trying to sense a host so it can climb aboard to bite. Photo: M. Talabac
Q: I like the style of more natural gardens, letting leaf litter be my mulch, etc. I’m concerned about this encouraging ticks, though. Do I have to change how I garden?
A: It’s a legitimate concern given the diseases ticks can harbor and transmit, but ticks can appear even in more manicured and minimally-vegetated landscapes, so I would rather reap the rewards of having a biodiverse and “wilder” garden than restrict myself and still wind up with hitchhikers when I go outside. Besides, some of that wildlife attracted by having a medley of native plants and leaf litter habitat may very well be killing some of those ticks. (Or doing the next best thing, eating their small-animal hosts that carry the pathogens we worry about.)
We at the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) are often asked about yard perimeter sprays and treatments for ticks, but pesticide use is not our suggested solution. Even when reasonably effective, these products are temporary measures and probably not substantially different in terms of efficacy than simply treating your own clothes or exposed skin with a tick repellent and/or doing a thorough body check once you’re back indoors.
Chemicals used to suppress tick populations (like for lawn applications) are non-selective and don’t impact only ticks. Their close relatives, spiders and any mites that aren’t plant pests (fun fact: some mites eat pests) are definitely worth having in our landscapes. They’re valued partners in natural pest management but can be equally vulnerable to the effects of sprays marketed for tick control. Some pesticide ingredients are even more broad-spectrum than this, potentially affecting ground-dwelling insects and other organisms. As with mosquito management, it’s more sustainable to use personal protection to avoid bites and to landscape in an eco-conscious way to make full use of any existing natural checks and balances that keep tick populations down.
By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.
Have a plant or insect question? The University of Maryland Extension has answers! Send your questions and photos to Ask Extension.Our horticulturists are available to answer your questions online, year-round. You can also connect with your local County/City Extension Office and Master Gardenerlocal programs.
In this month’s episode, we’re talking about selecting and growing small fruits and fruit trees. With spring blooming around us, many garden centers and stores will have fruit trees and small fruit shrubs for sale. Creating a home orchard can provide a source of delicious fruit. However, fruit trees and shrubs have their own unique challenges. In this month’s episode, we discuss tips for planning your orchard, growing small fruit (~11:05), tips for growing tree fruit (~27:53) and native fruits (~38:15).
We also have our:
Native Plant of the Month – Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) ~43:30
Bug of the Month – Plum Curculio ~47:30
Garden Tips of the Month – ~52:38
We currently have an open survey for ALL listeners; whether you’ve listened to all of our episodes, or this is your first time. We developed an evaluation to find out if the information we share on the podcast has made a difference in your practices at home. We promise that it is a short, easy 5-minute survey, and we even have exclusive podcast stickers to give to those who participate. We are so thankful for the feedback, and we appreciate you tuning in for the podcast!
If you have any garden-related questions, please email us at UMEGardenPodcast@gmail.com or look us up on Facebook. For more information about the University of Maryland Extension (UME) and these topics, please check out the UME Home and Garden Information Center.
The Garden Thyme Podcast is brought to you by the University of Maryland Extension. Hosts are Mikaela Boley- Senior Agent Associate (Talbot County) for Horticulture, Rachel Rhodes- Agent Associate for Horticulture (Queen Anne’s County), and Emily Zobel-Senior Agent Associate for Agriculture (Dorchester County).
Last month, my blog post was an introduction to invasive plants and today I want to share information on three invasive, deciduous trees found in Maryland.
Springtime provides a breathtaking display of contrasting flowers in a wide array of colors, shapes, and sizes, which are found in herbaceous plants, as well as woody shrubs and trees. Unfortunately, some of these spring flowering trees are invasive and you need to be aware of their negative effects on ecosystems such as competition for resources including sunlight, soil nutrients, and space.
Q: What medium-sized invasive tree has white blooms in the early spring in Maryland?
Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) in flower. Photo: Britt Slattery, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org
Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana), sometimes referred to as ‘Bradford’ Pear, has several cultivars including ‘Chanticleer,’ ‘ Cleveland Select’, and ‘Autumn Blaze’, all of which will be in bloom around this time of year. The Callery pear was imported from Asia to Maryland with the hope of being able to help edible Bartlett pears, which were being threatened by a disease called fire blight. The plan was to cross these pears to gain disease resistance in the pear industry. Unfortunately, this experiment was unsuccessful in preventing fire blight, but these crosses seemed to have potential for the ornamental industry and were planted widely. Bloom time often coincides with our native serviceberry, which produces white flowers too.
The ‘Bradford’ cultivar was thought to be sterile; however, when new cultivars of Callery pear were developed, it was able to cross-pollinate with those and produce viable seeds. Birds and other wildlife eat the fruits, which results in spreading them to different areas. The seeds sprout and grow into dense thorny thickets, which are very difficult to control and result in crowding out native vegetation. Callery pear provides a stunning show of beautiful white blossoms; unfortunately, these trees are highly invasive, which has led a few states to ban all cultivars of Callery pear (Pennsylvania, Ohio, and South Carolina). This tree has an attractive V-shaped crotch that unfortunately will often split from high wind and snow weight damage.
For more information, history, and control options, please visit the University of Maryland Extension webpages: Invasives in Your Woodland and Bradford Pear.
Q: What invasive tree has purple blooms in early spring?
Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa). Photo:Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa), also called princess tree or empress tree, has purple, pleasant-scented blooms that appear before the foliage in early spring. I saw this tree for the first time when I traveled to Howard County for training in 2012, as this is not a tree we have in Garrett County. Its striking, large, heart-shaped leaves automatically caught my attention and reminded me of the Northern catalpa tree, a great native tree that should not be mistaken for Paulownia. According to Plant Invaders of the Mid-Atlantic Areas, one empress tree is capable of producing 20 million seeds that mature to flowering in only 10 years! These trees prefer full sun but can grow on disturbed soils, creek banks, and even forested areas which gives them a big advantage over native species that often require more special environments to grow and thrive. Paulownia’s ability to sprout from adventitious buds on stems and roots allows it to survive fire, cutting, and bulldozing. It is, therefore, a very difficult and costly invasive plant to control, according to the Maryland Invasive Species Council Plant Invader of the Month listing.
A great alternative to Paulownia is the native Eastern redbud, which produces early, purple/reddish-purple blooms.
For additional information, history, and control options for Paulownia, visit the University of Maryland Extension web pages Invasives in your Woodland and Princess Tree.
Q: What invasive tree looks similar to black walnut?
Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Photo: Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) was introduced in the late 1700’s and thrives in many soil conditions. It has an amazing ability to grow very quickly and can disturb building foundations and even pavement! It was widely planted as a street tree and thus is found far and wide in the Eastern United States. This tree is called by other names including China-sumac, stinking sumac, or varnish tree due to its strong unpleasant odor. Tree-of-Heaven is sometimes mistaken for sumac, hickory, or black walnut because of similarities in leaf shape; however, look for the glands on the bottom of each leaflet to confirm its identity.
Just in case you needed one more reason to remove Tree-of-Heaven, it is a preferred food source for the new, exotic, invasive insect pest, spotted lanternfly.
For more specific information, history, and control options, visit these web pages:
Keep an eye out this spring for non-native, invasive trees as there are many others that I did not address in this article. Take any opportunity to help educate friends or family about the negative impact of invasive plants on biodiversity.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of gardening advice in books and websites. So I thought I’d simplify things by sharing my top 10 tips for keeping a garden healthy.
Start with your soil. Healthy soil grows healthy plants. So get a soil test to know what you have and need.
Add compost or other organic matter regularly to enliven the soil and keep the soil community happy. This intricate web of beneficial microbes, fungi, bacteria, worms, and more is crucial to healthy plants.
Well-adapted native plants such as this white penstemon naturally resist pests and disease. Photo: Kathy Vesely
Minimize soil disturbance. Every time you turn the soil, you bring up weed seeds and wreak havoc on the soil community. So dig and till minimally.
Keep the soil covered with plants, an organic mulch, or cover crops. Bare soil invites weeds, encourages soil-borne disease, and promotes erosion.
Put the right plant in the right place. Choose plants that suit the site whether it’s sunny or shady, wet or dry. This matchmaking helps plants not only survive but thrive.
Use native plants. These tough, well-adapted plants need less water and fertilizer. Since they co-evolved with native wildlife, they support pollinators and other native species best.
Encourage beneficial insects. These are the good bugs that help control bad bugs. Nine out of ten insects are beneficial, naturally controlling the few true pests. Put them to work for you.
How? Reduce or eliminate chemical pesticides which kill both good and bad bugs. Use organic products instead and try other controls like hand-picking or floating row covers.
Further, encourage beneficial insects by planting a wide variety of plants to provide food and shelter. Add a rock to a birdbath so insects can sip.
Check your plants often. When you’re strolling, be patrolling. Look for spots, yellowing, or other changes that might be clues to a problem. Early detection makes fixes easier.
If you live in Washington County, Maryland, e-mail or call me if you need help identifying an insect or disease. Just send me a photo or bring me a sample. If you live in another area of Maryland, contact your county or city Extension office, or send your questions to Ask Extension.
Many problems are preventable. Honest. About 80% have cultural or environmental causes and aren’t due to pests or diseases. So there’s much we can do to prevent problems.
Water wisely. Water in the morning and avoid overhead watering. Leaves that are wet overnight tend to have fungal problems.
Removed diseased plants. Add compost which naturally suppresses some diseases. Space plants so air circulates. Cover bare soil so rain doesn’t splash fungal spores up onto plants.
At the end of the growing season, thoroughly clean up vegetable plant debris which can harbor harmful overwintering insects and disease.
There you have it, my top 10 tips for a healthy garden. When you work with nature, not against it, you naturally limit pests and diseases, grow more resilient plants, and build a healthier garden and community.
That’s a very good feeling indeed.
By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension. This article was previously published by Herald-Mail Media. Read more by Annette.
This article was previously published by Herald-Mail Media.
A rust gall on juniper with spore “horns” just starting to emerge. As soon as it rains after this point, the “horns” turn gelatinous and bright orange. Photo: M. Talabac
Q: I heard rust fungus can infect junipers but they aren’t worth spraying to treat. Is there anything else I can do to reduce the fungal spread from them to my other trees?
A: If you see and can reach fungal galls on the branches, clip them off. Some rust fungi (though not all) create a gall on their juniper hosts. Plant galls are tumor-like in that they’re clusters of malformed tissue, often in response to a pest or (in this case) an infection. When the weather starts to be consistently mild in spring and we receive enough rainfall, the galls where the fungus is spending the winter will begin to exude their spores.
These rust spores blow on the wind or wind-driven rain to vulnerable host plants like various members of the rose family. In our gardens, this includes apples and pears, hawthorn, serviceberry, quince, and crabapple. Fungus spores are extremely tiny, so how will you know what to look for? If the gall is producing orange goo, you’re missing the window since spores are already being dispersed. Ideally, remove all visible galls before this point, while they’re still hard and dry. Now is an excellent time to inspect junipers on your property for galls. Trim them off with hand pruners and toss them in the trash (don’t compost).
This is not a foolproof method for eliminating the risk of rust infection on other plants this year, but it certainly could help reduce the disease pressure. Fortunately, infections like cedar-apple rust, while an aesthetic nuisance from time to time, generally don’t cause serious damage to all hosts, though they can be more serious for some, like apple.
By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.
Have a plant or insect question? The University of Maryland Extension has answers! Send your questions and photos to Ask Extension. Our horticulturists are available to answer your questions online, year-round.
Speedwell is a winter annual weed. It will end its life cycle and die naturally once we have consistently warm temperatures. Photo: G. Rinehart
The warmer-than-normal weather during February had many people thinking about an early start to lawn and garden season. However, as temperatures have dropped and been below normal for much of March, it looks like we may have a couple more weeks before lawns really start growing. Lawn growth and crabgrass emergence are related to soil temperature, which is slower to change than the air temperature. While I have heard reports of soil temperatures topping out in the mid-50s for a day or two, it’s important to remember that in order to germinate crabgrass needs soil temperatures around 53-55⁰ F sustained for 5 days. These two things lead to a few questions, particularly pertinent this year when February felt like March and now March feels like late February.
Should I fertilize my lawn now?
While the legal window for applying fertilizer to lawns in Maryland began on March 1, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should fertilize your lawn just yet. Unless the grass is actively growing (which is dependent on warmer soil temperatures) it likely won’t take up and use the fertilizer—so you are better off waiting until the lawn is actively growing. Temperatures consistently around 60 and enough growth to warrant a second mowing are pretty good indicators of this. Keep in mind that if you fertilized your lawn in the fall you can probably wait until after the “flush of growth” in the spring (usually April/early May) and then schedule your spring fertilizer application for after that “flush” and leading into summer—usually around mid-late May. If you didn’t fertilize last fall it is tempting to try to “jump-start” the lawn in early spring with a fertilizer application, but hold off until the soil temperatures are consistently warmer and highs are around 58-60⁰ F on a regular basis.
Should I apply crabgrass pre-emergent now?
I would wait until soil temperatures are 53-55⁰ F sustained for 5 days. Keep in mind that your best defense against crabgrass is a dense turf that crowds out crabgrass seedlings. So, if you have good turf density and mow at 3” or higher, your overall crabgrass pressure should be lower anyway. The typical recommendation is to wait until the forsythia is “half green-half gold” (or even a little earlier), but with the warm February we had, that indicator may or may not be as accurate this year. You can check soil temperatures for your location at the following website: https://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soil-temperature.
Is there harm in applying crabgrass pre-emergent too early?
Probably not, unless it’s applied several weeks early and the product starts to break down before crabgrass even starts germinating. If you want to maximize the period of time your crabgrass application is effective, wait until when conditions are conducive to crabgrass germination and then apply it.
Roughstalk bluegrass (Poa trivialis) is a cool-season weed that shows up in early spring. If you only have a few patches, you can dig them out by hand (including the roots) and overseed to fill in the bare spots. Photo: G. Rinehart
On another note, this is now the time of year when many winter weeds become more noticeable as they are likely producing flowers and setting seeds. While you can apply selective products to control these weeds, remember that these winter annuals like chickweed, purple deadnettle, speedwell, henbit, etc. are almost at the end of their lives and will die naturally once we have consistently warm temperatures. Another weed often noticed this time of year is the grassy weed called roughstalk bluegrass (Poa trivialis). Seeds of this grass are often a contaminant in turfgrass seed mixes (the cheaper the seed, the more likely you will have weed seeds) and this grass starts growing much earlier than tall fescue. As the temperatures warm, it is not as aggressive and noticeable. There are few selective control products that are labeled for roughstalk bluegrass and they tend to be restricted to professional sites and/or are expensive. If you only have a few patches in your lawn, digging these out (including the roots) and then re-seeding the spot with a soil-tall fescue mix is the best control approach for most homeowners.
With spring coming up, many of us are already starting to get our yards and gardens ready for the growing season. Among the activities we may take on, there can be the managing of branches, sticks, and wood that may have been trimmed from trees and shrubs in the fall, over the winter, or just recently. In today’s post, I want to talk about how to integrate these resources into our green spaces, to support wildlife and the natural services they provide.
Wood and stick piles can provide welcoming habitat to beneficial organisms. Photo: A. Espíndola
Increasing the diversity of our green spaces
In several of the posts that we publish on this blog, we recommend different actions that can be taken to increase biodiversity in our green spaces (see local ecotype plants, helping pollinators in small green spaces, and conserving parasitoids for some ideas). We know that increasing biodiversity improves the ability to control and restrain pests, increases wild and crop plant pollination, and in many cases leads to better soil quality. Among these practices, there is one that increases the physical complexity of our green spaces, providing nesting, shelter, and food resources to beneficial organisms. The practice I’m talking about consists of building wood and stick piles that can be established in our green spaces. The idea behind this practice is to create a space where birds, small mammals, insects, and even pest predators can find their preferred resources, and thus be attracted and present in our environments (learn more about the landscaping rationale for using dead wood).
What organisms are attracted by these piles?
Depending on the size of the pile and its composition (e.g., large logs, smaller sticks, a mix of them), different organisms will be attracted and may establish themselves in our green spaces. The presence of a mix of logs and sticks usually attracts birds, which may nest within the pile or may just spend time within the pile searching for food or finding shelter at different points during the day. These birds will certainly contribute to increasing the diversity of animals present in our green spaces and can also in some cases participate in the control of insect pests that we may not want in our gardens and yards.
Carolina wrens are very attracted to shrubby habitats, meaning that piles of wood and brush represent a great way to provide resources to these little cute birds who in turn can help us keep herbivore populations in line. Photo: Shenandoah NP.
Other animals we can observe in these piles are a variety of insects then may be associated with the decomposition of wood or that may use wood as a nesting or overwintering resource (e.g., bees, solitary wasps). While the former can help recycle the wood material and reintegrate it into the habitat, the latter may participate in the pollination of plants and crops that we may grow in that area or predate on unwanted pests.
Similarly, ground-dwelling invertebrates like millipedes and ground beetles can also find shelter under these piles, while the brush can also contribute to the nesting of pollinators such as (ground-nesting) bees, the overwintering of some butterflies and moths, and help improve the quality of the soil in that part of our yard.
Larger organisms may also be attracted to these piles, such as small mammals, amphibians, and even reptiles. Although we may tend to dislike these groups of animals, many of them feed on unwanted soil organisms and may help with soil quality, while others can actually control vermin through their predatory abilities. This is particularly the case of snakes that may find shelter in these spaces, which, while harmless to humans (the vast majority of snakes in Maryland are non-venomous, readily feed on rats and mice that may be present around the house.
A mix of thick and thin pieces of wood can provide a diverse habitat to many different organisms. Photo: A. Espíndola.
How to build these piles?
These piles can take many different shapes and sizes, which depend in part on the materials and space available. When very large spaces are available (e.g., in the woods), it is recommended for these piles to be relatively large – at least 10 to 20 feet in length, and up to 8 feet in height (read more about these larger brush piles). In smaller spaces such as in urban or suburban gardens, these piles can be much smaller, occupying areas that may not be regularly used for other purposes. In all cases, it is ideal to build these piles using a combination of different types of materials, such as twigs and branches of different thicknesses, some logs, and even some branches that may still have dead leaves attached to them…always using healthy materials.
An important consideration when putting together these piles is that they should not be built leaning on or very close to wood-based structures or the foundations of our buildings. This is because of the potential risk of termite infestations of buildings if the piles are not physically separated from them. However, it is important to stress that establishing these piles has not been shown to be associated with higher termite infestations if the pile is not in contact or very close to the built structure. (You can read a very good discussion about mulch and termites from Iowa State Extension).
So, as you work on your spring garden, I encourage you to think about plant stems, logs, and branches not as waste that needs to be cleaned up, but as beneficial resources that you can incorporate into your available space.
By Anahí Espíndola, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park. See more posts by Anahí.
Anahí also writes an Extension Blog in Spanish! Check it out here, extensionesp.umd.edu, and please share and spread the word to your Spanish-speaking friends and colleagues in Maryland. ¡Bienvenidos a Extensión en Español!
