Juniper and cypress varieties hit hard by blight                  

May 10, 2017

• Writer: Adam Russell, 903-834-6191, adam.russell@ag.tamu.edu
• Contact: Dr. Kevin Ong, 979-845-8000, kevo@tamu.edu, Zach A Davis, 254-897-2809

Reprinted from AgriLife Today

COLLEGE STATION – It’s been a tough 2017 so far for juniper and cypress varieties used in landscapes, as pests and diseases make the rounds, causing blight and tree die-offs.

A line of Leyland Cypress trees in Dallas shows signs of blight. Dr. Kevin Ong, director of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, suspects their decline is due to abiotic stress. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photo by Dr. Kevin Ong)

Kevin Ong, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service plant pathologist and director of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, said there are several different possible disease or pest issues plaguing juniper and cypress varieties around the state, from the Gulf Coast to Central, North and East Texas.

Complaints and questions have surrounded symptoms including brown dying trees, foliage that looks grayish brown, one side of the tree is dead, brown patches in the tree and many more, Ong said.

Ong said weather has played a significant role in pest and disease problems that have progressed over the past two months.

“We’re seeing a lot of funky symptoms,” he said. “Diagnosis have ranged from specific fungal diseases to pests or a combination of things.”

The warm winter may have allowed spider mites to emerge much earlier than normal, he said. In a typical year, spider mites can become a summertime issue, but this year there were reports of infestations in early March.

Spider mites feed on trees, weaken them and expose them  to pathogens, causing the dead brown patch appearance on trees, Ong said.

Two freeze events following warm conditions also may have damaged the actively growing trees, he said. The freezes may have opened spots for pathogens, such as various fungal canker pathogens, to enter and infect trees.

Significant rain events may also have drowned trees after root systems became waterlogged, Ong said.  Wet soils can also predispose the tree to Phytophthora root rot, which can lead to dead trees.

Ong suspects Seiridium canker is one of the main culprits, though he did say multiple fungal diseases have been identified in trees. This canker causes branch dieback, resulting in an unsightly tree. Another common fungal disease that is observed is Botryosphaeria canker, which causes somewhat similar symptoms to seiridium canker.

There are no effective chemical controls available for these fungal canker diseases, Ong said. The best way to avoid canker is to help the tree avoid stresses. Prune out infected twigs and branches. Be sure to sterilize the pruning equipment with bleach following each cut. If the canker occurs on the trunk, consider removing the tree.

“We’re getting a lot of questions, mostly from people utilizing these varieties for landscaping, because they are seeing changes in their plants,” he said. “It’s hard to explain when so many things are happening, but it hasn’t slowed down and I don’t expect it to slow down.”

For more information, go to the https://www.facebook.com/TXPlantClinic.

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Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups finely chopped zucchini, not necessary to peel

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Add oil to beaten eggs. Beat in sugar. Stir in zucchini, pineapple and vanilla.

Measure the dry ingredients together, and add gradually to first mixture, mixing well.

Add the pecans last, stirring in gently.

Prepare loaf pans with cooking spray.

Pour batter into loaf pans, filling slightly over half full.

Bake at 350 degrees.  9 x 5 loaf pans require 60-70 minutes.

by  MaryAnn Steele, Somervell County Master Gardener

The average cow produces 27,000 pounds of manure a year, a horse 18,000 pounds.  Eighty percent of nutrients fed to a milk cow ends up in excrement, while as much as 90% of the nutrients used to fatten hogs and cattle ends up on the ground.  Urine from most farm animals contains more nitrogen than does their manure.

A ton of cow manure has NPK values equal to 100 pounds of 12-3-9 chemical fertilizer, horse manure 14-5-11 and chicken manure 20-16-9.  There is much more value in manure than the relative amounts nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potash (K) it contains.  Garden soil needs organic matter to be healthy and manure, unlike chemical fertilizers, provides organic matter and trace elements to the soil.

Horse manure is considered to be more valuable than other manures.  It is higher in nitrogen than cow or hog.  Sheep manure is high in nitrogen.  Rabbit manure compost is thought to be one of the best amendments to garden soil.  Cow manure is plentiful and readily available.

Have your soil tested and use the manure that makes the most sense based on availability, cost, and convenience.  “Free” manure from the horse stable or dairy barn makes good sense.  Poultry and rabbit manure can be recycled on location if raised next to a garden.

There are many commercial products made from or containing manures that are widely available, come in bags, and are very user-friendly.

 

 

 

by Linda Heideman, Somervell County Master Gardener

The Texas State Master Gardener Annual Convention was partially held on Galveston Island last week, and I am in love again!  I walked around Moody Gardens, gazed at lawns as we drove through neighborhoods, and marveled at the official city flower in bloom everywhere.

Ah! The Oleander!!  Thousands of blooms on hundreds of shrubs used in all sizes, some small enough to be borders on beds, ranging to others as tall as a house and as big around as a car!  The colors of the blossoms were breathtaking in shades of red, pink, yellow, white, coral, or fuchsia.

Native to the Mediterranean region, this shrub has so much going for it. It’s evergreen. It’s easy. It’s tough. It offers weeks of beautiful single or double flowers in a huge range of colors, and it prefers our alkaline soil.  The only thing that holds it back is tenderness to cold.  But especially hardy selections, such as ‘Hardy Pink’ and ‘Hardy Red,’ can be successfully planted and enjoyed for years to come as far north as Glen Rose, Texas.  If shrubs are protected, planted on the south side of the house, for instance, and heavily mulched, they should withstand a limited duration of temps below 20 degrees.  If all the branches die to the ground, the roots are probably still alive, and the fast-growing shrub will come back and bloom again in spring.  There will be some unsightly dead limbs to cut back, but it doesn’t happen every year and it’s worth the effort to enjoy the oleander.

It’s poisonous!  What?  No!  Yes, it is.  It will make you sick if you eat it, so don’t eat it!  Wear gloves when you trim it, and don’t burn the trimmings.  The fumes are poisonous, too.  Don’t worry.  Apparently animals know.  Deer won’t touch it.  The leaves are tough and leathery – not a bit appetizing!  Looking at it won’t hurt at all.  Enjoy!

Jalapeno Jelly

The sweetness of the sugar and the tang of the cider vinegar are the perfect complement to the heat of the peppers.  This is very tasty on hot biscuits or cornbread or poured over cream cheese for a festive dip.  Also good served with chicken, pork roast or lamb.

12 ounces Jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and deveined
2 cups apple cider vinegar, divided
6 cups granulated sugar
2 pouches (3oz. each) liquid pectin
Green food coloring (optional)

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids as directed.
2. In a blender or food processor puree peppers and one cup of vinegar until smooth.
3. In a large deep stainless steel pan combine pepper puree, remaining vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly for 10 minutes. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for one minute. Remove from heat, stir in food color, if using, and skim off foam.
4. Pour hot jelly into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rim, center lid on jar and place band on jar, finger tight only.
5. Place jars in canner and bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, wait 5 minutes and remove jars. Allow to cool and store.

Wear gloves when working with peppers!

For a hotter jelly:  save the seeds and pepper veins and place them in a cheesecloth bag.  Cook with the peppers.  Discard before adding the pectin.

For Red Pepper Jelly:  substitute coarsely chopped red bell peppers for the jalapenos.  Add red or yellow food coloring, if desired.

 

 

The next CHES meeting, sponsored by the Somervell County Master Gardeners Association, will be this Monday, April 10th!  

Rhonda Stebeck will present a program on herbs that are easy to grow in your garden. Don’t miss it!  Find out which herbs are the most popular and easiest to grow in our area.

So mark your calendars! Monday, April 10th, 6:30 pm, Citizen’s Center, 209 SW Barnard, just off the square, Glen Rose.

March 24, 2017

Private water well screenings set for October in Hood and Somervell counties

Contact: John Smith, 979-845-2761, jwsmith@ag.tamu.edu

GLEN ROSE — The Texas Well Owner Network will offer water well screenings April 17 for Somervell County to give residents the opportunity to have their well water screened.

The screenings are presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in these counties in partnership with the Texas Water Resources Institute.

“Private water wells should be tested annually,” said John W. Smith, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program specialist, College Station.

He said those submitting samples should use only sampling bags and bottles from their respective Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office followed instructions to ensure accurate results. A $10 per sample fee will be collected when bags and bottles are picked up by participants. Bottles and bags will be available at least a week before the turn-in dates shown below.

The dates, times and locations for the screenings will be:

– April 17 from 8:30–9:30 a.m. sample bags and bottles should be turned in at the AgriLife Extension office for Somervell County, 1405 Texas Dr., in Glen Rose. This is a collaborative effort with Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District. A follow-up meeting to explain screening results will be held at 7 p.m. April l7, 107 Shepard Street Glen Rose, TX

Samples will be screened for common contaminants, including total coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrate-nitrogen and salinity.

Smith said the presence of E. coli bacteria in water indicates that waste from humans or warm-blooded animals may have contaminated the water. Water contaminated with E. coli bacteria is more likely to also have pathogens present that can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea or other symptoms.

“Water with nitrate-nitrogen at levels of 10 parts per million is considered unsafe for human consumption,” Smith said. “These nitrate levels above 10 parts per million can disrupt the ability of blood to carry oxygen throughout the body, resulting in a condition called methemoglobinemia. Infants less than 6 months of age and young livestock are most susceptible.”

Salinity as measured by total dissolved solids will also be determined for each sample. Water with high levels may leave deposits and have a salty taste, and using water with high levels for irrigation may damage soil or plants.

Smith said it is extremely important for those submitting samples to be at the meeting to receive results, learn corrective measures for identified problems and to improve understanding of private well management.

For more information on the Somervell County screening, call 254-897-2809.

To learn more about programs offered through the Texas Well Owner Network or to find additional publications and resources, go to http://twon.tamu.edu.

Support for the Texas Well Owner Network program is provided through Clean Water Act nonpoint source funding from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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by Merilyn Cranford, Somervell County Master Gardener

Shasta daisies have long been sunny garden favorites, both in beds and, with their long stiff stems, as cut flowers.  They’re a cinch to grow, they bloom for a long time, and they attract butterflies, but not deer.

One of the more familiar types is known as “Becky”, a heavy bloomer with an upright habit.  It starts to flower in July and keeps it up straight through to September.  It’s true that “Becky” is a great favorite of many people, but there are others as well.

Plenty of the new cultivars sport larger flowers, with more eye-catching petals than the older Shastas.  One that might catch your eye is named “Fluffy” because of its double flowers sprouting threadlike petals.  Another is “Fiona Coghill”, with its audacious pompon flowers.  The stout stems are strong enough to hold heavy blooms, even when they are wet after watering or rain.  Additionally, “Crazy Daisy” is a 30-inch tall Shasta that adds a playful attitude to the garden and the haphazard arrangement of petals is as endearing as its name.

There is a size to fit everyone’s taste.  Some Shasta cultivars range in height from 10 to 40 inches and flower size from 2 to almost 5 inches across.  For the most part, white is the color of Shasta daisies, though there are a few that claim yellow petals.  Two of these are named “Sunshine” and “Cobham Gold” which is closer to a soft butter cream.

Because of their inherently rugged nature and the range of plant sizes, there are many different uses for Shasta daisies.  Some may look well at the center or back of the flower bed.  Or a large grouping makes a big impact, especially when you view it from a distance.  If you’re not crazy about deadheading all those daisies, place the bed at the far end of the yard where a few faded blooms aren’t as noticeable.  Or grow them in containers.  Give them full sun and even moisture, but make sure the potting mix is well-drained, so the roots don’t rot.

So try a few Shastas — you’ll soon be hooked.  Because however you use them, Shastas add a touch of magic to your garden, along with tons of fresh white blooms, from simple to simply splendid!