Sunday, November 3, 2024

Fall Planting and Transplanting

 

                                                      The Pitch 11/2/24

                                             Large Patch




Horticulture Hotline 11/03/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

The ocean waters have cooled down some, so hopefully, the threat of a hurricane has passed for another year – Yeah! The Charleston Battery won their first game of the playoffs and hosting again this weekend. Support the team, it is professional soccer, a lot of fun, and good food!

 

Although the weather is great for outdoor activities, remember to water. These low humidity, cooler, windy days can send your turf into early dormancy. If you have an area that is usually wet in your yard, it is probably the greenest as far as the grass goes. If you want to keep your grass greener into the fall, consider SeaHume, Possum Minors, and water. Ryegrass or Possum Green Pigment (paint) will also do the trick. Wetting agents will make any water, whether from the sky or your hose, more beneficial to your landscape.

 

This article reminds me of what someone once told me about car commercials and cars being on sale on the radio – if you are not buying a car, you do not really hear the commercials, but if you are in the market for a car, you do hear them. So, if you are thinking about transplanting, this article is for you…

 

·         Decide the size of you root ball. For every inch in tree trunk diameter, you want a foot of root ball. If your tree is three inches in diameter, your root ball should go in a circle one and a half feet from the trunk of the tree. You could tie a string around the tree leaving eighteen inches of string – then draw a line walking around the tree measuring with this string. Root balls can be very heavy so consider a hiring a professional. Be prepared to pay top dollar to move a plant because moving plants requires much more work than planting them out of containers. If your plants are way too crowded, get as much root ball as possible, and if they are so crowded that you cannot even get in there to work, you may have to sacrifice a few plants, so you do not kill them all. Always take as large a ball as possible. Sometimes you must thin out plants for the overall health of the landscape.

·         Spray the plant you are going to move with an anti-transpirant (Cloud Cover, Wilt Proof, or Transfilm). These products will hold moisture in leaves and stems. 

·         Drench the ground with SeaHume and SuperThrive. These are bio stimulant products that encourage rooting. These products come in a granular formulation if you would rather spread than drench.  Repeat monthly until you move the plant.  

·         Root prune the plant. Go to the area that you determined your ball to go out to and push a shovel straight down – do not pry on the shovel – just cut the roots. Repeat this root pruning all the way around the plant. If the plant has been in the ground a long time, you may have to skip a shovel width each time you root prune to lessen the shock.

·         Keep an eye on the plant for the next month. Be sure to water it as needed.  When watering the soil, spray a fine mist on the foliage of the plant.  Since the roots have just been severed, this will help the plant absorb the water through the foliage and water the roots as well. 

·         After thirty days or if you could wait until a cooler time (February), dig away from the plant in the area that you root pruned. Resist the temptation to pry up on the plant. You should have a ball in a mote when you are finished. Try to have the plant moved a month before it sends out new growth or flowers in the spring (early February to be safe).

·         Water the ball so the soil will stick to the roots.

·         Severe the ball from the area underneath the plant.

·         Always handle the root ball – do not grab the plant by its trunk.

·         Move the plant onto a tarp or some burlap.

·         Be sure when you move the plant to its new home, you plant it above existing grade.   Plants buried too deep are the biggest problem I see in landscapes.  A plant that is planted too deep is starved for oxygen which affects many other plant processes (ability to absorb nutrients or causes root rot). 

·         Be sure not to pile mulch up against the trunk of the tree or shrub as this will also kill the plant over a period. Consider using Cotton Burr Compost or Nature’s Blend as a mulch to get the nutrition associated with these products.

·         Spray the leaves and stems with anti-transpirant.

·         Use Diehard Transplant (contains a friendly fungus inoculum, wetting agents, water holding gel, humic acid, Sea Kelp, root stimulating vitamins and beneficial bacteria) should also be added to increase the surface absorbing area of root systems with the back fill. Spray foliage with BioRush as it is a special blend of natural organic ingredients designed to help transplant survival. Drench with SuperThrive.

·         Apply the right amount of water.  Be sure to spray the foliage.

·         Apply the right amount of Cotton Burr Compost or Natures Blend mulch.

·         Apply granular SeaHume after you have moved the plant to encourage new root growth.

·         Stake the tree or shrub if needed. Remove the stakes as soon as you can.

·         Good Luck!

 

In the fall, the environmental conditions are perfect for large patch fungus (formally known as brown patch fungus) on your turfgrass, and it is very visible right now. Even though it is dry, the disease is in many yards. Strobe and T-Methyl are great systemic products to rotate. With the cooler weather, I did a perimeter treat around my house for any insects (roaches and others) that might want to make my home their home.

 

Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.

 

                                           Cassia Fall Color
                                             Transplant aid
                                             

Monday, October 28, 2024

 

                                           Even though Dry Fall Brown Patch Attacking

                                           Playoffs 11/2/24 Charleston Battery Hosting

                                                     Dry, Drought, Dust - Wetting Agent!

          



Horticulture Hotline 10/28/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

The weather has been as nice as I can ever remember it the Lowcountry the past few weeks. We need some rain badly; however, I get it, it is nice not having any. Please water, your landscape will thank you! Visiting the State, County, City, and Town Parks is a must this time of year. Walking through the peninsula of Charleston or other Lowcountry cities can be most enjoyable with the weather we have been having. The Plantations are another great place to spend a morning or afternoon. While walking, always keep an eye out for a cool plant, ornamental pot, fountain, bird feeder, or other landscape item to bring into your yard or just enjoy in your neighbor’s yard. The sweet tea olive fragrance has been off the charts. Oyster roasts are happening and are often for great causes. Charleston Battery are in the playoffs – good food and good soccer!

 

Soil testing in the fall allows you to amend the soil over the winter and be ready for spring. Lime takes a while to react in the soil and you usually have more gardening time on your hands. The better soil testing facilities and the people who need to interrupt the results of the test (that would be me if you soil test with Possum’s) have a little more time in the fall to get your information back to you.

 

Preparing a plant for transplanting by root pruning is a good step towards a successful transplant. Try to take 12 inches of root ball for every inch in diameter of the plant. Push a shovel straight down to sever the roots. No prying, just cut the roots. Keep the plant watered, especially with this drought we are experiencing. More on this topic in the coming weeks…

 

Planting new sod? SeaHume, Nature’s Blend, Cotton Burr Compost, a fungicide, and an insecticide are good choices to encourage root growth and to prevent insects or disease. The whole landscape would benefit by applying SeaHume, a great organic mix of humates and seaweed.

 

Chickweed and other winter annual weeds are popping up in the landscape. Try to control them now while they are young and you will have better results. If you have not used a preemergent product, you can kill the weeds that are up and apply the preemergent to keep any new weeds from appearing.  

 

As the leaves fall off the Crepe Myrtles and other trees, it is a good time to identify rubbing and crossing limbs. Any damaged limbs should be more visible.  Pruning now can save you some work during the busy spring.

 

If you had aphids, white flies, mealy bugs, or other insect problems on Crepe Myrtles, Sweetgrass, Viburnum, or other plants, now is a great time to get ahead of those critters with Neem oil and Dominion Tree and Shrub drench. Dominion will be absorbed systemically into the plant and be ready to protect the new leaves in the spring.

 

Try to keep up with the leaves as they fall. Leaves on your turf can lead to disease by holding moisture on the grass blades. If you (or a lawn care company) are applying products, the leaves will prevent an even application. If you can, try to compost or mulch the leaves on site. Your soil will thank you and you will enjoy the money saved on fertilizer and water.

 

Since the grass has slowed down, now is the perfect time to re-establish your bed lines and edge along your sidewalks and driveway. A little work now could be enjoyed for several months.

 

November and December are great months for planting bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers. If you have had trouble with squirrels in the past, try Squirrel Stopper. Get those winter annuals (pansies, etc) planted so you can get them to grow thick before the cold slows them down.

 

The great weather has brought on Large Patch disease in many yards. With any luck an application of a good systemic fungicide (T-Methyl or Strobe) should get you through these favorable environmental conditions.

 

Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.