Easy to See this Time of Year
Horticulture Hotline 02/03/25
Bill Lamson-Scribner
We finally had some freezing weather, and I am so glad that it was not an ice event too! Broken tree limbs, power lines down, Ravenel Bridge closed because of ice spears, no WIFI, no TV, no heat, switching on lights that don’t turn on… If you have not already pruned your plants that turned to a black mush, you can wait and some of the damaged foliage and branches will help insulate the plant for the next freezing event. I know some of you that maintain high end properties aren’t going to be able to get away with this, so prune away or replace. Sometimes it depends where the damaged plant is located. By the front door – one set of rules. In a big bed mixed in with other plants in the backyard, maybe another set of rules.
Mistletoe was a hot topic on the radio and while I was out and about recently. Mistletoe is very damaging to trees. Mistletoe is a plant that grows on another plant (usually a tree or can be a shrub) and steals water and nutrients from the host plant. During the winter it is easy to spot the tuff of green in a deciduous tree. A seed germinates and the haustorium (think of haustorium as the roots of mistletoe) grow into the trees xylem and rob the tree of nutrients and water. Haustorium can grow a good distance away from the mistletoe itself, so if you are trying to remove the mistletoe you must prune much more of the plant than you might think. Since mistletoe is usually high in a tree, consulting an arborist is the way to go to remove it.
Spring is on the way:
Soil Test / Custom Program for your yard
It is about the time to put preemergent herbicides on your lawn that will stop small seeded annual summer weeds from coming up and terrorizing your lawn. These products are very safe to use in and around shrub beds and trees (of course check the label). They will not only keep weeds out of your lawn, but will also keep them out of your beds. Dimension is a very good product, but there are numerous others based on your needs.
Kill winter weeds now before they produce seed for next year.
Is your mower ready?
Neem oil or dormant oil spray.
Rose pruning, other plants.
Adding organics – Cotton Burr, Nature’s Blend, SeaHume…
This is a good time to rake out beds and do some good sanitation. Old leaves can harbor disease and insects. The accumulation of leaves can damage your plants by making them planted too deep, insect and disease entry points, and adventitious roots.
With Valentines Day coming up, why not buy a nice decorative pot, some good potting soil, some slow release fertilizer, some nice plants, and some wetting agent and have a present that can last forever?
As with any product, read, understand, and follow product label when applying.
Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum’s has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or listen to the replay of Saturday’s show, Sundays from 11:00 to noon on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com.
