It's About Time!!

Time. Nobody ever has enough of it. It passes by quickly, we waste it, and it waits on no one. I joke all the time that if I only had 36 hour days and 10 day weeks, I could get more done, but alas, I would just fill that in too.
Mother Nature gives us different plants that, although we named them, shows us different aspects of time.
Let's start off right at the beginning of the day with, The Morning Glory.



Botanically it is Ipomoea purpurea. They are considered an annual, which means you have to re-plant them every year because they die. Even as I sit in my quiet living room I can hear all my Master Gardener friends screaming....DON'T PLANT THEM! They are considered invasive. Even though they are an annual and die back, they will reseed themselves prolifically.
It simply can not be easier to grow these though, and I am sure everybody that has had a grandmother remembers her growing them. Requirements are full sun, well draining soil, moist, not wet soil, and something for them to grow up, on and over. They will easily reach 10-15 feet in a single season. They come in White as well as hues of Red, Pink, Purple, and of course Blue. There are stripped ones available also.
Here are a couple of tips so that you can enjoy these beauties and not have them take over your neighborhood.
Grow them in a container:



This can be done with a very large pot and a large Tomato cage or any kind of trellis like structure. You will have to keep the vines trimmed back so it does not grab any small children.
While on the subject of cutting, you will also want to cut off the seed pods after the flower has expired, this will save you from pulling the volunteers out of everything.
Ripe and unripe seeds will look like this:



Okay, you have your morning off to a pretty good start. Now Mother Nature has something waiting for you when you get home in the afternoon, namely the Four O'clock. Hey, it's four o'clock somewhere.



Mirabilis jalapa if you want to be scientific. As you can see these also come in an amazing array of colors, White, Red, Yellow, Pink, Splotched, Stripped, and on and on. Here again those voices in my head are screaming at me as these too can be considered invasive if not kept in check. Their habit of opening in the late afternoon and staying open all night is what has given them their name. Grown as an annual, though, with the way they can reseed themselves it is almost considered a perennial. Full sun, moist soil and just about any type of soil, clay, sandy, etc. They are fast growers, reaching 2-4 feet in a single season. They hybridize very easily and you may never know what color you will get if you save the seeds. They are large and black and usually hidden down in the throat of where the flower use to be.



Many times you will have both ripe seed and flowers on the same plant.
Okay, you might be home all day, weekend, off from work, whatever. You enjoyed the Morning Glory but didn't want to wait until late afternoon to enjoy the 4 O'clock. Not to worry, Mother Nature has you covered with....The Day Lily.



This is a perennial (comes back every year) and botanically known as Hemerocallis spp. The spp. stands for species, there are SO many of these things that it is easier to list like that. There are literally thousands of registered cultivars, which means there are thousands of colors and sizes to choose from. The colors range from Yellow, Orange, Pale Pink, to vibrant Reds, Purples, Lavenders, Greenish tones, near-Black, near-White, and more.
This plant received it's name because, typically, the flower only lasts 24 hours. When planted in mass you would hardly notice that you are seeing a different flower everyday. Depending on exactly what kind you have, they can grow from Zone 1 all the way to Zone 11. Some reaching a height of up to 4 feet, they will grow in practically any soil type. Full sun, or light shade it can tolerate moist soils and drought conditions. They will, of course, produce more flowers given optimum growing conditions. Division of clumps in the late Winter or early Spring is the best way to propagate them.
Lastly, on the topic of time for Mother Nature, there is a plant that is really for the LONG term thinking....namely, The Century Plant.



Agave americana, mostly found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, it does well in Zones 8-11. This plant is actually kind of named incorrectly, it doesn't really take a century to bloom, but it does take 10 years or so in warm regions and as much as 60 years in colder climates. Once the plant flowers it dies, but there are usually many baby plants, called pups, around the base to continue the heritage.
They grow in sandy, well draining soil, full sun. These things are desert plants, once established they are extremely drought tolerant.
Century Plants are almost evil. The leaves get up to 6' long and 10" wide, and have sharp spines on the edge and tips. The side spines are recurved like fishhooks and the tip spines can be more than an inch long. When it does come time to flower, there is nothing more spectacular when it comes to shear size. The flower stalk can be anywhere from 20-40 feet in the air, with 3-4 inch yellow green flowers in clumps. Imagine the talk of your neighbors if you had this in your yard:



Well, I hope you have enjoyed your time with me on this very timely subject. Like sand through the hour glass, the seconds are slipping away and I must run, like I said at the beginning, Time waits for no one!
Happy Growing!
Darren

What The......?!

As I go through my Master Gardener career, one old saying keeps popping out at me, "The more I learn, the more I realize I DON'T know".
This came to light again just the other day. I received an e-mail from the one of the many horticulture and gardening websites that I subscribe to and it was about a fungus and a beetle causing havoc with the Avocado crops in California. I know what you are asking, If you live in South Carolina, WHY are you worried about an Avocado problem in California? There are a couple of reasons:
1) I am a geek and I like to know what could possibly end up here due to somebody inevitably bringing it here by mistake or stupidity. I am attempting to grow Avocados.
2) I buy Avocados in the store on occasion, and I want to know why the price could/is going up.
Anyway, while I was reading this article there was a picture that sent off all kinds of "familiar" images in my head, I KNOW I have seen this before. That picture was this:



What you are looking at is strings of compacted sawdust being pushed out of the trunk of the tree. I was right I had seen it before. This damage was being caused by an Ambrosia Beetle and I had them in a Royal poinciana (Delonix regia) tree that I was growing. The tree died and had these strings of sawdust coming out. I disposed of the tree, which in hindsight was a good idea, because at the time I had NO IDEA what the heck it was. I do now.
There about 3,000 known beetle species employing the ambrosia strategy. Ambrosia beetle is a generic term used to refer to a number of beetles. This "strategy" is a relationship between the beetles and the Ambrosia fungus.
This is how it works. The beetles dig holes, usually in dieing or stressed trees but some species use live, healthy ones. These tunnels are called galleries. The beetle carries spores of the Ambrosia fungus with it and then deposits them in these galleries. The fungus penetrates the plant's tissue, digests it, and grows near the surface of the beetle's gallery. The beetles then feed upon the fungus. The tree ends up dieing, in the case of a live tree infestation, because the fungus in essence "clogs" up the trees arteries.
The beetle that is causing the problem in California is known as the Tea Shot Hole Borer. It is an exotic ambrosia beetle smaller than a sesame seed. The information is still coming in as to how expansive the damage is.
Down in Florida they too are having a problem with Avocados, but because of a different beetle. There, it is the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle. This one was first detected in Port Wentworth, Georgia in 2002. Back in that year, this beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, was the twelfth species of non-native ambrosia beetle known to have become established in the US. All are suspected to have been introduced in solid wood packing materials, such as crates and pallets.
One other beetle I am trying to keep an eye on is the Granulate Ambrosia Beetle (Xylosandrus crassiusculus). This one was introduced to South Carolina from Asia in the early 1970’s. It has since spread throughout the southeast, gulf coast and as far north as Maryland. This tiny beetle is a pest of woody ornamental, fruit, and nut trees and can cause significant damage in nursery, landscape, and orchard settings.
Here in the southeast, Georgia and South Carolina, the ambrosia beetle’s first flight occurs with mild weather typically in February but possibly as early as January. Young trees in nurseries and trees that have been in landscapes for less than three years old are vulnerable to attack even if they are not obviously stressed.
Ambrosia Beetles come in many shapes, sizes and colors, as seen by this picture:



They are all usually very small. How to tell if you have an infestation? I mentioned the strings of sawdust protruding from the tree. This may not always be visible however because rain and wind can knock this very fragile powder off. Other signs to look for are, piles of fine, whitish dust found around entrance holes or at the base of the tree. Wilting of the new leaves, which can also be associated with other problems, is a secondary confirmation sign. You should also monitor the bark very closely for holes as small as 1/16 of an inch.
Keeping your trees healthy is one of the most important defenses against attack. Preventative applications of pyrethroid insecticides can protect trees, if sprayed when the beetles are active at the first signs of warmer weather, late Winter, early Spring. Read the label of anything that you use. When looking for an insecticide to work on Ambrosia Beetles, look for some type of borer listed on the label. Specific beetles will not appear on the label. Organic products such as Pyrenone or PyGanic may be used, but are expensive and may not be available in small amounts. Their effectiveness has not been well studied. Once beetles are inside trees they cannot be killed with insecticides and fungicides are ineffective against the ambrosia fungus. You are better off doing everything that you can to reduce the stress of the tree or shrub in hopes that the plant will outgrow the attacks.
Other management procedures to think about are, avoid spreading the beetle and pathogen to new areas, wood or wood chips from infested trees should not be transported out of the local areas where infected trees have been found. Many of the species target very weakened, dying trees, green logs, and unseasoned lumber. The beetles will only attack trees and logs with high moisture content. The moisture is needed to allow the Ambrosia fungus to grow.
This has been a very brief article on Ambrosia Beetles. There is much, much more online about these destructive insects. There are many species of these beetles and they attack many species of trees and shrubs.
Hopefully you can get two major points from my little rant:
1) Keep your plants healthy. Plant the right plant in the right place. Give it space, water and all of the other things it needs to remain happy.
2) Be VERY careful of what you bring into your yard, neighborhood or country. There very well could be an unwanted hitchhiker in that plant, soil or pallet.
Happy Growing!
Darren

Citrus With Some Mussel

I already know what you are thinking, this guy really goofed up this time.....that is not how it is spelled. Just hang with me for a minute, all will be explained.
I am tickled to death that my name has gotten around the internet as much as it has. Now mind you, I live in North Charleston, South Carolina. I got an e-mail from a very nice guy out in San Diego, California. He came across my name and blog trying to diagnose what he thought was a very serious problem. He was afraid that he had Citrus Scab.
Just so you know, Citrus scab, which is caused by the fungus Elsinoe fawcetti, affects the fruit, leaves, and twigs of susceptible varieties of citrus. It can be particularly severe on lemons, Temples, and Murcotts and on Minneola tangelos. It is often a problem on grapefruit, but rarely occurs on round oranges. Sweet orange is generally only infected if trees are located very close to infected trees of other varieties. His problem was on a Valencia Sweet orange. Never underestimate the information that somebody is trying to get when diagnosing a problem, it being a Valencia was VERY important here.
Anyway, this is the picture that he sent me:



I want to be honest here. I knew it was not Citrus Scab, but I did contact a couple of my Citrus buddies to make sure we had a positive ID.
It turned out to be Lepidosaphes beckii, Citrus Mussel Scale. This type of scale also goes by the names, Purple Scale, Orange Scale, Comma Scale and Mussel Purple Scale. This scale is highly specific to Citrus, rarely to never being found on any other plant.
This is one of the most destructive insect pests of Citrus throughout the world. The small insects attach themselves to leaves, fruit, and small branches causing injury by sucking the tree's sap. It is of Oriental origin, which makes sense because Citrus is of Oriental origin. It poses major problems for Citrus in Central and South America, South Africa, Australia, Hawaii, Florida, Texas and California.
If you put a magnifying glass to this pest, it would look like this:


Photo courtesy of University of Georgia

The 1/8 inch adult female lays eggs under its mussel-shaped scale and up to four generations may occur annually. Damage to fruit occurs in heavy infestations, where spotting and often deformity of fruits affects market value. Areas surrounding scales remain green long after the rest of the fruit ripens. Another good way to tell if you have a problem is, if there are ants having a big old parade up and down your tree, start watching for scale. Ants feed on the sugar secretion that scale puts out. They also often defend scale insects from predators and parasites.
Control is difficult. That coat of armor that they wear protects them from most insecticides. Scale insects are most vulnerable at juvenile or ‘crawler’ stage; however they are also very difficult to see. The use of a horticultural oil is your best bet. Ideally, good spray coverage during plant dormancy or when crawlers are active is the key to successful control of scale. Bark as well as foliage should be treated.
Trees that do not have a dormancy period i.e. citrus are best treated when crawlers are active in Spring and again at the end of Summer. Spot treatments may also be required until infestation is under control. It may take 2 to 3 years before the infestation is properly managed and the affected tree shows signs of recovery.
There are some natural enemies of scale, they include parasitical wasps, lady beetles, spiders, lacewigs and predatory mites. Small birds also feast on scale. Beneficial insects can be bought and released to control scale. You might want to remember that beneficials will die if released onto leaves that have been treated with insecticide.
For my e-mail friend in San Diego he was relieved it was not Scab, However it sounded like he had a pretty bad infestation.......His work has just begun.
Happy Growing!
Darren

Jeepers a Creeper!!

One of the nice things about being a Master Gardener is, I get to work all kinds of events and meet all kinds of people. Sometimes we get really off the wall questions like, "Do I need bees to produce flowers on my Citrus tree?" or they will bring us a plant to identify. I have actually had today's topic asked of me twice in the past dozen or so days, so I thought I might bring it to the forefront. One of the questions was, "Do you know what that plant is growing on the wall in front of Dunes West subdivision?" Luckily, I drive by there rather often and I did know. The other question pertained to the fruit that it produces, but I am getting ahead of myself. That plant on the wall is Ficus pumila, better known as Creeping Fig. It also goes by climbing fig. You have probably seen it a million times and never really paid it any attention.

This is a fast growing, aggressive, but beautiful evergreen vine. It is a relative of the edible fig, Ficus carica, but it looks very little like its cousin. Creeping fig is native to East Asia and is found on Japan's southern islands, eastern China, and Vietnam. If you are looking for a good southern ground cover or want to hide an ugly wall, this is the plant for you. As the common name 'Creeping Fig' indicates, the plant has a creeping/vining habit and is often used in gardens and landscapes. Beware though, it can become invasive and cover structures and landscape features if not maintained in check.

While this may be pretty, you should also know that, when it is climbing on buildings or wooden structures, the woody tendrils can 'Cling' or 'Root in' and damage structures and/or their surface finishes. There has also been cases of top-heavy plants peeling away from the side of houses, it literally peeled the paint right off the wall.
Okay, let's say you have an old brick wall that separates you and your neighbors. It is ugly and you want to hide it, you really want to remove it but that is not an option. Plant some of this stuff. Creeping fig is not particular about soil. It's less aggressive and easier to manage when its grown in less fertile, drier soil. It prefers a little shade, but will do just fine in full sun. When it is young give it a little supplemental water, once it is mature it is very drought tolerant. When young, the leaves are heart-shaped, and small. They get larger, becoming 2-4 inches in length,oblong and leathery when mature. It is rated for Zones 8-11. It will tolerate freezing temperatures for short durations. If you live in a climate where it is too cold in the Winter, it can be propagated by cuttings. Just dust the end with rooting hormone powder, stick it in some potting soil and then place it in a warm, humid environment. Treat it as a houseplant until next Spring.

There is even a Variegated version.

I mentioned at the top of this article that one of the questions pertained to this plant fruiting. It does, but it is a rare occasion. It looks like this.

Apparently there are numerous cultivars and some of the fruit can get very large. In Taiwan, its fruit is turned inside out and dried. The seeds are scraped off and a gel is extracted from their surface with water. It is allowed to set until it forms a jelly known in Taiwan as Aiyu Jelly and in Singapore it is known as Ice Jelly. I am not sure who thought to turn the fruit inside out, dry it and all that other stuff, but I am sure it was somebody really bored. I mean come on, "Hey Dude, lets turn this thing inside out and see what we can do with it". Would YOU know what to do with something that looks like this?!?!

Happy Growing!
Darren

Blight On!

Hopefully you will already be doing the basics of today's post, but I thought it would be a good idea to tell you WHY you should do it and make sure that you ARE doing it.
It has been a pretty warm Winter, no complaints here, so this could be a bad year for this topic, Camellia Petal Blight.
Here in my Zone 8 Camellias have pretty much petered out, but there are still things to do to alleviate headaches for next year.
Let's start with the basics.
Camellia petal blight is caused by the fungus Ciborinia camelliae. All cultivars of camellias are equally susceptible to this disease. Camellia sasanqua is less so because it's bloom time is in the Fall. This disease only affects the flowers, not the roots, stems or leaves.
The development is favored by frequent rain showers, high humidity, and mild temperatures during bloom. Kind of sounds similar to the Winter we had this year, doesn't it?
Usually the disease is introduced into the landscape on already diseased plants.
The simple scoop is, Camellia petal blight causes blossoms to rot and drop prematurely.



I know what you are thinking, "Flowers rot and drop off after a certain length of time and that is all that this is". And you would be right, except that this happens right after opening and they should stay on the plant for days. Another difference is, the blighted petals are dry and leathery but do not crumble when handled. Petal blight can also be confused with cold injury, but cold injury is usually found on the outer petals, which become dry and crumbly and do not fall from the plant. Flowers from the same plant can have petal blight and cold injury.
The disease is first seen as brown spots on the expanding flower petals. In the early stages of the disease, veins within the spots appear darker than the surrounding tissue, giving some blooms a distinctive netted appearance.
That looks like this:



These spots, which began as small brown specks, enlarge rapidly during warm weather as the fungus invades and kills the flower tissue. A gray or white fuzzy growth may be observed at the base of the flower where it attaches to the stem. (See the base of the flower in the first picture) Eventually the fungus invades to the flower base where a hard, black structure called a sclerotium forms. (Again see the first picture, lower right hand corner) These sclerotia can persist in the soil for several years. Under favorable conditions (cool weather followed by warm, wet weather), the sclerotia germinate to produce tiny mushroom-like structures. The “mushrooms” produce airborne spores that land on nearby camellia flowers, starting a new cycle of disease.
Once introduced it is almost impossible to rid your landscape of this disease. There are things you can do to slow it down. Make sure you don't introduce it to begin with. Check the plant you are buying. If it is flowering, look for the brown specks on the flower. If not, look at the soil and see if you see any of the sclerotium laying there.
If it is has been introduced and you are already dealing with it, watch carefully and collect and destroy all diseased blooms on and beneath the plant.
Each Spring, remove the old mulch. Then spread a layer of about 1 inch of fresh bark, pine straw or whatever your favorite mulch is around the base of each Camellia. The mulch will interfere with the spread of spores to the flower buds. Be sure not to over-mulch the Camellia; burying the root system under 2 or more inches of mulch may kill the plant. Also remember to keep it away from the trunk of the plant to stop other problems from arising.
Along with these sanitation practices, you can apply fungicides. Make sure you read the label and it has Camellia listed. Follow the directions to the letter, this is the law! There are also some soil drench fungicides that can be applied to get any of the spores that may be hiding there.
The fungus may also be spread by the distribution of diseased flowers. This is the reason that at Camellia shows ALL flowers are suppose to be destroyed at the end of the show. You will want to remember not to add camellia petals or leaves to any compost that will be used around Camellias. Most home composts do not get hot enough to kill these sclerotium and you could just be re-infesting your Camellia bed.
Hopefully you have been practicing these types of sanitation tips already. This actually can apply to many kinds of fungus and diseases of plants. If a plant dies and you are not sure why or know that it died due to some illness, better play it safe and burn it or dispose of it in some other manner OTHER than your compost bin.
SO, If you look under your Camellia bushes and you see this:



You might be asking for trouble and end up with this:



Happy Growing!
Darren

'Tis Seeding Season

Well, the wait is finally, for the most part, over. You have been tormented and teased all Winter long with a constant barrage of seed catalogs. Those beautiful red tomatoes, green peppers, golden corn on the cob and just about every herb that you can think of, and some you may have never heard of. Just sitting there on those full color pages, waiting to be ordered and planted. For many of you the time to plant seeds is NOW! Or at least a few weeks ago, so get a move on. Some are still just getting to that window of planting time. Still others, WAY up North.....well, I think Summer is scheduled to be on a Friday this year, so wait for it.
Joking aside, hopefully you have either already ordered and received your seeds or will be picking some up your next trip to the garden center.
Let's just say for the sake of argument, it is time to plant your precious seeds, and you want to get this thing in gear.
How?
I am going to assume you know what you want to plant, peppers, tomatoes, okra, basil, whatever. The next thing you need to figure out is, what do you want to start them in?
This is going to be more of a financial decision. You can go out and get the peat pots, peat pellets and the like. More on these later. Depending on how many plants you are planning on starting, this could get pricey. Let's just say you are cheap like me, read also poor into that. I like to start my seeds in whatever I happen to have available. Luckily, I have a wonderful wife who gets me those mini greenhouse sets when they go on sale. Side note, these can make GREAT Christmas, Birthday, Anniversary gifts....I am just saying. If I do not happen to have anymore of the mini sets, I tend to improvise.
Three inch plastic pots are a perfect size to start seeds. They don't dry out as quickly, they are of a manageable size and still have enough room for the roots to get a strong start.
Clay pots will work, but they tend to dry out too fast.
Milk Containers. Any size will work. Just make sure you punch holes in the bottom to allow for drainage.
Margarine and Cottage cheese containers. Again, make sure there are holes in the bottom for drainage.
You may even remember a science project from school, using egg cartons. Being that these are rather small, you may want to transplant at least once into a little larger pot before planting outdoors, just to get a little larger root system going.
And of course, peat pots.



These can be planted directly into the ground once the seedlings are good and strong. One piece of advice here though, make sure that no part of the pot is sticking out of the ground when you plant it. It acts as a wick and will dry out your seedling very quickly. To encourage roots to spread out into the garden soil, you will also want to carefully cut or tear holes in the bottoms of these pots, because they usually don't break down completely in the soil, and may inhibit root growth.
These are just a few examples, I am sure your imagination can come up with lots more.
Okay, you got what container you want to use, now you need some kind of stuff to put in the container to plant the seed.
The medium used for starting seeds should be loose, well-drained, and of fine texture. You may use commercially prepared mixes or you may mix materials yourself.
Let's start with an easy and clean way.
Compressed peat pellets. When dry, expandable peat pellets are about the size of a silver dollar, but somewhat thicker. When placed in water, they swell to form a cylindrical container filled with peat moss, ready for seeding or transplanting.



These may also be planted directly into the garden. Use the pellets in trays so they are easily watered and held upright. Be sure they are placed so the open side is up. A word of caution here. Hopefully you are aware that seeds and seedlings should not be allowed to dry out completely, they will die. Should the peat pellets get forgotten and dry out, it is VERY hard to re-wet them.
I have not tried this one personally, but I may have to one day.
Vermiculite. This material when used alone provides good seed germination. It is clean, and if not contaminated during handling, will not need sterilization. If other seeding mixes are used, it is useful for covering seeds. It does not form a crust, and seedlings can easily emerge.
Soilless mixtures. Mixes that contain no soil are available for growing seeds. These contain either a combination of peat moss and vermiculite or peat moss and perlite. Get the best stuff you can afford, there are some really cheap ones and the money you save here may cost you dearly in germination.
Now comes the hard part, you have the seeds, the containers and the soil medium, now what?
Fill the containers with the medium and stick the seed in, right? Not so fast. How deep should the seed be planted? I would venture a guess that millions and millions of seeds have been lost to rot because they were planted too deep. Trust me on this one, I probably have lost half that number.
The general rule of thumb is, twice to three times as deep as they are wide. I have come to the conclusion that I say "HUH"? to that general rule of thumb. Have you ever seen a lettuce seed? If you have bad eyesight, probably not.
I use this theory and my germination rates have improved 100 fold.
Small seeds, lettuce and such, are best planted by scattering them thinly over the surface of the soil and then patting them down. I usually water with a fine sprinkle and that helps set them in also.
Medium-sized seeds might include things like radishes, peas and beets. These are easier to see and can be planted their own width deep into the soil. Pat the soil down to firm it around the seed. Again, water them in.
If you are planting a large seed, maybe something like an almond or something like that, plant them as deep as they are long. Water in.
Experience will tell you that something is wrong. If you have planted 100 seeds and 3 have come up, you probably are too deep. There is a chance that you have old or expired seeds. If you are not sure, plant some more, but plant a little higher this time and see what happens.
You will want to place some kind of covering over the container. The seeds need warmth, humidity, moisture and a few things will need light to germinate. Do not place covered containers in direct sunlight. It will get way too hot and it will cook the seeds. Remember I told you about the mini greenhouse, they look like this:



Watch daily for germination. Move them to more direct light, and remove plastic or glass coverings as soon as germination is well underway, usually when you see the first set of true leaves. The first leaves to appear when the small plant breaks the surface of the soil are not true leaves, they are cotyledons or seed leaves. These are filled with starch and other things the plant needs at the beginning of life.
This will also be the time to thin your young seedlings. As difficult as it is, if you planted two or three seeds in a hole, some of them will have to go. They will just compete with each other and in the end make for a weak plant.
When it is time to transplant the seedlings into their new home, care should be taken. Lift seedlings by the rootball, using a spoon or plant tag for support if necessary. Never hold the seedling by its stem, as you may crush it. If you feel the need to steady the plant from above lightly hold the plant by a leaf. A seedling that has lost a leaf can grow another, but a seedling that has lost its stem cannot survive.
One problem I seem to always encounter is sunburn of my plants. I get so eager to get these things growing that I push the timetable.



Plants which have been growing indoors cannot be planted abruptly into the garden without danger of injury. To prevent damage, they should be hardened off before planting outdoors. Ideally, about two weeks before planting outdoors, start hardening off the seedlings by moving them outside for increasingly longer periods each day. Start by putting them outside for a few hours in the shade during the warmth of the afternoon. Choose a spot protected from wind. Bring them back inside for the night before temperatures start to drop. Each day, leave the plants out a little longer, and expose them to a little more direct sunshine. By the end of two weeks, unless freezing temperatures are forecast, the seedlings can stay outside in a sunny area until you are ready to transplant them into the garden.
Starting seeds has so many pros to it. They are much cheaper to buy than plant starts. You can get a much wider variety of things to grow, the big box stores can only carry just so many varieties of already grown plants. The satisfaction you will get knowing that you started a plant that has pounds of something edible on it from a seed is immeasurable. It is also a great way to get your kids involved in something wholesome.
I will leave you today with one other tidbit of useful information. My mother will surely think this is aimed at her, and to a large degree it is, TAG YOUR PLANTS!!
I promise you, even if you only plant one kind of pepper or one kind of tomato, you will forget what the name of it is. I hear my mother now, "but I know that it is a pepper or a tomato, why do I need to know what it's name is?"
For everybody else in the world, you will want to know what the name of it is so if it does not grow well for you, it does not get planted again next year.
Happy Growing!
Darren

Puncturing Post

I got a phone call from my Clemson Extension agent this past week. She had a client in the office with a Meyer Lemon problem. She could not have called at a better time. She wanted to know if I could receive pictures on my phone, which I can't, or if I happen to be close to my computer? I was actually in the process of sending out some e-mails, so I was right there.
Both she and the client thought maybe that the problem was some kind of an overspray of chemicals by both the homeowner and landscaper. Luckily this was not the case, it was much more benign that that.
The tree was actually hurting itself. If you have ever grown Citrus you know that many of them have thorns.....Kind of like this:



Pretty evil looking huh?
Well, what was happening was, every time the wind started to blow it would knock the fruit against these thorns. As you can see, they are very sharp. The resulting damage will then look like this:



and this:



For the most part, this is just a cosmetic damage. If you are planning on eating the fruit in a short period of time, there should be no problem. The interior is usually unaffected.
However, if you are planning on storing your fruit for any length of time or want to ship it to a friend, this is where there could be problems. Those little puncture wounds, numerous in many cases, are entry points for an array of bacteria and fungi.
Let's check a few of these out.
We will start with the most colorful, Green and Blue Molds.
Green mold, the most important of these two post-harvest diseases, is caused by the fungus Penicillium digitatum. A rapid breakdown occurs in fruit punctured or bruised during harvesting and packing operations. The fungus enters the fruit through wounds. Therefore, the disease can occur on fruit on the tree, in the packinghouse, in transit, in storage and in the marketplace. A white mold is first seen growing on the peel. The mold later turns green because of the large number of green spores produced. Decayed fruit becomes soft and shrinks.
Blue mold, Penicillium italicum is less common than green mold, but the blue mold grows faster. Both infections develop in damaged areas in the rind.
If you see something along these lines, then you know there was probably some kind of damage:



I think this was a science project from my 5th grade class, if not it should have been.

Another post harvest problem can be, Diplodia Fruit rot caused by the fungus Diplodia natalensis. This infection occurs most frequently at the stem end of the fruit but occasionally can occur via injuries on the side of the fruit. The fungus grows rapidly through the spongy central axis of the fruit. It grows unevenly through the rind, which produces finger-like projections of brown tissue on the infected fruit.

Photo courtesy of visualsunlimited

So as you can see damaged Citrus peel can be a nasty problem. There are a couple of easy ways to fix it.
You can snip off those thorns with a pair of toenail clippers. I know this sounds like a long and tedious task, and it is, but the fruit will thank you and anything else that happens to bump up against the tree will thank you. You do not necessarily need to do the entire tree, just where there is fruit.
Thinning the branches of the tree to open it up more is something else that can be done. This is actually a good suggestion anyway, it allows more airflow into the tree which will cut down on the possibility of other diseases.
You can plant buffers by your Citrus trees to help cut down on the wind or plant them in non windy areas. Shielding your trees from the wind is probably the easiest to do. Yes, you can cut off the thorns, but small stubby branches can do the same kind of damage.
Something that many people don't think of when harvesting Citrus. You really should snip the fruit from the tree instead of pulling. This can lead to a problem of the peel leaving a little button on the tree and the fruit is then susceptible to all of those nasty problems I mentioned above.
I should mention one other puncturing type of problem. This one also happens semi-frequently and there not many ways to stop it from happening.....our feathered friends can become a nuisance. I actually watched a Mocking Bird do this before I could scare him off.




Thankfully this was just a one time attack and I have not had a problem since. Maybe he didn't like it, or maybe me yelling at him like an old man yelling at a bunch of kids in his yard did it.
So, in a nutshell, protecting your harvest should be your number one priority. You have fed, watered, pampered and protected your tree to get some glorious fruit...wouldn't it be a shame if a gust of wind ruined all those months of hard work?
Happy Growing!
Darren