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Making It Grow! News Articles

October 9, 2005

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My grandmother, who farmed in northwestern Sumter County until the age
of 79, told me years ago that in weather one extreme would generally
follow another. She was a graduate of Lander College without taking
any courses in meteorology. However, looking at our weather pattern
this year, it would be hard to argue with her. We had an abundance of
rain from the early growing season until late summer. Now, this
severe drought is causing some major problems for many of our young
trees.

Question: Our dogwoods and maples seem to be loosing their leaves
early this year. Could they be drought stressed? If you hadn't applied
any supplemental water, they are definitley drought stressed. We have
not had any measuable amount of rainfall in the state since August. At
the same time, the evapotranspiration rate (the amount of water loss
each day from evaporation from the soil and transpiration from the
leaf) has averaged one quarter an inch per day. It doesn't take a
Ph.D. in math to do the numbers. It is most imperative that we water
all trees around our home as soon as possible. Even though most trees
are approaching dormancy, they must have sufficient moisture inside
their plant cells to wake up from winter's sleep next year healthy.
This also helps them withstand disease, insect, and other adversities.
I prefer a soak hose for irrigating trees. This allows a small amount
of water to soak down to the root system without any runoff. It is one
of the most efficient methods of applying water to trees. Shallow
rooted trees, such as dogwoods, will require irrigation first. I hope
this drought does not bring back the pine beetles which came to our
state in 2002. Insects love to feed on weak trees. Keep your trees
healthy now by keeping sufficient moisture to the roots.

Queston: We always enjoy traveling I-26 and I-85 in the fall to view
the fall colors. It seems the trees around our home never show as
striking colors. What is the difference? The main differences are
Mother Nature and the number of trees. When you travel our interstates
and other roads, Mother Nature is giving you a avery large amount of
plant material. Our forests have all types of gums, oaks, hickories,
maples, dogwood, redbud, and sycamore to name a few. In additon, no
one can landscape like Mother Nature. She has an unequal ability to
place plants in patterns that their colors are very attractive to any
eye. You may want to take inventory of your trees and plant some that
will give you different colors. A blend of the reds and yellows is
where you should start. There are some shurbs which can add color the
fall landscape. Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginia) will give you yellow
with some yellow flowers in early fall. Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) is
scarlet with crimson fruit in the fall. Your local nursery person can
help you select the proper plant material for fall colors. A visit to
the Milliken Arboretum in Spartanburg can help you with leaf color for
various hardwoods.