Green Tech - July Report

Plants are an investment in the health of our global environment as well as individual property values. Proper handling can insure a healthy return on investment. From digging to planting, every step in the transplanting process is important.

We prepare our trees for their trip to your landscape long before we dig them, with periodic transplanting and root pruning to maximize the roots in the soil ball. Our clay loam soil maintains its shape during handling. We minimize hardship on the rootball with efficient procedures during harvest and loading.

There is a direct correlation between careful handling and a tree's survival...Just one more reason to buy locally and keep your plant purchases close to home.

Why Some Newly Planted Trees Die: Stresses During Handling And Transport Affect Tree Health, Survival

-Mary T. McClelland- GreenTech

OUR GREEN TECH TEAM
If you have a concern about plant needs, pests, siting or general plant health, we can help. We offer a site-visit service for any questions about how our plants are doing in their new location.
We provide Green Tech service at no charge. To make an appointment give us a call or fill out the online form for more information.

Green Tech - February Report

In the midst of a winter with record low temperatures and ice storms causing catastrophic damage to structures and landscapes, a skeptic may say, 'What's all the fuss about global warming, this is the coldest winter we've had in the Midwest in decades!'

What we miss in this short term view is that global warming comes to us - not as a gradual change to balmy weather - but in the form of weather extremes and erratic weather patterns.
For more information or to see how you can help contact Staphanie Brown at the Illinois Forest Resource Center.
Also, make sure you visit our Research and Development blog for information on Winter Injury.

-Mary T. McClelland- GreenTech

OUR GREEN TECH TEAM
If you have a concern about plant needs, pests, siting or general plant health, we can help. We offer a site-visit service for any questions about how our plants are doing in their new location.
We provide Green Tech service at no charge. To make an appointment give us a call or fill out the online form for more information.

Green Tech - September Report

Oak Wilt Wisdom

Oak Wilt is a fungus inhibiting all the conducting tissues in the oak tree. It is fairly easy to spot as the leaves can drop mid summer over just a matter of weeks.

As it is with any insect or disease, if we take care to observe the tree in its vigorous form, we will notice when something doesn’t look right. The best treatment in the landscape is to minimize stress and maintain tree health with attention to watering, mulching, fertilizing and avoidance of root compaction. The best treatment in natural areas is to monitor disease when it moves in, and try to prevent its spread to nearby healthy trees. The fungus moves from tree to tree by way of root grafts and insect vectors.

The other two most important tips about oak wilt are:
1. Observe the rule of green thumb to limit pruning oaks only when dormant (no pruning March through October). Cuts during the growing season expose sap literally calling the fungus-transporting insects.
2. When you suspect oak wilt has moved in, consult your state extension or an arborist for advise on the best approach to sever root grafts to protect healthy trees.

Good links:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_oakwilt/toc.htm#summary
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3306.html

-Mary T. McClelland- GreenTech

OUR GREEN TECH TEAM
If you have a concern about plant needs, pests, siting or general plant health, we can help. We offer a site-visit service for any questions about how our plants are doing in their new location.
We provide Green Tech service at no charge. To make an appointment give us a call or fill out the online form for more information.

GreenTech- July Report

This January- June were the wettest six months on record in Illinois. We had a total of 27.7 inches, which is 8.3 inches above average. Flooding has been a big problem in many areas. What effects will all this moisture have on trees?

Flooding and Potential Effects on Trees
(from US Forest Service factsheet)

• Poor soil aeration- lack of oxygen for roots
• Change in soil pH
• Decreased decomposition of organic matter and potentially damaging byproducts
• Deposits of sediment may smother roots
• Exposure of roots from soil washed away
• Damage from floating debris
• Damage from chemicals in the water
  
• Cold, fast moving water carries more oxygen- will be less harmful

Flood Tolerance in Trees

• Some species can tolerate several feet of water for a time, but few can tolerate more than a month of standing water.
  
• The more of the tree under water, the more chance for injury (especially when it gets to the foliage).
  
• Mature trees are more tolerant than seedlings (or aging/declining trees)
• Healthy trees tolerate flooding better than stressed trees.
• Trees that can maintain roots, go dormant, or grow adventitious roots are better equipped to survive.
  
• Even the healthiest, most flood tolerant trees will not tolerate complete submersion.
  

-Mary T. McClelland- GreenTech

OUR GREEN TECH TEAM
If you have a concern about plant needs, pests, siting or general plant health, we can help. We offer a site-visit service for any questions about how our plants are doing in their new location.
We provide Green Tech service at no charge. To make an appointment give us a call or fill out the online form for more information.

GreenTech- April Report

I think we can now safely say (knock on wood) that the ‘winter that never ends’ is behind us. We had ups and downs in temperature, heavy snowfall and lots of moisture. In Springs past we talked about frost cracking, sunscald, and problems from drought and not enough snow cover. What will we see this year?

Broken Branches and Dieback
Hardy plants can survive the cold if hardened off, but the risk comes when warm weather tricks them out of dormancy only to be blasted by more cold. Borderline hardy and non-native plants may have some dieback from the extreme weather. You will also see a lot of broken branches from the heavy snow and ice. After assessing what is dead or alive, clean up the damaged plants with pruning, and spring will fill in new growth.

Mice, Rabbit, and Deer Damage
With everything covered in snow, the deer and rodents were out searching for food, and they found tasty woody treats. You may see damage higher up than normal because of the amount of snow that accumulated. Watch out for girdling damage.

Salt Injury from Road Salt
With the amount of salt that was required to keep roads and sidewalks safe, there may be more salt injury this Spring. You will see symptoms that look like damage to the roots or drought injury. Salt from our early spring snowstorms can cause the most injury because the plants are thinking about waking up soon (Due to salt shortages this year, though, there may have been less applied later in the season).

• Chlorosis, early leaf coloration, scorch, dieback: salt accumulates in the soil and absorbs available water causing drought injury
• Marginal Leaf Scorch, Scorched or Dead Needles: chlorine from dissolved salt taken up by the roots
• Poor Drainage: soil high in salt is more easily compacted,
• Potassium deficiency: salt impedes the uptake of magnesium and potassium
• Bud damage and dieback: from salt spray
• Reduced vigor: more susceptible to pests and diseases over the year

What you can do: Flush the exposed area with water to leach out some of the salt. You may even want to remove the soil and replace it with fresh soil. Also, plant species that tolerate soil salt and salt spray along roads and sidewalks. In higher speed traffic areas, salt spray can travel over a quarter of a mile.

Road Salt: A problem for landscape plants and also the environment, but still the safest and easiest option for snow and ice in our region.

With the shortages of salt and corresponding price increases, people are looking at other options. Some areas of the Midwest experimenting with Beet juice, which helps salt work better at lower temperatures. This reduces the amount of salt needed (as much as 30% in some cases), which is better for the environment and saves money spent on road salt. Right now the beet juice does cost more than salt though.

The Amazing Power of the Beet (Kent, Ohio)

Beet Juice on Wisconsin Roads
Beloit, WI has used Beet juice for seven years
Dane County, WI has been experimenting with it this winter
Madison, WI also is interested in trying it

Beet Juice on Illinois Roads
Communities in the Chicago area are trying the beet-juice mixture
Local rivers and lakes have seen an increase in chloride levels each year.
The IL-DOT tried it but has stopped because of costs.

-Mary T. McClelland- GreenTech

OUR GREEN TECH TEAM
If you have a concern about plant needs, pests, siting or general plant health, we can help. We offer a site-visit service for any questions about how our plants are doing in their new location.
We provide Green Tech service at no charge. To make an appointment give us a call or fill out the online form for more information.

Ask GreenTech-Pagoda Dogwood

Q:
“One of my clients called to tell me the Pagoda Dogwood planted last year have orange branches and some dead branches. They said they thought they watered them enough. What can we do?”

-Residential Landscape Designer

A:
It sounds like you have canker on your hands, a fungus that turns the stems bright yellow, possibly with orange spots. Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia ) is a useful and beautiful native tree, but like most Dogwood, is prone to canker if stressed. Canker can spread through the plant, so you will want to remove and dispose of the infected branches. Prune well below the yellow tissue, down to the base or collar of the branch. Be sure to disinfect the pruners between cuts to avoid spreading the disease. A ten percent bleach solution is an effective and economical sterilant for tools.

The good news is, with a little observation to figure out what stressed the trees and caused the canker, you can make corrections to set the plant on a healthy path. You will have to look at the site, handling, and care. Pagoda dogwood is a forest understory tree, so consider the conditions in its natural habitat: cool, shady, moist, sheltered, forest soil. If it is planted in a dry, hot, sunny, or exposed site or in soil that is heavy clay, it will be stressed and more prone to disease.

Digging is also a stress, and Pagoda Dogwood are one of the species that are naturally slower to recover from transplanting. We have seen better success with planting container-grown Dogwood, because of the reduced transplant stress as well as the ability to better regulate water and amount light in the container ranges (More information on GO Trees-Container Trees). Adequate mulch and water until the tree is established will also reduce stress and improve success.

If the site is going to continually be a problem for the Dogwood, you may want to look at alternative native plants that are more adaptable to the site conditions. Native Viburnums (Blackhaw, Nannyberry, Arrowwood) can have similar form, flowers and fruit, but tolerate more sunny, dry, or clay sites.

See this factsheet from UW Extension for more information

-Mary T. McClelland- GreenTech

OUR GREEN TECH TEAM
If you have a concern about plant needs, pests, siting or general plant health, we can help. We offer a site-visit service for any questions about how our plants are doing in their new location.
We provide Green Tech service at no charge. To make an appointment give us a call or fill out the online form for more information.

Green Tech- October Report

Pest news reports this year in the Midwest focused on the 17-year Locust, the Gypsy Moth and Emerald Ash Borer. The Department of Agriculture, Morton Arboretum and Chicago Botanic Garden have done a superb job dispersing information on these pests. Work continues on potential controls and plant removal plans for the EAB, Park Districts continue to struggle to balance the myriad of Gypsy Moth controls and we don’t have to worry about the cicada for another 17 years!

Our Green Tech program is opening our eyes to the multitude of planting conditions our customers have to face. We are trying to learn more about where plants go, so we can do a better job growing plants to thrive in their transplant sites.

Insects and diseases are part of the landscape biology. We expect to see them and try to keep them below a plant-damaging threshold level. With the exceptions mentioned above, pests have not been a major issue this year. But, the weather? Well that’s another story!

In the past few years, weather extremes have been an increasing cause of plant susceptibility to disease and insect attacks. We are still seeing damage in the Midwest from last winter frost cracking in Techny Arborvitae—a very rare occurrence due to a warm winter followed by an extreme cold snap.

This summer had unseasonably high temperatures in July followed by record-breaking rainfall in August. Now, with the delayed hard frost, plants are slow to slow down. This is the greenest Fall season we remember in 25 years. In addition, the excess rain in August created waterlogged soils, smothering roots. You may have noticed some plants’ leaves turning brown and crisping up in the late season heat, indicating the feeder roots inability to keep up with the plant top water needs.

These symptoms of water logging vary with the plant types. Other things you might have noticed would be downward curling leaves, chlorosis, stem swelling, dieback, reduced growth, leaf drop and in extreme cases plant death. Some of these symptoms may take years to show, and will depend on the subsequent weather and additional environmental stresses.

OUR GREEN TECH TEAM
If you have a concern about plant needs, pests, siting or general plant health, we can help. We offer a site-visit service for any questions about how our plants are doing in their new location.
We provide Green Tech service at no charge. To make an appointment give us a call or fill out the online form for more information.

Green Tech Support Team

If you have a concern about plant needs, pests, siting or general plant health, we can help. We offer a site-visit service for any questions about how our plants are doing in their new location.

OUR GREEN TECH TEAM
Mary McClelland (horticulturist) and Terence McClelland (grower), have been making the rounds this year and helping our customers with their plants. Plants are often expected to grow in many harsh and hostile environments, and we would like to find out what you are dealing with so we can develop solutions. We provide Green Tech service at no charge. To make an appointment give us a call or fill out the online form for more information.

Watch for Mary and Terence's Monthly Green Tech Posts