48 May 28, 2008

I hope you all realize how rare it is to get the Friday thru Monday of Memorial Day Weekend without one day being rainy. See, there is payback for putting up with snowy weather all winter long.

The wind has been raising havoc with many plants. In many cases, the ground is relatively dry. We have had some rain this spring, but much of it has been showery rain. As plants put out new leaves, they need to be able to draw water out of the soil. When you get windy weather as the leaves emerge, the plants need extra water. If the soil is dry, the plants cannot get the extra water that they need. The result is stunted leaves and leaves that have brown edges. The brown edges, in many cases can break off creating a ragged look to the leaves. We have seen this on crabapple trees and many of the deciduous trees that have smaller leaves. One plant in particular, seems to have been hit very hard. The groundcover Pachysandra is showing all kinds of problems due to lack of water. Pachysandra needs a fair amount of moisture in the soil early in the spring. If the moisture is not available, the leaves develop poorly. Pachysandra will benefit from an application of an organic fertilizer followed up with a through watering of the soil. Any of your trees and shrubs need to be water too, if they display symptoms of damage due to lack of water.

Many of you are planting your annuals and vegetable plants. In some cases, we are hearing about the leaves on the plants turning white. This is from a combination of the sun and or wind causing the leaves to either sunburn or wind burn. You need to keep up with supplying all of your transplants with water once the plants are in the ground. This holds true for plants put into window boxes and other planters. Plants need moist soil to properly develop a strong root system. If the plants cannot develop a strong root system, the plant cannot supply the water to the leaves. The ability of the roots to supply extra water is extremely important when the winds remain strong for days on end. Break out the watering can and hose and make sure those plants get the water that they so desperately need.

Well, this week’s column will be a short one. I need to get to work and get the store ready for all the customers who will be in on Memorial Day.

I’ll talk to you again next week.