Lots To Do!

Well, Irene kind of fizzled but for those who have never been through a storm out here she did leave some lessons.

Also, this week, some seasonal review as it’s planting and planning time. What went wrong this season and what went right? What needs to be moved and what needs to be changed? Most gardeners are never happy with the status quo and my motto has always been that there’s always room for one more.

Irene was another of what we refer to as a “dry hurricane.” The majority of the moisture associated with the storm was put down to our south and west and because we were on the northeast quadrant of the storm as it crossed Long Island, we got some wind and little rain. But the wind and the high tide mixed together was enough to create a salt spray that was blown a quarter mile inland.

As a result, the desiccation and burring effects of the salt turned the foliage on trees and shrubs near the ocean and bays from a lush green to a crisp brown in a matter of hours. Maples, lindens and some oaks will simply drop their foliage if burned. Some privet was also burned, and hydrangeas in areas that received direct salt spray were either burned or simply shriveled.

Just about everything will recover, unless the ground was inundated by salt water as the tide and surge added to the horticultural misery.

We know from past dry hurricanes that when these storms occur late in the summer these trees and shrubs will often refoliate as fall approaches then drop their foliage once again as we move from fall into winter. Again, most trees and shrubs will recover next year, but this second leafing-out in one season puts a great deal of stress on the plants and reduces their energy reserves as we go into winter.

The damage I saw on larger trees that were farther away from the beaches fell into two categories.

The first was older trees that had rotted areas in the above-ground portions. This was painfully obvious as large brown decayed areas at the points of breakage and was much more noticeable in maples than, say, in oaks.

The second area of damage was rot in the root zone and base of trees. These points are where the storm wind and the resistance created by the trees in full foliage allowed the weakest part of the subsurface rotted areas to give way.

I also noticed many shrubs that were blown over, with the roots intact for the most part. I think these shrubs were mostly in highly irrigated landscapes where the excess irrigation on nearly a daily basis resulted in shallow roots that gave little support. My suspicion is that less frequent but deeper watering would have resulted in deeper anchoring roots and less damage.

Another anecdotal observation that I’ve made over the years after many storms is that those properties which were under the care of a well trained, thoughtful and experienced arborist, as well as an owner willing to invest in long-term tree maintenance, had the least damage.

As for garden plants, most annuals facing the ocean and bays got toasted. Perennials that were burned will be fine next year and the damaged foliage should simply be removed. Most roses will rebound as well and some may even refoliate and rebloom into the fall. It’s critical though that these plants not be fertilized again until next spring.

That being said, it’s time to get back to the seasonal work that our gardens need.

Start paying careful attention to your houseplants that have summered outdoors. Look for signs of scale, aphids and mites. Sprays of water a couple of times a week will wash away most mites and aphids, though I like to give my plants a shot of light horticultural oil at least once before the plants come back in.

This is also a great chance for repotting, if only because you can easily get this done outdoors instead of in the kitchen sink or on the counter. Days are getting shorter, growth rates are slowing down and you should be cutting back on your feeding schedule. Any amaryllis that you have is probably lush and green but it’s time to induce dormancy if you want these plants to flower in the dark days of winter.

Outdoors, it’s time to get the broadleaf weeds under control. Weeds like dandelions, plantain and ground ivy that are controlled now won’t be a problem next year. There are both organic and chemical solutions or combinations of the two.

Most of the chemicals that you can buy for this purpose are of dubious help unless multiple applications are made but one application of a product such as Trimec, by a professional applicator, usually works fine. There are other products that a professional can use that are just as good. Note the word “professional,” this means a certified pesticide applicator. When in doubt, just politely ask to see their certification. If they are not certified, they can’t buy or apply any pesticide on your property.

For those who want an organic control, the new liquid iron herbicide products work very well. However, they are expensive and may be your best bet for spot treatments as opposed to an entire lawn treatment.

We’re also approaching one of the best times to feed your lawn, as mid September to early October is the perfect time to apply your last fertilizer application of the year. If you are using an organic product, I’d suggest doing this sooner while chemical-based fertilizers can be applied toward the later end.

Want some great spinach early next spring? Start sowing the seeds now. If you do sowing every 10 days from now through mid October, some of the resulting plants will be harvestable this fall. The later germinating plants can be covered with seedless straw or salt hay in November and they’ll jump back to life earlier in the spring than any spring seeding you do.

Watch for signs of crows pecking at your lawn or patches of lawn that start as small round areas then grow larger and larger. These could be signs of grub feeding. Possums and skunks will also dig up parts of your lawn where these grubs are feeding and moles will be active in the same areas.

It’s a banner year for grubs, as the conditions for them have been perfect. Fall control of these grubs is usually done with a chemical like Dylox but the timing is critical.

Lots to do, but it’s a great time to do it. Take pictures of this year’s gardens. Make notes of your successes and failures and start planning for next year. And of course, keep growing.