Keeping Your Christmas Tree Fresh

Before setting out to purchase your perfect Christmas tree, determine where in the home the tree will be located, the size required, and whether all sides will be displayed. Other characteristics such as tree density, color, and fragrance should also be considered. Next, determine whether a cut tree or one "balled and burlapped" is to be purchased, or if a visit to a "choose and cut " farm is preferred.

Once a tree is purchased, keeping it fresh requires watering on a regular basis and avoiding high temperatures. If the tree is bought several days before it is to be decorated, it should be stored outside in a cool, shaded area. The base should be sawed on a diagonal about one inch above the original cut, and the base placed in a container of water. Sprinkling or misting the tree with water will also help retain freshness, but the tree should not be soaked.

Whether stored or not, before bringing the tree in the house, a square cut should be sawed on the base. The base of the tree should be kept in water throughout entire period that the tree is in use. The water level in the stand should be checked daily. Research has indicated that water additives are not needed and may even result in excessive drying.

The tree should be well supported and placed away from sources of heat. Tree lights should not be left on unless someone is at home, and should be turned off when the family goes to bed. Electrical cords should also be checked for any signs of damage or wear. Trees do not cause fires but will support combustion when dry. Dry trees should be removed before they create a fire hazard.

Natural Christmas Tree Ornaments

Henderson County Master Gardener, Tamsin Allpress, is guiding a ornament making workshop at the Bullington Center on December 5th, 2007. She will help all participants to create beautiful natural ornaments to use in decorating for the Holiday Season. To register for this workshop, call 698-6104 and start collecting berries, leaves, and other plant parts for use. Cost $15.00.

Wreath Clinic

It is once again time for the Master Gardener wreath making workshop. This year the workshop will be held on Friday, December 7th and Saturday, December 8th from 11:00 – 1:00pm. Class size will be limited each day to 35 participants. Because this class is so popular, pre-registration is required by Friday, November 30th. Materials and assorted greenery for one wreath will be provided. You are asked to bring your own gloves, hand pruners, and any additional decorations you may want to use on your wreath. The cost of the workshop is $15 and will be held at the Haywood County Cooperative Extension office at 589 Raccoon Road in Waynesville.

For more information or to register please call 456-3575

Why Leaves Change Color

You may have noticed that leaf color varies every year. Leaf color is most spectacular when the right combination of factors are present. Scientists don't fully understand all of the complicated interactions that cause the best display of leaf color, but they do know that leaf pigments, length of night, the type of tree, genetic variation, and the weather all play a role.

Where Do Leaves Get Their Autumn Colors?
Tree and plant leaves contain pigments that give them their color. Three pigments are involved in fall color:
· Chlorophyll — gives leaves their green color.
· Carotenoids — provide the yellow, orange, and brown colors
· Anthocyanins — give the red and purple colors.
In contrast to the other two pigments, anthocyanins are produced in the autumn, in response to bright light and excess plant sugars in the leaf cells.
During the growing season, most tree leaves are green because they are full of chlorophyll. Plants use chlorophyll to capture sunlight for photosynthesis, the process that enables them to manufacture their own food. The amount of chlorophyll is so high during the summer that the green color masks all other pigments present in the leaf. As the days grow shorter in the fall, chlorophyll production slows down and eventually stops. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that are present in the leaf then become visible.

Do Different Kinds of Trees Turn Different Colors?
Certain colors of leaves are characteristic of particular species of trees.
· Oaks turn red, brown, or russet;
· Hickories turn golden bronze;
· Dogwood turns purplish red;
· Beech turns light tan;
· Red maple turns brilliant scarlet;
· Sugar maple turns orange-red;
· Black maple turns glowing yellow;
· Sourwood and black tupelo turn crimson;
· Aspen, birch, and yellow-poplar turn golden yellow.

Leaves of some species such as the elms simply shrivel up and fall off, exhibiting little color other than brown. The timing of the color change also varies by species. Sourwood in southern forests can become vividly colorful in late summer while all other species are still green. Oaks put on their colors long after other species have already shed their leaves. These differences in timing among species seem to be genetically inherited. The timing of color change for certain species appears to be consistent regardless of local weather patterns or changes in latitude.

Why Are Some Autumns More Colorful?
Temperature and moisture greatly influence autumn color. Since each of these vary greatly, no two autumns are ever alike. A succession of warm, sunny days and cool, but not freezing nights seems to bring about the most spectacular color displays. Since carotenoids are always present in leaves, yellow and gold colors are fairly constant from year to year. In order for the brilliant scarlet, purple and crimson colors to develop, bright sunlight in the early fall is needed. Bright sunny days increases food production in trees and plants. These sugars are trapped in the leaves spurring the production of anthocyanin pigments, providing the red tints to fall foliage.

The amount of moisture in the soil also affects autumn color. A late spring, or a severe summer drought, can delay the onset of fall color by a few weeks. A warm period during fall lowers the intensity of autumn color. Trees defoliated by insects during the growing season may also show less fall color.

Taken from United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service;
Northeastern Area Fact Sheet SP-01-01

Burn Ban Reinstated

The North Carolina Division of Forest Resources has stated that due to severe drought conditions in North Carolina, all outdoor open burning has been banned until further notice. Burning permits previously issued are invalid. This statement was posted at 1:00pm on October 15, 2007.

Canker Diseases Follow Drought

Sharpen your pruners to remove dead branches on woody ornamentals due to a two punch combination of drought and fungal pathogens such as Botryosphaeria and Seiridium. The long term effects of this summer’s drought are becoming visible in landscapes throughout the Southeast. Much of this dieback has appeared in the last month. Drought stress has predisposed many of our woody plants to infection by fungal pathogens and in some cases wood boring insects. Rhododendron and Leyland cypress are two common hosts for these diseases, but you may see similar dieback on laurel, viburnum, holly and some juniper species.

Chemical treatments are not effective for the control of most fungal canker diseases. The best preventive strategy is drip irrigation during dry periods. Once dieback has occurred, diseased branches should be pruned out below the canker; below discolored wood in the stems.

Taken from article written by Alan Windham, Ornamental Pest and Disease Update, 9/07
Photo of Seiridium canker on Leyland Cypress, credit to J. Williams-Woodward, UGA

Unwelcome guests

As the weather begins to cool, I am sure to begin receiving calls regarding Multicolored Asian Beetles. These calls range from people simply looking for suggestions to slow their invasion to those who suggest that they are going to have to sell their homes and move in order to escape! I hope that the information here will help everyone to understand what they can do to discourage this annual guest.

What These Insects Do—And Don't Do
Lady beetles are not structure-damaging pests, unlike insects such as termites and carpenter ants. Lady beetles do not chew or bore holes in walls or eat carpet or furniture. They do not lay their eggs in homes.
Multicolored Asian lady beetles are attracted to lighter colors: whites, grays, yellows. So, light-colored houses, especially on hillsides in forested areas, might serve as “homing beacons.”
Once the lady beetles enter the walls of a building through cracks and crevices, they may or may not proceed to the interior of the building. Most stay in the wall spaces.
During warm days of late winter and early spring, overwintering beetles in a wall space may become active. In their search for an exit, they may enter the home's living areas and become a nuisance. Warmer temperatures or lighting in the living areas may attract these active beetles as they search for an exit.

Prevention and Control
Preventing the lady beetles from entering is the best approach to keeping them from becoming a household nuisance in fall and winter. Caulking exterior cracks and crevices--before the lady beetles seek overwintering sites-- is the best way to keep them out. This will also keep out other unwanted insects such as wasps, and will save homeowners money on energy costs.
Lady beetles that enter wall spaces in the fall may remain there, without entering living areas, until they depart in spring to search for food. But some may become active on warm days in late winter or early spring and move into living areas.
Sweeping and vacuuming are effective methods for removing these lady beetles from living areas.

Blacklight traps.
Blacklight traps work well for catching beetles in some situations and this may be particularly critical for commercial facilities, such as hospitals and some manufacturing plants, where biocontamination is a critical issue. These facilities often use the more expensive industrial style light traps (not the traditional "bug zapper" type of trap). USDA scientists in Georgia developed a trap that uses no insecticide and it catches the beetles alive for future release or disposal. The trap is about 12" x 24" and reportedly can be easily assembled or disassembled in as little as two minutes. CLICK HERE to access the details for building your own blacklight trap. Or shop for a commercial one HERE.

For more information see: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Other/goodpest/note107.html