Beaver Creek Nursery

812-689-5595 

prairefire crabapple in bloom
prairefire crabapple

 

                

 

 

 

                NEWSLETTER

 

             APRIL 2011

 

In This Issue
The Drought of 2010
Special of the Month
Register to Win
Quick Links
  

Landscape Photos   

 

 More About Us

 

Indiana Gardening Magazine

  
Featured Article
thuja root stress

     Drought of 2010 

  
       Let's Try This.... AGAIN!
                    

 

 

 

        

     YEEEEEE....HAAAAAA!!!

           

                SPRING!!!!

   

 

                                  

                                  SPECIAL

              

            APRIL 1st - APRIL 19th

                 

forsythia in bloom

Forsythia - Show Off - #3 gallon

                  

           .                           Reg. Price: $ 21.00          

                                           NOW: $ 15.00  

                                               30 available                  

              

 

Due to really crummy weather last month, we have extended our March "Special" to include April so that if the weather finally cooperates you may take advantage of these earlier savings.                                                     
                                   Special of the Month
                                                                                   Reg.           Now
.                     Triple Crown Plus                   25lbs     $ 39.00        $ 29.00
                        ( grass seed )                         50 lbs       84.00           69.00
  
                      Contractors Mix                      50 lbs       52.00           46.50
  
                      19-3-5 Lawn Fertilizer             50 lbs       37.95           29.85                  
                      ( with Dimension for                                                                                      
                        grabgrass control)

 

 

The Drought of 2010    

                                                 thuja root stress

 

FACT: There was NO drought in 2010! 

 

FACT: You are suppose to get this newsletter on April 1st, so ....April Fools.

 

FACT:  Actually 2010 through November was on average one of the top 10 warmest years recorded over the past 125 years and rainfall amounts were down to about 25 - 50% of our average. Here at the nursery our weather station recorded only 4.13" of rainfall for the period July - October. Whew! That's dry.

 

Now that I have reminded everyone that we did in fact have a drought last year the purpose of this article is to focus on it's effect on trees and shrubs not to mention our lawns. The above photo shows the effects of severe root stress in 2010 on an arborvitae, as an example. This could just as well be any other evergreen such as a spruce or pine or even a deciduous ( loses its leaves ) tree or shrub. The overall appearance may be a bit different but the outcome is the same....Death, from root stress. 

 

Root stress is a major contributor to the decline and/or eventual death of a plant. This can occur when there is an abundance of water ( such as the spring of 2010 ) or a lack of water as with the drought ( summer and fall 2010 ). Either way the roots of the tree or shrub when stressed  can NOT take up the needed amounts of water and nutrients to sustain their health and vigor. The very wet 2010 spring had already stressed many of these plants. Too much water can lead to root disease usually caused by a fungus. Too much water = lack of oxygen = stress = fungal attack. 

 

Then came the drought. For those that were already in decline the drought finished them off. For those that weren't the drought finished them off. You might say...."That's fine but my spruce did not look bad until the fall". The problem here is that your evergreen did not show these signs of stress because it Is or Was an evergreen. Think of a cut Christmas tree. It's already sitting in a lot without roots when you buy it. Then it sits in your house for a month. Then you pitch it out in the yard for another month or two and it's still green. No roots but green. The weather warms up and BAM, it suddenly turns brown. Evergreens have a protective coating on their needles that helps protect them from drying out during "transpiration". Transpiration in a nutshell is the plant taking up water through its roots and giving off water through it's leaves to keep them from drying out. If there is no water at the roots to keep up with that being given off or being absorbed in the air then the leaves or needles dry out. This is what happened to the arborvitae pictured above. The wet spring caused a root rot, soil borne pathogen called Phytophthora to attack. The tree declined, was dried out by the drought and BAM, it's now the fall of 2010.

 

So, you might ask "how can this be prevented?" The simple answer is to not plant trees and/or shrubs in areas that you know hold water or remain damp unless that particular plant likes that type of soil. There are some that do and we can provide you with a list of those plants. Or, if you think the spot you want to plant may hold too much moisture you may want to mound that area up with soil in order to give the roots drainage during wet times of the year. This can work but you must remember that this mounded area is now more susceptible to drying out than the surrounding lower area. Mulching it will help retain moisture. Having said this......

                                                                                                 
 ..... here is the most important thing when we are experiencing a shortage of rainfall.....

.....WATER YOUR PLANTS! I realize more than most that watering is not a "fun" thing but your investment ( your plants and trees ) will reward you for it.They need about 1" of water per week. That does not mean to go out every few days and hold the sprinkler wand on them for a few minutes. It means you need to SLOW soak them less often but deeply so that the water makes its way down to the roots.You want to train the roots to go down where they can find moisture during dry periods and not grow shallow. But don't overdo it either. Check the soil moisture before your next watering. Helpful Hint: If you are not sure about the moisture you can take an unused piece of wood such as a paint stir stick and push it into the soil approximately 6". Leave it there for about 1/2 hour and if it is discolored when you remove it then your plant has plenty of moisture at that time.  

 

In conclusion, root stress from excessive spring moisture and/or root stress due to excessive dryness will show its ugly head throughout 2011. The best preventative measure that you can take to prevent root stress and decline to your plants is #1 - plant the right plant in the right area. When you purchase a plant you need to not only look at it's appearance but also the type of conditions it needs to survive. Do not plant a tree or shrub in the shade if it needs full sun etc. The same goes for moisture. Well drained means well drained. And....

#2. Water when needed.

 

Hope this was helpful,

 

Ken

 

 
           Indiana Gardening Magazine       FINALLY!!
              It's Here!

Time to throw away your Southern Living and MIdwest Living Magazines. We Hooziers FINALLY have a magazine dedicated to our state ONLY. It's a great new magazine packed full of the good stuff you are looking to know more  about....and  you can purchase each edition of it or Kentucky Gardener here at the nursery, or follow the "Quick Link"  and get a full year subscription.  

        

 

 
                                     2011 Spring Give-away 
 cedar garden swing
cedar garden swing

                             SIGN UP TO WIN

                          $ 269.00 value

One of these beautiful rustic cedar garden swings will be given away on Saturday May 14th. As always, there is no purchase necessary. Just fill out the form and put it in the jar. Maybe you will be this years WINNER!

 
                                                   A Closing Thought
  
  
                                   "Don't grumble that roses have thorns,
                                     Be thankful that thorns have roses"
                                          
  
  
  
  
Beaver Creek Nursery

 

Southeastern Indiana's Largest
& Most Unique Nursery

812.689.5595