| Greetings!
Here is a follow-up to my May newsletter providing more reasons why plants die.
I read that determining why a plant died or is dying is like trying to determine why a baby is crying. You hear the outcome, the crying, but you can't see the cause. Maybe it's hunger, a wet diaper, pain, etc.
With plants you see the symptoms and outcome, but often can not figure out the cause. Knowing common causes can help protect your financial and time investment in your landscape so you can take preventative measures or change your landscape practices.
Enjoy the remainder of summer. |
| More Reasons Why Plants Die |
 Minnesota Winters: Sun scald and frost cracks appear when the winter sun warms the tree's "epidermis" activating the tissue and then the temperature cools quickly thereby killing the tissue. Frost cracks often appear on south-facing sides of trees. Young trees and smooth bark trees are more susceptible to sun scald and frost cracks. Prevent this by wrapping the trunk in late fall with white "crepe" paper wrap or plastic tubing and remove it in early spring. Young trees should be wrapped for two years and smooth bark trees for five or more years. Damage to the tree's trunk prevents the transport of nutrients back and forth from the canopy and roots.
Deep, prolonged freezes, early fall or late spring freezes, and lack of snow cover contribute to damaging roots, buds, and branches. Buy plants for your zone and keep your plants healthy to improve the plant's survivability odds.
Roots of most trees and shrubs that grow in Minnesota are killed at temperatures at or below 0 to +10°F. Plants survive in Minnesota because soil temperatures normally are much higher than air temperatures. Moist soil holds more heat than sandy soil or dry or drought soil. Use a layer of organic mulch to insulate the root system of plants and water heavily if the fall has been dry.
Lawn Mower/Weed Whip Damage: An injury to a tree trunk (see above) or exposed root is an invitation for disease and pests which could lead to the plant's death. Prolonged weed whip damage will harm the tree's vascular system and cut off the flow of nutrients. The best way to avoid this type of damage is to mulch around the plant.
Rodents: Mice, rabbits and deer feed on twigs, bark and foliage of plants during the winter. They can girdle trees and shrubs and eat shrubs to the ground. Deer can injure trees by rubbing their antlers on trees in the fall. Protect trees by placing a cylinder of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth around the trunk. Extend the cylinder two to three inches below ground for mice and 18 to 24 inches above the anticipated snow line for rabbit protection. Protect shrubs by fencing the beds with chicken wire or use a repellent. If you fence, check beds to ensure a rabbit does not get trapped inside.
Find Out More:
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| What's Blooming? |
 New to the market is a stunning new echinacea called 'Tiki Torch'. These coneflowers have huge, deep orange flowers which hold its color well. 'Tiki Torch' grows to 28 - 36 inches tall and 18 - 24 inches wide. Echinacea is a prairie flower and can handle full sun and drier conditions. A beautiful contrasting color combination for 'Tiki Torch' is blue. Mix it with perovskia (Russian sage) in a bed. Or plant 'Tiki Torch' with other warm colored flowers of 'Angelique' or 'Moonshine' Yarrow, Gaillardia, and Anthemis tinctoria. |
I welcome your feedback on the newsletter. If there are topics you want to learn more about, please email me at nancy.dahl@integra.net.
Sincerely,
Nancy Thorman Dahl, CLP
Cattail Design LLC
Creative Designs for Land and Lakeshore |
