SO DRUIDS BEAT THEIR APPLES, EH? . . . 

SILKY STOCKINGS ON TREES: GOOD! . . . WEED-TACKLING TIPS

BY BRENDA BEUST SMITH

     Here's to thee, old apple tree,   

     Whence thou mayst bud

     And whence thou mayst blow!

     And whence thou mayst bear apples enow!

     Hats full! Caps full!

     Bushel--bushel--sacks full,

     And my pockets full too! Huzza!

                         --Gentleman's Magazine, 1791

Interesting mail recently. Good example: a tree-beating email from England! 

 This one really made my day.

Phil Partridge of Herefordshire, UK, wrote that at the ripe old age of 65 (a youngster!), he's discovered gardening and loving it. Concern about his young apple tree - which fruited magnificently last year but produced not one blossom this year - sent him to the internet for help.

Google sent him to my old Chronicle blog and a 2009 column on beating your plants to make them bloom. I repeated this one in one of our early Lazy Gardener & Friends Newsletters

My writing reminded him of their Wassail, celebrated in late December or January in an orchard, where the custom is to beat fruiting trees with sticks. He sent this:

"The custom usually continues with the tree or trees being beaten about the trunk (and any branches within reach) with the sticks. This is believed to begin the process of awakening the tree and starting the sap flowing up the trunk. It is accompanied by much shouting and the making of as much noise as possible ... Again, this is believed to assist the tree in awakening from its winter sleep as well as frightening away any evil spirits which might be lurking in the branches."

This tradition, Phil says, is certainly known as far back as the 14th Century - but could well go back as far as the Druids. And he shared this link: http://www.cotswolds.info/strange-things/wassailing.shtml

Phil was nice enough to add: "it appears you've given some scientific respectability to the custom - they obviously weren't just trying to ward off spirits, they were making sure their trees fruited." And, he added, "I'll be beating that little apple tree."

After I wrote that first "beating column," (http://blog.chron.com/lazygardener/2009/09/no-blooms-try-beating-your-plant/), readers responded with a wealth of anecdotes:

* a dogwood that wouldn't bloom until a neighbor grabbed a baseball bat and "whopped the trunk several times." 

* a ginkgo that didn't start growing until struck hard with a broom handle. 

* and, of course, switching okra (left below) to make it produce - an old Southern custom. 

Also seems;

* Old rose growers "peg" climbing roses, securing them to the ground with staked ties, to trigger "breaks" of flower clusters along bent stems.

* Crepe myrtles, center below, forced to bloom by pulling branches down almost to the breaking point, then letting snap back into place.

Okra, left, is a cousin to cotton and hibiscus. Think switching would work on hibiscus too? Center, bending rose branches so they grow sideways, even to the extent of "pegging" them to the ground, definitely  increases bloom production. Right, crepe won't bloom? Some say to bend branches down as far as you can (without breaking them) and then allow them to snap back upward. Your call on whether or not you want to try these ideas!

WHY DOES THESE "MISTREATMENTS" WORK? Two of my most favorite horticulturists offered their take:

* FELDER RUSHING : beatings trigger the release of traumatin (a plant hormone similar to adrenalin in humans). This stimulates new growth and flower buds.

* BILL ADAMS: this kind of trauma also damages the phloem tissue which in turn reduces the amount of nutrient translocated back to roots from leaves. This concentrates more nutrition in the top of the plant.

Of course, do this at your own risk. No guarantee this won't make make your plant so mad it'll die on you.

* WELCOME, BARKLICE! Our trees' good friends, the barklice (right, above) are here, hidden behind those silky "stockings" so beautifully photographed (left) by John Schuhsler on his oak tree. The protective webbing allows them to feed freely on harmful fungi, algae, dead bark and other undesirable materials on the tree trunks. 

Don't disturb them. You want them to feed in peace and quiet. They won't be here long and as suddenly as it appeared, the silky web will disappear.

More details: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-21_barklice.htm

Just goes to show how important it is to actually know what's living in your garden. Only 10% of our insects are harmful. This means 90% are beneficial. Kill them and you invite other problems down the line.

* AGAVE P.S. - Don Megow, whose 'Century Plant' agave saga was reported last week, has a follow-up warning. He recently tried to shovel-dig-out the ol' dead mother plant, only to discover that the root system is more than extensive, it's massive. Had he known this, he quipped, "I'd have used dynamite!"

WEEDS AND RECENT RAINS

If your yard looks anything like mine, it's a mass of weeds. We were gone just one week, and now every garden is lush green . . . with ruellia, nutgrass, you name it.

Fortunately, below, Anna Wygrys can name them all. Her accidence of weed control singles out our most common invaders and what to do about them. A Galveston County Master Gardener, Anna is a familiar name on the speaker circuit and her tips on how to control weeds are a sneak preview of her in-depth July 25 "Homeowners Guide to Weed Control" program 9-11am, at the County AgriLife Extension Center, Carbide Park, 4102 Mail in La Marque. See calendar below.

* Brenda's GROUP LECTURES include: "How to Reduce the Size of Your Front Lawn to Save Water  Without Infuriating Your Neighbors," "Landscaping for Security," "10 Commandments of Lazy Gardening," and "What's Blooming in the Lazy Gardener's Garden." Details: lazygardener@sbcglobal.net.  *  Brenda's "LAZY GARDENER'S GUIDE" - a when-to-do-what in Greater Houston area gardens - is now available on CD only (pdf file). $20. Checks payable to Brenda B. Smith and mailed to: Lazy Gardener's Guide on CD, 14011 Greenranch Dr., Houston, TX 77039-2103. For a free page of this month's TO-DO list, email Brenda at lazy gardener@sbcglobal.net

NEWS FLASH! BUMPER CROP OF WEEDS!

By ANNA WYGRYS

Galveston County Master Gardeners

News Flash: A Bumper Crop of Weeds are Growing in the Upper Gulf Coast of Texas.

Moist soils, warm temperatures, and sunshine are providing the perfect growing conditions for an abundance of summer weeds.

Take a moment to assess the landscape and make a plan.

Some of the dominant summer weeds are Chamberbitter, Dandelions, Mulberry weed, Spotted Spurge, Staggler Daisy, and Nutsedge. Pictures are available on the internet to help in recognition and identification of these problem plants.

Start by removing weeds that are blooming and setting seeds. Bag and dispose of the culprits to keep from spreading additional seeds. DO NOT try to compost the debris. Compost pile temperatures must be 150-160 degrees to kill weed seeds. It is essential to stir and turn the material in the pile weekly to insure complete decomposition and destruction of unwanted seeds.

If the lawn is weedy, bag and dispose of clippings. Do not encourage weed growth by over fertilizing. Lush growth may require more frequent mowing to keep weeds from blooming. DO NOT scalp the grass. Three inches of blade growth will actually require less water and will shade the ground discouraging seed germination.

Use hand tools to stir and loosen the soil as juvenile weeds are removed from ornamental plantings. Bag and dispose of plant material. Growing conditions are still conducive for roots to reestablish if allowed to contact soil.

Placing seven to ten sheets of newspaper and three to four inches of course, organic mulch on bare soil will help prevent new weed infestations, plus this will keep soils moist and cool. An additional benefit is blocking sunlight from germinating seeds still buried in the soil.

If possible solarize large bare areas until fall planting time. In sunny locations, clean off the plant material and moisten the soil before covering with clear plastic. The sunshine will raise the temperatures under the plastic.

In a couple of weeks, remove the cover and turn the soil before replacing the plastic. Do this for six to eight weeks during July and August. Killing soil pests and diseases is an added benefit of solarization.

Contact Anna at afwygrys@hotmail.com