Keeping your Christmas tree fresh all season long

When searching for the perfect Christmas tree at the nursery, be sure to select a tree that serves your function, but especially one that is healthy and well watered. Often times, Christmas trees will lose their needles early, and all of the hard work put into decorating this tree are wasted. This document will cover the history of Christmas tree and some basic tips on selection and maintenance.

History

Even before Christianity, evergreen plants, like fir, spruce and pine, were used to decorate houses in the winter to ward off illness, witches, ghosts and evil spirits. The shortest day of the year meaning the day with the least amount of sunlight, also called the Winter Solstice, usually falls on December 21.  Many ancient peoples believed that the sun was a god and that when the days began to get shorter the sun god was getting sick and tired. They celebrated the Winter Solstice because they saw a glimmer of hope for the healing of this god after this day. During the solstice, evergreen boughs would be hung, reminding them that the sun god would regain strength and summer would return again. Between the Egyptians paying homage to Ra by filling their homes with green palm rushes, symbolizing the triumph of life over death, or the Vikings thinking evergreen plants were special plants for the sun god Balder, this tradition of decorating our homes with evergreen trees or plant parts is ancient.

Germany is accredited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we know it today in the 16^th century. Martin Luther, 16^th century Protestant reformer, is credited with the first idea of adding lights to a Christmas tree. After staring at the twinkling stars on the horizon one evening, he came up with the idea of bringing in the cold, beautiful dancing sky hovering above the snow covered evergreens into his home by placing small candles in wires on his tree.

In the 1840s in the first colonies, the Christmas tree lost its appeal and was seen as a pagan symbol and not accepted by most Americans. In fact William Bradford, the pilgrim’s second governor, wrote that he tried to stamp out “pagan mockery” of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The pilgrims noted that Christmas was a sacred holiday, and the general court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than attending church) a penal defense.

It wasn’t until Queen Victoria and her family was sketched in an illustration in the London News standing next to a decorated Christmas tree that the Americans continued their past Christian tradition, which is the decorating of Christmas trees as we know it today.

Tree Selection and Maintenance

When browsing the nursery or field for the best tree, look for trees that look green and healthy. Healthy Christmas trees will have no brown needles and branches will be tough and not fall off very easily. You will also want to choose the right size tree for the space you will keep it. For this, you should measure your ceiling space, and determine the size of the designated area where your tree will be displayed.

Once the tree is brought home, it should be placed in water immediately. If you will not be putting it up for display, immediately, keep it in a warm place like a garage for best shelf life. A fresh cut about a quarter of an inch from the base should be made in the newly purchased tree when you are ready to erect it in the stand. This is so the water can be most efficiently delivered through the vascular tissues of the plant. One thing to note is the larger the diameter of the Christmas tree, the larger amount of water it will need through the course of the holiday season. In fact, a general rule of thumb is the tree stand should hold a quart of water for every inch in diameter of the trunk of the tree. This means for a tree that has a trunk of 4 inches in diameter, you will need a stand that holds a gallon of water at any point in time. This could help you in the selection of the size of the tree or the type of tree stand that you will be purchasing.

Old wives tales teach of different amendments, such as vodka, 7-Up, bleach and sugar, that can be added to the water to increase the longevity of the green needles on your Christmas tree, but in actuality clean, cold water is all that is needed. In fact, some amendments used as “additives” can cause premature needle drop.

Through the season, be overly cautious about making sure the tree doesn’t dry out, because this is the only parameter that will impact the longevity of your beautiful Christmas tree. Do this by checking the clean water once daily and refilling as needed. This will insure you that your tree is using water, and as a result remaining green. Another tip is to use lights that are more efficient than our traditional large, incandescent light bulbs. LED lights are a good replacement for our old incandescent lights because they are not as hot (keeping the tree drier), and they use 90 times less the amount of energy to run, saving your pocket book some real dollars.

Keep the tradition and your Christmas trees alive during your holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of my readers.

Everyone’s favorite Christmas parasite

Notice the "ball-like" pockets of mistletoe at Jean Lafitte NP Coquille Trail head

As the leaves on deciduous trees (esp. oaks) begin to shed their leaves for annual dormancy, you may notice some green foliage remaining as rounded, “ball-like” pockets within the canopy. These round balls are specimens of leafy mistletoe, which is commonly known as the plant that you may find your teenage kids kissing under during the Christmas holidays. Leafy mistletoes are a group of parasitic plants that attack a wide list of hardwood trees in the genus Phoradendron. Parasite….what? Yes, this plant actually taps into vascular plants and steals water and nutrients from the xylem and phloem of its host. Leafy mistletoe is green, and it does photosynthesize, but most of its nutrition comes from its host. More often than not, mistletoes are not higher order pests, and will not kill old growth trees. Mistletoes are common in southern Louisiana and can be observed on roadside trees travelling westbound on interstate 10 between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.

Mistletoe has been associated with many traditions and rituals for thousands of years, including kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas time. The earliest documentation of kissing underneath the mistletoe was in the 16^th century in England and was probably a result of a superstition that the plant aided some way with fertility and conception. This was a long time after the first report of putting mistletoe on a pedestal, however.

Thousands of years of rituals and worshiping surrounding mistletoe are known in the history of mankind, but they began with the ancient Celts, who believed mistletoe had mystical properties. This was due to the fact that trees, that have dropped their leaves for winter, were left with a plant that could survive anything. Druids, priests of the Celtic order, also noted the medicinal properties of mistletoe and in the ancient Druid language mistletoe actually meant “all healing”. The Greeks also noted mistletoe as a noteworthy organism, and believed it as a symbol of deterring damage or harm. Greeks would cut a bough of mistletoe down, and believed that through the possession of mistletoe, they could channel the powers of the mistletoe to themselves. Many examples of superstitions surrounding mistletoe are documented in literature over thousands of years. Some examples include, fire-proofing a house, epilepsy cure, promotion of conception, healing ulcers, scaring away passing demons, and protecting horses in stables.  

Over the history of man, we have been enamored with mistletoe and continue to bring nature closer to our everyday lives by studying plants. Keep the traditions alive, and one day someone might blog about your strange relationship with a parasite! 

Read more about mistletoe and its history here.

With fall weather comes Brown Patch

Brown patch is a common disease of warm season turfgrass, particularly St. Augustine and zoysiagrass in Louisiana. The disease is caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, and is favored by warm, wet overcast weather. It causes circular brown patches of infected grass in an otherwise healthy lawn. The patches start small, but overtime and under conducive environments the diseased patches will coalesce and leave your lawn looking dismal at best. Given less favorable weather for the fungus the turf can recover, and regrowth occurs in the center of the patch leaving a donut appearance in the recovering patch. To properly diagnose the disease, monitor for the indicative “patchy” symptoms and pull a blade of stolon (“running stem”) from the turf, and look for rotting of the crown. Leaf sheaths are easily pulled from the stolon because of the deterioration of the attachment point.

Brown patch development occurs most rapidly when temperature ranges from 70 and 85 degrees F and moisture is high. Fungal activity typically stops when temperatures exceed 90 degrees F or higher.

As with any disease or pest, the key to success is healthy plants. Fertilizer programs should follow the calendar recommendation as mentioned in the LSU AgCenter Louisiana Home Lawns: best management practice fact sheet as seen on www.lsuagcenter.com. Over fertilization, or fertilizing late or early, can lead to more susceptible tissues for the fungus to consume. For St. Augustine grass fertilizer programs should have halted in August.

In addition to improper fertilization, moisture plays an important role in the disease development. Proper drainage in your lawn is crucial to remove excess water from the turf. Watering in the late afternoon will cause the severity of the disease to increase. Lawns should be watered, when needed, in the morning so the sun can evaporate excess moisture from the turf. If your lawn is newly developed, proper establishment by deep waterings and proper fertilizer should have created a network of healthy roots, which should reduce the amount of watering needed in early fall-late spring.

To control this disease fungicides should be applied preventatively beginning about mid-September, with repeated applications as necessary throughout the fall being sure to follow the instructions on the label. As of 2010, homeowners have a new fungicide to add to their arsenal of turfgrass disease control products, Maxide Disease Killer, which contains the active ingredient azoxystrobin. This product is available at Lowe’s, Stine Lumber, Tractor Supply and elsewhere, and is formulated as a granular material containing 0.31% azoxystrobin. However, please be aware that Maxide has a similar product called Maxide Disease Killer Ready to Spray that contains the active ingredient propiconazole rather than azoxystrobin. Other chemicals that are somewhat effective include the active ingredients: maneb, myclobgutanil, PCNB, propiconazole, thiophanate methyl, and triadimefon. Products containing chlorothalonil are no longer labeled for use on residential lawns. Remember to always follow and read the directions on pesticide labels before use.

For more information contact aloyd@agcenter.lsu.edu

What's with all this webbing on my oak tree?

Lately, I have been noticing a lot of webbing on the live oak trees in the New Orleans area. I have also received a lot of telephone calls with concerns of why there is thick webbing covering the bark of old oak trees. This mysterious webbing is placed on the tree by bark lice (Archipsocus nomas), and aids in reducing the amount of predation on its population. Bark lice are often found under the webbing in clusters, and when the cluster is disturbed the cluster of bark lice scatter. These small insects were referred to as tree cattle in the older literature because of this herding behavior. The adult bark lice is brownish-black and approximately ¼ inch long, and the immature stage, or nymphs, are similar in appearance except they do not have wings. Bark lice feed on fungi, algae, dead animals and plants, and lichen found on the tree. Bark lice are considered not harmful to the tree, but rather somewhat beneficial. Although the webbing may be unsightly on your tree, the webbing appears from July and is more extensive in
as population numbers grow October. As a positive note, these insects decorate your trees with a natural Halloween decoration. If left undisturbed the bark lice will begin to eat their webbing as the population declines by the end of the year. Bark lice do not warrant any chemical control, and should not be sprayed.

Plant trees and shrubs in the fall and winter

The fall and winter seasons in Louisiana are the ideal times to establish ornamental trees and shrubs in the landscape. Many have the mistaken idea that ornamental plants should not be planted until early spring. This idea comes from catalogs and other online sources aimed at gardeners in the colder parts of the United States, where spring planting is recommended because soils are frozen and proper soil management cannot be carried out during the winter.

Fall and winter planting is the most ideal time to plant trees and shrubs in Louisiana because soil temperatures are high enough during much of this period to allow root development that helps plants get over the shock of transplanting before the hot weather ensues in the spring. Plant metabolism slows down in cooler temperatures and so do populations of insects; so, generally, plant maintenance is less intense in the fall and winter when compared to the summer. Planting in the fall gives the plant time to have an established root system that will yield great drought tolerance come summer when we don’t get much rainfall.  

In addition to the biological aspect of planting trees and shrubs in the fall in Southern Louisiana, nurseries will have their widest selection of shrubs and trees in the fall. For more information on maintenance and selection of urban trees, reference “Native Tree Growing Guide for Louisiana: the selection, planting and care of urban trees” at www. lsuagcenter.com

September is Garlic planting season

Old gardeners have a saying: “It’s time to plant garlic when the children go to school, and it is ready to harvest when they get out of school.”

As we live in Louisiana, garlic is a staple in just about every Cajun dish. Why not produce your own this year?

Garlic is a long-term crop; meaning it takes about 9 months to produce bulbs. September and October are the best times to plant garlic in Louisiana with harvest being in May and June. This means that you should plant garlic in a sunny location that you will not need for your Spring garden. You can build rows on the edges of your garden area for this purpose.

Garlic thrives in rich, well-drained soils. It is a good idea to build high rows rich with organic matter. Garlic requires a good bit of fertilizer. Before planting, 6-7 pounds of 13-13-13 should be applied per 100 foot of row, or 300-400 sq. ft.

Garlic is planted from the cloves, which are separated from the bulb and planted 2-3” deep. All cloves should be planted vertically base down to make bulbs with straight necks. Plant garlic double drilled (zig zag pattern) 12” apart. The most popular variety of garlic in Southern Louisiana is Elephant garlic or Tahiti.

Mulch garlic for weed management.

Side dressing garlic should be done 3 times per season with 1-2lbs of calcium nitrate per 100 ft of row, or 300 sq. ft. The side dressing should be done 1) when the plant come up (about 3-4 weeks after planting, 2) when growth starts in February and 3) 3-4 weeks after second side dressing.

Garlic is ready to harvest when the tops turn yellow. This typically occurs in May to early June. To dry bulbs, hang them upside down in a covered shed for 5-7 days. After dry, cut the roots leaving only ½” to the bulb. The major pest of garlic are bulb rot and thrips.

Pepper Garden Harvest

I installed a pepper garden at the New Orleans Botanical Garden in April of 2013 with 14 cultivars of different peppers. Each pepper cultivar was unique in the level of heat, shape and size. Peppers have been harvested 4 times and total counts have been obtained and shown below. The heat is on!!! Peppers are a great planting option for any New Orleans vegetable garden. Minimal maintenance and minimal pest damage!

Fairy Rings

When the days get increasingly warmer and wetter, a surprise explosion of mushrooms begin to appear in our lawns and along road sides. Typically, these mushrooms grow in a ring that we call a “fairy ring”. There are many fairy ring stories in European folklore. Most center on the belief that the rings were places where elves or fairies would dance. The legends warn against humans disrupting or joining the dance, lest they be punished. In France, they believed that giant bug-eyed toads would guard the mushrooms and humans who disrespected the ring would be cursed. Since, these tales have been disproven and we know now that the rings of mushrooms are the sexual stage of the fungus that spends most of its life underground, we can disregard getting cursed and can easily remove the unsightly mushrooms before they open up into a parasol. The mushrooms produces spores in gills after the cap has fully expanded. These spores are deposited and theoretically can produce more fairy rings in the future given the right environmental conditions. The rings will increasingly get larger as years progress, and growth and mushroom production is dependent on optimum moisture and temperature, which are the two major factors that induce fructification. .

IA State, Chlorophyllum molybdites showing green spores, annulus on
stem and mature and immature stages of mushrooms.

Mushrooms that produce fairy rings are “true mushrooms”, meaning they have gills underneath the cap, and include at least 50 poisonous, edible and questionable fungi. One of the more common species popping up in the New Orleans City Park area in the past couple of weeks is Chlorophyllum molybdites. Chlorophyllum molybdites has a ring, or annulus, on the stem, the cap may have warty spots, and if the cap is cut off of the mushroom and put on a piece of white paper it will drop green spores and you will have successfully created your first spore print! This mushroom is poisonous and should not be consumed. Mushrooms should not be consumed from the wild unless you are an expert; there are many mushrooms that have poisonous look alikes and the risk of eating these mushrooms should not be taken. 

Louisiana Master Naturalist Program-Greater New Orleans Chapter

Spiders and bats and gators...OH MY!

Alligator mississippiensis  at Jean Lafitte National Park

Impacts of Katrina on Bayou Sauvage lesson

The Louisiana Master Naturalist Program in the Greater New Orleans area is upon completion of a successful intensive series of naturalist workshops. 

What is a naturalist? A naturalist is an individual who studies natural history of the world, and attempts to understand the ecology, biology and ecosystem functions of living and non-living things. Through careful observation, students were trained how to look at nature in its complexity, in an attempt to understand and capture the beauty of ecosystems of Southern Louisiana. The training sessions spanned from late February and will continue to early June, and many ecosystems have been the palette for study. These included Jean Lafitte National Park, Bayou Sauvage Wildlife preserve, Northlake Nature Center & Big Branch, Turtle Cove, UNO Cerf, The Louisiana Nature Center, and Bayou Dupont. Students have learned a plethora of systems ranging from botany, mycology, zoology, hydrology, geology, and lichenology. 

Steminitis sp. at 2013 BioBlitz at
Jean Lafitte National Park

The ultimate goal is to "prime" students to look at nature and make connections with specific observations. The class is not designed to create world renowned experts, but to educate students about the natural history of Louisiana. 

There will be a class offered every Spring and Fall, and chapters in other areas of the state are in the works. More info to follow on the future classes. If you would like to get on the La. Master Naturalist-GNO list serve please email lamasternatgno@gmail.com.

Wood ear fungus, Auricularia sp. at Louisiana Nature Center

Blossom-end rot of tomatoes

Lately, I have received a lot of phone calls about this particular disorder, so I thought I would share some information and management strategies for this particular disorder.

Blossom-end rot is not caused by living causal agent, like a pathogen, but rather, a deficiency in calcium. This disorder is common in tomatoes, peppers, squash, and watermelons. If you had your soil tested, and the results suggested you have an adequate level of calcium in your soil, how did your tomatoes get a deficiency in calcium?

NCSU PDIC_Lookabaugh

Calcium moves quite slowly in plants and even slower in fruit, so adequate levels of calcium could still result in this deficiency. Indirectly, this disorder is caused by excessive levels of moisture or not enough moisture. Considering the excessive rainfall New Orleans received last month (about the time your tomatoes were in flower), it is not surprising to see a lot of blossom end rot. This disorder can affect all ages of plants, but is more common in 1/3-1/2 grown tomatoes. 

It begins as a small, water-soaked spot and develops into a dark brown, leathery spot that may involve half the fruit. The surface of the spot shrinks and becomes flat or sunken. Blossom-end rot is caused by a lack of calcium in the developing fruit. The uptake of calcium from the soil by the tomato plant can be reduced by fluctuations in soil moisture – either excessively wet soil or excessively dry soil.

The disorder commonly occurs when plants are growing rapidly and luxuriantly early in the season and are then subjected to prolonged dry weather. The disorder may be more serious on the windward side of a garden and on staked tomatoes rather than on unstaked or bushy plants.

Prevent blossom-end rot by maintaining a soil pH around 6.5 and uniform soil moisture by irrigating and mulching, and avoid heavy applications of nitrogen.

Control blossom-end rot by spraying foliage with 2 level tablespoons of 96 percent calcium chloride in 1 gallon of water at seven- to 10-day intervals. Do this for three to four applications. Begin spraying with first appearance of symptoms. Overdosing plants with calcium chloride may result in leaf burn. Spray on cloudy days or wait until the sun is low.

Calcium nitrate also may be used. Use 1 rounded teaspoon per plant. Apply calcium nitrate into the soil about 8 inches from tomato plant stems. A second application may be needed several weeks later as well. If foliar applied, use 2 level tablespoons per gallon of spray applied late in the day.

Spring is here and so are plant diseases!

Azalea gall caused by Exobasidium

Many times I receive phone calls from the public concerning plants in the landscape or vegetable garden becoming sickly, showing symptoms of some kind. The first feeling I get when receiving these phone calls is a feeling of excitement, as if I am a detective assigned to a case.

First things first, gather and organize the clues. The clues are the in the form of symptoms, signs and environmental condition in which the victim, I mean plant, is found. The symptoms are defined as any abnormality in “normal” growth of the plant. Signs are evidence of a pathogenic agent on the symptomatic plant; a few examples are mycelium (white fuzzy strings) and spores for fungi, and ooze for bacteria. The signs in combination with symptoms and pattern of symptomology on individual plants and/or groups of plants can paint a beautiful story for the detective or plant diagnostician.

Plant pathologists utilize the disease triangle as their hierarchical concept to determine the disease. Within the disease triangle, there are three parameters that work in a matrix to determine level of disease; they are susceptible host, pathogen, and environment. The level of each parameter will work in synchrony to determine the output, which is disease progress and severity.

I will survey some common problems I have seen this Spring:

Fire blight of pear and relatives:

Shepherd's crook symptom on flowering pear.

Fire blight is a disease common in Southern Louisiana caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. Over 130 species of plants including: pear, apple, quince, hawthorne, contoneaster and mountain ash, are susceptible to this pathogen. Symptoms are observed as Shepherd’s crook necrotic foliage, in which the leaves appeared scorched and remain on the petiole or stem. This disease has been observed on Pyrus spp. including ornamental and fruit species. This disease is favored by warm, wet weather and spread by pollinators and wind driven rain. Improper fertilization, either too much or too little also favors this disease. Managing fire blight in the landscape is mostly management of fertilizer, planting resistant cultivars, pruning infected wood and lastly, chemical control.

Fire blighted pear tree

When pruning out diseased tissues, cuts should be made 12-14” down from the symptomatic tissues in the growing season and 8-10” down from symptomatic tissue in the dormant season.  Pruning shears should be sterilized with isopropanol between cuts to prevent the spread of the bacteria between cuts. Copper fungicides, such as Kocide 2000, can be sprayed following the label recommendations for the particular plant; keeping in mind copper can be phytotoxic to some plants. You should always read the label before spraying fungicides.

Powdery Mildew on rose

Powdery mildew on rose leaf

Conidia in white mat on rose flower

Powdery mildew is a disease caused by a fungus and can affect many plants including roses, crapemyrtles, dogwoods and many cucurbits. The disease is usually favored by warm dry weather by day, and cool damp weather by night, usually falling in or around the spring and fall for southern Louisiana. The disease is observed with new growth being distorted and dwarfed often covered in a mat of white “fuzzy stuff”, and old growth and flower buds appearing twisted and distorted also covered in white fuzzy growth. The white fuzzy material are the asexual spores of the fungus called conidia. The conidia are produced in chains and are abundant. This is how the pathogen spreads so quickly under favorable environments. Proper pruning to thin out the canopy, proper fertilization, and avoiding overhead irrigation can help prevent this disease. This disease can be managed with the following sprays:  3% baking soda and horticulture oil solution, noting the temperature limitations on oils, chlorothalonil, and copper sulfates. You should always read the label before spraying fungicides.

Conidia on rose leaf magnified at 4.5x with dissecting microsope

Daylilly Rust

streaking yellow symptom on laylilly

Daylilly rust is a disease caused by the fungus Puccinia hemerocallidis. The most obvious symptoms of this disease are yellow streaks  turning brown with age on the upperside of the leaf coupled with orange pustules of spores found on the underside of the leaf observed as yellow to orange raised areas at individual lesions. The disease was first identified in the United States in 2000, and quickly spread to 30 states by 2001. The disease is spread by wind carried spores that are developed on lesions. The rusts are a particularly interesting group of diseases in that many of the species of fungi that cause rusts require two completely distinctive hosts to complete their life cycle. In the case of daylily rust, daylilies are the primary host, where species of Patrinia  are the secondary host where sexual reproduction occurs and new genetics are generated. The best preventative method of management is by using resistant cultivars, and avoiding highly susceptible cultivars. Lists of resistant and susceptible cultivars can be found at this website: http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/daylilyrust.pdf.  Another management strategy to limit the severity of this disease is to remove infected, dead tissues in the winter and burning or sending them to a landfill. In addition, daylily growers should avoid close proximity plantings of Patrinia spp. and Daylillies so the rust cannot complete its life cycle. Preventative fungicide sprays can help reduce the devastation of this rust disease. A few sprays available to the home owner are under the chemical names neem oil, potassium bicarbonate, sulfur, or Bacillus subtilis (Serenade, Plant Guardian). You should always read the label before spraying fungicides. 

Rust pustules on underside of daylily leaf.

Phytophthora foot rot of citrus

One sided blight of citrus typical of foot (root) rot

foot rot at graft union on navel orange tree

Phytophthora foot rot is the most frequently encountered disease on trunks of citrus trees in Louisiana. The disease is caused by a soilborne fungus, and wet conditions during the spring favor fruit rot development. Initial symptoms include water soaking of the bark that appears as a dark spot on the trunk. At first, the bark appears firm, but with age it becomes cracked an may shred as it dries. This disease is managed indirectly by managing good drainage of the planted area. Citrus trees should be planted in a well-drained area, and weeds and mulch should be avoided under the tree. Planting in raised beds with adequate drainage and pruning low hanging branches to allow air movement around the tree are the best management strategies for the homeowner.

Become a Master Gardener

2013 Louisiana Master Gardener Program (Greater New Orleans Area) 

The 2013 Louisiana Master Gardener Program in the Greater New Orleans Area (LMGP-GNO) is coming up--are you registered yet? The LMGP is a series of educational courses on "all things gardening" from pest management to propagation to vegetable gardening to home lawns. The classes are 3 hours in length and will surely give you applicable knowledge that will help your "green thumb" become a greener shade of green!

The Master Gardener Program, which began in the '90s, is a program that is an extension of the university. There is a lot of good information generated by scientific research at the university level, and students who go through the Master Gardener Program serve as an extension, or bridge, if you will, of this information to the public.

The schedule of topics are seen here. To find the application for the 2013 LMGP-GNO go to this link and follow the instructions carefully. The class will be held at the New Orleans Botanical Garden "Garden Study Center", which is located in City Park. The classes will be from July 30-September 24 from 9-12 (noon), on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two out of town field trips to Burden Research Station and the Southeast Research Station in Baton Rouge and Hammond, La, respectively. For further inquiries please contact Andrew Loyd at 504-483-9471 or aloyd@agcenter.lsu.edu.

The Scoville Unit Garden at the New Orleans Botanical Garden

Louisiana cooking is known for its extra kick of heat, either by the addition of cayenne pepper in gumbo or a nice coat of hot sauce on a shrimp poboy. Peppers range in the amount of spice based on the level of capsaicin produced, which is largely dependent on the cultivar and partially dependent on the environment in which the pepper is grown. We know how hot peppers are based on word of mouth, or by trial and error, but did you know there are actually units that can estimate the level of spice that an individual pepper may yield. A garden will be put in at the New Orleans Botanical Garden in City Park in the next couple weeks that will showcase a range of peppers spanning the entirety of the Scoville scale.

What is a Scoville unit?
In 1912, Wilber Scoville developed a unit of measurement that would semi-quantify the level of heat, or concentration of capsaicin in peppers. The Scoville unit is named after the American pharmicist, and is still used today as a general unit correlating to the spiciness of a pepper. The organoleptic test is the procedure utilized to obtain the Scoville unit of peppers. In Scoville's method, a measured amount of alcohol extract of the capsaicin oil of the dried pepper is produced, after which a solution of sugar and water is added incrementally until the "heat" is just barely detectable by a panel of (usually five) tasters; the degree of dilution gives its measure on the Scoville scale. Thus a sweet pepper or a bell pepper, containing no capsaicin at all, has a Scoville rating of zero, meaning no heat detectable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale).


What will peppers will be in the garden?
All American Selection Bell Peppers 'Cajun Bell' and 'Orange Blaze' will be displayed on the low end of the Scoville scale, while on  the pepper spray side of the scale (see figure) we have the last three years Guiness Book of World Records world's hottest peppers, being: Ghost, Scorpion and Carolina Reaper. The Scoville Units of the peppers range from 0-1,474,000.


For more information contact Andrew Loyd at aloyd@agcenter.lsu.edu

Basic flower gardening for warm season plants

The Basics

First things, first, bed preparation for your summer garden is the most important practice that will ensure your plant thrives. Soil specialist and cooperative extension groups throughout the country live on the motto, “Don’t guess, soil test”.  LSU AgCenter soil testing and plant analysis lab provides a routine soil testing service for a fee! Pre-stamped soil test boxes can be picked up at your local extension office or at many garden centers. These tests will allow you to know how fertile your soil is, and the results also provide recommendations for the particular crop you are interested in growing. The next step is engineering your bed by applying amendments that will enhance drainage, manage weeds and pathogens, improve soil tilth, which ultimately, creates a good environment for your plants.

To prepare your bed, remove any unwanted plants and turn your soil 6-8”; keeping in mind that there is a large weed seed bank in this soil, and turning the soil will create an optimal environment for these weeds to thrive. So when you ask yourself, “how these weeds got here?” you will know that they may have been in the soil all along. Next, you want to add a 2-4” layer of compost, rotted leaves, aged manure, composted finely ground pine bark or peat moss over the bed. The compost has many functions; it improves the soil texture, provides nutrients, but most importantly it introduces beneficial microbes into the living ecosystem, which is soil! Atop, the compost you will apply all-purpose fertilizer, such an osmocote 10-10-10, according to the label. All of these amendments should be mixed well into the existing 6-8” of native soil. If drainage is in question you can build your bed up more by adding additional organic matter and/or topsoil (or garden soil).

Plants can be purchased as seed or transplants can from your local garden center. This is where selection of plant material plays a key role. If purchasing transplants make sure you are buying pest-free plants; check the roots, making sure they are white and healthy. Avoid buying plants with roots that are brown or sloughing off, or plants that don’t’ have established root systems; could imply stressed or infected plants. Garden centers usually grow plants that are high in demand, so your selection could be limited to what people in your area want. If you want additional plants, seed can be purchased and easily started in your house. There are some great seed starter kits available at garden centers, but you can start seeds in just about anything—be creative; just make sure the containers are rinsed and sterilized before using them. Keep in mind, some plants do better when they are direct seeded into the garden, such as sunflowers.

When choosing plants, make sure you have taken a step back and perused the environment and observed key things like amount of sunlight an area gets, how much rain or water an area receives, and the growth habits of the selected plant material. Sun-loving plants require 6-8 hours of full sunlight a day to thrive, while shade-tolerant plants will grow optimally in areas that receive 2-4 hours of morning sun. Caladium tubers are a good choice for fully shaded areas, and provide great texture and color to a bed.

Transplants should not be planted too deep, but rather to a depth where the crown (or where the stem meets the root ball) is level with the soil. Bedding plants should generally be planted 8” apart, but be sure to be mindful of the particular growth habits of selected plants. Seeds of bedding plants should be sowed at a depth 2-3 times the thickness of the seed so seeds that are ¼” thick should be sowed at a depth of ¾”.  To create a beautiful bed and utilize space efficiently in your garden, bedding plants should be staggered in a diamond pattern, grouping colors and textures

Watering plants in during the early stages of growth is key in the hot summer months, but caution should be taken not to over water your garden because the environment will be conducive for pathogens and root rots. It is better to water the plants for long periods of time 2-3 times a week than to water for short periods of time often. Pine straw or hardwood mulch applied as a 2” layer will help retain moisture and suppress weed populations. Over the course of the growing season, gardens should be weeded and watered well. Watering plants with overhead irrigation will apply excess water to the foliage and flowers opening up your garden for a lot of problems such as disease and short flowering time. Soaker hoses are a good alternative and easy to use. In the heat of the summer plants should be watered often, because water is continually evapotranspirated, or sucked out of the plant.

If plants begin to show symptoms of stress or problems, don’t freak out. The key to controlling the your plant health issues is proper diagnosis. Disease is usually observed in “hot spots” with varying degrees of symptoms in plants, while nutrient deficiencies or water logging will be widespread and throughout. If the problem is poorly diagnosed, you will spend a lot of time scratching your head while your plants continue to suffer. You can contact your county cooperative extension agent for questions on plant health problems.

The art within the science

Plants can be planted for all sorts of functions. In regard to landscape design, the first place to start is a functional design. What “functional” plants or groups of plants do you want in certain areas? We will assume that everyone wants beautiful colors. Color isn’t the only functional type of plant. We also want to look at texture, wildlife attraction (i.e. butterflies), shape, and level of maintenance.

It is better to group colors and textures together within a bed than to plant many colors and textures in one bed. The human eye will be drawn to beautiful color that is embellished with fantastic textures. Planting “drifts” of colors, meaning groups of different harmonious colors will create a more profound product. This is the art in gardening. Every eye will want something different, which is good because it makes each garden unique and interesting. I like to think that gardening is an art within the boundaries of science. We always have to understand the biology of the plants that we work with, and with maintaining the environment optimal for the plant the application of art will make your bed unique and beautiful.

Happy Gardening!

For more information on plant selection for color, be sure and sign up for the workshop entitled “Color in the Landscape” taught by NOBG horticulturalist Melinda Taylor. (Details below)

Tuesday March 26^th, 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. “Color in the Landscape”

Melinda Taylor is the color expert at the New Orleans Botanical Garden. She will talk to you about how to make fantastic containers as well as the use of color in your landscape. $10

To register: Call Susan Capley at 504-483-9473 or email scapley@nocp.org

Vegetable Workshop: for parents and teachers

See the latest news from LSU AgCenter Communications at www.LSUAgCenter.com.

02/08/13

AgCenter schedules vegetable workshops for parents, teachers

Writer: Pamela Hodson at 225-763-3990 or phodson@agctr.lsu.edu

BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden is holding a series of vegetable workshops on a variety of gardening topics beginning in February.

The workshops will provide information to help parents and teachers establish and maintain a vegetable garden.

“Gardens at school or home provide environments for effective learning,” said LSU AgCenter gardening specialist Kiki Fontenot. “The workshops will provide gardening basics that parents or teachers can use to plant seeds of knowledge in children.”

“The workshops will include hands-on activities, and everyone attending will be getting their hands dirty while learning basic principles of gardening that can be applied in the home or school garden,” director of education at the Botanic Gardens Kyle Huffstickler said.

The workshop dates and topics include:

– February 21 – How to construct raised vegetable garden beds.

– April 11 – Starting and growing your own vegetable transplants.

– June 13 – What is a weed, what is a plant?

– August 8 – Insect identification.

– October 10 – Is it ready to harvest/eat?

– November 14 – Preparing your fresh vegetables.

All workshops will be held at LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, located at 4560 Essen Lane in Baton Rouge from 6 p.m. until 7 pm. There is no charge for admission, but registration is required by contacting Huffstickler at 225-763-3990.

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Kyle Huffstickler can be reached at 225-763-3990 or khuffstickler@agcenter.lsu.edu

KiKi Fontenot can be reached at 225-578-2417 or kkfontenot@agcenter.lsu.edu

                                                                                               

                               

Shiitake Mushroom Inoculation Workshop

Krewe de Shiitake: post-Mardi Gras Inoculation Workshop 

Shiitake mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of the fungus Lentinula edodes (syn=Lentinus edodes). The word “shiitake” coined in 1877 by the Japanese is derived from Shii referring to “wood” and Take referring to “mushroom”, so all-in-all it translates to “wood mushroom”.  Shiitake mushrooms have been around since prehistoric times, and have used as medicine in Asia for thousands of years. In light of research on the medicinal benefits of Shiitake mushrooms, the United States have accepted this fungal critter into our diets in the last two decades. Growing mushrooms is a commitment and must be taken seriously for the backyard fungiphile or the commercial mushroom producer. Currently, there are approximately 200 commercial Shiitake producers in the United States who produce their products on hardwood trees such as oak and sweet gum.

Growing Shiitake mushrooms in your backyard is a very labor-intensive project, and should be well planned before jumping the gun. When thinking about growing Shiitake mushrooms major things should be thought about, all of which relate to the biology of the fungus; they are: 1) the Shiitake strain, 2) the environment, and 3) the substrate on which the fungus is grown.  These three factors are part of a matrix that’s product is a bountiful harvest of beautiful Shiitake mushrooms.

The shiitake strain chosen should be a strain that can withstand temperature and moisture ranges that are normal for your area. For example, in the Southeast we would want to grow a warm strain that likes humidity. REMEMBER: these fungi are LIVING! How would you like it if you were thrown into a fire or an ice bath? Make your fungus happy, and it will make you happy!

The second parameter of our mushroom matrix is “the environment”. The environment is key for several reasons; 1) temperature and moisture are major players in fungal growth and fruiting potential of shiitake mushrooms, 2) if the environment is not right than the shiitake fungus can’t establish itself and “trash” fungi move in, and your operation is ruined, and 3) sunlight indirectly affects fungal growth by removing moisture from the forest floor or substrate logs.

The substrate is the last parameter in our mushroom cultivation matrix. The substrate refers to the substance or material in which an organism feeds; so in the case of shiitake it’s wood! What type of wood is best? The rule of thumb is: Oaks are the best substrate for shiitakes! Preferably laurel oak, water oak or live oak, but sweet gum and other hardwoods have been known to work well too!  

So, if we were going to grow  shiitake mushrooms in New Orleans Louisiana we would want a warm strain shiitake, grown on freshly cut oak that has high moisture content (maybe soaked), and incubated and grown in a shaded environment.

Like plants, if the fungus isn’t “happily” growing then you are probably opening up many doors of problems including contamination, animal grazing, or possibly death to your fungus. Planning your mushroom operation or conducting a trial for your local area, first, really could help your business idea thrive.

A Shiitake inoculation workshop will be held on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at the New Orleans Botanical Gardens from 10AM-12Noon. If you would like to attend please email aloyd@agcenter.lsu.edu for more information.  Things needed: battery powered drills, 5/16” drill bit, and hammer or rubber mallet.

More reading:

Producing Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake Mushroom Logs and Cultivation

Forest Farming: shiitake mushrooms

Shiitake Mushroom Gardening ***

Third Tuesday Demonstration: Pruning Vitex and Garden Rose 15 Jan 2013

Andrew Loyd offered an outstanding pruning workshop at the LA Super Plant/Enabling Garden at the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden NOMA in New Orleans City Park. His well prepared presentation provided info of interest to the experienced Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans and to the novice members of the public who participated. He not only discussed the Shoal Creek Vitex and Belinda’s dream rose LA Super Plants but also demonstrated tools and pruning techniques. We all took turns pruning under his guidance. What a great educational experience! Thanks Andrew!

Submitted by Eileen Hollander

The Crescent City Green Thumb, January 2013

Greater NOLA Area Master Gardener
Certification/Recertification Ceremony, Jan. 7 2012

The Greater New Orleans Area Louisiana Master Gardener Certification/Recertification Ceremony is scheduled for January 7, 2013 at the Garden Study Center at the NO Botanical Gardens located at City Park. Thirty-three members of the 2011 graduating Master Gardener class will be acknowledged for their educational accomplishments and achievements. These individuals have served as leaders by dedicating their invaluable service to the Greater New Orleans community. In addition, 99 members will be acknowledged for their continued education and leadership service with the Louisiana Master Gardener Program of the Greater New Orleans Area.

Some of many projects the GNO Master Gardeners volunteer with include maintaining and enabling LSU AgCenter Super Plants at the New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden, working with ARC in Uptown New Orleans where volunteers work with the mentally disabled, and volunteering time and extending their knowledge to answer gardening questions at a few farmers’ markets in the Greater New Orleans Area.

The Greater New Orleans Area Master Gardener program has the largest group of Master Gardeners in the state with 286 total trained Master Gardeners as of last year. In 2012, a total of 5,428 service hours were worked equating to a monetary value of $ 136,792. To learn more about the Master Gardener program in the Greater New Orleans Area or how you can become a Master Gardener, and give back to your community, contact Andrew Loyd, Orleans Parish Extension Agent (aloyd@agcenter.lsu.edu) or JB Anders, Jefferson Parish Extension Agent (janders@agcenter.lsu.edu).

Photo Contest Get It Growing Calendar

 LSU AgCenter Get It Growing Calendar is calling all phytophotographers to submit pictures for next year’s calendar. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1, 2013, and the entry form is available online. Entries must be mailed to Emma Sue McCallum, LSU Ag Center, 135 Knapp Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. For more information contact Emma Sue McCallum at 225-578-2462.If you haven’t purchased your LSU AgCenter 2013 Get It Growing Calendar you can find how to do this online. It makes a great gift for your favorite phytophile.

La Super Plant News

The LouisianaSuper Plant program is an educational and marketing campaign that highlights tough and beautiful plants that perform well in Louisiana landscapes. Louisiana Super Plants have a proven track record having gone through several years of university evaluations and observations. Louisiana Super Plants are “university tested and industry approved”.

Each spring and fall LSU AgCenter horticulturists unveil a list of Louisiana Super Plants, evaluated and selected for their superior performance under Louisiana growing conditions. This is a group of plants that grow optimally in our state’s environments, which means less maintenance and pest pressure! Every third Tuesday of the month the Master Gardeners of GNO lead educational workshops behind the NOMA Sculpture Garden at their La. Super Plant beds. The next demonstration is January 15, 2013 where the new extension agent Andrew Loyd will be demonstrating Spring pruning of ‘Belinda’s Dream’ Tea Rose as well as ‘Shoal Creek’ Vitex. To find out more information on the third Thursday demonstrations and more events visit the GNO Master Gardener calendar.

Photo credit: Dr. Kathryn Fontenot

The Salad Bowl 

It is time to plant many greens and vegetables for your salads and stir fries for late Winter and early Spring. Lettuce, Carrots, Broccoli, and Swiss chard are a few vegetables that can be directly sowed starting now to mid-month. For all planting dates consult the Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide.  

The LSU AgCenter tested 10 heirloom tomato cultivars across the state last year to evaluate which heirloom tomato cultivars performed the best for our area. The top five yielding cultivars were ‘Thessaloniki’, ‘Black from Tula’, ‘Red Brandywine’, ‘Pruden’s Purple’, and ‘Mortgage Lifter’. In addition, a taste test was conducted with all 10 varieties at Burden Research Station in Baton Rouge, LA. With 175 tasters, the tastiest tomato was…drum roll, please…not one of the highest yielders, but rather a cultivar named ‘Pink Brandywine’. The entire report can be read online.  Almost time to start our tomato gardens!