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Unusual weather and oddball problems caused everything to be off course this year

One of the reasons I keep a log of all the questions I get on my radio programs is because it’s a good reference of when problems arise. I can look back in following years and get some idea of what to expect.

Well, friend, that’s just not going to be the case with 2021. That record-setting cold spell just four months ago followed by cool, cloudy weather most of May and into early June have joined to cause everything to be off course. Plus, we’ve been thrown a lot of oddball problems to boot.

Here are the questions folks have been asking most recently. Odds are that they may be on your mind as well.

“Why is the bark on my oak trees cracking vertically this year? It looks like it’s been slit with a knife. The tree itself looks fine, but I can see the wood of the trunk. Will it heal?”

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Arborists call that “radial shake,” and we’re seeing it on live oaks and Shumard red oaks. The bark pops loose from the rest of the trunk and those vertical cracks you described become very evident. Our first temptation is to trim the loose bark away with a utility knife, or perhaps even to peel it away. We’re just concerned that insects might take up residence behind it. But the best approach is just to leave it alone and let the plant develop a new layer of bark beneath it. Any insects that do shelter behind it will be types that aren’t harmful, so you really don’t have anything to worry about.

“I couldn’t find the shrubs I wanted to use in my replantings earlier this spring, but I’ve just located some. Is it too late to plant them?”

Not at all. Landscape contractors work 12 months a year, only stopping when it’s raining or when the ground is frozen. But if you plant new shrubs now there are two precautions you must take.

First, the plants that you buy must be acclimated to the same intensity of lighting that they’ll receive in their new homes. Don’t buy shrubs and groundcovers out of a nursery shade house and plant them directly into hot, blazing sun, even if they’re types that you know can handle it. Unless they’re acclimated, they’ll probably scorch from the summer planting.

Second, with new shrubs, you must always commit to watering them by hand. Sprinkler irrigation alone will never be sufficient. You need to use a water wand on the end of your garden hose along with a water breaker or bubbler. Water every two days now until mid-October, then as needed through winter. If you’re watering a plant that came out of a 5-gallon pot, apply 5 gallons of water each time. A 10-gallon plant would get 10 gallons. And so forth.

“Why are my Shumard red oaks dropping so many leaves? I have to blow my drive and lawn every two or three days.”

Many of us are having the same issues. If you look around town you’ll see that many Shumard red oaks (and other species of trees) were damaged by the February cold. It had quite an impact, and I believe the leaf drop is partly associated with that, even for trees that apparently had no other damage.

In all honesty, we’re also seeing it on pecans and a few other species. For some, it happens every summer as the trees hit the wall of summertime heat and suddenly realize that the great weather of spring isn’t going to be with them forever. It’s a coping mechanism where they are shedding some of that responsibility. Whatever the specific reason, it’s no cause for concern.

“Why am I seeing yellow patches in my St. Augustine?”

The cause may have shifted, but it seems like the yellow patches are going to be with us forever (grimacing as I write that). In April and May those patches are caused by a fungus called take all root rot (TARR). It attacks the roots causing them to be very stubby and dark. The grass is pale green to yellowish cream, and it’s often in large, diffused areas. Nitrogen does not help green it up. TARR lessens as weather turns warmer.

By mid-June and continuing on through the summer we see the same washes of yellowed St. Augustine, but in this case the weather has turned hotter. The yellowing often follows application of nitrogen, and on close inspection, we can see BB-sized, gray-brown spots on the blades and runners. Those are the concrete evidence of gray leaf spot fungus.

Gray leaf spot is the reason I suggest that you not apply nitrogen to St. Augustine from mid-June until September, since it accelerates development of the disease.

Remedy for each of these diseases involves application of the fungicide Azoxystrobin. It is available to consumers as Scotts Disease-EX and to commercial applicators as Heritage. But do try to identify the disease involved so you’ll have a better idea next time around.

Keep an eye open, too, for chinch bug damage to start showing up in your St. Augustine – always in hot, sunny parts of the turf. It will start by causing areas to look dry, but irrigation won’t correct it. If you’ll get down on your hands and knees and part the grass, you’ll be able to see the BB-sized black insects with irregular white diamond patterns on their wings flitting around among the runners. Look for them at the interface of dying (not dead) and healthy grass. Treat with one of the labeled insecticides.

You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 pm and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 am. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and follow him on Facebook.