Garden editorialist Dan Gill suffice reader question each week . To send a question , email Gill at[email protected ] .
My live oak trees have been dropping gobs of light-green browned things over the retiring week or so . Can I entrust this poppycock where it is on my lawn ? Can I exit it where there is no grass ? If I have to find fault it up , what should I do with it ? — Fred Piazzolla
The thing falling from the live oaks recently are manlike catkins . Their structures transmit the manful flowers of the trees .
Live oak , like many shade trees , produce freestanding male and female flowers on the same plant . lively oak tree have distaff flowers that will eventually turn into acorn . But the male bloom must pass around pollen to the distaff flowers for that to befall .
To do this , the manful flowers release a tidy sum of pollen into the air . The pollen will then drift to the female flower on the wind .
This is how most of our shade tree and weedy grasses are blooming aright now , which is why there is so much pollen in the aura .
As to your questions about what to do with the fallen catkins , here ’s what I urge . In areas where there is no grass , leave them . If the layer of catkins is less than an column inch thick , try mow . If it mostly disappears with mowing , there is no need to take away it .
If the ground is more than an inch duncish and the grass is totally buried , rake up as much as you may and habituate it as mulch in your beds or add it to your compost pile .
you may do the same thing with catkins you sweep up from drive , patios and walkways . Do n’t just befuddle this clobber forth in the trash — put it to good use .
How should I dig up and put in tulip electric-light bulb in Louisiana ? When should I embed them again ? — Karen
Tulips do not rebloom well in our climate . After all your work , you might get a few small flower at most . Most of the bulbs wo n’t bloom at all .
I recommend plainly pull them up , chop them and putting them in your compost . In maliciousness of this , most gardeners wish to test thing on their own . If you still want to do that , here ’s what you need to do :
look until the leafage is mostly yellow . Dig the bulbs and take out the leafage . Do not water the bulbs for a few sidereal day . After that , keep them inside in newspaper bags during the summertime .
In early November , refrigerate the bulbs in the veggie bin of your refrigerator . Plant the bulb at the end of December or early January .
We have a camellia bush that has a lot of white , slenderly fuzzy material under the leaves . The height of the leaves are mottled with yellow . The buds show up and seem like they ’re growing , but most of them do n’t open . Only a few of them do , and they make a flower . What can we do and when should we do it to get better blooms next yr now that the time of year is over ? — George Zeitouni
Your plant have an dirt ball call tea scale on them , which could be why they are n’t blooming as much as they should . Put a spray of Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control or another product with imidacloprid on the camelia and travel along the charge on the recording label .
you may also get in force control by spraying the camellia with horticultural oil a few times , as direct on the recording label . Brands like Year Round Spray Oil , All Seasons Spray Oil , Volck Oil , and others are useable . Spray exhaustively under the leaves .
The tea leaf scale insects will not vanish right away , but do n’t assume the treatment has not worked . Watch the new growth as it seem in the spring and matures in other summer . If it delay clean and shell free , your treatment have been effectual .
SAVE EASTER LILIES : Do n’t throw away potted Easter lily after Easter . you may plant your Easter lily alfresco in a garden layer after the flowers have died back . It will blossom there for eld to come . Cut off the plant ’s dead flowers , take it out of the pot , and plant it in a bed that has been prepared well and meet with compost . Choose a positioning that receives sun through most of the day with some shade in the afternoon . Plant so that the top of the solution ball is even or slimly below the land Earth’s surface . Easter lilies go dormant in summer solstice . In the middle of summer , when the leaves work chicken , cut the plant back to the primer coat and mark the spot so you could bump it again . Easter lilies will set out to arise again in fall , around October . Fertilize them at that time .
stagnant HEAD : While you may , keep absent faded or dead blossom from nerveless - season sleep together plants like genus Dianthus , foxglove , aquilegia , and snapdragon . This is ring deadheading . Not only does this keep the plants looking keen , but it also tend to advance extended flowering .
SUMMER BULBS : Plant bulbs that blossom in the summer , like crocosmia , gingers , canna , pineapple lily ( Eucomis ) , elephant spike , crinum , agapanthus , and more .
There are stake in tomato plants to keep them from disperse out on the ground , where the fruit would be more potential to go speculative . Once the first flower cluster shows up , move the bet to the other side of the works ’s prow . There will be one stem from which all the flower clump grow . This way , the fruit wo n’t get stuck between the stake and the stem as it grows .
South Louisiana gardener are big fan of the tropical hibiscus and its hybrids . No other summertime - flowering shrub surpasses the hibiscus for gl … .
Louisiana iris is the name used all over the world for a unequalled mathematical group of native iris species from Louisiana and their hybrid . Their extraor … .
multitude often ask me for steer on how to keep their yards looking squeamish without putting in a lot of time and work . While there are s … .
Dan Gill is a retired consumer horticulture specializer with the LSU AgCenter . He hosts the “ Garden Show ” on WWL - AM Saturdays at 9 a. m. Email gardening question to gnogardening@agcenter . lsu . edu .
For a summer full of colorful flower and lush foliage , think add summertime bulbs to your garden . Most summertime - blossom bulb are aboriginal t … .
Oak trees are iconic landscape painting trees treasured for their dish , shade , and overall majesty . While oaks bring home the bacon interest year - round , bound is an specially captivating time as they awaken from wintertime dormancy . In this clause , we ’ll look at the sign of outpouring in oak trees ground to deflect pruning in outpouring , and how to care for oaks as warmer atmospheric condition arrives .
Awakening: An Oak Tree in Spring
After a long winter , it ’s exciting to observe the first sign of liveliness in oak tree trees as spring gets underway . Here are some of the changes you could witness
bud swell up and open – Around March / April , fat leaf and peak buds that formed last summertime begin lucubrate and unfurling . It ’s a welcome signal of warmer weather ahead .
New leaves emerge – The bud give rise to fresh , bright green new leaves and catkins . Oak leave start out bent and delicate before boom to maturity
flower bloom – Some oaks like pin oaks and post oak produce dangling catkin that issue pollen for wind fertilization .
Birds and critter return – boo flock back to oak trees for nutrient sources like buds , flowers , dirt ball , and seeds . squirrel resume their prank .
Moss and lichens thrive – These aerophyte summarize alive ontogeny on oak bark and branch in spring ’s warmer , damp circumstance .
observe an oak Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree as it springs back to life after a dormant winter is ceaselessly enthralling . check that to see closely for all the magic of spring !
Why Pruning Oaks in Spring is a Bad Idea
It ’s in general best not to prune oak trees between late wintertime through early summer . Here ’s why :
Oak wilt danger – reinvigorated pruning wounds attract mallet that can spread fungus spore causing the deadly oak tree wilt disease disease . Avoid pruning from February - July when transmission risk of exposure tiptop .
Sap bleeding – thin branches have heavy sap bleeding from wounds . This can pull in louse that propagate disease .
Added accent – Pruning robs trees of zip right when they need it most to produce leave and acorn .
Reduced photosynthesis – Cutting arm and leave limits solid food production from photosynthesis when it require to be in high spirits .
Weakened social system – Improper pruning in outflow leaves tree ill structure to withstand summertime wind and violent storm .
Eye - pick up wounds – untoward pruning wounds stand out clearly against bare branch before leaf - out .
Of course , there are exceptions where pruning to move out damaged branch after a storm overrides other risks . But in universal , restraint is advised .
Signs Your Oak Tree Needs Corrective Pruning
While trim oaks in spring is inadvisable , certain warning sign mean you should n’t delay pruning needs until later :
Broken , cracked , or deadened branches – These should be rationalize immediately to prevent combat injury or further harm .
Cavities or cankers – Prune out diseased or pest - infest branches so problems do n’t aggravate .
Hazards over menage or social system – arm threatening roofs or great power lines require urgent removal before damage .
Dense , crowded fork – Poor structure from excessive inward or overlaying branches may necessitate judicious pruning .
Take pictures beforehand document the issue . Only snip the bare lower limit to solve quick dangers or fault .
Caring for Oak Trees in Springtime
Beyond hold off on pruning , here are some peak for tending to your oak in spring :
Water – Ensure youthful or transplanted tree get copious water system as growth accelerates . Even fledged trees apprize a rich lachrymation .
Mulch – use 2 - 4 inch of wood chip mulch around the root zona to keep back moisture and suppress weeds . Keep mulch a few inches from the torso .
Check for pests – Monitor for early signaling of pest plague like galls or leaf notching and address progeny promptly .
Remove fifth wheel – Carefully remove any little dead offshoot by hand without pecker to clean up up trees .
supervise diseases – Watch for evidence of anthracnose or bacterial leaf singe and have an arborist scrutinize affect tree .
With appropriate care tailored to seasonal needs , your prized oak trees will coast through spring quick for vigorous summertime growth ahead .
Signs of Healthy Oak Tree Growth in Spring
When oaks are happy and arise well , you may look for these electropositive foretoken :
dissolute fountain growth allow oaks to maximise light interception and nutrient output when weather are ideal . It directly influence their overall vigor .
What to Expect Next as Spring Winds Down
In later natural spring , oak tree changeover to the next phase of development :
shortly the oak tree ’s yearly ontogeny cycle will ramp up into high geartrain in summer ’s long days and apex sunlight hour . But for now , marvel at spring ’s conjuration as your oak awakens this young produce season full of possibilities . With a little help from you , it will grow into a towering will to nature ’s resplendency .
The Curse of the Live Oak Tree!
When do oak trees bloom ?
Mature oak trees blossom during the spring , just before putting out leaves . Only trees that make acorns flower ; if an oak tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is younger than 20 or older than 80 years old , it may not make prime or acorns . Oak tree diagram may bloom late during time period of stale atmospheric condition , or they may flower early if the weather warm up up sooner than normal .
When do oak Tree put out their leafage ?
Oak tree set out to put out their leaves during the spring , again between March and May depend on location , coinage , and environmental factors . leave-taking begin bud around the same clip as the flowers are out and usually begin to open as the flower are dying .
Why are there so many oak flowers this leaping ?
The big amount of oak peak this spring point a braggy acorn harvest this drop . Trees are so cool , and they often surprise us . This year , for illustration , the crimson oak , resilient oak tree , bur oaks , Mexican white-hot oak tree , Lacey oaks , and most other oaks have founder us Brobdingnagian flower production . Why ?
Why do oak Tree bloom late ?
Oak trees may bloom tardily during periods of cold weather condition , or they may blossom ahead of time if the atmospheric condition warm up sooner than normal . Oak blossoms may be harm by belated time of year icing , which in tour can dissemble acorn yield subsequently on in the twelvemonth .
