One way to keep your lawn or garden weed free and pristine is to use a broadleaf herbicide. While herbicides are easy to use and require far less labor that digging up weeds manually, they can uninatentionally harm plants if not used properly.  DGP board member and TN AG Extention agent David Cook provides the following tips when using herbicides in your garden:

Certain herbicides have a tendency to volatize (change from liquid to gas) when
air temperatures reach 85 degrees and higher. The commonly used broadleaf weed
herbicide called 2,4-D is one of these. Applied as a liquid spray, any of the
liquid that is not absorbed into the target plant has the potential to turn into
a gas during periods of hot weather. Also, any liquid that contacts warm, bare
soil can volatize. During hot days this process can occur within minutes and
continue for several hours or even days. Dicamba, another commonly used
broadleaf herbicide does not easily volatize, but may remain in the soil for a
period of several weeks. Dicamba does not bind to soil particles, but is highly
soluble in water, and because of this factor, may enter into exposed surface
roots of trees. The herbicide Roundup (glyphosate), which can kill both
broadleaf and grassy weeds does not easily volatize, but does bind to soil
particles. Because Roundup binds to soil particles, it is rapidly broken down by
microbes in the soil and rendered harmless. However, caution should be used when
applying Roundup around trees to control weeds as it can be absorbed into trees
through wounds or openings in roots and bark if sprayed onto these areas of the
plant.

So what does herbicide injury look like?.  You might see very small
adventitious leaves appearing on the branches of plants. The leaves will appear  distorted and leaf veins and leaves will not fill out and grow normally. The plant may be alive,  but leaf development will greatly impacted. Plants will eventually grow out of this condition and develop normally, but this may take some time.

Thanks again to all of the volunteers that helped out with the April 7th workday. Below is a summary of the work done to and condition of each site:

Donelson Library:

Lime and fertilizer were added this week at the recommendations of the soil tests done earlier in the year. Thus far there is no sign of the rose rosette disease on the Knock-Outs. To fortify their immunity, we plan to add some marigolds in the sunny beds with the hope that they will help deter the mites that carry this virus. Additionally in the color bed this year, we plan to add two varieties of gloriosa daisy: Gloriosa Daisy, Prairie Sun, an AAS winner and Rudbeckia Denver Daisy, two hardy perennials that are drought tolerant and pest resistant.

In the shade garden, three Encore Azaleas were planted on Saturday where the holly was removed. This year, additions to the shade bed include several varieties of hosta, columbine and heuchera. Also in our plan for this year is a mulched area connecting the oak and the saucer magnolia with additional Encore Azaleas.

When the violas are past their prime, low-growing annuals will be planted around the library sign.

We are focusing on low maintenance, drought tolerance and, of course, color.

Briley PKWY Site:

On Saturday, April 7th 2012, 3 Girl Scouts from Troop 283 of Holy Rosary Academy, Donated $250 from the money that they earned selling Girl Scout cookies to the Donelson Gateway Project. On hand to accept the donation was District 15 Councilman Phil Claiborne. Phil told the girls about DGP’s humble beginning and how it grew as a movement to make Donelson a better place with help from organizations like the Girl Scouts. The check presentation was made in front of the sign at Eastgate, the site next to the highly visible Stones River Greenway. After the check presentation, the girl scouts stuck around to help with other volunteers working on the site by picking up trash, spreading mulch and watering the flowers.

From L to R: District 15 Councilman Phil Claiborne, Zoe Davis, Jackie Rose, and Loren Legaspi

About 50 volunteers turned out on Saturday April 7th for the Donelson Gateway Project “workday”. Teams were spread out between various sites weeding, spreading mulch, raking, mowing, trimming and doing general clean up.

It was a perfect day and the number of volunteers that turned out made the work easy. Some of the Knockout

Roses at the Briley site were infected with a virus and had to be removed. They will be replaced soon.

At the Eastgate, crews had to straighten a few of the cedar trees that were tilted by recent storms.

Thanks for everyone that helped out!

The Donelson Gateway Project could use your help this weekend with a Spring clean. We will need help at the following sites: The Eastern Gateway at Stones River, The Donelson Library, and The TollGate site at Stewarts Ferry and Lebanon Rd.  The Briley PKWY site will need the most volunteers. Work will begin at 9am on Saturday, April the 7th.

The planting of Spring/Summer flowers is also on the horizon, but will not be a part of this weekends activities as we will be doing  “prep” work.

Be sure to bring garden gloves, any garden tools that you might have, and a your enthusiasm for making our community a wonderful place to live.

The more people that show up , the less time it will take. Thanks for your help!!!

Spruce Spider Mites

David Cook

UT Extension Agent

&

 Donelson Gateway Volunteer

Of all the mites that cause injury to conifers, the spruce spider mite (Oligonychus ununquis) is the one of most concern. Despite its common name, this mite feeds on more than 40 species of conifers, but is most commonly found on arborvitae. Start scouting early in the year for this pest because it becomes active in early spring. Due to its extremely small size do not expect to actually see live mites on your plants. Instead, look for visual symptoms of feeding activity. When plant foliage begins to show off-green color and mites are suspected, make a foliage inspection. The best method of detection is to place a white sheet of paper under a branch and then shake the branch to dislodge any mites onto the white sheet. If mites are present, they will fall onto the paper and look like tiny green, mobile specks. A hand lens would be helpful in viewing the mites. Always scout early enough to prevent infestations and serious tree injury. Heavy infestations of spruce spider mites result in loss of green color to needles and premature needle drop, which results in permanent damage to trees and shrubs.

The spruce spider mite is known as a “cool season” mite and is most active in early spring and late fall. Spider mite activity begins in the spring with nymphs emerging from overwintering eggs. An adult female may live for several weeks and lay dozens of eggs during her lifetime. As the weather warms up and temperatures approach the mid-to-high eighties, their feeding activity stops. If temperatures remain over 90° F for an extended period, the adult mites become dormant and lay eggs that only hatch when cooler temperatures return in the late summer or early fall. The fall brings on further feeding activity and as winter approaches, mature females lay eggs that overwinter until spring.

Dormant and horticultural oil applications will control overwintering eggs, nymphs and adults. Warning: Oils remove the blue-gray color from the needles of Colorado blue spruce.

February – March: Apply one application of dormant oil spray.

April and October: Apply two applications of horticultural oil spray 7 to 10 days apart.

Tips for Beginning a New Garden Project

By: David Cook, UT Extension Agent & Donelson Gateway Volunteer

           With any new project, and especially gardening, planning is one of the most important factors if you want to achieve your goals of establishing a healthy landscape, growing beautiful flowers, or having a bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables. Here are some basic steps for beginning gardening.

Select a Site:  It is best to start small. Bigger is not always better when a lot of digging in hard, compacted ground is involved. If your hands are not accustomed to using gardening tools, purchase a pair of gardening gloves. These will become your new “outdoor friend” by helping to prevent painful blisters. Here are some basic questions to ask yourself about the potential garden site: Does this site receive full sun, partial sun or filtered sunlight during the course of the day? Are there large trees or nearby structures that block sunlight from reaching the site? It’s important to know the light requirements of the plants you plan to grow. When purchasing plants, always read and save the information on the plant tags. The plant tag will tell you about the light and water needs of the plant.

Correct Any Soil Drainage Problems: Plants like water, but over-watering or poor soil drainage is one of the main reasons many outdoor plants die before their time. Not all Tennessee soils are alike. The soil in your yard may be totally different than what is in your neighbor’s yard. There are three basic types of soils: sandy, loam and clay. A simple method to determine which type you have is to see how fast your soil drains water.  Dig a one gallon-sized hole in the ground and fill it full of water. If the water has completely drained out in about one hour, then your soil is sandy. If the hole is still holding water, come back in about two hours. If the hole is empty, you have loamy soil, which is what your plants will like. If after six to eight hours there is still water, then you have a soil with lots of clay, which is not good unless you want to grow rice. Drainage problems can always be corrected by adding sand, humus (mature compost) or creating raised beds.

Test Your Soil: Before you rush out to purchase plants or put any seeds into the ground, take a soil test. When you get the test results back, you will know about the fertility of the soil (the current mineral nutrients and the pH). Only then will you know if additional nutrients or amendments need to be added. Most importantly, you will know the exact pH of the soil. A soil test is the only way to determine if the soil is acidic, neutral or alkaline.

Know Your Planting Zone: Most of Tennessee is zone 7. This simply means there are certain plants that will grow year-round here and survive the winter cold, the hot summer months and the average amount of yearly rainfall. Plant tags usually provide information about which zone is best for the plant. Also remember that temperature throughout the state will vary from region to region. West Tennessee is usually warmer than Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee usually experiences colder winter months.

Go Native with Tennessee Plants: The benefit of native plants is that they are adapted to grow and thrive in zone 7, so at least consider a few. No matter where you live, there are nurseries and garden centers that offer a wide selection of both native and non-native plants to choose from. One last tip, don’t ever be afraid to ask questions about plants, because that’s how we learn.

On a cool and clear October morning, people representing all of the neighborhoods in Donelson turned out to do one thing: make thier community better. It took shovels and dirt and rakes and muscle to turn what was once a neglected highway easment into a colorful display of nature. As seen from both the Stones River Greenway and Lebanon Pike, Gateway East presents to travelers the idea that the Donelson Community is committed to its identity and is staging a rebirth. “I always remind the Mayor that Donelson is hidden gem in the Metro crown” say district 15 councilman Phil Claiborne. He was one of the many volunteers that helped to plant the Cedars, Pansies, and Knockout Roses at the new site.  Other contributors to the project include Joslin Sign Company, Emdenon, Gaylord, JVI Garden Center, SmartSpace, and EnviroScapes. Thanks for everyone’s help.