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August 2008 Gardening Q&A
April unfriendly to apricots
 by Rosie Lerner
Purdue Extension Consumer Horticulturist
Early-blooming spells downfall for apricots in Midwest
Q: I wrote you last year about my apricot tree having no fruit for two years. You wrote that it’s not unusual. Now, a third year had lots of blossoms but no fruit again. What can I do to get fruit? — Forrest Vangorp, Lynwood, Ill.
A: Lack of fruiting is to be expected for apricots in our area of the Midwest most years, and this year is no exception. Apricots are about the earliest to bloom of the fruit trees, and this earliness is usually its downfall.
We did have a relatively mild winter and a long, cool spring, making for a beautiful extended flowering season for many of our fruit trees.
However, there were several frost/freeze incidents that occurred while the early flowering trees were in bloom. Also, the prolonged cool weather that allowed blooms to stay lovely for so long was unfortunately counterproductive to bee activity. For the first half of April, the high temperatures were below the minimum threshold for bee activity. So even if the blooms weren’t damaged by frost, the fruit set would be light due to lack of adequate pollination. This is the case with my peach tree as well — loads of flowers but very few fruit this year.
There are a few apricot cultivars that are known to flower a bit later and thus are less susceptible to the perils of early bloom season, such as “Goldcot” and “Harglow”; both are considered to be self-fruitful, assuming that flowers survive and bees are active. But, in general, it will be the unusual year that you will have fruit on apricot trees in your area.
Q: Do you have any suggestions for keeping deer out of my garden? I have a small vegetable garden, and the deer have eaten most of my sweet corn crop — Jim Newlin, Orange County REMC consumer.
A: The only reliable method I know of is to fence them out, although even the best of fences are not entirely foolproof. Deer can jump over as well as crawl under. With a small garden, temporary or semi-permanent fencing about 5 feet high might be enough to discourage them from jumping into a confined area.
If this is not effective, adding a second fence a few feet outside of the first one should discourage most deer. For a more permanent solution or for a large garden area, consider either a taller physical barrier or an electric fence of which there are several designs. A high-quality, well-designed fence can be expensive, but is more likely to be effective.
There are a number of materials to choose from, including high tensile wire, woven wire and plastic mesh (deer netting).
The USDA Wildlife Conflicts Information Hotline has extensive information and plans for deer fence available at this Purdue Web site link, or call 1-800-893-4116.
After the flood: Tips for gardeners
The torrential rains from late spring and this summer have brought about flooded conditions in many gardens and landscapes that bring rise to questions of the safety of produce as well as potential damage to plants.
The issue of food safety from flooded gardens should not be taken lightly. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), if the floodwater contained waste from septic tanks, sewage lagoons or pastures, your garden will take about a month to become clean.
The CDC recommends that you not eat or preserve any raw produce from the garden during this time. Leafy crops such as cabbage, spinach and lettuce pose the greatest risk for consumption, since it is so difficult to remove all of the contamination.
Crops that can be cooked before eating might be safe to consume if properly processed. Fruit-producing crops such as beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers and summer squash should be rinsed in plain water, followed by soaking in a weak chlorine solution of 2 tablespoons chlorine bleach to a gallon of water. Peel and cook thoroughly before eating. Root crops such as carrots, potatoes and turnips should be similarly washed, peeled and cooked thoroughly.
As for landscape trees and shrubs, it is difficult to say what the long-term effect of being underwater will be. When soils are completely flooded, oxygen is prevented from reaching the root system. The general thought is that most landscape plants can survive being submerged for about a week or so.
In addition to the obvious damage to plants, there are more long-term effects to soils that have been flooded for extended periods. Soil microorganisms that require oxygen may be killed and those that survive without oxygen take over, which, in turn, affects availability of nutrients for plant use.
Watch for signs of dieback, but don’t be too hasty to cut limbs. Branches that have lost leaves aren’t necessarily dead. Remove only those limbs that are physically damaged or obviously dead. A light fertilization may be helpful to replace nutrients that were lost and to encourage re-growth.
For more information on storm and flood damage to gardens and landscapes, see http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/floodtriage.html.
Written By: eceditor
Date Posted: 7/28/2008
Number of Views: 201
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