Archives for August 2011

Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance issued a preliminary report yesterday on agricultural damage caused by Irene.

“High winds and excessive rain caused loss of power, flooding, and tree and limb damage across most of the state. Southern Maryland and the Lower Eastern Shore, however, sustained most of the damage, primarily on drought-stricken corn fields where wind flattened the crop in many places, making it difficult to harvest. The remaining sweet corn was severely blown over and may not be recoverable, but we believe this will impact a small amount as most has been harvested.

“Overall Maryland livestock fared well with no significant loss. For the poultry industry, one company reported that the storm killed about 30,000 birds in Maryland. There were no other reports of bird loss or significant structural damage.

“Soybeans fared well and the moisture will help the crop. About 100 acres of watermelon were destroyed and another 100 acres sustained damage severe enough to be reported as a loss. About 600 acres of string beans may be unharvestable. There was no impact from the storm west of Frederick.

“USDA’s Farm Service Agency will further assess damages to agriculture – crops, livestock, conservation – and we should have a better indication of those estimates later this week.

“Farmers who experienced hurricane damage are reminded to stay in close contact with their crop insurance agents. A written notice of crop loss must be given to your crop insurance agent: within 72 hours of discovering the damage or loss; 15 days before harvesting begins; within 15 days after harvesting is completes but not later than October 20 for corn insured as tonnage for silage; and December 10 for grain corn and soybeans. Maryland farmers have 6,458 crop insurance policies in place, covering crops valued at $390.5 million.”

Irene’s gone and good riddance. She dropped about 10 inches of rain here, which was no particular favor despite July’s drought, and then she blew, just to see if the roots and everything would hold.  Rude.

Some people had much more damage than others, but none of us got away scot-free. Virtually every yard and garden needs attention — there’s a chain saw brrring away on the sad old dogwood (Cornus florida) as I write this, and tomorrow it will be the apple tree even though it’s the only one that still produces. Some of the caged and staked tomato plants have been half-pulled out, too, as the cages were blown over, but they can be gently mashed back into place for a few more weeks of production. The petunias, which have petals as lush and soft as cotton, collapsed, the Caryopteris is halved and broken and there are downed limbs everywhere.

It’s discouraging and little daunting, but not everything that looks bedraggled now is a gonner. The question is, where to start?

First, assess damage, a step that by now has probably taken place for most of us. But in assessing, be sure you look UP. There may be branches still hanging precariously that need dealing with. Also, consider what you can do yourself and what needs professional attention. Some things are obvious. Others are borderline. Think carefully before you tackle something that may be too much of a stretch for your experience, tools or skills.

“Use caution if you have downed limbs or if branches are hanging from trees way up there, “ says Mary Broadhurst, nursery manager at Unity Church Hill Nursery.  “You don’t want to do it yourself unless you have someone who really knows what they’re doing, and then be sure you have a second person right there to be sure you’re safe.”

For the smaller, more doable stuff, haul out the garden tools.

“If it’s broken, cut it off,” says Cindy King, horticulturist at Kingstown Farm Home and Garden.

A clean cut back to live wood will help prevent disease and more injury, and will probably encourage new growth. If a tree or shrub, particularly a young one, is pulled out of its root set, but not is completely out, you may be able to do some orthodonture rather than an extraction.

“Stake something that has blown down, but don’t stake it incredibly hard,” says King. “Work it back slowly, and make sure the staking stays there about a year.”

Broadhurst has a very loose willow oak in a small piece of ground in front of the house between the sidewalk and the road that she plans to try to save.

“I’m going stake it for about a year to stabilize it and see if it will put out sufficient feeder roots to keep going,” she says.

Since soil around the willow has been washed away, Broadhurst plans to add more, but not immediately. Another gulleywasher would wash it again, exposing tender new feeder roots. Additionally, mechanical edgers can inadvertently whip away new loose soil, damaging tentative roots.

“I may wait until December to put down more soil,” she says, “when the ground will be a little frozen and it will hold better.”

If trees – like our poor apple – are not salvageable, taking them out will help the rest of the landscape and possibly provide you with firewood for next winter. (The wood will need a year to cure.).  Of course, the next consideration will be how the tree’s absence will change the sun/shade equation in that area.

“You’re gonna either come up with another tree or maybe a pergola or something [to restore the shade] or you may realize that you need to change the garden,” says King.

You may need to relocate some shade lovers that won’t tolerate the amount of sun they will get from now on. For those with some sun tolerance, a little more attention to their water needs for a few years may be in order.

“You may need to watch them more closely, and give them more water than you had been,” says King.

For sodden, damaged, or drowned perennials, both advise patience.

“Don’t be too quick to give up on them,” says King. “If the plant has been flooded, the top growth will drop or die off in all likelihood, but that doesn’t mean they are finished. Plants will go off-color, but if you see new growth, it will probably survive. Give them some fertilizer in late February or early March next year and see what happens. If they don’t come back by then, it’s time to replace them.”

But annuals, which are a single season deal, may need replacing.

“Once you’ve cleaned up any twigs, leaves and branches, you can then start looking for holes,” says Broadhurst.  “Petunias I would probably rip out because the flowers wilt in the rain, but you can fill in a lot of holes with annuals for now.”

 
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