   Summer 2003 Update - June 18, 2003 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Summer is upon us and I guess it's about time to catch up with all that is happening in our gardens and landscapes. Cypress bark beetles are active in the Verde Valley and steps can be taken to reduce tree losses, fire danger is high and risk of property losses can be reduced, there are also several events that may be of interest to readers. So, lets get to it. Cypress bark beetles populations were high last summer and are here again. I get many calls from the Sedona area about this insect and have written about it often in this column. If you have Arizona cypress or Leyland cypress in your landscape, I suggest you monitor it carefully for dying branch tips (called flagging) still hanging on the tree or on the ground at the drip line of the tree. This is the first clue that cypress bark beetles are present in your neighborhood. The flagging only indicates the presence of the insect. After feeding on the branch tips, the beetles will probably try to colonize the trunk. Successful trunk colonization usually causes tree mortality. If the tree is healthy and adequately irrigated, it should be able to produce adequate amounts of pitch (resin) to preventing successful trunk colonization. For more information about the cypress bark beetle, you can download my publication on the Yavapai County Cooperative Extension Forest Health web page (ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/) or visit the Arizona Cooperative Extension office in Cottonwood, Prescott, or Flagstaff. How do you know if a tree is adequately irrigated? This is not as easy as it seems: especially as the tree matures. A plant is adequately irrigated when a sufficient amount of water is supplied to its root system. In my experience, most tree irrigation problems arise when the tree outgrows the irrigation system used to establish it. Many times, drip irrigation systems are at fault. Drip systems are adequate for young trees, but must be expanded as the tree matures. One or two emitters at the base of a three or four inch diameter tree will cannot supply enough water to maintain it. Soaker hoses or flood irrigation within a berm work better to maintain vigor in mature trees. Changing gears to upcoming events, the Arboretum at Flagstaff is having their Summer Plant Sale and Garden Fair on Saturday June 21 from 9 AM to 5 PM. Many native plants will be available for purchase. The Arboretum is located 3.8 miles south of Route 66 on Woody Mountain Road (west of Flagstaff). For a species list, map, and other information, visit their web site at www.thearb.org. If you have never been there, it is well worth the trip. In July, Southwest Yard and Garden, a weekly TV gardening show produced by New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension, will be taping on location at three Sedona area gardens. Yavapai County Master Gardeners, Rosh Pruess and Jane Davie, have helped the NMSU crew as they prepare for shooting. This is an exciting opportunity to share the beauty of our area with neighbors in New Mexico. The Arizona Community Tree Council is coordinating a project called Trees for the Rim. This program is dedicated to securing resources for replanting trees on residential, commercial and community lands damaged by Arizona's Rodeo-Chediski Fire in June, 2002. Trees for the Rim is dedicated to replanting native trees and shrubs in fire devastated communities. To date, $750,000 has been raised to support the project. For more information, visit their web site at www.treesfortherim.org. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on gardening and pest control. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 ext. 14 or E-mail us at mgardener@verdeonline.com and be sure to include your address and phone number. Find past Backyard Gardener columns or submit column ideas at the Backyard Gardener web site: http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/. |