An E-mail Gardening Newsletter from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer, Albany and Schenectady Counties January/ February 2019 Volume 14, Number 1 Root Concerns Notes from the underground A Pear of Problems A bike ride from the Port of Albany to Voor- heesville on the recently-completed Hudson/ Helderberg Bike Trail is a true treat. While zipping by waterfalls, behind strip malls and over traffic-choked roadways on a smooth ribbon through the countryside, I say a sin- cere thank you to all those who made this joy ride possible. I have only one gripe. At the western end, in front of a lovely pavilion, are planted two Callery pears. Unfortunately, someone doesn’t know that, for some time now, Callery pear has been a plant non grata, the poster child of a bad botanical actor, and simply not a good choice for a newly designed landscape. It didn’t start out this way. According to the Washington Post, Callery pear (Pyrus Calleryana) was imported from China more than a century ago as a possible solution to the problem of fireblight disease in fruit-producing pear trees. As part of that research, thousands of Callery pear seedlings Cornell Cooperative Extension provides were growing at the U.S. Plant Introduction Station in Glenn Dale, Mary- equal program and employment opportu- land in the early 1950’s. That’s when horticulturist John Creech found one nities. Please contact that showed some outstanding ornamental characteristics. He admired its Cornell Cooperative Extension if you have beautiful early spring blossoms, disease and insect resistance, and tremen- special needs. No endorsement of prod- dous vigor even in tough site condi- ucts is implied. tions. It also lacked the thorns which other Callery pears brandished. Nam- ing it ‘Bradford’ for F.C. Bradford, a for- mer director of the Station, John planted P a g e 2 Root Concerns Volume 14, Number 1 180 specimens in University Park, a Washington, D.C. suburb. Happy with the results, by 1960 scion wood was offered to nursery propagators to graft onto pear rootstocks, which could then be sold to the public. This would allow identical ‘Bradford’ Callery pear trees to be planted across the nation. A new star of garden centers was born. Landscapers liked ‘Bradford’ for its ease of planting. Landscape architects and highway departments were drawn to its lollypop shape. Everyone en- joyed the flowers. But trouble was brewing. It was soon discovered that ‘Bradford’ had a poor branching structure, and sometimes split during storms. Many trees suffered irreparable damage and required removal. In response, new varieties of Callery pear were developed with better shape and structure. Then folks noticed that Callery pears seemed to be producing more fruits. The original planting of isolated ‘Bradfords’ back at University Park had seemed almost sterile. But as time went on, and more varieties of pears inhabited more of the country and cross polli- nated, they quietly fruited. Where there are fruits, there are birds, who aided in the spread of new Callery pears hither and yon, beyond the built landscape. A new invasive species was born. By the late 90’s, the invasive characteristics of Callery pear were becoming known. Soon, dozens of states listed Callery pear on their invasive lists; the number today is 29 states or better. Locali- ties nationwide are now spending tax dollars on eliminating invasive pears, but in New York, we keep planting them. Unfortunately, State government left Callery pear off the invasive species list created in 2014. Obviously, we have a disconnect between people and pears. Text and photos by David Chinery “I’m no good at cook- ing or music, but I’ve always known how to garden. Nobody ever taught me; I just ab- sorbed it. Some fami- lies are churchgoers or sports fans. We gardened.” Author and 1960’s TV personality Thalassa Do You Remember? Cruso Root Concerns Volume 14, Number 1 P a g e 3 Amaryllis Thrives On Tough Love The one plant, besides poinsettia, that’s often given as a Christmas gift is amaryllis. Many people enjoy the Christmas bloom and then throw the plant out. Many years ago I found such a discarded plant in the snow of a neighbor’s sidewalk. Fortunately, amaryllis is a bulb and thus not likely to freeze after a short exposure to cold. So, of course being the scrounge that I am, I brought the amaryllis home. The next summer I divided the bulb into two. The next question was,“ How do I get it to bloom in subsequent years?” I decided once I had two plants, I would “rest” one and allow the other to carry on photosynthesis. The one I rested went into the cellar with no light and no water from November until February. Thinking like a plant, I thought that my life was threatened without light and water. Of course the first thing that any life wants to do when life is threatened is to make sure its genetic material (DNA) is passed on. So, for plants, producing flowers and thus seeds is the answer. Sure enough, as soon as my “cellar “ plant got light and water, it formed a flower. Only after the flower had formed did my amaryllis produce leaves. Amaryllis ‘Royal Velvet’ By the time I moved from Cohoes I had more than twenty amaryllises. My first one was red, but I ended up with red, white and white with red stripes in the center of each petal. Now, I have to confess that resting the bulbs did not result in one hundred percent flower- ing, but it certainly produced flowers in more than seventy-five percent of the plants. In resting the plants, you may leave the bulb in the flower pot or you may take it out of soil and store it as a dry bulb. Since I am lazy, I left the plants in the flower pots. In writing this article, I came to realize that most, if not all bulbs, need a rest. Think of your outdoor plants: tulips and lilies. Even down south - my son lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - his outdoor amaryllises die back in the winter only to come up with that initial flower in the spring. Can you propagate amaryllis from seed? Absolutely! I only got small plants during the first year. I do not remember how long it took before I got flowering offspring, but it certainly is not an undertaking for people in a hurry. So, to sum it up, I would suggest propagating amaryllis asexually, i.e., by dividing the bulb, I would suggest feeding the plant once leaves are forming and I would certainly say you should rest the bulb. Feeding the plant? What kind of ferti- lizer? Most fertilizers have three numbers. For example a common garden fertilizer is 5-10-5. The first number is the amount of nitrogen. Nitrogen promotes green growth, so for example, a good lawn fertilizer is high in nitrogen. For amaryllis you might want something like 10-5-5. The time you are fertilizing amaryllis is when the leaves are growing and the leaves carry on photosynthesis for the plant. The second number in a fertilizer (e.g. 5-10-5) represents phos- phorus. This promotes flowering, thus you want something high in phosphorus if you want to produce something like tomatoes. You do not need a fertilizer high on phosphorus for amaryllis because the “rest” causes the plant to bloom. The third number in a fertilizer represents potassium and that promotes the formation of strong stems. So, asparagus might want a 5-5-10 fertilizer. Amaryllis does not need fertilizer high in potassium. Its stem is the bulb and the bulb is only enhanced with the passage of time. So this year, if you get an amaryllis, don’t throw it out. Keep it to bloom in future years! Text by Inge Eley and photo by Linda Ford, Rensselaer County Master Gardeners P a g e 4 Root Concerns Volume 14, Number 1 Barriers to Browsers Oh, deer! These beautiful creatures are browsing our forested lands to near extinction. While many local woodlands might look healthy, a lack of understory trees and native wildflowers, the presence of invasive species such as garlic mustard and Japanese barberry, and a browse line in the lower tree canopy all indicate too much deer feeding. Without young trees, the forest has a dim future. In response, owners of woodlands, sugarbushes and gardens often resort to fencing, which can be expensive. Cornell Cooperative Extension Forestry Educator Peter Smallidge is re- searching lower-cost plant-protection options. “Protection of isolated trees is possible with wire cages or tree tubes,” writes Peter. “Several tree tube designs are availa- ble. Tree tubes should be at least 5 feet tall and with ventila- tion ports to allow air circulation. Tree tubes need to be se- curely staked to the ground, and checked annually to ensure the tube is functional and the bottom is in full contact with the soil. Tree cages made from 2” x 4” welded wire or poul- try wire should be 5 feet tall and well staked. Some nut trees cornellbotanicgardens.org and conifers may do better in larger diameter cages than in tubes. Weed management around the tube or cage is necessary to improve seedling growth, and will limit habitat for rodents that might girdle the seedling. For larger areas, fencing is a more efficient and cost-effective option than tubes or cages. Typical fencing designs include clearing an access trail, driving posts where needed, and the use of large machinery to transport 8 foot woven wire fence spools.