Post Drought Stress Symptoms

Post Drought Stress Symptoms

Although we are getting what appears to be adequate rainfall now, we are still seeing symptoms of drought stress or "post drought stress".    These symptoms may vary from wilting and slow growth to smaller than normal leaves and entire canopy death.   While some of these symptoms may have occurred last summer and into the fall there seems to be a continued showing of cracked trunks and branches with die back occurring on trees and shrubs now even though we are getting good rainfall.

Most of these problems relate back to a failure to water the plants adequately through an entire establishment period.  Trees, particularly those that are field grown and sold balled and burlapped are particularly susceptible due to the amount of root loss that they encountered when harvested.  Typically, a tree takes one year per caliper inch to get re-established so a 2 inch caliper tree will take 2 years of careful monitoring and extra care to see that the root ball doesn't dry out to reduce the potential for drought stress.  Some plants, such as Leyland Cypress and many flood plain species are drought sensitive and may require extra care to keep them from drying out.   Here are a couple of samples from a Sweetgum tree that was planted just before the drought of 2016 and is showing drought stress this spring:

   Note the cracking in the main trunk!↘

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Drought Conditions Still Real

Although we have got several inches of rainfall in most of our Western North Carolina counties, dry conditions still prevail. Some areas of Henderson and Transylvania County are still experiencing levels of drought of limited rainfall. Over 67 counties in NC are listed as abnormally dry with 7 considered to be in moderate drought stages.
Visit NC Drought Map to see the changes going on across the state. As we continue to experience reduced rainfall in many areas, we must all continue using water conserving practices. If you are still using a lot of overhead irrigation you may want to revisit converting to drip or low input systems.
These systems can save you time, energy, and money as well as "liquid gold".


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

2008 Agricultural Water Use Survey

As part of the Governor's drought legislation that was passed earlier this year. NCDA&CS Ag Statistics has asked us to partner with them to get the word out about the January 2009 survey. This link Water Use Survey will take you to the latest information. Stay tuned as this survey will be a valuable tool to monitor.


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Water Wise Works

During this time of drought and limited water resources please consider sharing the following brochure with your clients:
Water Wise Works
You may print them off and add them to your marketing materials. Cooperative Extension offices have a limited supply of pre-printed copies. While more are being printed you may find that printing some of your own or sending this link to your customers just one more way to get out the message.
For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Green Tips

The August newsletter
Green Tips has now been posted.


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Rain Barrel Sale

The Henderson County Master Gardeners are selling Rain barrels to help customers deal with the drought. Call the Henderson County office at 828-697-4891 for more information and down load the brochure at Rain Barrels
to share with clients/customers who may be interested

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Professors discuss lawn-watering study

Visit the following site to view a short video on irrigation research:

Irrigation News Video

Irrigation systems that conserve water are very important. Consider making the changes needed to upgrade your systems.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Cost-share program to help farmers recovering from drought

RALEIGH — North Carolina farmers reeling from drought can obtain help under a program unveiled Tuesday in Raleigh. The program will cover 75 percent of the cost of restoring drought-damaged pastureland and providing additional water supply for livestock and crops.



The N.C. Agricultural Drought Recovery Program will be administered statewide through local Soil and Water Conservation district offices beginning May 1. It was made possible by a $6 million grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.



“This grant makes it possible for more than 1,000 farmers and farm operations to restore some of the damage from last summer’s severe drought and to prepare, so the next long, hot and dry summer doesn’t do as much damage,” said Billy Ray Hall, president of the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center.



The Rural Center worked with the General Assembly’s Joint Select Committee on Agriculture Drought Response, the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, several state agencies and other agricultural interests to design the program and arrange funding. The Division of Soil and Water Conservation, which will administer the program, is part of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Others participating in the program design were the N.C. Department of Agriculture, North Carolina Grange, N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. State University Agricultural Extension Service, N.C. Foundation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, U.S. Department of Agriculture, N.C. Soil and Water Conservation Commission and Agricultural Advancement Consortium.



Rep. Ray Rapp, co-chairman of the legislative committee, said a bill seeking an additional $6 million to extend the program to more farmers will be submitted to the General Assembly in May.



“We recognized that any proposal we made to the legislature could not go into effect before July at the earliest, too late to save many of our farmers,” Rapp said. “Fortunately, the friends of agriculture in North Carolina are not limited to members of the General Assembly. Money from the Tobacco Trust Fund lets us put this project into effect immediately.”



The U.S. Department of Agriculture last year designated 85 of North Carolina’s 100 counties as natural disaster areas. As of April 8, 80 counties remained under drought conditions with the other 20 considered abnormally dry.



Farmers affected by the drought may apply to one of the state’s 96 Soil and Water Conservation district offices for help with several types of projects. These include pasture renovation, drilling and redrilling wells, pond construction and renovation, converting closed lagoons to fresh water ponds, and upgrading existing irrigation systems to more efficient models. The program is open to farmers with a total adjusted gross income of less than $250,000 or those who derive 75 percent of their income from farming operations.

“North Carolina farmers lost a half billion dollars in crops last year because of this drought – that’s 17 percent of total crop revenue in a typical year,” said Sen. Charlie Albertson, also a committee co-chair. “The damage wasn’t merely in lost harvest. Pasture land needs to be renovated and reseeded before livestock can graze again, and we’re still in this drought. Farmers really need our help to go forward.”

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Drought Monitoring

Here is a link to the Drought Monitor website,which is a risk management
tool to convey current and predictive information about drought conditions
throughout the U.S. This link is for North Carolina. In the table, there
are a number of drought levels given for each time frame over the last year.
The numbers in the table are the percent of area in the state (shown on map)
that are experiencing that drought type. It looks like the current area in
exceptional drought (46.2%) and extreme drought (78.6%) has changed ± 5%
since last fall. Of course 100% of the state is still in severe drought
conditions: Drought Monitoring

The good news from this map is that many of the counties in Western NC have moved from Exceptional drought conditions to Extreme drought conditions, but the bad news is that the areas east of us, where our larger urban markets are located, have actually gotten dryer; moving from Extreme drought conditions to Exceptional drought conditions. The uncertainty of the weather is very real and it behooves us all to develop solid, research based, risk management strategies!

Waver: Do not open and read this website if you are prone to panic attacks!

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Drought Assistance from SBA

Steve Troxler alerts nurseries about Small Business loans for drought losses.
RALEIGH Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler reminds nurseries that they may be eligible for low-interest drought assistance loans offered through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The loans are available for all qualifying small businesses affected by the drought.

Loans are now available for eligible nurseries because of three recent federal disaster declarations, Troxler said. Most North Carolina counties are included in the program, and I encourage nurserymen to contact the Small Business Administration if they are interested in this program.

Eligible small businesses may qualify for loans up to $1.5 million. Loans are available at 4 percent interest rates. Loan amounts and terms are determined by the SBA. Agricultural producers are not eligible for loans under this disaster declaration.

To find out more about the program, contact the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Loan applications can be downloaded from the SBA Web site at www.sba.gov. The deadline for applying for this loan program is May 12.

CONTACT: Kathy Cooke, government relations specialist
U.S. Small Business Administration
(404) 347-9771

Irrigation Issues to Consider

As the drought continues over most of NC, as an industry we must look at conserving water even more strigently than we have in the past. Some of you have indicated that your water sources have become limited and this is a concern that I share with you.

Some Best Management Practices that you may want to consider are:
Replace overhead irrigation with drip tape or other low input emmitters.

Place all irrigation on timed intervals that allow the containers, or root-zone
area to get wet but only to the point of run-off and stop.

Develop storage areas to capture and recycle run-off

Begin reducing irrigation frequency as we enter fall so forcing plants to
begin to shut-down and go into their winter dormancy.

Organize plants according to their priority needs and values.


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

TIMS On-Line Decision Aide Offers Lawn Owners Irrigation Help During Drought!

Water conservation is everyone’s business, especially as the drought in NC worsens.

Through a cooperative effort between the Department of Crop Science and the State Climate Office of North Carolina at NC State University an internet based decision-aide entitled the Turf Irrigation Management System (TIMS) has been developed and is now available to the citizens of North Carolina. This simple to use system can be utilized by anyone from the dedicated turf professional to the homeowner to help make irrigation management decisions.

First, it guides you through your account set-up by asking a few simple questions about the type of grass, soil and irrigation system you have. After set-up, it calculates the amount of irrigation you need and keeps track of when and how much water you actually use. Once you have entered your address, climate information is read from the closest weather station which is part of the NC Climate Retrieval and Observations Network Of the Southeast (CRONOS) and the irrigation needed by your turf is calculated based on recent weather conditions including precipitation and evaporation.

This system will help you practice better water conservation for your lawn, landscape or other turfgrass areas in this critical time for water resources.

It is free to the public in NC and can be accessed at the following URL:
TIMS
The State Climate Office of North Carolina is a public-service center and extension of the UNC system housed at NC State University and the primary source for climate data and expertise in North Carolina. The mission of the State Climate Office is to provide climate related services to the state, local and federal agencies, businesses and citizens of North Carolina.



For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Cultural Control to Prevent Tree Pests

Healthy trees are often capable of combating mild insect attacks. In fact, many of the telephone calls we receive are about insects that normally only attack dead and dying trees and are not the cause of the tree's problem. What can you do for a tree to keep it healthy? Here is a short list.

1. Make sure the tree receives the appropriate amount of sunlight for the species.
2. In my opinion, trees (especially established trees) need zero or little added fertilizer. Extra nitrogen can cause overgrowth or might encourage certain insects.
3. Perform a soil test to see if soil conditions are appropriate for the tree.
4. Minimize turf around the root zone. Use mulch if possible, but NOT against the bark. Apply mulch three inches deep at the most. Turf and tree roots are in direct competition for water. Regular lawn fertilization is not beneficial to the tree.
5. In order to reduce soil compaction, avoid parking vehicles, having playgrounds or conducting other heavy traffic activities beneath a tree.
6. Don't change the oil from the old 1960 Ford Galaxy (that you've been restoring to look like the police car from The Andy Griffith Show) under the tree.
7. Quickly prune out any newly damaged limbs. Tree injuries can attract insects within hours.
8. Drought conditions may not have a noticeable impact on established trees the first year. Repeated dry conditions may result in a problem two or three seasons later. If possible, practical and affordable, watering a specimen tree might be justifiable. Ask about the best way to do this if you are unsure.
9. Keep that mower and weed trimmer away from the bark.

From Dr. Steve Bambara, NCSU Entomologist


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Drought Conditions May Warrant Another Crop Disaster Declaration

Farmers including Nursery, Sod, and Flower producers, are asked to begin assessing crop damage due to the prolonged drought conditions. Please begin reporting these losses or any association crop damage to your local Farm Service Agency. In Henderson and Transylvania Counties NC, your contact is Kelly Springs. He can be reached at 693-1406. In Buncombe County the contact is Christopher West. His number is 828-254-0916.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Weather Update

Gov. Mike Easley has expanded water conservation directives to state agencies in 17 counties in Western North Carolina, including Henderson County, that are in an extreme or severe drought. Transylvania County was already in the directive.

Easley directed all state agencies stop non-essential water use and asked businesses and residents across the state to voluntarily cut back their use by about 10 percent.

Easley also repeated the importance of state and local governments continuing to conserve water because drought conditions are worsening.

"I have expanded my direction to state agencies to an additional five of the hardest-hit counties to stop using water for anything that is not related to public health and safety, as water supplies become limited in those counties," Easley said. "We are just starting the summer recreational season when demand for water increases for everything from home gardening to neighborhood pools. It is critical that all North Carolinians limit all non-essential uses of water and observe any water restrictions that are ordered by local authorities."

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/News_FullStory.asp?id=3919

Please use any measures you can to recycle or save water.  While some relief appears to be in site, most extended forecasts do not show major rain events.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Severe Drought Conditions Prevail

Most of Western NC is being impacted by drought conditions. It has become so dry that the governor has issued a request that 12 western counties stop non-essential water use. See attached:

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/News_FullStory.asp?id=3919

Landscapers should reduce mowing and pruning operations during this time to conserve on water as well as cutting off all irrigation systems on established turf, trees, and shrubs.  Encourage to use of drip systems in areas with color or newly planted ornamentals to reduce the use of water where possible.

Nurseries and Greenhouse operations may need to consider utilizing shade in some areas to minimize water loss.  Watering should be done earlier in the day to avoid evaporation loss.  Any and all measures that can be taken to conserve water should be considered.  Establish a triage system that priortizes water use to those plants that are most vulnerable to the drought conditions.

Continue to monitor the situation on your own site as you may be getting passing showers that others in the surrounding area are not.

We will try to keep you updated as the situation continues to develop.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.