Q. How many different flowering crabapple trees are there? Can I start a tree from one of the apples off the tree? If so, how? How can I get a seed from each kind of tree? And will any flowering crabapple grow in my area?
A. Many crabapple cultivars have been developed over the years, but many have fallen from favor due to a multitude of problems. The best crabapples are resistant to most insects and diseases and have attractive flowers, fruits and form. This rules out many cultivars. Currently, the International Ornamental Crabapple Society evaluates over 60 crabs. For information about crabapples contact your local county extension office or at http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1029.html.
Most crabapples are grafted onto rootstocks of other crabapples so, unless you are interested in grafting, they cannot be reproduced from seed or simple cuttings.
Different crabapples have varying hardiness tolerances. Some will be hardy in your area but others may not. Research this information before you add them to your landscape.
Q. I have a new small greenhouse that I want to use to winter over plants and to start new ones from seed in the spring. What can I do to make sure I don’t have the problem of whiteflies? What is the best method to rid my greenhouse of these pests? Is there a prevention I should implement? Are there certain plants that attract whiteflies?
A. Whiteflies remove plant fluids with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. They feed primarily on leaves, which may result in plant stunting and leaf distortion. Whiteflies produce a clear, sticky liquid called honeydew. Honeydew serves as a medium for growth of black, sooty mold fungi. These unsightly fungi can reduce photosynthesis and the plant’s appearance.
Whiteflies come in through openings in the greenhouse, or on new plants that you bring into the greenhouse. Inspect each plant for all whitefly life stages, including eggs. Look especially on the undersides of the leaves. First determine if you have whiteflies, information on common pests is available at http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2151.html.
You may apply contact insecticides if you notice whiteflies. Be sure to thoroughly cover leaf undersides. Appropriate insecticides, including insectidal soap, horticultural oils and others.
Q. The deer have been stripping off the branches and bark of small Norway spruce trees and other trees, particularly my small, scented Linden tree. Sometimes, the bark is missing in 1- to 2-foot-long sections, or even all the way around the tree.
A. White tail deer can cause damage by stripping bark or eating branches. You can tell their damage from that of a rabbit or other rodent by the edges of the damaged area. Deer do not have front incisors and leave a ragged, torn edge, while rabbits and other rodents leave a clean edge. Also, the damage inflicted by deer is often too far from the ground to incriminate any other animal.
For the future, use plastic tree wrap or woven-wire cylinders to protect young trees from deer and rabbits. Four-foot woven-wire cylinders can also keep deer from rubbing tree trunks with their antlers. The following link has a lot of good information concerning deer: http://ohioline.osu.edu/w-fact/pdf/0005.pdf.
What things do I need to do in January?
Keep holiday poinsettias and other plants near a bright window. Water as top of soil becomes dry.
Increase humidity around houseplants by grouping plants together, placing them on a pebble-water tray or running a humidifier.
Check stored produce and tender flower bulbs and roots for rot, shriveling or excess moisture. Remove and discard damaged material.
Check young trees for rodent injury on lower trunks. Prevent injury with hardware cloth or protective collars.
Keep road and sidewalk salt away from plants. Construct a screen of burlap, if necessary, to keep salt spray off plants.
“Leaf” through nursery catalogs and make plans for landscape and home orchard additions. Order plants early for best selection.
Early spring-flowering trees and shrubs, such as forsythia, crabapple, flowering quince, flowering dogwood and honeysuckle, can be forced for early indoor blooms by placing cut branches in water in a warm location.
Send for seed catalogs for the garden.
Sketch your garden plans on paper, including what to grow, spacing, arrangement and number of plants needed.
Wood ashes from the fireplace can be spread in the garden, but don’t overdo it. Wood ashes increase soil pH, and excess application can make some nutrients unavailable for plant uptake. Have soil tested to be certain of the pH before adding wood ash.
- Submitted by Janice Kirchenbauer
Hi, Janice, Enjoyed your questions and answers very much. Rosa , I have thought about getting a crablapple tree, but I would want a fairly small one, with out a lot of scukers to cut off. I will have to look at the web site to check it out, long blooming season, I don’t want much! Ha! Rosa