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MiscellaneousForest fire smoke harm plants?
Gardening gifts
Hummingbirds, attracting
NM state taxes and trees
Science fair project
Smoke & plant growth
Sun & shade loving plants together
What is waxy substance on leaves?
What is a stirrup hoe?
Why don't leaves drop simultaneously?
Why the need for pollinators?
Willow wood okay to burn?
Attracting hummingbirds
Q. I enjoy watching hummingbirds and want to have more of them visiting my garden. What can I do to attract them to my garden?
A. Hummingbirds, the smallest birds native to North America, are pleasant and beneficial visitors to our gardens. Besides serving as pollinators, they also eat small insects, are extremely active and fun to watch, and are colorful. They feed on nectar and small insects, so these are the things you need to attract them. Brightly colored flowers that produce good quantities of nectar are good attractants. Of course, the flowers will also attract the insects. Dr. Jon Boren, NMSU Extension Wildlife Specialist, and Byron Wright, NMSU Extension Agriculture Specialist, have recently released a publication, Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Yard. This publication is available through your local Cooperative Extension Service office.
According to Dr. Boren, your desire to have many hummingbirds present requires some planning on your part. He says that hummingbirds are very territorial and aggressive if there is a single food source, so he advises using several feeders. Since hummingbirds are attracted to colorful flowers, especially those with red color, it is a good idea to plant flowering plants for them as well as placing feeders in the landscape. Dr. Boren suggests that the feeders be placed in the flower garden, or near the flowering plants, to encourage them to feed on natural nectar sources as well as from the feeder. It is okay to place some feeders near the house as well so that you can enjoy watching these very acrobatic birds.
There are a variety of different types of hummingbird feeders that you can purchase, but Dr. Boren recommends one with a perch at the feeder to encourage the birds to remain at the feeder for a longer period of time. Red color on the feeder is also attractive to hummingbirds. You can purchase artificial nectars and you can make your own. Dr. Boren gives a recipe of four parts boiling water to which you add one part sugar; that is, for four cups of boiling water, add one cup of sugar. After the mixture has cooled, you may put it into the hummingbird feeder. He states that the red food coloring often added is unnecessary if the feeder has red blossom at the feeding point. He goes on to say that the red food coloring is unhealthy for these interesting visitors to our gardens.
He also warns us not to use honey which attracts bees and favors the growth of a black fungus that causes a fatal liver and tongue disease in hummingbirds. He advises that you leave some of the small insects which collect around the feeding port on the feeder as these insects provide protein for the birds. It is important to clean the hummingbird feeder every two to three days during warm weather, according to Dr. Boren. He recommends washing the feeder with a solution of one tablespoon white vinegar added to one cup of water. Use a bottle brush at this time to remove hardened material and any insects. Many people worry that leaving the hummingbird feeders up too late into the autumn will cause the birds to delay migrating and cause them injury. Dr. Boren says that this is not the case. The birds will migrate when it is time for them to go. Additionally, the feeders are not the primary source of food for these little birds. They obtain most of their food from flowers.
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Does forest fire smoke harm plants? 5-98
Q. With all the smoke from the fires in Central America and Mexico, should I be worried about my plants? I’ve never seen such smoky days for so long a time.
A. Your garden may actually benefit from the smoke. New Mexico has extremely bright sunlight levels, to the point that we suffer sunscald on our plants. The smoke diffuses and attenuates the light which is to the benefit of the plants. By diffusing the light, the light seems to come from more directions, so the shadows under the top leaves of plants are less intense and the lower leaves are more effective at producing food for the plant. Normally, the shaded leaves become more consumer than producer of food.
By attenuating the light, the intensity of the direct sunlight is reduced and the incidence of burning is reduced a little. There are concerns about greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is actually a benefit to the plants. A plant uses carbon dioxide to make sugar and other foods for itself and us. Any increased carbon dioxide levels around the plants would be carbon dioxide fertilization for the plants. I have not seen any numbers regarding increased carbon dioxide levels at the elevation our plants are grown; however, at our distance from the fires, we may not see much of an increase. So, there may be little carbon dioxide fertilization effect. I can’t address what is happening in the upper atmosphere and the effects of carbon dioxide at that level.
To summarize - the smoke, by altering light intensity and any potential carbon dioxide increase, may be beneficial to our gardens. Large scale climatic effects may be another story, but the environmental scientists have considerable research to do before they will be able to determine the large scale effects with certainty.
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Gardening gifts
Q. I have a friend who likes to garden. I want to buy a gift that this friend would like. What kind of gift should I buy a gardener?
A. Gardeners are sometimes easy to buy things for, and sometimes difficult. Do you know what type of gardening the gardener prefers? Does your friend like to grow roses, perennials, flowering bulbs, vegetables, or perhaps fruit? Once you know if a gardener specializes in a particular type of gardening, you can begin to develop an idea. Buying plants for an experienced gardener can be difficult. The person may have everything needed from local and common sources, but there may be books or tools a gardener would like to own.
If the gardener is just beginning, then plants may be a good choice, but books and tools are still good ideas. Talk to the gardener and ask to see the person's library and tool collection. Then, slyly, ask what tools the gardener is planning to buy in the future. Or, talk to your friend's spouse about any ideas for your purchase. Books are an excellent choice. If the gardener is really interested in the correct names for plants and the science of plants, there are good books in a range of prices to consider. There are also books with beautiful photos that the gardener can peruse as they dream of their future garden. These books can also be used to encourage and teach new gardeners. Most gardeners like to share their hobby and grow new gardeners.
There are numerous tools for gardeners - the basic ones that most gardeners already have and then specialized tools that they plan to purchase. There are some to make weeding easier, such as special hoes that fit into tight spaces, and other hoes that minimize soil disturbance while cutting the roots of weeds. Some tools facilitate edging flower borders and gardens. Other tools make planting the garden easier. See if there are some of these that would be an appropriate addition to your friend's tool collection. Other things to consider are Walls-o-Water(TM), hot-caps, and other things to let them start a garden earlier in the spring. Perhaps your friend would like to start vegetables and flowers indoors early. There are special seed starting kits and pots that a gardener may enjoy.
Your friend may enjoy some new flower pots or colorful jardinieres. Good earth is prized by all plant lovers, so never mind those glamour gifts. A 25 pound bag of good potting soil with a bow on it is a sure hit every time. If your friend likes house plants or herbs, these would be good gifts. Some gardeners specialize in cacti, orchids, tropical houseplants, or any of many other types. Local nurseries can also help you select such a gift. Gardeners are a varied lot, but there are many gifts that they would enjoy. Be sure to give your friend a chance to tell you about garden preferences. Just giving of your time and listening is a gift that almost any gardener would love. May you shopping be pleasant and your holidays be safe and joyous.
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NM State taxes and trees
Q. As I was doing my New Mexico state taxes, I noticed the box I could check to give money to New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf. What can you tell me about that?
A. The following information was provided by Wendy Kent, New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf forester. Wendy said that New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf is a state-wide grant program created by the Legislature in 1990 to promote conservation. Since 1990, over 8,000 trees and shrubs have been planted. While the New Mexico Forestry Division provides money for administrative costs, the grant money for planting trees is provided totally by donations from individuals, local businesses, corporations, and foundations.
The check-off you saw on your state income tax form is the source of one-half of the money used to fund these grants. To receive funds from New Mexico Forest Re-Leaf, a proposal must be submitted. These grants are available to public entities, cities, counties, school districts, etc., but not to private individuals. Guidelines for proposal submission are available from Wendy Kent, Forestry Division, Bernalillo District Office, P.O. Box 458, Bernalillo, NM 87004, or call her at (505) 867-2334.
Only those projects which are best thought out and designed are selected for funding. In selecting projects to fund, the following factors are given strong consideration: 1) Will it be successful and accomplish its purpose? 2) Are proper tree and shrub species selected for the site? 3) Will the trees live? Grant recipients must agree to replace trees that die. It is important that this money be spent on projects which are productive. Global Re-Leaf is a similar nation-wide program and several other states have their own individual programs. Each is different and designed to be effective in its state.
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Science fair project
Q. My daughter is doing a Science Fair project on plants. She is trying to find out which helps plants grow better - coffee, tea, or Pepsi. She is looking for documentation about this. Do you know where we could find some information?
A. Specific information on the effects of coffee, tea, and soft drinks on plants may be difficult to find. To find information on necessities for plant growth, you should be able to find books on plant physiology in a local library. A plant physiology book will probably not discuss these drinks in relation to their effects on plants, but the books will discuss water, osmosis, the uptake of material by plants. The coffee and tea molecules are probably not able to enter the plant because they are so large. The water will be the most useful aspect of these liquids. Over time, the large molecules will be decomposed by bacteria and fungi in the potting soil and their constituent compounds (mineral components) will be released into the soil where they become available to the plants. Studies such as your daughter’s are common at Science Fairs. There are confounding factors that must be considered when doing this study. One of the most common problems encountered by the students is to fail to consider the effects of sugar. There is a lot of sugar in the soft drink and none in the others unless the student adds sugar. This sugar will enhance growth of fungi and bacteria in the potting soil. This may have unexpected results on the plants.
To learn more about the effects of these pathogenic organisms on plants, look for books on plant pathology. This will become an interesting part of the study. Perhaps a solution of water and sugar would be a useful addition to the experiment. My hypothesis that the solutions with a high concentration of sugar will do more harm than good. Good luck to your daughter as she conducts her experiment.
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Smoke & plant growth
Q. How does smoke affect the growth of plants?
A. This is an interesting question relevant to houseplants (and outdoor plants to a degree). However, you did not give me a complete return e-mail address (this happens often), so I can only answer in this manner. Plants can be affected in both a positive and negative manner by smoke. Smoke, produced by combustion of some material, means that there is increased carbon dioxide over a limited area. This is good for the plants and can increase their growth if there is sufficient light. The smoke particles that we see, however, are particulate pollution which can coat the leaf surface, reducing photosynthesis. These particulates can also clog stomatal pores, reducing gas exchange in the leaf. These effects are bad for plants. Cigarette smoke, and some other smokes, also contain tar which can clog stomatal pores.
Particulate pollution in smoke can be harmful to humans as well. Plants can be used to cleanse the air. As we all learn in school, plants need carbon dioxide (which we exhale when we breath) and produce oxygen (which we need). That’s good. Plants can also cleanse particulate and chemical pollutants from the air, protecting our health. Plants with fuzzy leaves are most efficient at cleansing particulates from the air.
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Sun- and shade-loving plants
Q. At the Master Gardener class in Los Alamos you said that some plants don’t need full sunlight, while others use full sunlight and can be used to shade the others in the garden. Will you explain that in print?
A. Gardeners have long known that some plants are "shade plants" which do better in shady locations, while others do better in full sunlight. Some are adaptable and may adapt to either condition if they are not suddenly moved from shade to full sunlight. There are several mechanisms which allow for this. One is that the plants develop their own "sun screen" by producing additional silvery, reflective hairs to reflect excess light. This is common in many arid land plants. Many of these are silvery or gray in color. These hairs also increase the boundary layer or area of still air next to the leaf, reducing water loss from the leaf.
Other plants increase the concentration of auxiliary pigments in the leaf, especially yellow colors, to absorb excess sunlight preventing it from reaching the chlorophyll which would be damaged by too much light. Chlorophyll is the pigment which gives the plant its green color and is essential for photosynthesis, the process by which the plant produces food from sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients from the soil.
Finally, plant physiologists have discovered several forms of photosynthesis in plants. One is based on organic acids with three carbon atoms (C-3), which receive the carbon from carbon dioxide to form sugars, another is based on 4-carbon organic acids (C-4), and another is used by plants in arid lands so that carbon dioxide may be absorbed at night when it is cooler and less water is lost as the plant absorbs carbon dioxide from the air. Your question relates to the C-3 and C-4 photosynthetic pathway plants.
Those plants with the C-3 photosynthesis do not need full sunlight. In high levels of light they waste energy and carbon through a process called photorespiration, while the C-4 plants do not lose energy through photorespiration. At lower light levels, C-3 photosynthesis plants are more efficient while C-4 plants are most efficient at high light levels.Tall plants with C-4 photosynthesis are useful in New Mexico’s high light levels as they can use the sunlight and cast a shade under them to protect the C-3 plants. This is the reason that Native American gardens mixed tall corn plants with the shorter squash, beans, and chile plants. The C-4 corn plants shaded the C-3 squash plants maximizing utilization of light and protecting the C-3 plants. Their planting style was not the same as our contemporary row agriculture; they often planted the plants in hills or clusters of several corn plants in a hill, then several feet away several squash, bean, or chile plants in another hill. The spacing was for water efficiency as well as to assure that the tall corn did not cast too much shade for the C-3 plants.
Intercroping like this can be used in our gardens today. Here in New Mexico, the shade from tall plants can be very useful in our gardens if the plants are not too densely planted. Remember also that if you plant too densely, competition for water and nutrients can limit production.
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Waxy substance on leaves 10-02
Q. What is the waxy substance on the top of leaves?
A. The waxy covering on plant leaves, young stems, and fruit is called the "cuticle." It is composed of cutin, a wax-like material produced by the plant that is chemically a hydroxy fatty acid. The purpose of this covering is to help the plant retain water. In arid regions, that is very important. In wetter regions, the waxy coating may help prevent infection by disease organisms. The waxy material may exist in the form of flat plates, or a mass of threads. It may be loosely formed, allowing easy passage of gases and water vapor, or it may be tightly formed, interfering with gas exchange.
In some plants, the waxy coating causes a bluish coloration. This bluish coating of wax can be rubbed off, leaving a greener appearance. It is this waxy coating that causes a blue spruce to appear blue. More information is available in books on botany and plant physiology. Such books should be available at your local library.
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What is a stirrup hoe?
Q. I received a "stirrup" hoe for Christmas. What is this thing, and how do I use it?
A. A stirrup hoe is so named because the working end looks much like a stirrup on a saddle but works differently than a traditional hoe. It is also called a hula hoe because it works with a back and forth wiggling action. It works by sliding just below the surface of the soil, cutting the roots of the weeds. It can then be used as a rake to gather the weeds into piles for disposal or composting.
The traditional hoe works by chopping weeds either above ground or below ground. If the weeds are cut above ground, they may often re-grow because their roots and some stem are left intact. If the chopping occurs below ground, the weeds can be raked up roots and all, but the soil disturbance that occurs may increase evaporative water loss. A greater problem is that seeds are exposed to sunlight.
Many weeds have seeds that can remain buried in the soil for many years without germinating. They are waiting for sunlight, which will stimulate growth if temperature and moisture are proper. By using the traditional hoe during the growing season, these seeds are brought to the surface where we are irrigating crops (or flowers), and they begin growing in response to the favorable conditions.
A stirrup hoe minimizes soil disturbance, and as a result may cause less drying of the soil. More importantly, it reduces the development of new weeds when used properly. (Weeds will grow, but the problem should be lessened.) The back and forth motion is more efficient because it works in both directions and causes less impact on your joints because it does not employ a chopping action.
There is still a use for the traditional hoe, but the stirrup hoe is a good addition to a gardener's collection of implements. You are fortunate to now have another valuable tool to use in your garden.
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Why don't leaves drop simultaneously? 11-02
Q. Why don’t the leaves on a tree all fall down at the same time rather than one by one during the autumn season?
A. Leaves fall from a tree with different timing depending on the species of tree and weather. Here in New Mexico, leaves from a mulberry tree may fall all at once (all in only a few days time) after a hard freeze. The leaves from a cottonwood tree begin falling in June and may continue to drop through November, so it depends in part on the type of tree. The cottonwood drops leaves in the summer to conserve water by reducing the number of leaves using water. The mulberry drops leaves in the fall after frost has ended the growing season. Cottonwood leaves drop in the autumn also after the growing season ends.
Weather also has an influence. If the autumn is mild, cooling gradually, then leaves on the outside of the tree may protect the inside leaves like a blanket. The outer leaves will turn colors and drop first, inner leaves may turn and fall more slowly. If there is a sudden hard freeze, then all the leaves may be killed at once and all fall fairly quickly. In that situation there will probably be poor fall color but quick leaf drop. The same mechanism is responsible for the leaf drop whether the leaf drops in the summer to conserve water or at the end of the growing season. As a result of stress (water or temperature stress), the leaf forms an abscission zone where the petiole attaches to the stem. This abscission zone is a layer of cells that separates the leaf from the rest of the plant so that it may drop without injuring the rest of the plant. Once the abscission zone forms, the leaf easily detaches from the stem without tearing the stem.
There are some trees whose leaves die in the fall, but those leaves are retained. Such leaves may benefit the tree and landscape by providing some wind protection. In nature, by blocking the wind, these persistent leaves trap moisture by forming snow drifts at the base of the tree and conserve moisture by shading the ground at the base of the tree. This is an excellent mechanism for trees in dry environments. Trees behave in several different ways as each variety responds to its environment. This makes gardening interesting.
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Why the need for pollinators? 8-02
Q. I have always wondered why I have to plant a "pollinator" when I plant an apple tree. Why is this necessary?
A. While many plants can self-pollinate, many cannot. The need for a pollinator variety isn’t limited to just apples. Sweet cherries and some other fruit trees also require pollinators.
The need for a pollinator is due to several factors. First, some plants don’t produce viable pollen; that is, the pollen they produce can’t produce fruit in the same plant or in other plants. In other cases, the pollen from a variety, such as ‘Red Delicious’ can’t pollinate other ‘Red Delicious’ trees, but another variety can. This is due to a factor called "self-unfruitfulness". Only the variety ‘Yellow Transparent’ is known to be completely self-fruitful, able to pollinate itself and other trees of the same variety. Some other apples are "partially self-fruitful", meaning that they can produce fruit without a different pollinator variety being nearby, but they do not produce economically successful crops, just a few fruit.
Self-unfruitfulness involves the inability of the pollen reproductive nuclei to move from the stigma (where the pollen is placed by bees) to the ovule where the pollen nuclei must unite with the egg nuclei to form the seed. This is a mechanism within the plant to increase the chances of cross-pollination and increase the genetic diversity within the species. Increased genetic diversity enhances the species’ ability to survive changing environmental conditions or attacks by insects or diseases.
For fruit species that require a pollinator, you may need to plant a pollinator.
However, if a neighbor within a half-mile or so is growing a variety which can pollinate yours, and if the bees are active, you will have good fruit set.
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Willow wood okay to burn? 11-02
Q. Can wood from a willow tree be put in our fireplace to burn?
A. Willow wood may be burned in a fireplace if it is adequately cured (dried). It produces less heat than many other woods, but it may be burned unless the tree was recently treated with pesticides. If it has been treated, it may still be possible to use the firewood, depending on what was used to treat the tree. Many pesticides will break down during the curing period and not be a concern when burning the wood. Contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent for information about specific pesticides.
George Duda, Urban Forester with the New Mexico Division of Forestry, provided the following information: Different woods yield different amounts of heat. Here are some heat values of dry wood, per cord (in 1,000’s of British Thermal Units):
One seed juniper - 1958
Gamble oak - 21163
Utah juniper - 20149
Pinyon pine - 18737
Alligator juniper - 17288
Douglas fir - 15330
White fir - 14212
Ponderosa pine - 14085
Aspen - 12576
Englemann spruce – 10880
Your willow is related to aspen and will have a BTU production similar to aspen. You may have noticed the absence of cedar from his list. He explains that there are no native cedars in New Mexico. Juniper is often called "cedar." In New Mexico, when you buy "cedar," you are buying juniper.
George also points out that chimney fires are dangerous. Hire a professional to inspect and clean your wood burning equipment. Burn only dry wood to minimize creosote and maximize the efficiency of your equipment. Poorly seasoned (damp or wet) wood will yield about 18% less heat because water must be driven off (water vapor combines with smoke to make creosote) before the wood can burn. Creosote is a major factor in chimney fires.
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