70 Degrees on January 31... Deja vu!
Four years in a row now we have seen mid-winter highs in the seventies, and this year possibly setting a record high on February 4th in the eighties! But not to worry, lows are predicted to be back in the twenties by the 8th. Now that’s a typical Texas winter.
We have had a decent winter with enough cold weather to keep the bugs at bay, plenty of rain, and no ice storms yet. It got just dry enough at the end of January to need a little water on rye and pansies, but otherwise we have been able to leave the water in the lakes this winter.
Last winter was dryer and we did not have many weeds. This year the heavy rains in October—November are making this a weedy spring with henbit and other cool season weeds rampant.
We are busy putting out our first winter weed application to try and keep the lawns pristine. Our crews are busy cutting back roses, perennials, and grasses, so please let us know if you are not already on a regular schedule for these chores.
It’s easy to get spring fever in February when we have these balmy afternoons, but don’t get too carried away. There will be more winter yet.
It's Already Time For Veggie Gardens
Backyard vegetable gardens are becoming more popular, and getting kids involved in gardening can provide them with a healthy activity, healthy food, and a learning experience too.
Tomatoes are all well and good in April, but there are lots of easy to grow veggies that you can plant right now: onions, potatoes, cabbages, broccoli, carrots, radishes, lettuce, and greens like collards and spinach.
For a kid’s garden, consider a small patch of potatoes. Buy a few seed potatoes at your local feed store, cut them in thirds or quarters and dry for few days on newspaper, the plant “eye’ side up in deep loose soil. In about 3 months your kids can dig up fresh taters and you can give them a learning experience in the kitchen!
Emerald Ash Borer - A New Pest To Watch For
 Ash trees are widely planted throughout our area, and Texas ash, Fraxinus texensis, is also native to our area. Arizona ash were widely planted in the past and are not the best choice, but Texas ash is well suited to the climate and soils here and have had minimal pest and disease issues.
However, a small insect, the emerald ash borer is destroying ash trees throughout about a third of our country and now has been positively identified in the north Fort Worth area. Thought to have been brought to our country from northeast Asia in shipping material in the 1990s, it has spread rapidly from a core population in Michigan. It’s range is now estimated from Colorado to Texas, east to Massachusetts, and north into Canada.
Infestations are usually fatal. Adult beetles feed on ash leaves and deposit eggs on the bark of their ash hosts. The eggs hatch and the tiny larvae penetrate the bark to feed on water conducting tissues inside the tree.Within 2-3 years the tree loses the ability to conduct sap, and succumbs to the infestation. Within 10 years of initial invasion all untreated ash trees in an invaded area are expected to die.
 Due to the high mortality rate and rapid spread, it may be prudent for properties with ash trees to monitor their trees and consider a preventative program. Borers are very difficult to treat once a tree is infested and it is unlikely that the pest can be eliminated. Monitoring is difficult at best. The mature beetles are tiny, less than a half-inch long and metallic green in color. Adults may be present during summer.
Signs of infestation are similar to symptoms of many other problems such as heat stress or drought—premature yellowing, branch die-back, etc. The holes left by EAB as they exit the tree are D shaped, but again, seeing these holes means the tree may already be infected.
Usually by the time you notice signs of infestation it is too late, but you could start preventative measures for any other ash trees in the area. A preventative program would be similar to what we have recommended for crape myrtle scale.
A systemic insecticide is applied to the root zone of the tree in late winter/early spring. The insecticide is taken up by the tree making parts of the plant toxic to the insect. Additionally, dormant oil may be applied while the tree is dormant.
This article is not meant to alarm, but rather to make you aware that this devastating pest is potentially invading our area. And if you have ash trees on your property, you should pay attention to announcements by Texas A&M and be prepared to take action.
Spring Scents Are Just a Few Weeks Away
It may still be the middle of winter here, but we have lots of plants that will begin blooming any day now, and many have a wonderful fragrance. Some daffodils and paperwhites are already in bloom, and they will soon be joined by jonquils, hyacinths, and other spring bulbs.
Flowering trees like our native Mexican Plum and other types of fruit trees will bloom soon, and the Mexican plums in particular will perfume the air in your entire yard. Mahonias are sporting yellow flowers now that will form grape-like clusters of purple fruit later.
There are a few old-timey shrubs that may merit a place in your garden to lift you out of your mid-winter blues. Flowering quince is covered with beautiful red, pink, or white blooms in February. Old fashioned forsythia is a cheerfully yellow harbinger of spring that will also delight your nose. Winter flowering honeysuckle is a semi-deciduous shrub that produces sweetly scented white flowers in February, and Jasminum nudiflorum, winter flowering jasmine, is a durable shrub covered with tiny yellow flowers around the same time. Enjoy!
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