Frank Hyman and a number of others have been growing citrus trees in the Triangle both in-ground or in pots for years. How would you like to grow the most valuable lemon in your own back yard without protection (it’s more valuable than Meyer lemon)? How would you like to harvest home grown Clementines, kumquats, and yes, even Meyer lemons and others in winter inside your own home? Not to mention the pleasure of fragrant flowers, fragrant leaves, and evergreens to decorate for the holidays. Class includes a slideshow, handout of resources, and plenty of Q&A time.
Frank sells mushrooms to restaurants in downtown Durham and has taught chefs, arborists, and organic farmers how to forage. He learned his trade from professional foragers in seven states and six countries. Frank has a B.S. in horticulture and design from NC State University.
Forest Bathing (aka Forest Therapy or Shinrin-yoku) is a science-backed wellness practice, that originated in Japan more than 40 years ago. Some of the proven benefits include reduced stress, improved mood, lower blood pressure, and a boosted immune system.
During this 2-hour experience in JC Raulston’s unique urban forest environment, your guide will share mindfulness practices and nature-inspired invitations designed to deepen your connection to yourself and the world around you.
Through this experience, you will have an opportunity to focus on being present in the moment, experience moments of peace and calm, and connect with the many gifts nature has to offer.
Join Doug Ruhren in this propagation class and demonstration focused solely on propagating herbaceous perennials. Techniques discussed include division, stem and leaf cuttings, seed, and other techniques. Doug will demonstrate each of the techniques discussed and show class participants how they can propagate perennials at home using simple techniques.
The demand for ecologically productive gardening practices has sparked enormous interest in using perennials and ornamental grasses to cultivate rich grasslands, prairies and meadows in the pursuit of providing resources to pollinating insects and birds. While the desire to support the environment is everywhere, the complexity and intricacy of these dynamic mini-ecosystems can be a major roadblock for the home gardener interested in supporting wildlife by maintaining such a garden space. This class aims to simplify this overwhelming complexity, and provide a practical, actionable approach to designing and installing a Piedmont Prairie in your own home garden.
By Jeff Kanters, NC State Extension SM Master Gardener volunteer of Durham County
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing” -Socrates
After a typical long, hot, sultry, and frequently drought ridden summer of 2023, by mid-October into November, mother nature gradually gifted us with gradually shorter and cooler days. I want to say sporadic cooler days, as we had warm spurts tucked in here and there. October, they tell us was the warmest on record in the Piedmont of North Carolina, and not very cooperative in the rain department either! This growing season introduced us to new pests and pathogens in addition to those returning. The July summer post of the, Budding Orchardist, covered some of those, but it is worth a revisit.
Fire Blight bacterium (Erwinia amylovora) impacted a previous Golden Delicious apple tree last year, struck again this year on both our small three-year-old Arkansas Black and Black Twig apple trees, starting in April, and continuing through early June. Our management strategy was to monitor the trees starting in early spring and follow a judicious pruning out of infected branch tips.
Green Aphids(Aphis pomi, and sp.) were observed in significant numbers on the newest growth on some pear trees starting in May through early summer. I was thrilled that beneficial ladybug larva were observed feasting on the aphids of these trees. The management strategy was to let nature take its course, as the aphid population did not hurt the trees overall and the beneficial insect population supported controlling this pest.
San Jose scale (Quadrapspidiotus peniciciosus)was confirmed on our small Black Twig apple tree in May. Our management strategy is to adjust our dormant spraying in February-March to application of two sprays about two to three weeks apart to kill the newly hatched walking scale.
Redhumped caterpillars (Schizura concinna)a new insect nemesis discovery on our small Pink Lady apple tree in late August. The caterpillars were found scattered in several small clusters near the newer growth on some branches. Our management strategy was to hand pick them off into soapy water and adjust our monitoring schedule to include these insects.
Redhumped Caterpillar(Schizura concinna)on apple tree: Image credit: Jeff Kanters
Eastern Tent Caterpillars (Malacosoma Americanum) returned and more numerous on our mulberry, two pears, and both elderberries. Our management strategy was to adjust monitoring for tent caterpillar development in the spring and manually remove or prune out the developing tents as soon as possible. Pulling the tents apart and exposing the caterpillars is all you need to do sometimes. Without their tent home, they do not survive. We discarded the caterpillars outside the orchard for birds and other predators to feast on.
Eastern Leaf Flat Footed bugs (Leptoglossus phyllopsus) was a new discovery on our two elderberry shrubs this July. The plant sucking nymphs were observed grouped in sporadic clusters on the leaves. Apparently, this insect is a generalist and enjoys a wide assortment of ornamental, grain, and vegetable host plants as well. Our management strategy was repeated manual removal of the insects and throwing them in soapy water. We also added this insect to our monitoring program.
Rust fungus (Gymnosporangium sp.) was newly observed on the developing fruit of a pear and the Regent serviceberry shrubs. We observed the pathogen in April through May. Gymnosporangium needs two different host plants to complete its life cycle. In the warmer days it will infect the leaves, young twigs and fruit of woody plants in the rose family (Rosaceae) such as our pear and Regent serviceberry but it will also attack apple, crabapple, hawthorn and quince. In the winter when leaves drop the pathogen completes its life cycle on its second host, the cedars and junipers. The management strategy was to remove the Regent serviceberry shrubs as they were ill placed to begin with. We also removed all of the developing fruit on the pear tree that displayed this fungus. We will continue to monitor throughout the spring. We also learned that good air circulation is a must to help reduce any fungal infections. Plans are underway to open up the canopy of the adjoining forest. This will improve air circulation into the orchard.
Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) again struck most of the fruit trees, particularly the plums, and even the Asian persimmons from May through August. Our management plan was the early morning manual removal of the beetles and placing them in soapy water. Aside from ongoing monitoring and manual removal starting in mid-May, we applied milky spore to the entire open turf area this past August. We also applied this the year before to kill the developing beetle grubs. This year we tracked the removal of about 1500 beetles over several months. Given that we tracked the removal of over 3000 beetles the year before, this is a marked reduction in the number removed, so we hope this trend continues by our efforts to keep future populations more in check and manageable.
The Persimmon Psyillids (Baeoalitriozus diospyri or Trioza diospyri) populations created a stunting of new growth on all four-year-old Asian persimmon trees starting in May. It was only via samples sent to the NC State Lab that the psyllid was confirmed as these insects are tiny. Now I routinely have a small magnifying glass with me when making rounds and inspecting trees. By summer the trees fully recovered without intervention. The management strategy is to continue to monitor the persimmon trees noting that psyllid populations decline naturally.
Twig Girdling Beetle, or Long Horn Beetle (Oncideres cingulata). Last but never least a new insect pest showed up on two of our young Asian persimmon trees this November. We noticed several small limbs that appeared cleanly cut horizontally across the branch as if by a pruner and laying on the ground at the base of the tree. Our first reaction was, “Who would cut these limbs off like this?” However, on closer inspection we noticed a small central area on the cut which was elevated and when piecing the fallen cut limb to the lower segment on the tree, the cut appeared made in precise girdling fashion. We confirmed the damage was done by the Twig Girdling beetle and by visual inspection of a fallen cut limb where a female beetle was in the process of depositing her eggs.
Girdling beetle damage on persimmon tree Female twig girdling beetle laying eggs
Image credits: Jeff Kanters
We learned that these insects are found on pecans, hickory, persimmon, and elm along with other various forest and fruit trees. Our management strategy is to monitor this pest in early fall, remove adults into soapy water, and if we find severed limbs at the base of a tree, we immediately destroy them. The adult female beetle would have deposited up to 40 eggs into the girdled fallen limb. The larva overwinters in the dead twig, spending the next season consuming the dead wood before pupating and emerging the following fall to start the process over again. This insect can cause substantial damage and deform many trees. This bears watching.
Painting the Trunks of Fruit Trees
In early November all fruit trees were painted along their trunks from the ground to the first scaffold limbs with full strength water-based white latex paint. Last November we tried a recommended 1:1 dilution [one part water, one part paint] with poor results and incomplete coverage. Full strength gave us complete coverage.
Why do this? During the colder winter months, the white latex paint reflects the sun’s rays from potentially heating up the bark along the south facing lower trunk causing expansion and cracking when the daytime and nighttime ambient or air temperatures are at or below freezing. The cracking and damage to the trunk from the temperature extremes opens the tree up to diseases and insects.
Important Note: We used WATER-based latex paint, NOT OIL based, as OIL based is TOXIC to the trees!
Fruit trees painted with water based white latex paint. Image credit: Jeff Kanters
Planting new trees
In late November we planted eight new fruit trees: one crab apple tree, four apple trees, one pear tree, and two apples to be trained for espalier at the small orchard entrance arbor. The new smaller orchard entrance arbor was built to accommodate an apple tree on either side trained to grow in a flat fashion on a cattle fence trellis. The trees were ordered from a reputable North Carolina grower. Each consisted of the top one-year growth of about a three-foot-high single trunk called a whip that was grafted to a root stock we chose for its various dwarfing traits and disease resistance, which is important. After the trees were planted and watered in, I pruned about one third of the whip to enable the young tree’s roots to support the tree during the first year of growth and to force lateral branching of the trees to begin their shaping when growth resumes next spring.
Left: Where two apple trees will be planted at the entrance to the orchard. Right:One of the whips planted. Image credits: Jeff Kanters
The Briggs Avenue Community Gardens is a teaching orchard and is open to the public on most weekends during the growing season roughly from February through November. The Durham Extension Master GardenerSM Orchard team is onsite every Friday working in the orchard during those months and are happy to walk you through the orchard and answer any questions you have about growing fruit trees and shrubs. Come out and visit!
Come visit us at Briggs Avenue Community Gardens Teaching Orchard!
Resources and Additional Information
Fruit trees pests and diseases at Briggs Avenue Community Garden Teaching Orchard
