Re: Deciduous plants still have leaves
- To: n*@mindsovermatter.com, m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Deciduous plants still have leaves
- From: J* M*
- Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001 10:24:36 -0800
Nan,
I suspect if you wait a week your "BAAAAd frost" will have taken care of
this task for you. At any rate, stripping off the leaves in winter in
climates where low temperatures and lack of winter storms do not do this is
unlikely to do any harm.
As I see it, there are two reasons for stripping off leaves:
1. to eliminate disease spores and insect eggs, reducing next year's
infection.
2. To encourage the plant to go into dormancy.
The gardens I care for are farther inland than you are, and I haven't had to
do this with fruit trees, but I have learned to strip leaves off lilacs. In
the past, the lilacs planted in these gardens ('Lavender Lady' and 'White
Swan', both varieties selected because they will bloom in mild climates)
became heavily infected with mildew in the fall. Also, when I was not
removing the leaves artificially, I found that the plants bloomed
irregularly in spring, with some branches breaking dormancy and coming into
bloom early and others waiting until early summer and blooming when the rest
of the plant was in full leaf and new growth. They also got mildew early in
the season. About three years ago, I began stripping off all leaves at
Thanksgiving time and cleaning up around the bushes very carefully. Since
then the lilacs have gone into full dormancy, and the spring display of
blooms has been synchronous and spectacular. The bushes have begun the year
clean, and mildew holds off until cool fall weather and heavy dew brings it
on.
For stone fruits that bloom and fruit best with some dormancy, I suspect the
same process would take place. Doing this in late November when
temperatures are still going down would be the best time, since dormancy
would be extended, but doing it now (especially if we have some more cold
weather) would be better than allowing them to go into spring with green
leaves still attached.
John MacGregor
jonivy@earthlink.net
----------
>From: Nan Sterman <nsterman@mindsovermatter.com>
>To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>Subject: Bad frost last night
>Date: Wed, Jan 17, 2001, 8:59 PM
>
> BAAAAd frost
