It's June, and while that is just 30 days from my last writing, our weather went from frost and monsoons to the 90s and a 3-week drought. Morgantown continues to be blessed by sudden weather changes, making us who work at the weather’s whim understand how little control we really have.

Speaking of little control, I thank Ann Logan for bringing to my attention an outbreak of woolly adelgid on hemlocks in the area near Mundy’s Place. I also believe the azaleas and Japanese maples have survived the late frost despite last month’s conversation.

Water any plants planted in the last 3 years deeply and regularly through the year. Most of us do it wrong, so if you want to know how to water in Morgantown, read on. Otherwise I’ll see you next month.

Don’t Panic; It’s Normal

Why does your lawn look terrible right now? Two things happen when the temperatures and rainfall change like they did this year. One, the grass stops growing, and two, the clover sprouts, and it’s too hot to control.

Grass is a plant that grows basally from below the soil level, pushing the stem we see up and up each day. When it’s growing, it has beautiful color and density, but when it stops renewing itself, it dries out and turns brown.

Not a pretty sight, but it’s normal. We have to learn not to panic with normal. Next month I might recommend some watering for your lawns, but not now. Brown is the new green.

Woolly Adelgid: Look for Signs

I don’t believe I have seen woolly adelgid in Morgantown for about 4 years, so I was surprised to find them in great numbers last week. Keep your eyes on your hemlocks. Woolly adelgid make a hemlock tree look flocked, like it is ready for Christmas.

Hemlocks aren’t easy to treat, but the medicine is inexpensive, and it works. Treatment time will be late summer or early fall, so for now we just are looking for signs.

The Formula for Applying H2O

I want to bring up our azaleas and Japanese maples because, yes, while they did survive, they are now more susceptible to drought. If the dry weather continues, treat them as a plant planted last year. Please allow me to illustrate.

(I’m going to have this information included in the Wisdom section of the website because each year it creates a lot of interest. There are as many successful ways to water shrubs and trees as there are lawn care people, but this has worked now for 40 plus years.)

Plants recently installed in the ground almost always have roots that don’t extend beyond the canopy of the plant. Saying the same thing in a different way: the plant creates an umbrella so the rain that soaks into the ground lies outside the area where the roots are.

Now, roots are pretty smart. However, they do not intuitively know that if they grow out another four or five inches, they’ll find moisture. This is why, if you don’t water the plant, it often will just die. When you water, you soak the root ball itself.

How much should you water? Let's make it easy following this formula.

Small shrubs and perennials need 1 gallon of water slowly poured over the root ball, at a pace slow enough to let the water to soak in, not run off and away from the plant. If you planted it this year, water weekly. Last year, every two weeks. Two years ago, every three weeks.

Large shrubs and trees need 3 gallons of water. Again, pour at a pace slow enough for the water to soak into the ground and the root ball, not run off. If planted this year, weekly; last year, every two weeks; two years ago, every three weeks.

Back to our azaleas and Japanese maples. They were damaged this spring by the late frost, so treat them like they were planted last year and water them every two weeks. For all the plants we talk about, let’s follow this schedule until Thanksgiving.

Let’s Hope the Break Continues

Lastly, do not be surprised if we see plants dropping their leaves early this year, particularly those damaged this spring. Plants make their living making sugar. If the ground is dry and the sun bright, they protect themselves this way. In Morgantown, temperatures over 90 are very hard on our landscapes. Let us hope that this year is like the one two years ago, and that the break in heat and drought we saw this weekend continue.

Remember! Questions lead to the topics you see here, so keep them coming. I look forward to talking with you monthly.

Jay Benson
304-376-7090