Blackberry Pruning 101 Now that our blackberries are done producing fruit, it is time to trim out the canes that produced this year (called the floricanes) to make room for the canes that will produce next
season (called the primocanes)!
Pruning blackberries is almost as easy as pruning blueberries. A few key things to remember:
Most blackberries produce on two-year-old canes
Prune all floricanes out after
harvesting is complete
Prune lateral branches on primocanes (next season’s floricanes) to 12-18 inches in late winter (February)
Tip upcoming primocanes in early summer to around chest height (this encourages lateral branching, sturdier stems, and manageable picking height)
You can do this by simply pinching the top buds of the primocane with your fingers
Late Summer Trim out all canes that produced fruit.
Month-by-month lists of common plant diseases, pests, and other problems you may encounter in North Carolina yards and gardens. Straight from our PDIC (Plant Disease & Insect Clinic) entomologists and pathologists!
Large Wasps and Hornets Recently, we’ve had many calls about large ground nesting wasps in our area. Right
now the main large wasps/hornets that are out are the Eastern Cicada Killer and the European Hornet. Many people have heard about the "murder hornets" or the Asian Giant Hornet, but rest assured that we do not have these in NC. There is a side by side comparison of all three of these below. The cicada killer wasp and the European hornet are no threat to humans. Let's buzz in on each one a little more…
Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp The main problem people have with the cicada killers is
that when they are building their nest, they pile up dirt at their entrance holes. People don’t like the dirt mounds. They are not aggressive because they are a solitary wasp that does not form colonies. Cicada killers are actually a beneficial insect because they prey on dog-day cicadas, which feed heavily on deciduous trees. Adult female cicadas can also damage tree branches by laying eggs in them, while cicada nymphs develop underground while consuming sap from tree roots. The cicada killer wasp female can gather and
parasitize over 100 cicadas in her lifetime. Not to mention that she is twice as small as a cicada (pretty awesome)!
Control of the Eastern Cicada Killer is rarely necessary, unless you just don’t like small dirt mounds in your lawn. There is no chemical treatment recommended for these wasps other than wasp and hornet spray. The problem with this is that you don’t know how far down in their burrows that product will go.
Our recommendation is to take a soil test. These wasps rarely nest in a healthy, dense turf, so taking a soil test can help you get your lawn to that level. Our other
recommendation is to contact a local extermination company. They may have access to products that homeowners don’t and equipment better suited for the application.
European Hornet (aka what everyone calls a Japanese hornet…) Like the cicada killer, European hornets are pretty big. This is the main reason people are scared of them. Also, people may notice European hornets more because they are attracted to porch lights, so they are near people a little more than cicada
killers usually are. European hornet nests are typically built in hollow trees, but they are often found in barns, sheds, attics, and wall voids of houses. Unlike the cicada killer, though, European hornets do form a colony, meaning they can get a little aggressive if you try to disturb their nest. Control of European hornets can usually be accomplished by using a few cans of a wasp & hornet spray in the evening when all of the hornets are back in the nest. If the nest is too high or difficult for you to reach, our recommendation would be to contact a local extermination company. If hornets are a problem in the evenings around the home, be sure
to turn off your porch lights. Again, unless they feel threatened, the European hornet and the cicada killer will not likely sting you or your pet. If you have any further questions regarding wasps and hornets, please call us (North Carolina Cooperative Extension – Alexander County) at (828)-632-4451.
Soil Testing - Free until December! November is the last opportunity to submit soil samples to be processed free of charge. December-March there will be a $4.00 per sample fee added. Below are some helpful links and information to help you collect these samples.
Are you planning to buy mums this fall??…. I mean why not, they are gorgeous!! They add so much color to your front porch decorations and they are perennial so you could "potentially" plant them around
the house for next year… right?? Chrysanthemums or ‘mums’ can be perennial in our area if we don’t have a really harsh winter. The best recommendation for keeping perennial mums, however, is to buy and plant small mum cuttings/seedlings in the spring. This way they have all spring to develop a strong root system for summer and into fall. You would also need to "pinch" your plants in the spring/summer to keep the plant growing vegetatively and not reproductively (producing flowers). You can try to overwinter fall mums, but first they must make it past the fall and even after that there are no guarantees. A lot of people "kill" their mums before fall is even over by not watering them, overwatering them, or buying a stressed plant in the first place. Click on the link below for some pointers to help you take care of your annual mums (just for the season) and your "potential" perennial mums!
NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local
governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.
