Yard and Garden: Selecting and Caring for Christmas Trees

ARTICLE | WED, 11/16/2016 - 10:29 | BY RICHARD JAURON, GREG WALLACE

AMES, Iowa – The holiday season is almost here, and with it comes Christmas tree season. Having a fresh-cut Christmas tree is a popular tradition, but it can come with some issues regarding proper selection and care. Matching the right tree to the right home environment is crucial.  

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulturists can help answer questions about Christmas trees and how to handle them this holiday season. To have additional questions answered, contact the ISU Hortline at 515-294-3108 or hortline@iastate.edu.

What decisions should be made before purchasing a Christmas tree for the holidays?

A few decisions should be made before going out to purchase a Christmas tree. Decide where you are going to place the tree in the home. Be sure to choose a location away from heat sources, such as a fireplace or radiator. Also, decide on the size (height and width) of the tree that you want. Finally, decide where you are going to purchase the tree.

Christmas trees may be purchased from cut-your-own tree farms or as cut trees in commercial lots. A list of tree farms in your area can be found at the Iowa Christmas Tree Growers Association website.

What types of trees are available?

Tree species commonly available at tree farms and commercial lots in Iowa include Scotch pine, white pine, red pine, Fraser fir, balsam fir, Canaan fir, Douglas fir, white spruce and Colorado spruce. 

How can I determine the freshness of a cut Christmas tree?

Freshness can be determined with a few simple tests. Gently run your hand over a branch. The needles on a fresh tree will be pliable. Those on a dry tree will be brittle. Another test is to lift the tree by the trunk and lightly bounce the butt on the ground. Heavy needle drop indicates a dry tree. A fresh tree will drop only a few needles.

What is the best way to store a cut Christmas tree? 

If you don’t intend to set up the Christmas tree immediately, place the tree in a cool, sheltered location. An unheated garage or shed is often a suitable storage site. (The sun and wind dries out trees stored outdoors.) Put the butt of the tree in a bucket of water. Remove an inch or more from the bottom of the trunk before bringing the tree in the house. A fresh cut facilitates water uptake.

Should I add any material to the water to prolong the freshness of my Christmas tree? 

Do not add molasses, sugar, soft drinks, aspirin or commercial products to the water. Additives provide no real benefit. The keys to keeping a Christmas tree fresh are to place the tree away from any heat source (fireplace, heater, radiator, etc.) and keep the tree reservoir full of water. Check the tree reservoir at least once or twice a day. Fresh trees absorb large quantities of water (especially in the first few days). If the water level drops below the bottom of the trunk, water uptake will be drastically reduced when the reservoir is refilled. As a consequence, the tree will dry out more quickly because of poor water uptake. 

How long can a cut Christmas tree remain in the house?

The length of time a cut Christmas tree can remain in the home is determined by the tree species, the freshness of the tree at purchase, and its placement and care in the home. In general, a fresh, well-cared-for Christmas tree should be able to remain in the home for three to four weeks.  Remove the tree from the house when its needles become dry and brittle.  

Yard and Garden: Preparing Strawberry Plants For Winter

ARTICLE | WED, 11/09/2016 - 15:21 | BY RICHARD JAURON, GREG WALLACE

AMES, Iowa – Strawberry plants can provide a delicious bounty of fruit, year after year. But to keep them coming back, some pre-winter care and preparation is required. What must be done during fall to ready strawberry beds for a cold-weather blast?

ISU Extension and Outreach horticulturists can help answer your questions about strawberry plant beds and how to handle them during the winter. To have additional questions answered, contact the ISU Hortline at 515-294-3108 or hortline@iastate.edu.

How should I prepare my strawberry bed for winter?

Strawberries should be mulched in fall to prevent winter injury. Low temperatures and repeated freezing and thawing of the soil through the winter months are the main threats to strawberry plants. Temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit may kill flower buds and damage the roots and crowns of unmulched plants. Repeated freezing and thawing of the soil can heave plants out of the ground, severely damaging or destroying the plants.  

Allow the strawberry plants to harden or acclimate to cool fall temperatures before mulching the planting. Applying mulch before the strawberry plants have properly hardened may make the plants more susceptible to winter injury. In northern Iowa, strawberries are normally mulched in early November. Gardeners in central and southern Iowa should mulch their strawberry plantings in mid-November and late November, respectively. 

Excellent mulching materials include clean, weed-free oat, wheat or soybean straw. Chopped cornstalks are another possibility. Apply approximately 3 to 5 inches of material. After settling, the mulch layer should be 2 to 4 inches thick.  
 
In windy, exposed areas, straw mulches can be kept in place by placing wire or plastic fencing over the area. The fencing can be held in place with bricks or other heavy objects.

How do I protect strawberry plants growing in a raised bed?

Temperatures in raised beds will likely be several degrees colder than ground level plantings in winter. Because of colder temperatures, strawberry plants growing in raised beds require more protection that ground level sites. Place 6 to 8 inches of straw or chopped cornstalks on raised beds in fall.

How do I protect strawberry plants growing in a container?

Strawberry plants growing in a container will likely be seriously damaged or destroyed if left outdoors on a patio, deck or on the ground surface. One option is to place the container in a cool, protected location (such as an attached, unheated garage) in late November. Periodically check the plants in winter and water the container when the soil becomes dry. Another option is to dig a hole in a protected area and set the container in the ground. Cover the strawberry plants with several inches of straw. The soil and straw mulch will protect the strawberry plants from cold winter temperatures.

Iowa State Offers Landscape Design Course Online

Five lessons offered by Iowa State Department of Horticulture

ARTICLE | MON, 11/14/2016 - 09:51 | BY ANN MARIE VANDERZANDEN

AMES, Iowa – An online course in landscape design will be offered by Iowa State University. The course runs from Nov. 28, 2016 to March 12, 2017 and will cover landscape graphics, plant materials, garden composition and garden history.

The course is being presented by the Iowa State Department of Horticulture and is taught by Ann Marie VanDerZanden, professor and director of the ISU Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching.

There will be five courses in the online workshop

• Introduction to Landscape Graphics

• Plant Materials and How to Design with Them

• Garden Composition Development and Garden History

• Advanced Landscape Graphics

• Final Capstone Project

Each module includes a combination of guided drawing and writing exercises, video lectures and tips from industry experts that correlate with specific module learning objectives.

By the end of the course, participants will have refined their landscape graphic skills, furthered their ability to select appropriate plants for a landscape design based on environmental and aesthetic considerations and increased their understanding of the impact landscape design history has on current designs.

Cost for the course is $399 and registration ends on Nov. 25. To register, or to receive more information about the course, contact VanDerZanden at vanderza@iastate.edu or Katrina Knudsen at knudsenk@iastate.edu.