Sap rises in Indiana

Signs of spring are sparse right now, but we have enjoyed three days in a row with temps above freezing! So one of the best signs of spring for us is tree sap rising.

Jesse and his grandpa tapped 15 sugar maples on our little acreage yesterday after school and then tapped five more after school today.

This is our third February/March to boil sap. Each year, we have increased the number of taps. Our methods are a little more sophisticated each year and my husband says he plans to construct a "sugar shack" on the other side of the barn during the summer. Right now, we set up in the barn.

The boiling process takes lots of patience since we don't have the commercial equipment used by the big processors. We use two large, shallow stainless steel pans over a gas fired "stove" and boil away for about nine hours. Forty gallons of sap yield one gallon of incredibly delicious maple syrup. We usually make pancakes for supper after the boil is completed and soak them in beautiful golden syrup.

This evening, eleven year old Jesse came in and said, "Pa, I drank all of the sap out of the trees. It's the most delicious water there is and the freshest!" He had stayed outside after the tapping process and when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw him taking the bags off the trees and letting sap drip on his tongue.

His Pa (grandpa) said, "Well I guess we'll have to boil you down to get to the syrup."

Do you have a sugar maple? Boiling your own sap for syrup is fun. Just Google, "How to Make Maple Syrup" and you will find a simple set of instructions to follow. Ten gallons of sap will yield a delicious quart for you.

Give it a try.

Pileated Woodpeckers and Bald Eagle "Fly Over"

Spring? Not yet, but it is coming. In the meantime I'm still feeding the birds. They consume all the sunflower seeds and empty the feeder every day. After four more inches of snow in North Central Indiana, we settled in to another day indoors. The Lord proffered two rare treats.

At least two pileated woodpeckers live in our woods. Being the shy creatures they are, a sighting is a thing of joy. Last year we saw both at the same time. Two days ago, we saw one hammering enormous chunks of wood out of a dead tree. He chipped away at it for several minutes.

Earlier, my husband plowed the drive one more time, parked the equipment in the barn, and drove his truck up to our mailbox at the end of our very long lane. When he returned to the house he told me that he had caught a glimpse of something large as it flew over him and disappeared behind the barn. He thought it was probably a stray goose or a blue heron. Then he had talked to our son and grandson at the mailbox and Jesse was so excited he could hardly speak. Aaron said that they had just seen a bald eagle! That's what my husband had just glimpsed, too!

Exciting for all of them. I was in the wrong place. Several years ago the DNR released several pairs of eagles in the large reservoir area a few miles north of us. It's exciting when they increase their range and do a "fly over" our property.

As a result of DNR release over the years, we now enjoy seeing turkeys, coyotes, and red foxes on our property. Now we can add bald eagles to the list.

Punxsutawney Phil, prognosticator of spring.

Punxsutawney Phil, harbinger of spring in cold climates, saw his shadow on Groundhog Day. Ugh. I'm ready for spring but guess it will come again this year on March 21, like always. Of course, that doesn't imply warm weather, but I can sure start in the flower beds ridding them of winter debris.

My hellebores have been blooming for three weeks! Right now they are under four inches of snow that fell overnight.

So what's an impatient gardener to do if you live in a cold climate? Browse those catalogs. Tool around the Internet and search out sites featuring enticing plants. Draw plans to revamp a garden. Find those must have plants for that revamped garden. Then order.

Proven Winners has launched a new buddleia for spring 2009, Lo and Behold Blue Chip Buddleia. Lo and Behold promises continuous blooming, a true dwarf with an attractive habit, drought tolerance, deer resistance, and fragrance. What more could a gardener ask for?

Pruning in cold weather.

Pruning trees and shrubs during cold weather provides an opportunity to get outside for a while. Dormant plants also afford a clear view of limbs, so pruning properly is easier. Be certain to use super sharp pruners for clean, clear cuts.

We prune for several reasons. Among them are:
1. Improve spacing of the limbs and to open up the tree (Fruit trees need light "inside")
2. Remove damage
3. Increase stem and foliar density
4. Create different or unusual shapes like espaliers
5. Stimulate new growth
6. Protect people and your property

How to prune trees.
1. Trim while a tree is young to produce the kind of mature tree you want.
2. Make narrow crotch angles.
3. Create the smallest diameter wound possible.
4. Do not leave a stub.
5. Locate the branch collar where the trunk stops and the limb starts. It is a slight bulge. Make
your cut at the outer edge of the collar (limb side).
6. Use a double cut method to prevent tearing the bark.
7. Make your first cut about 12 inches from the tree trunk.
8. Make an under cut first, and then a cut on top t remove the limb to reduce the weight of the limb. This method prevents stripping bark from the tree when the limb falls.
9. Place the blade of your pruners next to the trunk or remaining branch.
10.The hook part of your pruners is next to the limb being removed.
11.Then make your final cut.

2. Rejuvenation
Trim 1/3 of the oldest stems each year at ground level. Do this every year and after three years you have a new plant. It improves the shape and density of the plant.

3. Renewal
Cut the plant off about two inches above the ground.
a. Bloom time determines when you complete this pruning job.
b. If the plant blooms on new growth, then cut in early spring before new growth appears.
c. If the plant blooms on old wood, then cut it after the bloom fades. The plant will put out new growth before dormancy and it will be ready for bloom in the next season.

What about topping trees?
Besides embarrassing trees, why top?
The problem in topping trees is a little botanical issue called Apical Dominance (the actively growing and dividing tissue at the tip of a root or shoot). When we cut, we remove the apical bud and the growth hormone that prevents growth in the lateral buds.

Those lateral buds produce growth and our topped trees look like fat limbs with many skinny shoots popping out the top and around the cut. Growth at this point is weak and susceptible to damage from storms. Hold your hand up with your fingers and thumb upright. That is a decent visual of what topped trees look like, Topping creates ugly trees.

If power lines or some other obstacle requires topping, just take the trees out and start over. Plant good trees in spaces that allow them to grow naturally and train them while they are young. Then they can grow to maturity naturally.

When should we prune evergreens?
Prune evergreens when new growth extends and matures before freezing temperatures.
Prune pines well before Labor Day. Pruning after Labor Day removes next year's buds. If you prune after Labor Day and go far enough back into 3/4 year old wood, they will never put out new buds again.

The best choice is to choose the right tree for the right place and let it grow.

So, if you must prune, don warm duds, sharpen your tools, and reshape some plants today.

Lilacs in August

Lilacs in August? Yes. Josee reblooms! This dwarf lilac blooms on new growth all summer long. If you don't have this one in your planting, you can correct that situation in September and enjoy lilacs until frost this year. As a dwarf it has a maximum height of 6 feet, but you can maintain a shorter plant with pruning.

Unlike other lilacs which bloom only once, Josee blooms and blooms from May until frost. Since the lavender-pink blooms appear on new growth, you are safe shearing the plant when the bloom fades and dries.

Remember other lilacs should be pruned after they bloom to produce bloom for next year. You can feed now to produce blooms next year. A good 12-12-12 fertilizer works well.

Bagworms! Eradicate now.

Bagworms, found east of the Rockies, plague evergreens and other plants. Spray or handpick bags NOW. Eggs are hatching in those leather-like bags hanging on your evergreens. Larvae crawl out and feed on foliage, slowing destroying your beautiful plant in the process. Then they create their own "bag". Once they seclude themselves inside, they are impervious to any spray you apply.

How do you eradicate them? Spray or handpick bags RIGHT NOW. Spray the entire plant with malathion or check your local garden shop for another good product. If you are hesitant to use chemicals, then your next best method is to handpick and destroy the bags or spray with BTK, a microbial biological control (ask for it at your garden store).

If you choose to handpick the bags, use a knife or hand pruners to cut the silk from the twig. if you tear the bag off, you leave a coil of tightly wound silk. It will girdle the twig and cause a different problem.

If the bags are left on your plant, the caterpillars will slowly defoliate the plant, weaken it, and in a couple of seasons, or so, the plant will die.

Be aware that bagworms are not limited to evergreens. They will eat foliage from any plant and use it to create bags. So if you find them in evergreens, check every tree and shrub in your landscape. Vigilance is key in eradication and protecting your beautiful plants spring after spring.

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