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Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,655
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Time To Protect Your Evergreens!

In the NE with the temps in the 50’s, now is the time to apply an anti-desiccant like Wilt Pruf to your broadleaf evergreens such as azaleas, rhododendrons, mountain laurels, hollies, camellias & evergreen viburnums. Use a 1 part anti desiccant to 5 parts water. Try and use a pump sprayer and the concentrated solution should be shaken well before making the solution for the sprayer. In a pinch, you can use a spray bottle. Wilt Pruf also makes a non concentrate solution in a convenient spray bottle. Home Depot  & Lowe’s do not carry this, but a good local nursery might. Call ahead first.

 

Anti-desiccants help the leaves from drying out with the winter temperatures & winds. You can reapply a 2nd application on a warm day (40’s & up) sometime in January. I usually don’t as there is snow on the ground by then. 

 

For plants that are sensitive to cold (brown leaves or burned buds visible in spring or no blooms) in addition to the anti-desiccant, you might want to consider a wind break or wrapping these plants in burlap with dry leaves added after they are wrapped to act as extra insulation.

 

Today I sprayed my rhododendron, mountain laurels & evergreen azaleas. I routinely wrap the rhododendron to prevent the buds from freezing. Last year’s winter was warmer that usual & the rhododendron bloomed for the first time this spring since I bought it 4 years ago! 🌸

 

I wrapped it early (November) so this might have helped before temperatures dipped and remained cold.

 

 

 

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,652
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Time To Protect Your Evergreens!

@JustJazzmom, a good reminder.

 

I stopped by to tell you that I read that the bug that destroyed Canadian hemlocks in NE US has been found in our area.  Just breaks my heart.  These are my favorite evergreen tree in our yard.  LM

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,655
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Time To Protect Your Evergreens!


@Lilysmom wrote:

@JustJazzmom, a good reminder.

 

I stopped by to tell you that I read that the bug that destroyed Canadian hemlocks in NE US has been found in our area.  Just breaks my heart.  These are my favorite evergreen tree in our yard.  LM


The wooly adelgid is a scale type insect. I think that the warmer winters are not killing the egg masses as they probably did in the past. 

 

Hemlicks will need to be sprayed with a horticultural oil during the dormant stage and the hatching crawler stage of this insect. It is very difficult to control much less eradicate. Birds that are on an infected tree manage to carry them to unaffected ones. Research has proven to find out that applying fertilizer to these trees/shrubs (especially the high nitrogen fertilizers—1st number on the box/bag) helps feed these insects. So do not fertilize your hemlocks. 

 

I’m sorry too; just monitor for those cottony white sacs at the bases of the needles. If not too infected, remove by clipper the affected branch or needled area. Otherwise contact a certified pesticide applicator to come in and apply the right chemical at the right time.

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Super Contributor
Posts: 476
Registered: ‎04-24-2011

Re: Time To Protect Your Evergreens!


@Lilysmom wrote:

 

I stopped by to tell you that I read that the bug that destroyed Canadian hemlocks in NE US has been found in our area.  Just breaks my heart.  These are my favorite evergreen tree in our yard.  LM


@Lilysmom  I'm so sorry to hear about the wooly adelgids in your area.  I live in NYC and I had to deal with them about 10 years ago.  I didn't have hemlocks, but two very close neighbors did and they affected my garden. 

 

At first, I would see what I thought were tiny gnats near my fence line in the early spring. I started seeing needle droppings in my yard from my neighbor's trees.  Then, one spring I found that white cottony substance just covering the stems of some of my hollies, hydrangeas and rhododendrons (I've never seen it reported about the adelgids also attacking plants such as my hollies, hydrangeas and rhododendrons, but they did in my yard!).  I could tell it was nothing like regular aphids.  The neighbors had various tree services come in to inspect and they confirmed it was the wooly adelgids.  One had to have all their hemlocks removed; the other has had (and continues to have) annual spraying of horticultural oils on the trees.  The spraying did manage to stop the infestation and their trees have been saved.

 

I lost a number of my plants, but finally found a treatment which worked for me -- Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Protect.  I used the granules and/or the liquid which I applied in late March before the adelgids emerged from dormancy.  I don't know if this is available in Canada and it is a controlled treatment with concerns for getting into the water supply, so one needs to approach with caution.

 

I wish you good luck and want to thank you for all the beautiful photos of your gardens that you share with us.

 

.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,655
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Time To Protect Your Evergreens!

@BklynKinsey What you might have seen on the hollies was an insect called cottony maple scale — their egg cases are white rectangles with rounded edges on the undersides of holly leaves. 

 

Certain plants are vectors for insects such such as rose of Sharon’s with camellia scale (same insect but because it’s seen on camellias it gets its name on the plant it inhabits). I removed a rose of Sharon and that stopped the scale from getting on the camellias. 

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,652
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Time To Protect Your Evergreens!

@BklynKinsey@JustJazzmom, thank you very much for this information.  There is no sign of damage at this point.  The bug was discovered in another part of our Province.  I will do a bit more research and perhaps talk to DNR (Dept of Natural Resources).  I find DNR staff very helpful.  They do regular visits around the Peggy's Cove Loop and I am in this area so I may have them come by in the Spring.

 

Our winters so far have been real winters.  The Fall, especially this year, has been much milder than normal.

 

This is one of two Canadian hemlocks on our property.  It is about 10 years old.  If they do become infected and can impact other plants, I will remove them.  LM0932EB99-DE4C-40BB-B870-8CE4DE63EBCE.jpeg