Fall needle drop... should you be concerned?

Fall is here and Hamilton County landscapes are colorfully painted with a variety of fall colors as the plants naturally begin shedding their leaves as winter rushes in. This time of the year, my phone rings frequently with calls from concerned homeowners worried about evergreens yellowing and dropping an abundance of needles. I always ask one very important question to help the caller determine the cause of the needle drop.

Where are the affected needles located? If normal fall needle drop is the cause for concern, then needles will be turning yellow on the inside of the tree, and the needles farthest out on the branches remain green. Natural needle drop is a normal process and does not harm the health of the tree.

All trees species will drop leaves or needles at one time or another. Evergreen needles have varying life spans, depending on the species. White pine needles live for 2 years while other pines have needles that persist 2-6 years, depending on species. Spruce needles live 3-10 years. Some species of evergreens have a more noticeable leaf drop than others, shedding many needles all at once, while others shed a little at a time such that it is hardly noticed. White pine and arborvitae have very dramatic annual shed which can be quite alarming if you don't realize that it's perfectly normal.

I would like to mention that the last few months have been very dry in our county, drought may increase needle drop but this, in itself, does not harm the tree. On years where we experience high stress and temperature extremes, evergreens can decline and reach an eventual death.  For more information see this publication about drought stressed plants.

Excerpts taken from the following online publication:
Normal Needle Drop: Even Healthy Evergreens are NOT Evergreen
Gail Ruhl, Sr. Plant Disease Diagnostician and Rosie Lerner, Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist

Purdue Univeristy

Start Composting This Fall!

Now that we are winding down the garden season, consider starting a compost bin in a corner of your property and produce your own compost with those trimmings from fall garden clean-up.  Compost is rich soil that you can make from yard and kitchen wastes in a matter of weeks or months. It’s fun and it makes use of wastes that would otherwise go into our landfill needlessly.

Compost bins can be small, you don't need a huge area to produce nice rich soil. The minimum size for a composting unit is 4 feet high, wide and long.  It is easy to make your own unit from inexpensive materials such as wooden pallets, stakes and chicken wire or you can purchase a contained unit from multiple sources locally or online.

Compost is made up of a mixture of ‘green’ or nitrogen containing material and ‘brown’ or carbon containing material. Examples of nitrogen products include kitchen waste, grass clippings, and coffee grounds.  Preferred carbon additions include dried leaves, small twigs, and newspaper.  The key to a healthy compost pile is to keep a balanced mixture of the two; it is best to start with a 30-1 carbon to nitrogen ratio, but watch your pile closely and make any needed adjustments to this ratio.  A carbon ratio that is too high will cause the compost to break down slowly and a high nitrogen ratio can cause odors.

Much of your kitchen waste such as fruit peels, vegetable waste, and egg shells can be composted,. Although all food waste can technically be composted, it is recommended that some kitchen waste not be added to your pile because it breaks down very slowly and attracts unwanted pests. Stay away from adding meat and dairy products as well as foods high in oils like peanut butter.  Pet feces and kitty litter should not be added because it may transmit disease.

Less experienced composters should avoid materials heavily infested with weed seeds, insects, and disease organisms. Although a properly managed compost pile can generate enough heat in the center to kill most of these pests, producing uniform heat may be difficult, particularly in a small compost pile.

Start with a base of brown material, and alternate layers of green and brown as you add to the pile. The smaller the particles in the compost heap, the faster the process will go. Chopping or shredding the wastes you put into the compost heap will also help speed the process. Water is also needed for uniform heating of the compost pile. Apply water as needed if rainfall is lacking. Compost with appropriate moisture content should resemble that of a moistened sponge that has the excess water squeezed out.

When added to the garden, compost conditions existing soils with needed nutrients so that plants grow healthier. Mix finished compost into soil next spring when preparing for planting. For more information on home composting click here.

Water Now to Minimize Winter Injury - Purdue Yard and Garden News

Check out this great article from B. Rosie Lerner, Purdue Extension Specialist, regarding the need to continue to care for landscape and garden plants which will help them better prepare for the oncoming winter.

Purdue Yard and Garden