Spring shows trouble areas

By GARY TILGHMAN
For the Daily Times

GLASGOW April 28, 2008 03:29 pm

— Those of us fortunate enough to live in this temperate zone think of spring as a time of rebirth, the start of an annual cycle of growth, development and maturation. Even the most committed urbanite will find a reason to pause for the sights and smells of spring flowers.
Inevitably these observations bring comparisons to previous years. Flowering this spring is certainly more impressive than last year because of the record-breaking Easter freeze that eliminated much of the spring flower display.
A first impression may be that we just appreciate this floral display more this year because it has been two years since we had a traditional spring.
The abundance of flowers on many plants is the inadvertent result of the 2007 freeze and summer drought. We often look for simple answers to our questions. Unfortunately there aren’t many, especially when it comes to the complicated biology of growth and development of plants
Many cultural, environmental and genetic factors combine to determine the extent of flowering that we enjoy so much. We often forget that, as pretty as they are, plants are not flowering for our benefit. Flowering is for reproduction of the species and it is driven by energy reserves within the plant.
The Easter freeze of 2007 killed many of the flowers that would otherwise have developed into fruit last summer.
Dr. William Fountain, Extension professor of horticulture at the University of Kentucky, reports that normally at the same time that fruit is in the final stage of ripening, the plant is also forming flower buds that will open the following spring. Both the formation of flower buds and maturing fruit require large amounts of energy from the plant.
In years where there is little or no fruit, many plants form large numbers of flowers for the following spring. Sometimes so many flowers are formed and pollination is so good that the plant becomes stressed by the large number of maturing fruit.
This stress prevents the plant from forming a normal number of new flowers for the following spring. This pattern of heavy fruit crops resulting in minimal flowering the following year is called alternate bearing. When this happens it can be difficult to get plants back into a regular cycle of uniform flowering and fruiting.
For many plants (oaks, maples, etc.) the fruit may be viewed as a nuisance in the landscape but for plants grown for their attractive or edible fruits, excessively heavy crops can result in broken branches followed by a season without any fruit.
One method for getting the plant back into a uniform pattern of flowering and fruiting is to remove some of the excess fruit in seasons when unusually large numbers of fruit are formed.
Dr. Fountain also reports that as if the Easter freeze was not hard enough on plants, the summer and fall of 2007 was one of the driest on record for the state.
While this limited shoot elongation, sugars were concentrated in the stems resulting in increased initiation of flowers for some plants. The combination of a spring freeze followed by drought will make for a more robust spring for some of our flowering trees and shrubs.
As spring fades into summer, it is important to remember to irrigate only as the soil becomes dry. This may be daily watering for newly installed ornamentals, to every other week for established plants. Spring and summer are not the time to fertilize. If plants are fertilized, with certain exceptions, it should be done in late fall.

2008 Master Cattlemen class
We are now accepting applications for the 2008 Mammoth Cave Master Cattlemen course. It begins in June and runs through December and features 10 sessions. The course cost is $75 per person.
Stop by or call the Barren County Extension office for details and a registration form. Course size is limited, so don’t delay if you are interested in the class. Registration deadline is May 16.