Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 13, 1992 TAG: 9203130306
SECTION: LAWN & GARDEN PAGE: L&G-20 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Horticultural experts say they believe the drought did considerable damage to plants, but the full effects can't be judged until later in the spring when trees begin putting out leaves.
That will be the real test, said Debbie Sinex, horticulturist for Salem.
Jacqueline Brown, a Virginia Tech extension technician in Roanoke County and Salem, said the drought - which lasted more than two months - robbed numerous plants of sufficient moisture.
This winter was not particularly hard on plants, she said. But because of the drought, many plants "went into the winter in a drought-stressed condition."
Older trees and young saplings may fall victim, said Dan Henry, urban forester in Roanoke. In some cases, he said, drought-damaged trees and shrubs possibly can be saved with an extra dose of tender loving care in the form of fertilizer, water and pruning.
Sinex said widely fluctuating temperatures is the winter condition that causes most damage to plants. But the Roanoke Valley has not had that type of winter this year, she said.
However, before spring really sets in, she said, there could be enough fluctuating temperatures "to push a stressed plant over the edge."
Trees and the way they react to drought and cold are not unlike the way people react to similar stress, according to another expert in the field.
Dr. Jay Stipes, professor in the plant pathology department at Virginia Tech, said that when people get under stress their resistance is lowered and they are more likely to catch whatever is going around. It is the same way with trees and other plants.
Stipes said that because of the drought there are likely to be some sick trees this spring. The weaker ones may not make it.
Some trees growing where the soil is thin or poor, or in low, wet areas, probably already have died, Stipes said. But this may not become apparent to most people until the time trees normally begin their spring growth.
The main evidence of the drought that can be seen now is in evergreens, said John Arbogast, Virginia Tech Extension agent in Roanoke.
"Many established plants are dying and there is no other cause," he said. They were not diseased or damaged but are drying up, he said.
One of the main concerns is the dogwood, a popular ornamental. This is a deciduous tree - one that loses its leaves in winter - and judgment on them won't be known until spring growth is in full swing.
Brown said that at the time of the drought dogwoods were beginning to move toward winter dormancy. Growth was slowing and leaves were beginning to fall so it was difficult to tell whether this was caused by the drought or the effects of the coming winter sleep.
One of the main effects of the drought was in efforts to establish new lawns or rejuvenate old ones, said Marilyn Arbogast, horticulturist for Roanoke.
Arbogast said she battled the drought in rejuvenating a lawn in a remote area of the city where irrigation was not possible.
Because of the drought, she said, newly planted grass seed did not sprout until the end of November or first of December, and by then winter was beginning.
The seed eventually took hold and is alive, she said, but it is not the lush turf she had expected.
During the drought, unwatered established lawns throughout the Roanoke Valley turned the color of cinnamon. When normal rain began again in November most of the lawns greened up in less than a week and in most cases it seems the lawns came through the drought and winter with minimum damage.
But John Arbogast said that because of the drought many lawn owners did not fertilize their turfs last fall and are wondering if it should be done this spring.
He recommends holding off fertilization until next fall, except for possibly a light application in May.
The drought lasted from the middle of August to the middle of November. During that time average rain totals were more than 3 inches below normal.
by CNB