Ask the determined gardener

By Freddy Hill

Oklahoma County Master Gardener

What can I do with my fallen leaves?

This question hinges on your energy levels and your lawn-keeping goals. If you want a pristine lawn turf year-round you need to keep leaves off the lawn, disposing of them or using them for other purposes. When your bulbs have died back, blow leaf litter over your bulb growing area for a good winter blanket. Watch for dandelions to get 6 inches tall, then uncover and clean up dead top growth. If you compost, make a healthy layer of brown stuff from your leaves. This may work better if your leaves are shredded. You can store excess leaves in out of the way containers, corrals or leaf bags kept out of sight. Do not keep Black Walnut leaves, as these inhibit other plant growth. Needle debris from pines, etc., can be mixed in with your stored leaves. I try to store extra leaf debris for future layers in my compost bin.

How do I kill unwanted vines?

If the vines are stand-alone growths, the most effective method is to cut vines above the ground and dig up root clumps. If these are growing with other, desirable plant specimens, clip the vines a few inches above the ground and within 20 minutes, dob a concentrated glyphosate product like Roundup onto the shortened stems. Let this dry a bit then take care to pull away clipped vines. This is a nonspecific herbicide and may injure any other plant material that contacts the wet product. Apply every 2 to 3 weeks if new growth appears. If you are spraying an area, use cardboard or a snow shovel to shield surrounding plants. Don’t spray if it is windy or the temperature is not above 50 degrees F. Follow all label instructions.

When do I use dormant spray on fruit trees?

Dormant oil, known by several names is applied to bare branches and trunks of many fruit trees before bud break. It is effective on over-wintering insects on the bark. January and February are the best times to apply this spray treatment. Apply on a day that is expected to maintain 40degrees and not windy. A year-round spray schedule may be necessary based on your production history. OSU Fact Sheet FS-7319 is available at your County Extension Office. This will give you spray intervals and product suggestions for each required spray treatment. Observe time-to-harvest interval so these products will not affect ripe fruit.

How should I prune peach trees?

Peaches are pruned for an open, airy center. Maintain 3 to 5 scaffolding branches radiating 35 to 40 degrees out from the trunk. With a heavy fruit load these may spread to 60 degrees. Second and third year pruning consists of removing broken or crossing branches and keeping the center canopy open for good sun exposure. It is sometimes best to reduce fruit load to no more than 2 per bunch. This is your personal preference, but may reduce limb breakage and may create fuller fruit. OSU Fact Sheet FS-6228, Annual Pruning of Fruit Trees, at your local County Extension Office gives a more detailed explanation of this process.