Category: Diversions

Friday quiz time!

Now I could have sworn I’d posted this puzzle before, but after searching through all the previous postings I can’t find it.  Here it is.

I planted this Cornus kousa in 1999 (removing the burlap, clay, etc. prior to installing).  We removed the turf (still attached to the $(%&$ plastic mesh) and planted the tree in the existing soil.  The first photo was taken in 2004, and the second was taken in 2007:

 

Here are some specifics about what was done to the landscape during this period: we replaced all the turf with wood chips and put in the fence as shown.  … Continue reading this article “Friday quiz time!”

Friday mystery revealed!

Good sleuthing over the weekend!  As John, Karen, Jimbo and Al suggested, there is something stuck on the side of this Norway maple (Acer platanoides, which is Latin for “maple that takes over the planet”).  In fact, the reason that I, with my pathetic ID skills, know that it’s a Norway maple is because it’s a nursery tag stuck in the tree:

This type of injury really bugs me, because it’s entirely preventable.  One of the cardinal rules of transplanting trees and shrubs is to remove all foreign material. … Continue reading this article “Friday mystery revealed!”

Friday mystery photo

Today’s photo is courtesy of Photoshop technology.  I’ve edited the damaged area so you can’t see what caused, or at least contributed to, the damage:

Now before you complain that I’m cheating (which I am!) keep in mind that what I edited out could have been removed before you were asked to diagnose this injury.  I will tell you that it’s not due to pests or disease.  As is so often true in real life, there could easily be multiple correct answers. … Continue reading this article “Friday mystery photo”

Friday puzzle solved!

Lots of brainstorming over the weekend, and all the answers were legitimate.  A few people came close with the observation that the roots looked like they had grown over something.  And that’s exactly right:

This is a great example of nurse log decomposition.  When the tree on the right first began growing (and it could have been decades ago), it sent lateral roots out, over, and around the nurse log to reach the soil.  As the nurse log degraded, the tree’s roots were left high and dry, outlining the girth of the original log.… Continue reading this article “Friday puzzle solved!”

Friday puzzle

Finally – something else to do rather than post to the IAL blog!  On to today’s photo (and I apologize for its blurriness).

The tree in this photo is alive, and as you can see has structural roots perched well above the soil.  How might this have happened?  There are multiple possibilities.  And secondly, is there a negative impact on the tree, and if so, what?  Answers and another photo on Monday!

Have a nice weekend! 

My Favorite Drug

I love coffee, but I’m not a big coffee drinker.  On average I probably consume a cup of coffee every week or two.  Why don’t I drink it more often?  For a few reasons: First, I’m too jumpy/jittery/nervous to begin with and I don’t need this stuff making it worse, second, it tends to upset my stomach if I haven’t had a meal beforehand, and third, while I like regular coffee, the stuff that I really love are those insane fru-fru coffee drinks that you can only get at specialty shops for five or six bucks — which seems like a waste of money to me.  … Continue reading this article “My Favorite Drug”

The Fun Never Ends Here At Garden Professors!

I have another post to toss up later today, but first I thought I’d direct your attention to the comments on a post from a few days ago — The post titled International Ag Labs – who are they and what do they do? It’s fascinating to see so many people discussing the benefits of IAL (and more fascinating to read their comments…some of which are thoughtful and some of which are….less thoughtful).  The reason that there are so many of them is that IAL apparently sent out a blanket e-mail to their customers to try and get them to respond to Linda’s post. … Continue reading this article “The Fun Never Ends Here At Garden Professors!”

Friday turf troubles

To no one’s great surprise by now, the white substance in Friday’s photo is mesh:

Like so many “instant” lawns that never really establish, the original grasses in this sod have died, leaving only weeds, debris, and the netting used as a matrix to support bunchgrass production.

(I have a personal grudge against sod netting, having removed the tenacious remains of black plastic netting when we replaced our lawn with alternative groundcoverings.  Like Velvetta and Twinkies, this stuff never dies.)

Friday quiz

A few years ago when I was in Lisle, Illinois I took this photo of turf:

 Can you see the filmy white substance within the turf?  What is it?

Answer and another photo on Monday – have a great weekend!

 

Friday puzzle solved…finally

We’re back to civilization, so I can finally post the answer to the puzzle.  I’ve been without cell service and our only computer access was dial-up at a glacial 37.2 kbps.  Yes, kbps.

Back to our puzzle.  Here’s a larger version of Friday’s photo:

It is bark, as many astute readers pointed out.  As far as I know, it’s a London plane tree (Platanus), but given the promiscuity of the genus, who knows exactly what species or hybrid it is?… Continue reading this article “Friday puzzle solved…finally”