Injured piñon tree could be hiding damaging pests
. We have a 10-year-old piñon tree that is not looking to good, wounds on the lower part of the trunk, missing bark and lots of dripping sap. What do you think is causing it, and what could we do to stop it? I’m thinking it looks like woodpecker damage (we do have flickers in our yard). Will this cause serious damage to our beloved piñon tree? — D.J., Mountainair
A. Goodness, from the photo I received, it doesn’t bode well for the piñon. I’m venturing a guess that the piñon has been invaded by bark beetles.
Yes, the flickers could be contributing to the damage, but they are probably hunting the beetle larvae living in the tree. The weeping sap from the tree is either aiming to heal the wounds by making the sap or push the offending critters out.
My suggestion would be applying a systemic insecticide at the base of the tree. Systemic insecticides are absorbed by the roots and moved throughout the trees. Once inside the tree, anything eating the insides of the tree ingest the pesticide and in theory die.
The bark beetles’ larvae are munching away the layer
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Qbetween the outer hard bark and the heart wood. So if the tree can move the insecticide through the soft layer and the larvae eat enough of it, the tree could fix itself. Be sure to read any labeling on the insecticide and follow the recipe. In addition to the systemic insecticide application, you might consider spraying the tree with a topical insecticide, one containing neem oil.
A topical spraying won’t do a thing to the larvae living under the outer bark layer but could prevent a host of bad critters from affecting the piñon’s health.
Because the tree would be wearing the insecticide on the outside, any thing that would light on or eat from the tree would ingest a certain amount of the insecticide — that includes the flickers, ladybugs and bees.
In other words, any good creatures could be affected. It’s a tough decision, I know.
Oh, and if the piñon is able to bear fruit (make pine cones) this year, don’t eat the nuts. They could contain insecticide, so that wouldn’t be good for you!. Contact your county extension agent to see if there is clearer, more pertinent information for you.
Q. Can you identify this perky poppy-like flower I’m noticing on my morning walks? Also, any local sources for either the seed or plants? — K.B., Albuquerque
A. The photo is a variety of poppy. As far as the variety goes, I don’t know. You could look into local nurseries that carry a more varied specialty variety of seeds. Osuna, Plants of the Southwest, Jericho, Rehm’s and several others should have racks of specialty seeds. But with the state of the world, shopping could be tricky.
Consider getting a catalog from High Country Gardens in Santa Fe,to see if it has this perennial charmer. Or poke around online for suppliers of poppy seeds and be sure to include the botanical name Papaver in your search.
If you ask, you might be able to harvest the seed from the ones you see. You’d want to cut off the whole flower — stem and — soon after the bloom is complete.
Be cautious, have a paper bag ready and don’t wave or flail the cut flowers around as poppy seeds are very small.
If you wave the bloom heads around, you could lose a lot of the seeds.Be very deliberate and gentle — after having gotten permission — harvesting the poppies. Also, leave more than you snip so the field you’ve found can continue to regenerate and be enjoyed for years to come.
Happy Diggin’ In!
Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.