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Please do not reply to this message. Thank You. To view the archives or join/leave TMG list: http://listserv.utk.edu/archives/tmg.html Flood Information for Tennessee Master Gardeners By Beth Babbit & Dr. Tom Samples The recent flooding in much of Middle and West Tennessee has been devastating. Many will be rebuilding lives, homes, businesses and landscapes for years to come. These floods will not be easily forgotten. It is certain that Tennesseans will see lasting effects of these storms on our landscapes and gardens for some time. Many gardeners need information to make decisions on harvesting and replanting vegetable gardens and caring for flood-affected landscape plants. The first consideration is food safety from vegetable gardens. It is important to use care when harvesting cool-season vegetables. Floodwaters are contaminated with raw sewage, so vegetables from flooded gardens should be handled with caution. Leafy vegetables such as spinach or lettuce or bulbs/root vegetables like garlic, onions or radish are not easily washed of contaminates and should not be eaten. Some crops, like turnips, that can be boiled pose less of a risk. Visit http://www.foodsafety.gov/ for more information about food preparation and safety. Most newly seeded gardens did not survive the flood, even if they were not washed away. The good news is that with most crops, you have much of the growing season to start over. Give the soil a chance to dry out before replanting. Working wet soils will lead to large dirt clots and soil compaction in the future. Established landscape plants have a better chance of survival, depending on how long they were under water and how resilient the species. It is hard to predict which plants will survive, and which will have a slow or immediate reaction to low soil-oxygen levels. Most will show effects quickly and die or recover quickly, while others may not show the full signs of flood stress until next year or the year after. For now, allow the soils to dry out. Cover any exposed roots and remove excess silts and soils covering tree trunks and crowns. Some trees species are more resilient to flooding conditions and will survive, while others will slowly show signs of lack of aeration (too much water around the roots and not enough oxygen). Leaves will turn yellow, drop off and eventually the plant will respond with branch dieback. Anticipate that plants may be stressed, with poor growth and more diseases. Excessively wet soils encourage root and crown diseases like Fusarium spp., Phytopthora spp., Pythium spp. and Rhizocotonia solani. Reduce stress and disease by improving the sitešs drainage. Replace lost soils with organic matter. Maintain plant heath by avoiding excessive nutrients while plants are recovering. Use fertilizers sparingly they can accelerate disease populations. Organic matter will replace lost soil microbes as well as slow-release nutrients to promote plant health. During this growing season, cut back only the branches that are dead or broken from the storms. Wait to see if other parts of the plant start to bud out in the next month or two. DISASTER RELEIF INFORMATION TO HELP MG VOLUNTEER ASSIST FLOOD VICTIMS Flood Relief information available: http://utextension.tennessee.edu/Pages/default.aspx <http://utextension.tennessee.edu/Pages/default.aspx> http://www.extension.org/pages/Recovering_the_Flooded_Landscape http://fcs.tennessee.edu/nutrfdsfty/safefd/index.htm MGs please review some of the safety tips to help those in your area dealing with flooding issues. Our hearts go out to everyone affected. There is a discussion thread on the TMG Facebook page if you would like to share ideas on how MG can help. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=53942488013 <http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=53942488013> Beth Babbit Horticulture Specialist/Master Gardener Coordinator UT Extension- Plant Sciences 252 Ellington PSB 2431 Joe Johnson Drive Knoxville, TN 37996 W 865-974-7324 F 865-974-1947 http://mastergardener.tennessee.edu -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Have you visited the Master Gardener Store? https://web.dii.utk.edu/agstore/c-49-master-gardener.aspx Check out the super comfortable Gardener's Kneeling Pads! To view the archives or join/leave TMG list: http://listserv.utk.edu/archives/tmg.html