When Winter Comes, Be Sure To Protect Water Pipes

Winter has already fired its opening volley in Arkansas, and it’s time to be sure your pipes don’t become victims of winter’s icy grasp, says Trish Ouei, extension stormwater educator for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

“Frozen water pipes can be extremely expensive to repair, and the damage can be extensive – such as replacing floors, carpeting, etc., after pipes have burst and flooding has occurred,” she said. “Take steps now to prevent these problems.”

Ouei offers a checklist of actions to take to prevent frozen pipe issues:

• To help prevent pipes from freezing this winter, it’s important to unhook and drain your outside hoses; store the drained hoses in a shed or garage.



• Then check around the outside hose spigot for any cracks or air leaks. Be sure to seal any cracks that are found.



• Cover outside plumbing fixtures.

“You can purchase covers, or consider making your own from a butter tub,” she said. “After a quick Internet search, I found most outdoor faucet covers to be about $3 to $5.”

Ouei said you can make your own cover by following these instructions.

Winter also means holiday vacations.

"If you are going to be away from your home, be sure to set the heat no lower than 55 degrees,” she said. “And remember to open the cabinet doors under bathroom and kitchen sinks to allow heat to reach the pipes easier.

“These few steps can help prevent frozen pipes and potentially save you lots of money and headaches,” Ouei said.

Lighting The Christmas Tree Without Igniting A Fire

There’s nothing better than a real Christmas tree to show your holiday spirit, but there are some steps you should take to ensure your family is safe from potential fires, said Dustin Blakey, Sebastian County extension agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2002 and 2005, firefighters across the United States responded to an average of 240 fires each year caused by holiday lights. Most, 35 percent, occur in December, while 13 percent occur in January.

“The greatest risk of fire is the use of dry trees,” Blakey said. Keeping the tree hydrated is important, because a small flame can explode into a big fire in a dry scotch pine, he said.

The first, and perhaps most important step, is to start with a fresh tree.

“Generally speaking, locally grown trees will be the freshest,” Blakey said. “Be careful before buying trees shipped from the north and stacked for weeks on the side of a building.”

Color is not a good indicator of freshness, because many trees are dyed, he said, “but a good test you can do is to lift the tree a few inches above the ground and drop its cut end. There should be no needles falling off.”

Plant of the Week: Saguaro Cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)

On the top shelf in my little hobby greenhouse grows a giant. Though this giant is only 5 years old and, for now at least, 4 inches tall, it has the potential to get much larger. The plant is the saguaro cactus from the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

The saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is a superstar amongst the cactus family both for its storied existence and size. It can reach as much as 45 feet in height though 20 to 30 feet specimens with foot thick trunks are more common. During the first 75 years of its life, it grows as an unbranched column; thereafter, it begins to branch and forms the familiar shape we know. Saguaros often live to be 150 years old.

This cactus grows only in the Sonoran Desert, the driest desert in the United States that occupies 120,000 square miles of the southwestern quarter of Arizona, and adjacent areas in California, the state of Sonora in Mexico and parts of the Baja Peninsula. It occurs in areas receiving between 2 and 10 inches of rainfall per year but won’t grow in salty soils or along arroyos where floods might occur. While it tolerates frost it won’t survive where freezing conditions prevail.

Flowering begins when plants reach about 50 years of age.

Plant of the Week: American Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana)

Fall is the harvest season, so it is not surprising many native shrubs take advantage of the season to ripen their own fruit before winter arrives. One of these, American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), is so stunningly beautiful in the fall it is hard to overlook.

American beautyberry, also widely known as French mulberry, even though it is neither French nor a mulberry, produces luminescent purple clusters of fruit that are almost without equal in the garden. It is an open, sprawling native deciduous shrub growing 6 to 8 feet tall and wide with a natural range from Virginia to East Texas. This is the only species of the 130 that have been described native to the continental United States. It is a member of the verbena family.

Beautyberry is a coarse shrub with slender, arching stems bearing 4-to 6-inch long opposite leaves that have the texture and general look of red mulberry, Morus rubra. In midsummer clusters of tiny lavender-pink flowers with protruding stamens are produced at the leaf axils amongst the foliage on new growth. Flowers, while not especially showy, are perfect with male and female parts. Cross-pollination often provides for better fruit set come autumn.

In the fall, beginning about the first of October and lasting until Thanksgiving, the bb-sized berries turn shades of purple and lavender. A white-fruited form is also common in the wild and in commerce. The clusters of berries are to an inch-and-half across.

Beautyberry is found growing wild along roadways and in thickets under pine trees in areas where winter temperatures do not drop below 10 degrees F. Its berries are used by at least 10 species of songbirds and the foliage is a favorite browse for deer. Crushed leaves can be used as a deterrent for mosquitoes and ticks should you find yourself under attack in the woods.

In gardens American beautyberry can be grown in zone 6 but then it is best treated as an herbaceous perennial and cut to the ground each spring. Because it fruits on new growth, cutting the plant to the ground every winter is a good idea because it gives the often-rangy plant a better landscape appearance. C. dichotoma, purple beautyberry, is a Japanese species that grows 3 feet tall and wide and is cold hardy to zone 5.

American beautyberry grows in a wide range of soils but is best in sandy loam soils that don’t get too dry from midsummer onwards as the fruit develop. It will flower and fruit in medium to heavy shade but fruit load and visual impact is better if plants get at least some direct sunlight during the day. It is ideally suited for massing in the wild garden or for use at the edge of the woodland garden. Single plants can be added to the back of an herbaceous border.

For more information about horticulture or to see other Plant of the Week columns, visit Extension's Web site, http://www.uaex.edu/ or contact your county extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.

Insects heading inside? Don’t make bug spray the first move

Bug spray shouldn't be the automatic first response when insects seek the warmth of your home as cooler temperatures dominate outdoors, says Van Banks, Yell County extension agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

“It can be annoying when beetles, box elder bugs, crickets, stinkbugs, spiders or any of the various other million or so different insect pests invade your home this time of year in an attempt to escape the cold weather outside,” he said. “The first thing most people think of when trying to prevent an insect problem is, ‘What insecticide do I spray?’”

“There are other things that should be done first that will help prevent the pest problems and may even eliminate the need for an insecticide application,” he said.

Insect proofing your home is the best way to prevent unwanted pest invasions this time of year. There are some pest-proofing steps to follow to stop these invaders. First, try to eliminate entrances used by pests.

Other actions to consider are:

• Inspect and repair all caulking
• Inspect and repair all weather stripping
• Repair all screens
• Repair loose siding; and
• Use residual insecticides around the foundation of the home.
  

Try to eliminate areas that can harbor insects inside the home – those “places where insects can rest and hang out or find food and moisture,” Banks said.

These actions include:

• Seal indoor cracks and crevices
• Eliminate leaks and moisture
• Store food properly; and
• Keep lids on garbage cans

If the listed maintenance and sanitation guidelines are carried out, pests will be discouraged or prevented from invading in the first place.

However, if nuisance pests do get inside in large numbers, “they can be vacuumed up and the vacuum cleaner bag can be discarded outside,” he said. “You can also line the vacuum cleaner hose with a stocking, and insects will be conveniently bagged.”

Banks said that when insects are present in high numbers, no insecticide is recommended.

“Many insects will die in inaccessible places, making clean up impossible, and these dead insects will serve as a food source for other pest insects like carpet beetles or other beetles,” he said.
If insects are present in low numbers, sweep them into a dustpan and remove by hand.

Homeowners may also wish to use over-the-counter residual insecticides labeled for crevice and/or surface treatment.

A list of insecticides for homeowner use can be found on our Homeowner Insecticide Product List and insecticides listed by insect can be found on the Household and Structural Pest Control list.

The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and has an office in every county in Arkansas. Visit our website at www.uaex.edu for more information.