Besides hitting after the tourist season, the timing of Superstorm Sandy was favorable in another way: It came during the season when plants are dormant, resulting in less of an impact on local flora.
This was one of the points made by Ocean County master gardener and 30-year landscaper Keavy Franzoni at part two of the six-part Rutgers Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Series “Landscaping Your Yard,” at the Stafford branch of the Ocean County Library on March 12.
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds Ocean County Master Gardener Keavy Franzoni offers advice on how to care for plants after Superstorm Sandy. |
“The best thing is that it (the storm) happened at the end of October when everything was dormant. It wasn’t drinking the saltwater; it just passed by,” Franzoni said. “During Hurricane Irene, the water stayed for three days. (Superstorm Sandy) washed through in six or eight hours. It was soaking a little bit, but not drowning. If it happened in June, then it would have had a really adverse effect,” she added.
Though no one knows for sure how the floodwater and debris from the superstorm have affected the re-growth of the area’s plants, Franzoni said, “It’s too early to say whether or not plants will come back.
“Right now, it’s a wait-and-see situation. Nothing’s woken up yet. How do you know if the plants are dead or alive?”
Franzoni recommends leaving plants in the ground for now. Ripping them out, she said, will create a lot of unnecessary work and could wind up costing more in the end.
“People should really not throw anything out yet,” said Franzoni. “We’ve never had a storm like this before, so what are we comparing it to? You’re assuming your plants are dead, so you just threw out $5,000 worth of plants.”
According to the master gardener, plants that appear brown are not necessarily dead, but are most likely wind-burnt from the high winds during Sandy. Wind-burnt plants need at least a year to recuperate, she said.
“You don’t want to rip out a 30-year-old tree that’s going to look good in a year. It’ll take another 30 years to get it to that height,” claimed Franzoni.
As a general rule, plants that have not produced any foliage by June can be removed, said Franzoni
If re-planting is necessary, it is best to use salt-tolerant plants, such as bayberry, beach plum and rosa rugosa bushes; black pine, cedar, hollywood and juniper trees; and black-eyed susan and dayliliy flowers. Stargazer and casa blanca bulbs can be planted now and will bloom in June, she advised.
Anyone interested in testing the pH level of his or her yard’s soil can call the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County at 732-349-1245. A recommended three samples from a 3x15 area, or eight samples from a 100x100 area, should be mixed together and brought to the center, located at 1623 Whitesville Rd. in Toms River.
Those looking to test the level of salt in their soil should contact the Rutgers Cooperative Extension via njaes.rutgers.edu/contact/.
Franzoni suggests using fertilizer, which is a salt, sparingly this spring.
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds An audience of local New Jersey residents ask questions about proper gardening techniques at the shore. |
“Don’t salt the salt,” she said.
The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Ocean County will be available for diagnostic services at the Stafford library on the second and fourth Monday of every month from July to September, between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Soil and clippings can be submitted during those visits.
The gardening series will continue throughout the season on Mondays at the Stafford library. Franzoni will host a talk on beach and bay plantings on March 25. Mary Townsend will discuss irises on April 8, and Sandy Zenkel will host a presentation on container water gardening on April 22. The last seminar, on container gardening, directed by Ted Behr and Ruby Cramer, will take place on April 13. To register for the events, visit theoceancountylibrary.org, or call 609-597-3381.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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