Dakota Gardener: A year of notable events

My meteorologist friends tell me that the word "normal" has very little meaning, as no year is ever really normal.

Does that mean that every year is "abnormal"? I fear that the answer would take a long time and involve a deep dive into statistics.

Maybe we'll just say that the 2024 growing season was weird. Or perhaps we'll call it "notable." That sounds a little more scientific.

The year started out with a lot of moisture, throughout much of the region. In some places, it was so wet that farmers couldn't plant crops.

That moisture was great for trees, especially after dealing with drought for the last several years. They flourished until they didn't.

All that rain made it a great year for fungi as well. A number of tree species suffered from foliar-fungal diseases this year. Apple scab hit both the ornamental crab apples and edible apples. Cottonwoods are heavily defoliated in much of the state, especially in the Missouri River valley. Many lilacs lost their leaves more than a month ago, including those in our own yard. The shrubs look dead, but they're actually alive.

Trees that were healthy before the fungal problems occurred should recover just fine next year. Those that were unhealthy going into this year, may struggle to recover.

There's nothing we can do about it right now except to rake up the leaves and destroy them, as best we can. It's a simple management technique called sanitation, and it will go a long way toward minimizing fungal problems next year. Fungicides won't do anything at this point in the season, but can be applied next spring as leaves are developing to help prevent new infections.

Another notable event in 2024 was the discovery of emerald ash borer (EAB) near Edgeley in August. The insect was discovered in a trap by personnel from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA).

EAB has been at the site since at least 2020, and perhaps even a couple of years earlier.

The find was notable for a couple of reasons. First, NDDA has been trapping at the site since 2009 and the insect wasn't discovered. New finds of EAB have nearly always been made by tree-care workers, not through trapping.

The second surprise was the location of that find. In rural North Dakota? We expected the first discovery of EAB in North Dakota would be in the Fargo area, given the discovery of EAB in Moorhead, Minn., in February 2023.

Like I said earlier, it's been a weird year. I mean notable. A notable year.

On a personal note, 2024 has been notable because it's the first time in nearly 30 years that I didn't plant a tree. I didn't sow a single acorn, plant a potted tree, or try to root a cutting.

I could still plant a tree before the year is over, but I'm not sure what species it would be, or where I would plant it. My wife would love a river birch in the yard, but I don't know if I can find one this late in the year.

I have to admit, I feel a bit disappointed in myself. Hopefully you've done better.

I did graft a few apple trees, though. Does that count?