Feeling Stressed?

By Stacey R. Jones

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Area Specialized Agent — Central Region Ornamental Greenhouse and Nursery Crops

Let’s face it: The past few years have been extremely stressful. Life has gotten harder for many of us, between dealing with the COVID pandemic, supply chain problems and other significant world events. In fact, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation study, 52% of adults in rural areas and 61% of farmers/ farmworkers reported experiencing more stress in 2021 than in 2020, and members of the green industry are included in this group. Increased supply prices, supply shortages and labor issues have made growing plants — and profits — very challenging. However, despite these rising stress levels, many in our industry remain reluctant to seek treatment, for two main reasons: the stigma commonly associated with mental health issues and a lack of access to providers.

BY STACEY R. JONES

First, let’s talk a little about the stigma surrounding mental health issues. The study mentioned above also revealed that 59% of adults living in rural areas and 63% of farmers/farmworkers reported being aware of a certain stigma around stress and mental health in the agriculture community. Having grown up in a rural community, I can say that I have noticed this stigma myself, but it has never made sense to me. I’ve always thought of seeing a counselor the same way I think about seeing a doctor. I have foot issues, so I see a foot doctor. I have back issues, so I see a back doctor. I have stress and anxiety, so I see a counselor. Managing mental and emotional health should be no different from managing physical health. Pain is pain, no matter where it resides in our bodies — especially considering that long-term stress and anxiety can lead to health issues like cardiovascular disease and immune system problems. Our brains and our bodies are directly linked, so it’s important to take care of our mental health, too.

As an extension agent, I’m always looking for information to help my clients, and recently I learned about an amazing industry resource, the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute — a group that works in conjunction with North Carolina universities, businesses and health care organizations to reduce injury and illness on farms. Recently I attended a webinar from the institute on mental health and the agricultural community, and I was amazed to find out about all the resources available. After speaking with Robin Tutor-Marcom, the institute’s director, I learned that growers and landscapers in the North Carolina green industry are eligible to take advantage of these resources. She also mentioned that the institute is eager to help resolve problems with getting access to health care providers, whether due to a lack of insurance or unfamiliarity with the process of finding a provider.

Below are some of the resources the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute offers. More information about these and other programs can be found at www.ncagromedicine.org.

North Carolina Farm and Ranch Assistance Network Provides assistance with information and referrals for farm stress, anxiety, depression, health care, dental services, etc. They can also connect you with organizations and resources to help with farm finance, estate planning, intergenerational farm transfer, etc. Resources can be found by visiting www.ncfarmstress.org or by calling the North Carolina Farm Helpline at 1.844.325.FARM (1.844.325.3276).

Farmer to Farmer Helps with stress and anxiety. Confidential, nonjudgmental, and in touch with the needs and struggles of farming, Farmer to Farmer provides peer support for farmers and farm family members experiencing difficult times. Peers work in agriculture and have received special training in peer support.

AgriSafe Network Offers preventive health screenings, farm health and safety education information. Provided on an individual or group basis at minimal or no cost.

Certified Safe Farm Provides on-farm safety reviews to identify risks for injury or fatality.

Fit To Farm Helps farmers and families make simple changes to diet and exercise, keeping their busy schedules in mind. Taking these steps can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Respiratory Protection Assists with medical clearance, respirator fit tests, training and the purchase of respirators to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Mitigation Measures for Soil Fumigants and Worker Protection Standard.

First on the Scene Equips individuals with the skills needed to respond quickly and appropriately, should they be the first to arrive on the scene of a farm incident.

North Carolina AgrAbility Partnership Assists individuals with disabilities in identifying equipment, resources and education necessary to continue farming.

If you or someone you know is struggling with physical or mental health, please reach out to the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute for help. You can also reach out to your local doctor or clergyperson, if that is more comfortable for you. When making an appointment, you can say it’s for something you feel comfortable requesting over the phone, such as an annual checkup or prayer request. Then, in private, you can get into more detail about the help you may need. I promise, they will be glad you came in!

The North Carolina green industry is in the business of growing plants and creating beautiful landscapes to make others happy and reduce stress. Why not take the time to do the same for yourself? I wish all of you a happy and healthy summer!

Resources Used Getty, C. (2022, January 5). New national poll shows encouraging signs of reduced stigma around farmer mental health. American Farm Bureau Federation — The Voice of Agriculture. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www. fb.org/newsroom/new-national-poll-showsencouraging-signs-of-reduced-stigma-aroundfarmer-m

Stress can increase your risk for heart disease. Stress Can Increase Your Risk for Heart Disease — Health Encyclopedia — University of Rochester Medical Center. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=2171 Dhabhar FS. Effects of stress on immune function: The good, the bad, and the beautiful. Immunologic research. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/24798553/

By Larry Mellichamp

University of North Carolina at Charlotte Botanical Gardens

To prune, or not to prune, that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler to leave this limb or that limb untouched on said tree and rely on competition among branches to decide which will be strongest; Or to remove such critical member and thereby have a hand in the tree’s future growth, with decided hope of improved performance; And thus the choice of resolution requires knowledge and action, to have an idea of which is the best course of accomplishment, or to do nothing and make cowards of us all. — with apologies to William Shakespeare In caring for relatively newly planted trees and shrubs, decisions regarding pruning can be crucial, depending on your intentions and the needs of the plant.

Before going into pruning specifics, though, let’s consider the tools. Personally I prefer bypass shears, which work like scissors, to cleanly remove small twigs and branches. Anvil pruners, which feature a blade that cuts against a flat plate, can be effective with dead stems. With either type of pruner, I often use one with a ratcheting-gear mechanism, which gives more cutting power. Loppers with long handles give you more torque, which is helpful in cutting 1-inch branches. For larger branches, use a pruning saw.

To keep your tools in good condition, try to avoid cutting wires and nails as you prune against fences and posts. I have used Felco pruners for decades, replacing broken blades and sharpening dull blades as necessary (I use small homeowner sharpeners from Gardener’s Supply Co., but professionals may need more heavy-duty devices). Get the best you can find.

Incidentally, all of these tools now come in handy power versions, which may help save your hands and neck from undue wear and tear on larger jobs. In any case, be sure to find the right fit for you.

Once you have the right tools in hand, you should understand the appropriate type of pruning for what you’re trying to accomplish. For example, standard pruning typically involves removing the occasional unwanted twigs and branches on small trees and shrubs to help maintain their characteristic shape — but if your goal is to create something like cordons or espaliers, annual selective pruning may be required to shape your form.

Routine shearing and clipping of foundation shrubs and hedges is something almost every homeowner and estate manager should understand, and knowing the growth cycles of plants is key to clipping at the right time. Many of the shrubs I see in home landscaping are seriously overpruned. Utilitarian shrubs like hollies and boxwoods should be pruned, like hedges, such that the upper canopy is thinner than underneath, allowing light to penetrate to the lower branches. Otherwise, each pruning cycle the shrub will become more chewed into submission, ultimately looking like green, raggedy meatballs on top of naked twigs.

Shrubs can be pruned in a couple of different general techniques. Pruning the tips of the branches is known as “heading back,” which stimulates side buds to develop a thick crop of new branches with leaves and flowers. The opposite of this is the process of “thinning out,” in which whole branches are removed to stimulate new growth that will develop and flower better than overgrown stems. Most ornamental flowering shrubs like roses, hydrangeas, spiraea, etc., benefit from thinning out each year.

Let’s take mophead hydrangeas as an example. In this shrub, each stem has a four-year life cycle. The first year it grows up unbranched from the roots and does not bloom. The second year its later buds branch out, and blooms ensue. The third year those previous flowering branches branch again and make smaller blooms. The fourth year, that stem is practically dead and should be removed to make way for new growth. So every year you should remove the dead/dying/worn-out stems — usually just before new growth in late winter. Failure to do this will lead to a thick mass of overgrown stems, only some of which will bloom. I know gardeners who would rather have a root canal than tackle pruning of a mophead hydrangea, but you should find some shrubs to try this on to prove to yourself that this is a good practice for many (if not all) flowering shrubs.

To make landscaping maintenance easier in general — especially for nonprofessionals — I would recommend far greater use of some of the dwarf shrubs that do not require pruning, such as little leaf hollies, Indian hawthorn, Goshiki tea olive, abelia, nandina, Conoy viburnum, dwarf conifers, etc. Doing so will drastically reduce the need for pruning and open up time for other maintenance and grooming tasks that are actually better for the health of the plants.

All plants start as seedlings with a single terminal bud that grows up to create the branching structure of the plant. This pattern is determined by hormones from the growing bud in conjunction with environmental factors (unidirectional light, for example). Conifers tend to grow straight trunks with strong terminal leaders. Hence, every time you cut the top out of a fir Christmas tree to try and make it bushier, it simply grows another straight terminal leader. Also note that most conifers do not bend towards unidirectional light and will grow straight — even under the edge of a big shade tree.

On the other hand, broadleaf trees, which exhibit branching growth at some point in their lives to create a broader canopy, can be modified much more easily than conifers. A very important difference between broadleaf trees/shrubs and conifers is that the latter rarely regrow pruned branches (Cryptomeria is one exception). If you cut a foundation juniper to near the ground, as you could boxwood or holly, the juniper will never resprout, and will die. Unfortunately, this is not a well-known fact among landscape managers.

All woody plants grow in length from buds. The tip or terminal buds are in control of the growth of main shoots and side stems. Side or lateral buds are formed at the base of every leaf (no exceptions) and are used for branching, spur shoots, regeneration and water sprouts (vertical stems within the canopy of a tree that grow from lateral buds — they should be removed). Protect these terminal buds and let them grow. If you need to thin out a plant, remove the whole branch to its origin on the main branch or trunk, or lateral buds on a branch will grow and lead to unnecessary growth.

Amazingly, each branch or stem on a tree is in competition with every other stem for food and water coming up from a singular root system. The cells that transport water (xylem) make up 90% of the woody stem tissue. The food-transport cells (phloem) are located just under the bark, right next to the cambium, which is a thin layer of living cells that expands in spring/summer to increase the diameter of the trunk or branch. Do not mess with trees and shrubs while they are growing new twigs and leaves, when these delicate tissues are most sensitive to being disturbed.

Most importantly, be aware that the food and water cells going from the roots up the stem (or trunk) into the branches must pass through what is called the branch collar, located where the branch attaches to the trunk. This thickened “neck” of tissue arrangement is very complex and should not be disturbed. When pruning a branch off a main trunk, cut just outside the branch collar — do not cut flush with the trunk, which would disturb the transition structure inside the collar. A clean cut outside the branch collar will result in a good healing-over of the cut by the tree itself. Also, do not paint over these wounds with tar or other coatings, as those harsh chemicals can damage delicate cells. And never, ever prune such that the outer bark peels down the trunk, exposing a swath of fresh tissue — to avoid this issue, hold heavy branches while cutting or cut from the outer regions inward to get to the branch collar. Avoiding this type of wound is one sign of a good arborist. The wider the wound cut, the longer the time it will take to heal.

Wounds that aren’t able to heal properly can lead to a hole in the tree, as well as dead tissue in the trunk — which is good for nesting owls, but not for the tree. However, a healthy tree can compartmentalize rot within its woody trunk and stop the spread of rotting tissue. Some trees can even actually be totally hollow — do not attempt to fill these gaps. See the important work by tree pathologist Alex Shigo for a thorough discussion of this compartmentalization process.

All trees and shrubs that flower in spring have made their flower buds the previous summer, which essentially becomes “old wood” the following spring. Do not prune these off. My motto is: “Prune after they bloom.” Try to finish pruning by midsummer, so there is time to ripen wood and buds before fall. On the other hand, summer-flowering woodies (like crape myrtle, chaste tree, roses, gardenia, spiraea and many others) bloom on new growth, so they can be pruned in late winter, up until new growth starts. In general, do not prune heavily in fall — fall pruning stimulates new growth that could be hurt by early frost. Instead, do it later in winter.

Another important point to consider is that evergreen shrubs like boxwood, holly and tea olive need their foliage in winter to make food for storage and new growth. If you cut these to the ground in fall, they may fail to sprout the next spring. Wait and cut back in late winter, just before new growth emerges.

While this isn’t directly related to pruning, another important factor I wanted to mention is that of heat tolerance — a major factor that can lead to failure in landscaping. In the South we often have three months during which nighttime temperatures may stay above 70 degrees, which keeps plants from resting and saps energy used for growth and development. This is why you don’t see lilacs, lupines, delphiniums, peonies, many conifers and other well-known northern species doing well in areas warmer than zone 8 (by the way, just because a label says a plant can tolerate zone 8 winter cold, that does not mean it can withstand southern summer heat). This is a very important phenomenon and accounts for many failures in the South of ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials from northern nurseries. The solution is to look for heat-tolerant species of southern origin. For example, the southern sugar maple (Acer floridanum, aka A. barbatum) will do better in the long run than northern selections of Acer saccharum. In this age of global warming, heat tolerance will become more and more important in southern climates.

Teach yourself to prune with confidence. Learn to make good decisions twice and sharp cuts once.