Critical Care Form
Also attached is a Critical Care Form for those households that want to be placed on Critical Care Status. In an event of a Power Outage, those on Critical Care Status will have their power restored on a priority basis. You will need to have this form signed by your doctor. You will also need to have this form filled out and signed by your doctor every 6 months to keep your Critical Care Status. After the form is completed and signed by your doctor it will need to be e-mailed, by your physician, to the CenterPoint Energy e-mail address listed on the form.
Ball Moss Update
If you have been walking or driving about the neighborhood you have probably noticed the numerous trees and ornamental plants affected by parasite ball moss. There is some discussion and dispute about whether mild contamination by this epiphyte is harmful to plants and trees. There is no dispute however that the ball moss contamination spreads and only gets worse with time if left untreated. For this reason we are sending out this notice to our residents that it is in the best interest of the neighborhood and out plants and trees that we do what we can to control the spread.
This method of control for the epiphyte was developed by the Extension and Research staff at Texas A&M. It involves the use of a copper fungicide; any product with Copper Hydroxide as the active ingredient. These products have been used with good success for the control of ball moss in result demonstrations. When controlling ball moss, it is important that you cover all the moss with the spray solution. Trees that are heavily infested with ball moss should be resprayed 12 months later. Applications made in the spring have proven to be much more effective than those made in the fall. It is concluded from observations from result demonstrations that for spray applications to be effective, they must take advantage of the spring rains and the normal uptake of the organisms. The copper is taken into the plant and results in eventual death.
Another method of control is baking soda. It may be purchased in large bags from your local feed store for this purpose. It is applied at the rate of 50 lbs. to 100 gallons of water. Remember to thoroughly saturate the ball moss. The ball moss will be dead, yet it will hold onto the tree to the hold fasts. It will, in most cases, take around 18 months for these hold fasts to decay sufficiently for the ball moss to be blown from the tree. Ball moss, once it has been killed, will become dark gray in color and the “leaf like” structures will point downward rather than be in an upright position.
Ball Moss Control & Schedule
1. Treat in early spring (February to April)
2. Use Copper Hydroxide (4-6 lb./100 gal. of water)
or
50 lbs. of Baking Soda/100 gal. of water. Apply at rate of 1 to 2 gal. of solution per foot of tree height.
3. Retreat any tree with signs of active ball moss after 12 months.
For additional information feel free to click on the link: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/what-is-ball-moss.htm
