Can I stop the pollen that is aggravating my allergies?

ASK THE HORT AGENT

Question Can I stop the pollen that is aggravating my allergies?

Answer Yes and no. Plants produce microscopic pollen grains in order to transfer genetic information as part of their reproduction process. Some plants use the pollen from their own flowers to fertilize themselves. Other plants must be cross-pollinated. Cross-pollination is pollen being transferred from the flower of one plant to the flower of another plant of the same species in order for fertilization to take place and seeds to form. Insects do this job for certain flowering plants, while other plants let their pollen ride the wind.

As far as planting in your yard, there is not a whole lot you can do. Plants with large showy flowers and sweet smells generally don't contribute to your allergy problem. Their pollen is large and usually carried by insects like bees.

The types of pollen that most commonly cause allergic reactions are produced by the plain looking plants (trees, grasses, and weeds) that do not have showy flowers. These plants manufacture small, light, dry pollen granules that are custom-made for wind transport. Samples of ragweed pollen have been collected 400 miles out at sea and 2 miles high in the air. Since airborne pollen is carried for long distances, it does little good to rid an area of an offending plant. The pollen can drift in from many miles away. In addition, most allergenic pollen comes from plants that produce it in huge quantities. A single ragweed plant can generate a million grains of pollen a day. Of course, it’s the male part of flowers (or male flowers in some cases) producing and disseminating pollen.

Grasses and weeds generally produce their offending pollen in the fall. In the spring, it is the trees that hit us the hardest. Trees that produce allergenic pollen include oak, ash, elm, hickory, pecan, and box elder. Pine tree pollen is produced in large amounts by a common tree, which would make it a good candidate for causing allergy. However, the chemical composition of pine pollen appears to make it less allergenic than other types. Pine pollen is also very heavy. So it tends to fall straight down and does not scatter. Therefore, it rarely reaches our noses to cause a problem.

You can reduce the concentration of pollen in your house or office by using various filtering systems. Hepa filters and ionic breezes may give you some relief while you are trying to sleep or watch tv. Pollen counts are highest in the middle of the day between 10 am and 4 pm. Go outside either early or late in the day.

There are oak trees all over North Carolina. It won’t do any good to cut down the one in your yard. Therefore, you can either hold up in your house for a few weeks or try to get a prescription for relief. For allergy information, contact your doctor or pharmacist. For more info on hay fever and trees, visit http://www.fao.org/docrep/q5240e/q5240e07.htm If you don’t have internet access, then contact me at 910-893-7530 or gpierce@harnett.org

Did you know oaks and hickories were the original hippies? They had the philosophy of “Our love flows wherever the wind blows,” long before the 1960s.

Gary L. Pierce

Horticulture Extension Agent