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by Rett Davis | |
Gardening Q&A by Rett Davis appears in
Alamance County's daily newspaper, The Burlington Times-News,
every Sunday in the Accent section. Each week's installment is
posted to this
website, beginning with January 1998. Scroll to the bottom of
this page to navigate to other Gardening Q&As. Please contact
Rett via e-mail with questions
or
comments in regard to this column.
Question:
I just recently purchased a new property that is covered up with
English ivy. Are there any weed killers that can be sprayed on
the ivy to control it?
Answer:
English ivy is an ornamental plant that often
becomes a weed or nusiance. Homeowners vary in their love for
it. Because of its ornamental value it does not appear on most
labels of weed killers. However you can get very good control of
this plant if you use the proper concentration of Roundup-Pro at
the correct time of the year. English ivy should be sprayed with
a 2% or 3% solution when 3-5 fully expanded new leaves exist in
early spring. This will give about 90% control with the first
spraying if this is an older stand that is full of multiple
layers of roots and vines. Older stands will require two to
three years of persistent sprayings each spring. The 10% that
remains after the first spraying will regrow if it is not
resprayed in the following years. If you do not want to follow
the two to three year program, then you must physically remove
the remaining 10%. English ivy that has run up trees must be
severed from the roots. The vines in the tops of trees will
slowly die once severed. The fresh cut stumps can be treated
with Ortho Brush B Gon, Brush Killer, or Roundup to control
regrowth. Check the label for what is called 'Cut Stump
Treatments' for mixing rates.
Question:
I have had more mole damage to my lawn this
year than ever before. I have been told so many things about how
to control them including using an insecticide that will kill
their food source. One method I saw on TV suggested using an
electronic device that wards them off. How effective are they?
Answer:
There are numerous electronic, magnetic, and
vibrational devices being marketed to consumers that promise to
rid their property of moles and even insects. In fact my
daughter has an electronic device in the dash of her car that has
done a good job of repelling me! However, the devices that are
being sold for moles have not proven to be effective according to
specialists at Kansas State University. This is also confirmed
by USDA Animal Damage Control specialists. It is a nice idea but
they don't work at all. So unless you looking at creative ways
to support our sluggish economy, save your money. As for insect
control, there is no scientific data supporting those claims
either. Just because you don't have insects in your house
doesn't mean they work.
Question:
Last year the blooms on our dogwoods were
full of red spots and were very distorted. Is there anyway to
prevent this from happening this year?
Answer:
Dogwood blooms often get infected with a leaf
spot disease called 'spot anthracnose'. Another common disease
is septoria leaf spot. Both will infect the blossoms as they
begin to open in the spring. Rainfall during blooming will
accelerate the spread of the disease causing the blooms to become
spotted and later the leaves will show symptoms of infection. If
your dogwoods have had serious infections before I would advise
weekly sprayings until the blossoms have fallen. Your choice of
fungicides include Immunox and Mancozeb. Begin spraying now
while the flower buds are just starting to open. For more
information on spot anthracnose and other diseases of the
dogwood, click here.
The Gardens of Montrose in Hillsborough will be having a free open house on Saturday April 27th from 10 until 3 pm. This is a nationally known complex of gardens that was established in the middle of the 19th century by Governor William Alexander Graham. These gardens are located at 320 St. Mary's Road in Hillsborough. Should you get lost, call 919-732-7787.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis