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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 have several hundred daffodil bulbs that I bought back in the
fall but never planted. Should I just throw them away or is
there still time to plant them?
Answer:
If the bulbs have been kept in a cool place
they should not have started to sprout yet. I would make every
attempt to get them in the ground as soon as possible. It is not
too late. If you don't get them planted this spring, it will be
difficult to store them until planting season returns in the
fall.
Question:
My lawn was installed last fall using fescue
grass. The grass has a yellow appearance. I have been told it
needs iron. Should that be applied now?
Answer:
I doubt it is iron deficiency. I see very
little of this in our area. Yellow turf especially on newly sown
lawns is often the lack of nitrogen. Topical applications of
iron will only give you a temporary green up. I would apply a
slow release turf fertilizer in mid-February. Select a brand
that has a 4-1-2 ratio of nutrients. There are several on the
market that come close to this. You will see green up within a
few weeks after rainfall.
Question:
I have a lot of overgrown shrubs that really
need to be cut almost to the ground and started over. Can I do
that now?
Answer:
Delay this project until winter is almost
over. This type of rejuvenating pruning needs to be done when
the threat of very low temperatures is gone. The month of March
is the preferred time to remove this much growth from broadleaf
evergreen shrubs. Shrubs that can tolerate this much pruning are
ligustrum, Chinese holly cultivars, Japanese holly cultivars, red
tip photinia (if healthy), barberry, privet, and yaupon. I would
not do this to any plant that was a conifer or juniper. This
type of pruning will kill these plants.
Question:
I have a lot of nandina plants that have gotten
very tall. What is the correct way to prune them?
Answer:
They are easy to prune but for some reason
this method does not register with a lot of homeowners and
landscapers. You simply select the tallest shoots or canes and
remove them at ground level with a pair of pruning loppers.
About 1/3 of the canes should be removed each year by this
procedure. You do not shear them or round them over like other
evergreen shrubs. They do not respond well to the basketball
shape most homeowners desire. The plant looks it's best when it
is in a more natural open form. New growth will appear from
below the pruning cuts and result in shoots that often will grown
3 feet or more in one season. These new shoots will flower and
produce fruit. This same pruning method works on mahonia too.
SOURCE OF APPLE TREES
There is a local nursery just over the Alamance County line near the Williamsburg community (Highway 87 North) that sells some of the most current apple varieties on the market in addition to numerous old Southern varieties. Century Farm Orchards operated by David Vernon is open to the public and has a very nice catalog available on request. You can contact them at 336-349-5709.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis