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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:
Answer:
I can't tell you how many times I am asked this
question. This myth is perpetuated each spring from several
different sources. However, there is no truth to this statement.
I have checked with our soil fertility specialists and even my
soils professor in college just to verify the lack of validity to
this claim. There is no basis for these claims. Therefore I
would not hesitate to apply these products back to back in the
same day.
Question:
I sowed fescue grass seed in February and none
of it has germinated. Have the recent cold snaps killed the seed
and should I reseed again?
Answer:
Your seed is just fine. It is just that the
temperature has not been conducive for fescue to germinate. You
will not see germination until late March and early April. By
then the soil and air temperature will encourage the seed to
sprout.
Question:
I applied lime all over my back yard to kill
moss last fall. It is not worked yet. Should I reapply this
spring and how much is needed to control moss?
Answer:
Lime will not kill moss. There is nothing in
lime that has these properties. To get rid of moss you must
address several issues that include too much shade and poor soil
drainage. Until these are corrected the moss will continue to
grow and thrive. Moss tends to grow where grass will not. Too
much money is spent on seed and fertilizer to grow grass where it
is too shady. Often times the grass dies or thins out within the
first year due to lack of light. If you truly want to kill the
moss you can use copper sulfate (bluestone) at the rate of 1
ounce per gallon of water.
Question:
Last year we had irish potatoes that were very
rough on the surface. Although they were edible, they were not
very appetizing to look at. Should we change varieties?
PESTICIDE PICKUP DAY
Once again we are offering free disposal of pesticides. The date
is Wednesday, April 24 from 10 am until 2 pm. The N.C.
Department of Agriculture will collect all herbicides,
insecticides, fungicides, and other pesticides. This is only
offered once a year. All farmers, gardeners, and homeowners
should take advantage of this opportunity to clean out their
sheds and garages. No paint or other chemicals will be accepted.
The pickup will be at the Agricultural Building, 209 North Graham
Hopedale Road in Burlington.
MONTHLY HERB MEETING
Thymes To-Gather will hold their monthly herb meeting on Tuesday,
March 19th at 7 pm in the Agricultural Building, 209 N. Graham-
Hopedale Road, Burlington, NC.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis