GARDENING Q&A 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.

Answer:
The bunch grapes are very susceptible to various leaf and fruit diseases. As summer progresses, so does the severity of these diseases. Productivity of the vine suffers therefore few fruits are ever picked. To retard the growth of these diseases you should be prepared to spray them weekly beginning with the emergence of the new leaves in spring. It is not too late to start. Most garden centers sell a combination spray containing Captan and serveral insecticides. The Captan is a fungicide that controls most of the major grape diseases. These combination sprays are sold as 'Home Orchard Spray' or 'Fruit Tree Spray'. Some may contain sulfur as their fungicide. That will work fine unless temperatures go above 90 degrees. Keep your spraying program up until about 2 weeks before harvest.

Question:
You have totally confused me with one of your recommendations. I have tried to find the Orthene you recommend for a lot of insects but cannot locate it anywhere. The people at the store refer me to other chemicals. Do they work as well as Orthene?

Answer:
In the case of Orthene or acephate, the Ortho Chemical Company is now selling it under the trade name Isotox. That is available at local retailers.

Question:
Our squash is growing great and will bloom this week. When do you treat them to prevent the insect that makes them wilt and die?

Answer:
If you have a lot of plants, then using an insecticide may be the best approach. The adult vine borer moth is actively laying eggs now on the stems of squash. It is recommended to spray Thiodan on the stems just before bloom and continue weekly for no more than 3 applications. Borers are destructive in early June and again in early August. Non chemical approaches include wrapping the stem with pantyhose or aluminum foil. You can also pull dirt over the stem to discourage the females from laying their eggs. Take a look at the Insect Note from NCSU to learn more on the Squash Vine Borer.

Question:
I am concerned about all the old insecticides that I have used over the years being taken off the market. The stores seemed to be filled with ones I have never heard or read about. Are they as good as the ones before?

Answer:
The only thing that I know that is constant, is change. Over the past few years many of our more popular insecticides such as Lindane, Dursban and diazinon have left the marketplace. Cygon is soon to follow. The reasons vary and can be explained at another time. They are being replaced with products from Bayer, Ortho, Spectracide, and other companies and are being sold as general-use or all-purpose type sprays. They contain a class of insecticides called pyrethroids. These chemicals are known for their ability to control insects at low rates. The market place is full of new pyrethroids with names like cyfluthrin, permethrin, esfenvalerate, and tralomethrin. They are found under various trade names. They work quite well for the pests they are labeled for.

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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis