GARDENING Q&A by Rett Davis

Gardening Q&A by Rett Davis appears in Alamance County's daily newspaper, The Times-News, every Sunday in the Accent section. Each week's installment is posted to this website, beginning with January of this year. 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:
Those shrubs are Euonymus alatus or commonly called 'burning bushes'. They can grow into shrubs reaching 15 feet in height. They prefer full sun sites and well drained soils. Avoid water logged soils. They have few pest problems. If you desire plants that are more compact and shorter then select named culitvars such as Compactus or Fire Ball. These culitvars will grow from 6 to 8 feet in height. These would be better suited for home landscapes. Plant them at least 5 to 6 feet apart. Many of our local nurseries do sell burning bushes. Plant them now in the landscape. They are deciduous.

Question:
My gardenia has black leaves and is overgrown. Should I prune them back now?

Answer:
Gardenias with black leaves indicates the presence of some type of sucking insect during the summer. The culprit is usually white flies. Scale insects can also be a problem. Spray the leaves, especially the underside with a horticultural oil now. There are many brands on the market such as Volck oil and Sunspray oil. Be sure to spray the underside of the leaf. Postpone pruning until late March or early April. Gardenias are on the northern limit of their growing range here. Cold temperatures in the winter will often burn the leaves completely off and damage branches. Pruning now would only predispose the gardenias to more winter damage. Since gardenias bloom on new growth, late winter pruning will not interfere with blooming next summer.

Question:
Should I fertilize my fescue lawn again since we have had so much rain?

Answer:
Fescue lawns should be fertilized twice in the fall of the year. The first fertilization is usually around the end of September or early October. The next application should be applied between Thanksgiving and the first week of December in our area. It has been shown that the second fertilization is very beneficial to the grass. I recommend applying a fast release nitrogen fertilizer at that time of the year. Some examples would be 10-10-10, 10-20-20, 17-17-17 or 19-19-19. Of course if you still have some slow release fertilizer left over, go ahead and use it up. I like to time my second application as soon as I have gotten all the leaves up for the fall. Thanksgiving is when I usually have the most help around the house. As soon as the rake is put up for the season the fertilizer goes out. Cooler air temperatures will keep the grass leaves from growing so extra mowing will not occur. The energy stored up from the fertilizer is used for root growth and food reserves. For those of you that have bad brown patch outbreaks in your lawn in the summer, the late season fertilization can take place of the spring fertilization. Although brown patch will still return it is often not as severe. I have been able to successfully manage brown patch in my own lawn by foregoing spring fertilization. The second application of fertilizer in December will give me excellent spring green up.

Question:
Should I fertilize my fruit trees and blueberries at this time of the year?

Answer:
Fruit trees, blueberries, and most ornamental shrubs are best fertilized in late winter or early spring prior to spring greenup. In our area late March and April are preferred. A second application if needed can follow 6 to 8 weeks later. These plants are entering dormancy or their rest period now and fertilizer will be of little value to them.

MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM The Cooperative Extension Service is now taking applications for the 2003 Master Gardener class. The classes begin January 22nd and will run through mid April. Classes will be taught at the Agricultural Building, 209 North Graham Hopedale Road in Burlington every Wednesday morning from 9 am until 12 noon. Cost for the program is $75. Upon successful completion of the program we will require 40 hours of volunteer time donated to our office. Class size is limited to 20 participants. Deadline for application is December 6th, 2002. Applications can be mailed to you by calling 570-6740. To learn more about the program or obtain an application on line, visit our web site at www.ces.ncsu.edu/alamance.

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