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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 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:
Doves can become infected with West Nile virus. The Center for Disease Control advises hunters to wear gloves while cleaning doves and other game animals. You should prevent blood exposure to bare hands and the meat should be cooked thoroughly. While hunting you will be exposed to mosquitoes. To prevent bites I would recommend applying repellent to your clothes and skin.
Question:
Our muscadine grapes have a white sticky sap all over the stems. What is this?
Answer:
The white frothy substance is secreted by insects called spittlebugs. If you want to, you can take your fingers and wipe away the spittle and you will see little beetle-like insects along the stem. They will not harm the vine. Besides, muscadine grapes are ready for picking now. Most insecticides have too long of a waiting period before harvest to justify spraying.
Question:
Something strange is going on in my lawn. There are finger-like holes in the grass. What is causing this?
Answer:
Green June beetle larvae (grubworms) are feeding on the organic matter in the root zone of the grass. Their feeding will uproot grass resulting in brown or dying patches. At night, large grubs will leave the soil and crawl around. Holes with small earthen turrets about the diameter of a finger are sometimes evident. If you see 4 or more holes per square foot then treatment may be justified. One single spraying of Sevin on the lawn is sufficient. Spray late in the day and do not irrigate or mow for 3 days.
Question:
After this summer's drought a lot of my fescue lawn has died. I hesitate to spend more money on the lawn under these continued drought conditions. I do not have irrigation. What should I do?
Answer:
You and thousands of other homeowners are facing the same dilemma. Unirrigated lawns that were in full sun took a beating this summer. Many lawns have 50% less grass than they did a year ago. Fall is our traditional time of the year to overseed and install new fescue lawns and pastures. The time period from late August through the middle of October is the preferred planting window. I would still go ahead and plant fescue this fall. Fall planting is still preferred over spring time. However I would not fertilize at planting. Soil moisture is at a minimum. Fertilizer contains salts. Under low moisture conditions these salts can inhibit germination and damage young seedlings. Wait and apply your fertilizer after seeds have germinated and there has been ample rainfall. Ample rainfall may not occur for several months. NOAA predicts 90 more days of the same weather conditions we have been experiencing this summer. I would also delay fertilizing all lawns until normal weather patterns return. Never apply fertilizer under drought conditions to any plant.
ANTIQUE APPLE FRUIT TREES FOR SALE
The Alamance 4-H program is selling antique apple fruit tree as a fundraiser. For $16 a tree, you can own an apple tree of historical significance. These varieties were widely grown throughout the south from the 1600's to the early 1900's. Southern families depended on them for fresh eating, cooking, cider, and drying. These varieties are time tested and delicious. Varieties available include; Aunt Rachel, Blacktwig, Spitzenberg, Grimes Golden, Newton Pippin, Winesap, Virgina Beauty, and Yellow June. The trees are one year old and grafted to a semi-dwarf rootstock. Delivery of the trees will be in early December at the Agriculture Building in Burlington. Quanities are limited. Call 570-6740 or come by the Agricultural Building to obtain an order form. More information is available on these varieties and their usage upon request.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis