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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 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.
Question:
I have had several trees removed as a result of the recent
storms. The stumps have been ground and there is a pile of chips over
each stump. What can I do with this material?
Answer:
The grindings are made up of wood chips and dirt. It is not
suitable for the planting of grass or flowers. The wood in the mix will
rob the soil of excess nitrogen causing all plants to yellow and remain
stunted. In addition, the material is hard to wet and plants dry out
very quickly. I would use this mix as a mulching material around trees,
shrubs, or in natural areas. Do not put around the foundation of your
home. It will draw termites. Place this material at a depth of no more
than 3-4 inches deep. It will not burn or kill plants. Do not mix into
your garden soil as an amendment. Once you have cleaned the stump hole
out, fill it with a good topsoil and sow it in grass or use it for other
plantings.
Question:
I have been told if you want better tomatoes to add a book of
matches in the hole before planting. Is this true?
Answer:
I could write a book on all the 'I have been told to do this'
stories I have heard over the years. Some of them include adding Tums,
aspirin, rolled up newspapers, and birth control pills to tomato holes.
Now I can add matches. I suspect matches add a little sulfur and maybe
some phosphorous to the plant. But this is nothing compared to
fertilizer and lime. To avoid some of the common nutritional problems
tomatoes have every year you can do the following; add one cup of
dolomitic lime to each hole before planting (non palletized) and mix
thoroughly with the soil, add one tablespoon of 10-10-10 to each hole
and mix thoroughly. Work the soil for each plant at least 8 inches deep
and 12 inches wide. After planting, mulch each plant with several
inches of compost, leaves, straw or newspaper. Mix up 2 tablespoons/per
gallon of water of either Miracle Gro or Peters Soluble fertilizer and
pour one cup around each plant after planting. Do not fertilize again
until the first branch of tomatoes appears. If you want to add Epsom
Salts for extra magnesium and sulfur, put 2 tablespoons around each
plant or dissolve it in water and pour on the soil surface. Water the
plants thoroughly once a week, not daily. Water at the base of the
plant to avoid wetting the leaves.
Question:
You advised us to try the new tomato variety called Amelia.
What kind of tomato is this?
Answer:
Amelia is a large, early maturing, red fruited tomato variety.
It is a determinate plant. Therefore the plant will not grow much more
than 3 feet tall. Determinate varieties work great in tomato cages.
Amelia is resistant to the disease called Tomato Spotted Wilt. Last
year this insect borne disease devastated tomatoes and tobacco plants.
Amelia has been grown though out the southeast for the past few years
with good success. It was grown commercially here last year. It was
developed for the commercial market and therefore will have smooth
shoulders and will be crack resistant. I cannot vouch for its taste.
But a vine ripened tomato, regardless of kind, is still better than no
tomato. Mebane Shrubbery Market on highway 49 North of Haw River can
also be added to the list of greenhouses with Amelia for sale this
spring. Amelia is also resistant to nematodes and fusarium wilt.
Question:
Are we through with the threat of frosts?
Answer:
No, we are not. Although the threat of frost in our area
diminishes greatly after April 15th, I would not get too carried away
with planting frost susceptible plants. If you live in town, you will
find the micro climates on back porches and in back yards affords you
more frost protection. However, if you live in the county, you must be
more cautious. Temperatures in the rural areas will run 3-4 degrees
cooler than predicted lows. Frost alone is not the limiting factor for
plants. Soil temperature controls how fast seeds germinate and plants
grow. Beans, watermelon, okra, and sweet potato slips all require the
warmer soils that occur in early May.
Upcoming Workshops Learn more about getting the most from a timber sale and how to reduce your taxable income. Rick Hamilton, N.C. State University Extension Forester will present this free program on Monday night, April 7th at both 2 pm and 7 pm. The program will be in the Agricultural Building, 209 North Graham Hopedale Rd. in Burlington. Contact the Cooperative Extension Service at 570-6740 for details.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis