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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 noticed the leaves on most of our white azaleas have turned a bright yellow. The plants no longer have a nice green color to them. What is wrong?
Answer:
Yellow foliage can indicate several things on plants. In your case, almost all of them are looking the same and it is at this time of the year. In addition, they are white varieties. This is to be considered a natural condition and one not to be concerned about. In the red and pink varieties, the leaves will take on a pinkish cast. My recommendations would be to fertilize them twice in the new year. Once around mid-March and again 8 weeks later. A little more attention to soil fertility will lessen this condition next year. Many of these yellow leaves will fall off naturally over the winter.
Question:
I found a lot of little black beetle-like insects crawling in a kitchen cabinet. What can I spray in the cabinets to control them?
Answer:
At this time of the year pantry pests can become quite a nuisance. The beetles you discovered can be one of several that infest our kitchen cabinets. The most common ones I see are flour beetles, grain beetles, cigarette beetles, and various weevils. I call them pantry pests. Regardless of which one it is, they all tend to eat the same thing. You will need to inspect every food product that contains a grain. This includes flour, grits, cornmeal, cereals, pasta, spices, candies (especially with nuts), dried nuts, dried fruits, peas, and beans. Gee, what is left! Only those food items in jars and cans are safe from infestation. Once you have discovered the infestation, throw it away, empty the shelf, and give it a good wipe down. No insecticides are needed. My advice is clean the pantry once a year of unused grain products or store them in Tupperware.
Question:
Several years ago our wood burning fire place was converted to gas logs. I was told I still should have my chimney cleaned. Is this necessary?
Answer:
Wood burning fireplaces should be cleaned periodically to remove creosote. Too much creosote build up will lead to chimney fires. Creosote is a dark and sticky substance that collects in the flue and the chimney. It can ignite with a hot fire. It is formed by the condensation of wood smoke. Creosote is not a by-product of gas combustion though. Therefore I would not think there is any need to invest in having your chimney cleaned. I would however recommend a chimney cap if you do not already have one. A chimney cap will keep out squirrels and chimney swifts.
REMEMBER OUR WILD FRIENDS AT CHRISTMAS
I have not met many people in my life that put their heart and soul into taking care of injured and abandoned wildlife. Most folks just drive by injured animals thinking how sad as they hurry to their next destination. Dana Sims with Kindred Spirits is one that does stop or take them in and nurse them back to health. It is an expensive and time consuming devotion. If you want to help out a good cause,then give her a call at 376-8602. Joining in this commitment is Food Lion. She has been accepted in their Shop and Save program. Food Lion will donate money every quarter. If you are a Food Lion customer, then register at www.foodlion.com and click on the Shop and Save program. It will not cost you a thing nor take away from your MVP savings.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis