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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 did not get my lawn fertilized last fall due to all the rain
and the ice storm. When is the next best time to apply fertilizer to my
fescue lawn?
Answer:
Fertilize fescue lawns in February. Fertilizer applied now
will be available to the grass as it begins to grow again with the
increase in daily temperatures. I would avoid fertilizing fescue in the
peak of its growth cycle which comes in April and May. Fertilizing this
late in the spring will require you to do a lot of mowing. Mowing twice
a week is not that uncommon for lawns fertilized in late spring. Apply
a slow release nitrogen fertilizer on fescue lawns this month for
optimum performance. If you have had crabgrass problems in the past,
apply a fertilizer with a crabgrass preventer.
Question:
I can get a lot of wood chips from a friend of mine that has
been chipping storm damaged limbs. I have been told that I cannot use
them as a mulch because they will kill my shrubs and trees. Is that
true?
Answer:
Fresh wood chips, if used sparingly, will not kill shrubs or
trees. Do not use them around the foundation of your home to avoid
inviting termites. There is no point in tempting them. Do use them
around areas where you park your cars or other vechicles. The cannon
fungus that colonizes wood chips will throw small spores all over the
surfaces of your vehicles, light colored siding, and glass. These
spores are almost impossible to remove. These spores are brown in color
and very small. Fresh wood chips can be used around trees and shrubs
out in the lawn or in natural areas. Put them no thicker than 3-4
inches in depth. Do not mix them in your garden soil or planting holes.
The will rob the soil of nitrogen as they decompose, leaving very little
for your plants. Use fresh wood chips only on the surface of the soil.
Question:
My butterfly bushes are tremendous. Can I prune them back now?
Answer:
I would advise to hold off for one more month. This has been a
colder than normal winter. Who knows what type of winter temperatures
are ahead. We could still get single digit temperatures. Very low
temperatures will kill butterfly bushes that have been pruned. Wait
until mid-March and cut them 12-18 inches above the ground. I prune
mine like this every other year. Hold off on roses too.
Question:
I called some of the seed companies that you mentioned last
week in the paper to purchase some Amelia tomato seed. They would not
sell to gardeners. Where can I get some seed to try this new variety?
Answer:
This is the frustrating part of this job. New varieties are
often sold only to dealers, greenhouse owners, and farmers. It can take
a few years before they appear in catalogs that sell to gardeners.
However I have talked to several greenhouse owners in the county that
are going to purchase the seeds of Amelia and will offer plants to the
public this spring.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
If you are new in the landscape business or a seasoned veteran, you may
need to sharpen you skills when it comes to pricing the use of your
equipment and fine tuning your bid proposals. You are invited to attend
a free training this coming Tuesday, February 11th from 9 am until 11
am. It will be in the Agricultural Building, 209 North Graham Hopedale
Road in Burlington. Call the Cooperative Extension Service for
directions or further information at 570-6740.
Are your pastures in terrible shape after last summer from the drought and insects that followed them? If so, we fast approaching the time you can renovate them and put them back into good condition for summer. You are invited to attend a program on 'Improving Your Pastures' to be held on Monday, Feb. 17th at 7 pm. It will be in the Agricultural Building, 209 N. Graham Hopedale Rd. in Burlington. Learn more about fertilization, weed and insect control, and summer grazing grasses. Call the Cooperative Extension Service at 570-6740 for more details.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis