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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:
Last week you talked about roses that would grow here without a weekly spraying of pesticides. Do you have a list of those that I could have and where they can be purchased?
Answer:
As I mentioned, I have been growing 'Knock Out', a bush rose. It has superior resistance to black spot. I am slowly returning roses to my landscape but only with ones that are not pesticide dependent. There are other types and varieties of roses that will fit this bill. In consultation with Bonnie Hutchinson, a local landscape designer and perennial expert, we have planted and observed several that can be recommended. Based on years of observation, Bonnie recommends the following bush roses; Mutablis (China rose), Old Blush (China rose), Louis Philipe (China rose) and Penelope (Shrub rose). In the climber category, chose from Mermaid and Dr.Van Fleet. None of these roses are immune to all the diseases or insect pests of summer. Their resistance will vary but you will find them very dependable. They are prolific bloomers. Many can be bought locally. However one of the best sources is The Antique Rose Emporium in Texas. Give them a call at 800-441-0002 or visit them on line at weareroses.com. Their catalog is beautiful and very descriptive.
Question:
I need to re mulch all our landscape beds after the leaves are collected. My wife is tired of pine needles and wants me to use bark this time. How do you estimate how much bark to order and have delivered?
Answer:
Bark is sold by the cubic yard. The amount you need will depend on the area you need to cover and the depth of the mulch you desire. First determine the square footage of all the beds. This is done by multiplying the width by the length of the beds. I would recommend a 3 inch layer of mulch. At a three inch depth, one cubic yard of mulch will cover 110 square feet. If you want to put out 4 inches of mulch, one cubic yard will cover 80 square feet. Order an extra 10% beyond what you figure. It will come in handy.
Question:
This is my first attempt at growing turnips and what a success it has been. The downside is that I spend a lot of time washing off little insects that are on the stems and leaves. This is a lot of work. Is there some spray that I can use to prevent them?
Answer:
You can't prevent them. But you can reduce their populations by using various insecticides. Aphids can be quite prolific in the fall requiring several sprays to slow them down. Some species of aphids give birth to pregnante young. No wonder their populations seem to explode overnight! Your choices of insecticides are malathion (7 day wait until harvest), pyrelin (0 day wait until harvest) and insecticidal soap (0 day wait until harvest). I would recommend pyrelin or the insecticidal soap. It is too cold for malathion to be effective. Insecticidal soap is available at most garden centers. If you really have a large market garden, use M-Pede, the agricultural equivalent of insecticidal soap. To be effective you literally have to thoroughly wet the tops, bottoms, and stems of the plants. Repeat as often as needed.
HELP NEEDED
I have been asked by USDA geneticists to help them with their search for seeds from the early varieties of collard greens. Apparently North Carolina plays a vital role in the arrival of collards from Eurasia and Africa. North Carolina seed savers may hold the key to these older varieties. If you are a seed saver of collards from your ancestors, please give me a call at 570-6740. You may play a vital role in this research project.
Environmental Concerns in Alamance County
The county, state,and federal agencies that address environmental issues in Alamance County are hosting a public meeting next Thursday night, November 20th, at 7 pm in the Agricultural Building, 209 North Graham Hopedale Rd. in Burlington. The public is invited to attend and bring those environmental issues that are of interest to them to the attention of these agencies. This information will be used to develop programs and assistance for local needs and issues.
Gardening Q&A Navigation Options
If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis