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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:
n the last week the leaves on the tips of the branches of my pear tree have turned black and wilted. What is wrong with my tree?
Answer:
These are symptoms of a bacterial infection called fireblight. It is common in many apple and pear varieties. Bartlett pear is very susceptible to this disease. Because it is a bacteria, it is very difficult disease to control. The infections took place weeks ago during the bloom period. The bacteria that causes this disease is spread by pollinating insects, wind, and splashing rain to blossoms and newly emerging shoots. Once infection takes place, the blossoms, fruit, and twigs will appear water soaked, wilted, and will finally turn black. At that this point there is very little you can do. Removal of infected tissue can be carefully done by pruning 12 inches below the infection and cleaning your pruners with a disinfectant between each cut. This if often impractical if the trees are tall and there are hundreds of wilted stems. Although it is too late to spray, next year you can apply Agrimycin or Agri-Strep to the opening blossoms every 5 days during bloom and for a period of several weeks after bloom.
Follow label guidelines. Finally the best approach is to plant resistant varieties of apple and pears. I have never seen a homeowner win the battle against fireblight. I would remove severely infected trees and start over with new varieties this coming fall or winter. Next week I will write about which varieties of pears to grow for our area.
Question:
There are chiggers entering my house and crawling on my outdoor furniture. We cannot even sit outside without fear of getting covered in these bugs. Where are they all coming from and what can I do to get rid of them?
Answer:
Questions like this make my head itch. Not to mention other body parts. Just the thought of chiggers makes me run for my tool box that is full of insect repellent. But these red mites are not chiggers. Nor are they clover mites. Clover mites are the little red mites that were a problem 2 months ago. But now it is time for the Erythraeid mites. Isn't nature wonderful! Erythraeid mites are not vegetarians like clover mites. They are parasites on other insects. You can try general insecticides such as Bayers Mulit-Insect Killer (cyfluthrin) and other brands that contain esfenalerate (Ortho), or permethrin (Sprectracide). Spray these around your decks, patios, and foundation. Use a hose end sprayer for best coverage. Hopefully you will knock them down for awhile. However, this pest often does not originate from your lawn. They have been know to actually come down from the roof where they had been in moist shingles. These mites will be around for as long as 2 months. Hopefully a couple of sprayings will work.
Question:
I had blossom end rot so bad last year that almost every on of my tomatoes turned black on the bottom. I limed the garden in the fall per your advice and hopefully this year will be better. Do you have any other advice on how to reduce this problem?
Answer:
Keeping your garden well limed is the best insurance to reduce blossom end rot. The extra calcium that the lime adds is very important. But you can reduce the absorption of this much need calcium by over fertilizing your tomatoes in the spring. Avoid fertilizing your tomatoes until the first fruits begin to appear. If you push too much rapid early growth of the plant, the developing fruit will be deprived of its much needed calcium. Weekly fertilization is not needed. Fertilize every 3-4 weeks with either a soluble fertilizer, 10-10-10, or calcium nitrate. If you can, mulch your tomato plants with compost, newspapers, grass clippings, wheat straw, or ground leaves.
Question:
When can I fertilize my bermuda lawn?
Answer:
Once bermuda is full leafed out you can fertilize. The middle of May is generally a good starting date. Apply either a slow release fertilizer or a garden grade such as 10-10-10 or 17-17-17 Know the square footage of your lawn in order to purchase the correct amount of fertilizer. For 10-10-10 apply 10 pounds of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of lawn. If you like 17-17-17, thenĀ apply 6 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Repeat again in 6-8 weeks. Mow bermuda at 1 1/2 inches in height every 5-7 days for home lawns.
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