 |
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:
Almost every car in our parking lot at work is covered with black specs. Should we ask for the trees in the islands to be removed to stop this?
Answer:
The problem is not the trees but the bark around them. A closer look at the mulching material should reveal the use of either ground up wood chips or hardwood mulch. When there is wood mixed in with tree bark mulch, a fungus called artillery or cannon fungus will develop during a wet summer. This fungus is not a problem in pine needles and very clean pine bark. This fungus produces dark brown to black "flyspeck-like". objects that stick tenaciously to cars, windows, house siding, and any other light object. These little flyspecks are actually spores of the fungus and can be forcibly ejected up to 14 feet. Hence the name cannon fungus. These spores have an oily surface and are difficult to remove. Normal washing will not work. There is no easy quick fix to this problem. No chemical fungicides are available to stop it. In addition the spores are known to survive as long as 11 years in mulch. At this point I would suggest the removal of all the mulch around the plants. Replace it with pine needles. As for what is on your car, it will eventually weather away and fall off. But it will take months and a little help with your fingernail.
Question:
I have noticed several areas of my fescue lawn infested with bermuda grass. Should I have it treated before it takes over my entire lawn?
Answer:
If fescue is the grass you prefer for your lawn, then by all means flag out those areas with bermuda and have it sprayed with Roundup or the generic equivalent. I will forewarn you it will take a minimum of three sprayings at two week intervals for maximum control. One spraying will barely give 50% control. Where you see healthy bermuda, spot spray that area and increase the spray area as much as 25% more to get any wandering runners you cannot see. Pre-mixed Roundup sprays will not get the job done. You need to purchase Roundup or the generic glyphosate that ranges from 41% to 51% in concentration. Read the label for mixing directions to achieve a 2% solution. You are forewarned that this herbicide will kill all grass including the fescue that is mixed in with the bermuda. So you can expect your spray areas to turn totally brown within a 10 day period. Once you are satisfied with the results of all your spraying, you can reseed to fescue within 7 days of the last spraying.
Question:
I have a lot of clover, dandelions, and other broadleaf weeds in my lawn at this time of the year. Is this a good time of the year to get rid of them?
Answer:
Weather conditions are not conducive to spraying weeds in lawns right now. High temperatures and high humidity will cause the herbicides to burn and yellow your turfgrass. Although your permanent lawn grass will not be killed, it will cause injury to the grass. It will recover. However, it would be advisable to wait until our temperatures return to the lower 80s before you begin spraying.
Question:
I think our chimney is full of bats. I hear them chirping and I am nervous with all the outbreaks of rabies. What can I do?
Answer:
The chirping is coming from birds called chimney swifts. As summer draws near the swifts have finished raising their young and are beginning to congregate prior to their migration this fall. Roosts may consist of an extended family of a half dozen to even thousands. There is no cause for alarm because they will be leaving soon and traveling south to spend the winter. However, if you do not like providing your chimney for their roosts, it is advisable to have a chimney cap installed later this fall. You may also want to have your chimney cleaned at the same time.
LAWN CARE CLASS
Tired of having the ugliest lawn in the neighborhood? Then sign up for my annual lawn care class on August 21st and 22nd. For 2 evenings I will cover everything from seed selection, fertilization, weed control, and all the practices associated with lawn care. The cost is $5 per person. The program will begin at 7 pm each night and will be taught in the Agricultural Building, 209 North Graham Hopedale Rd. in Burlington. Call the Cooperative Extension Service at 336-570-6740 to register.
North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commitment themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation, North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&;T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.