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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:
Our pecan trees are finally starting to bear. Should I fertilize them this year and when is the best time?
Answer:
This past fall was one of the best crops of pecans I have seen in many years. There was actually enough to share with the squirrels and the crows. Pecans are trees that have a reputation for bearing heavy one year and very little the next year. Alternate bearing is the word we use. To overcome this we recommend an annual application of fertilizer. Late February or early March is the best time to fertilize. Fertilizer must be in place at least 6 weeks prior to bud break. This will insure adequate growth from the terminal buds that are needed to get good nut set. For homeowners I recommend the strategy I call KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). There is no need to spend hours drilling or punching holes in the ground and pouring fertilizer. Instead, I recommend taking your lawn fertilizer spreader and spread the fertilizer evenly under the tree from the trunk out to about 10 feet beyond the branches. For trees that are bearing nuts, measure the diameter of the tree below the first scaffold limbs (limbs closest to the ground). For each inch of diameter, apply 4 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per tree. For example if your tree measures 10 inches in diameter, apply 40 pounds of fertilizer to that individual tree. For non-bearing trees, apply 1 pound of 10-10-10 per year of age.
Question:
My fig bush is got to be 10 feet tall. How far can I cut it back?
Answer:
Figs bushes can get quite large over time and pruning them back to within 2 feet of the ground is often needed in late February and early March. You will have a greatly reduced crop this year due to the fact figs set their fruit on last years growth. But they will produce some late fruit this fall. If you want to give your friends or family members some cuttings from your pruning they can start their own plants easily. Remove the last 12 inches of the stems and plant them deep leaving only the top bud above ground. Do this before you cut the stems all the way back.
Question:
I have just reseeded my lawn and was told to use a starter fertilizer with the seed. Is this really necessary?
Answer:
Starter fertilizers are higher in phosphorous as compared to nitrogen and potash which are the other elements in the bag. The middle number of a fertilizer grade represents the percent of phosphorous in the bag. Phosphorous aids in root growth. I would certainly recommend using a starter fertilizer over a fertilizer that had little if any phosphorous. Most new lawns have soils that are deficient in phosphorous and the typical 'turf grade' fertilizers are low in phosphorous. Therefore look at using a starter fertilizer this year if you have done a lot of overseeding. Most garden centers will sell a 'starter fertilizer'. If not, ask for 10-20-20 fertilizer. Apply this fertilizer at the rate of 10 pounds per 1000 square feet. It is very economical.
Question:
My lawn is a sea of purple blooms. What has gone wrong?
Answer:
Ah the beauty of winter weeds. Our lawns are full of blooms from the henbit you have to the white flowers of hairy bittercress and chickweed. Beautiful blue flowers adorn the speedwells and the crimson red of deadnettle is breathtaking. And this is just a start. But if you want to see just green grass then you must eliminate those winter annuals with a broadleaf herbicide. The most effective ones will be those mixed with water and sprayed directly on the weeds. You have many good ones to choose from such as Speedzone, Weed Free Zone, Trimec Classic, Weed-B-Gon and others. They will not hurt your grass. Spray when temperatures are over 55 degrees. But don't wait long. They are harder to kill as they age. If you don't spray them, they will die out in late May anyway, only to return next fall.
LAND USE MEETING
The next meeting to get impute on how you want Alamance County to look and grow in the future will be this coming Tuesday evening, February 28th at Southern Alamance High School. Starting time is 7 pm. These meetings will determine the need for development regulations and zoning.
Come share your ideas.
SOUTHERN ANNEX SCHEDULE
I will be at the Southern Annex office on the corner of Bethel South Fork Rd and Snow Camp Road this coming Thursday from 8 until noon. I am there to assist you with your questions relating to horticulture, forestry, soils, and all the pests that crawl, fly, or just sprout up.
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.