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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 have a bone to pick with you about your promotion of the Knockout roses as being pest free. I thought I could just plant them and not worry about spraying anymore. But now mine are covered in Japanese beetles and have quit flowering. Please tell your readers these roses have problems too.
Answer:
I have gained a lot of weight over the years eating humble pie. I guess it is time to eat another piece. Therefore I apologize to all my readership if I have lead you astray. The bane of most rose growers has been two very troublesome leaf diseases called black spot and powdery mildew. Without weekly sprayings of a fungicide, a majority of our rose varieties will be almost leafless by this time of the year. All those rose plants given at Mother's Day are pretty sad looking by now. So when the Knockout rose selections began appearing a few years ago my interest in growing roses and their use in the landscape was rekindled. Because these Knockouts showed excellent resistant to these major diseases, homeowners could put away their pesticides and sprayer. But the Knockout roses as well as all other roses have no resistance to Japanese beetles. I never thought of Japanese beetles as being a deterrent to growing roses because the adults are only active for 2 months in the summer. But boy have they been active for the last two seasons! So dust off the old sprayer, load it up with Sevin, malathion, cyfluthrin, or bifenthrin and spray weekly until early August. As for me, I am going to put a lot of Cool Whip on my humble pie to make it easier to swallow.
Question:
Our tomato plants have reached the top of the stakes and show no signs of stopping. What can I do?
Answer:
Most growers of the indeterminate varieties or the ones that do not stop growing, will top their plants just beyond the height of the stake. It will not kill your plants. Top them with the same head shears you prune shrubs with. Do this when the stems are small or about the size of a pencil. All the tomatoes below the topping cuts will continue to develop and ripen normally.
Question:
I have several tomato plants that have turned yellow and wilted. Can I pick off the fruit that is almost ripe and eat it later?
Answer:
I would save as much fruit as possible and enjoy them when they finally turn full red. If there is a hint of color at the base of the tomato it is actually ripe and can be pulled. These tomatoes do not need to be put in the sun to finish coloring up. They will do so even on the kitchen table top. The fungi that cause the various wilt diseases does not infect humans. The only thing that will cause you to wilt will be the summer sun and our high humidity.
Question:
I planted a row of the new 'Endless Summer' hydrangeas. With all this rain and their large blooms, the limbs are bent to the ground. What can I do?
Answer:
I had the same problem. So I took my hand clippers and removed all the blooms that were showing signs of fading and even removed a few that were not. After a brief scolding from my wife the good blooms were saved from the compost and are safe indoors in a flower vase. Cut the blossoms off just above where the petioles are attached to the stem. There are leaf buds at the base of those petioles. In a matter of a few weeks, new growth will appear. The stems will be strengthened will offer more support for the new flowers that will develop later.
UPCOMING WORKSHOP
If pastures are essential for your horses, cows, goats, or llamas, then you are invited to attend our program on 'Pasture Renovation and Establishment'. It will be held on Tuesday, July 25th beginning at 6:30 pm at the Agricultural Building, 209 N. Graham Hopedale Rd. in Burlington. There is no charge but we would like you to call and register at 570-6740. Don't you think it is time for your animals to have something else to graze on other than broomsedge, buttercups, pigweed, and johnsongrass? We will cover all your grazing forages, fertilization, and weed control options.
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.