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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:
My lawn is full of wild onions. I have heard there is a time of the year you can mow them and they will bleed to death. When is that?
Answer:
I have been mowing wild garlic and wild onions since I was 8 years old. I am still mowing them some 47 years later. It is obvious that I have not yet discovered that magical time frame for killing them with my lawn mower. Because mowing has no effect on the health or well being of these weeds, we resort to using herbicides to rid our lawns of this tough perennial weed. There are many good broadleaf herbicides on the market that will kill onions. The ones that contain 2,4-D as one of their active ingredients will work great. The key to success is adding a surfactant such as Herbi 0il or a liquid soap to the mix. Onions and garlic have a waxy leaf that stands horizontally in the lawn. Therefore most chemicals just roll off the leaf. Adding Herbi Oil or several ounces of a liquid soap after you have mixed up your spray will allow the herbicide to stick to the leaf.
Do not mow your lawn for 3 days after spraying. Repeat next year and you will slowly win this battle.
Question:
I have not put out a crabgrass preventer yet. Is it too late?
Answer:
Spring is here and crabgrass is germinating as I write this column. The rain we received last week coupled with the return of warm weather this week we will see a spike in crabgrass germination.
All of the crabgrass preventers sold, except those that contain Dimension (dithiopyr), will not work after germination. Dimension will not only stop germination of crabgrass but will kill small seedlings soon after germination. But they can be no bigger than one true leaf. As late as it is, crabgrass preventers that contain Dimension is almost your only recourse now. Fortunately it is widely available locally.
Question:
My daughter has given me an Easter cactus. Is this the same as my other Christmas cactuses and should I treat it the same?
Answer:
Easter cactus is a member of a group of cacti that are sold as holiday cacti that includes the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), and the Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri). All are native of Brazil and available in a wide range of colors including red, purple, orange, pinks, and creams. With their pendulous stems they make great hanging baskets. All of the holiday cacti have the same cultural requirements. They do best in light shade in the summer and full sun in the winter. Water these plants when the soil is dry to touch. They do not like water logged soils. Fertilize monthly beginning in the spring until late summer and then stop.
Question:
My Japonica camellias have yellow leaves. Do I add iron or more fertilizer?
Answer:
Yellow leaves can come from poor drainage if your camellias are planted in clay soil or it can come from winter sun damage. If you did not ammend your soil thoroughly with organic matter or plant them in a raised bed, water logged soils will cause the leaves to yellow and fertilization or adding iron will only give you temporary results. Most Japonica varieties need protection from the winter sun. Winter sun will cause the leaves to turn off color or yellow. So when planting Japonica camellias choose a site that is either under the shade of evergreen trees, or on the eastern, northern, or western side of your home. Sasanqua camellias are able to withstand both winter and summer sun.
CAROLINA YARDS AND GARDENS
A new program is being launched throughout the Piedmont of North Carolina to reduce the amount of chemicals and fertilizers in our storm water runoff. This program is called Carolina Yards and Gardens. It is designed to teach homeowners practices they can incorporate in their landscape to keep contaminated rainwater runoff from entering the storm drain. Participants will actually learn how to relandscape their property, manage both turf and shrubs more effectively, and minimize the use of pesticides and fertilizers. The first class will be on April 7th and then repeated again on April 21st from 9 am until 2 pm at Elon's new Beth Schmit Park community center. Cost is $15 for materials and lunch.
Call the Cooperative Extension Service at 570-6740 to register.
SOUTHERN ANNEX SCHEDULE
Roger Cobb, Extension Field Crops agent, will be at the Southern Annex office this coming Thursday morning from 8 until noon. He is there to answer any questions on all field crops, fertilization, weed identification, and pond related problems. This office is on the cornern of Snow Camp Rd. and Bethel South Fork Rd.
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.