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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 had my lawn sodded last month and in the last week it has almost completely died. What has happened?
Answer:
In the last few weeks I have had several calls about lawns turning brown very suddenly. The culprit is the fall armyworm. Fall armyworms are a common pest on turf. Flocks of birds feeding consistently in one area of turf or holes pecked in the turf by birds may indicate their presence. Infestations are usually associated with lush, green, and dense grass. Armyworms will feed on the leaves of turf when they are quite young. However, older armyworms will feed on the stems leaving the grass blades to dry out. Therefore all you see is dead grass. Close observation and a little raking will uncover severed grass stems and if you get on your hands and knees, you can see their little green fecal pellets. Treat the lawn with liquid Sevin. Do not water in. One treatment should be sufficient. Bermudagrass and other stoloniferous grasses will recover, fescue lawns may be damaged to the point that reseeding may be necessary. You will know in about 10 day how much will recover.
Question:
How soon can I start to fertilize my fescue lawn?
Answer:
With the recent rains our lawn grasses are no longer under stress. In addition, the arrival of cooler temperatures will encourage a pick up in fescue growth. So now would be an excellent time to apply your first application of fertilizer for fall. If your lawn has been regularly fertilized over the years, I would recommend using a slow release turf grade fertilizer. There are many on the market to choose from. You can also use garden grades such as 10-10-10 (10 pounds per 1000 sq. feet) or 17-17-17 (6 pounds per 1000 sq. ft.) Regardless which choice you make, measure your lawn so you do not overapply or underapply the proper amount needed. All you need is a rough of estimate of square footage which is found by multiplying width by length of your turf areas.
Question:
I overseeded my lawn 2 weeks ago and the new grass has just started to come up. My problem is that my older grass is getting so high it really needs mowing. Will mowing my lawn disturb or uproot the new grass?
Answer:
You need to mow. The older grass will shade you new turf if you don't. Mowing will do little damage to the new seedlings. I would advise collecting your clippings so you do not smother the new grass. Mow every week.
Question:
I was told that there were termites in my mulch around my house. What can I buy to get rid of them and keep termites from getting into my house?
Answer:
Termites are everywhere and with a little searching I can probably find some on everyone's property. Like, mosquitoes they are very much a part of our outdoor world. There are termites on my own property but that does not keep me awake at night. As long as the protective barrier around my house foundation has not been compromised or lost it's potency, I do not worry about termites. As for killing them in the mulch, you can use most any garden insecticide or granular treatment for soil insects that is sold at garden centers. However, your have done very little to protect your home. Those insecticides that protect your home are unavailable to you. Even those sold specifically for termites at garden centers provide no long term control. You must employ the services of a licensed pest control operator (exterminator) to protect your home. The state of North Carolina requires it. It is recommended to have your home thoroughly inspected periodically for termites. The products that are used today have an average life from 6-8 years.
SOUTH ANNEX SCHEDULE
Paul Walker, Extension Livestock agent, will be at the Southern Annex office on the corner of Bethel South Fork Rd. and Snow Camp Rd. this coming Thursday from 8 until noon. If you have any questions on pasture management, livestock, or animal nutrition, stop by and pay him a visit.
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.