Harnett County Center

CAUTION:The information and recommendations in this article are applicable to Harnett County, NC and may not apply in other areas.

SUMMER LANDSCAPE WOES, July 18, 1997

Have the Japanese Beetles got you down? Are your dogwoods and lawn looking parched? Are you about to throw in the trowel? Don't give up yet! There may not be much rain in the forecast, but with a little extra care we can make it through this tortuous summer.

The Japanese beetles are abundant this year. Several insecticides are available to control them on flowers, trees, and shrubs, including acephate (Orthene), carbaryl (Sevin), malathion, and pyrethrins (X-clude).

Be sure to use the type that can be mixed with water and sprayed. You will get better coverage that way. Also note that some products will only kill the beetles they contact, so you may have another infestation the next day.

My wife takes great pleasure in picking them off our crapemyrtle by hand, and drowning them in a cup of soapy water. She has actually been quite successful so far.

Many people like to use the Japanese beetle traps. These do help some, but should be placed far away from the plants you want to protect. The bags should be emptied on a daily basis.

Japanese beetles also attack many fruit and vegetable crops. In that case, be sure to read the insecticide label carefully. Make sure it can be used on the food crop in question.

In a recent stroll around Lillington, I noticed that the dogwoods have taken quite a beating this year. Mulch, mulch, mulch is the best thing you can do for a dogwood. Mulching conserves moisture, and prevents lawnmowers and other yard tools from bumping against the trunk.

The dogwoods have also been suffering from the heat and lack of rain. Be sure they are getting at least an inch of water each week. This should be easy enough, even with our current water restrictions.

Your lawn also needs about an inch of water each week. Our turf demonstration plots at the County Office Building have been doing fine with a weekly watering.

If you have fescue, you can even let three weeks go by with little water. Yes, it will turn brown, but that is a sign of dormancy, not necessarily dead grass. However, if you have been watering your fescue generously up to this point, do not stop now or it may suffer some damage.

Also, remember that each different grass type has different fertilizer needs. Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Zoysia are fertilized regularly through the summer, but don't dare fertilize centipede or fescue right now. PLEASE call me for a free lawn maintenance calendar for your grass type. This will give the specific fertilizer needs, plus tips on weed control, watering, and mowing.

Blossom end rot on tomatoes is also common right now. As the name says, this is when the tomato begins to rot at the blossom end. This is a sign of calcium deficiency. If the tomatoes have been suffering from lack of water, then regular irrigation (again, 1 inch per week) may help. If not, you can purchase calcium chloride or calcium nitrate sprays to correct the problem.

Many other tomato problems can be minimized through rotation. Ideally, tomatoes should not be planted again in the same spot for three years. That may not be much help this year, but chalk it up as a lesson learned.

Do you have other landscape or garden woes? Give me a call and I will do my best to find an answer!

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