Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 21, 1993 TAG: 9303220419
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: John Arbogast
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
STRAIGHT SHOOTS IN WALKING STICK TREE FREQUENT, BUT THEY SHOULD BE PRUNED
Q: The old growth is gnarled and twisted on my Luter Walking Stick tree as it should be, but three new shoots that grew from the ground are quite straight and have a different bark color. Why are they different? Should I cut them? P.S., FincastleA: The plant is commonly known as Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, but also is sold as Contorta Tree (scientific name - Corylus avellana Contorta). It's a large deciduous shrub that features extremely twisted and gnarled branches and isn't really a tree.
According to the "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants" by Michael Dirr, the shrub is cultivated by taking the twisted top part and grafting it to the roots of a European Filbert. The root portion of any grafted plant is referred to as the understock.
Apparently, the problem you have is common with the Walking Stick. The three shoots are suckers that have grown from the understock. They should be pruned at the ground, a process that should be repeated whenever straight suckers show up, which according to Dirr can be frequent.
Q: We have a lot of oak and maple trees on our property. The past few years I am seeing more and more moss, and our grass is getting thinner and thinner. Our lawn, or what's left of it, is primarily Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue. The pH is 6.2, according to the soil samples I sent to Virginia Tech. I overseeded the lawn last fall and top dressed it with 10-10-10 fertilizer. At present, the moss looks great. We are able to water from Smith Mountain Lake, so I generally apply about an inch a week if we don't get much rainfall.
D.E.W., Huddleston
A: Moss is a problem in lawns where conditions are too unfavorable for the good turf to survive. Consider the following list of conditions that will favor moss but weaken good turf:
Poor drainage - either within the soil or on top of the surface.
High soil acidity (your pH of 6.2 is not very acidic).
Excessive shade.
Wrong turf species for the specific site or use (Kentucky 31 tall fescue that you have is generally very adaptable).
Soil fertility - either excessive or insufficient nutrients.
Soil compaction.
Excessively heavy soil.
Too frequent irrigation.
Shallow layer of top soil.
Mowing too close.
Compacted soil under a lawn can be helped by core aeration either in the spring or fall. Proper fertility for turfgrass usually involves a high nitrogen fertilizer (that's the first number of the three) rather than an evenly balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10.
Chemical solutions to control moss in lawns might also damage good grass that is still growing.
After you correct the factors that have been favoring the moss over your turf, prepare the ground and either completely re-establish your lawn or overseed those spots where there is still some good grass worth keeping. Get rid of the moss patches by physically removing them with a hoe or rake.
Q: During October through March, on days when it is above freezing, we are bothered by flies coming inside our second-story bathroom window. We have removed both the blinds and valance drape and still can't figure out how they are entering. I have killed literally hundreds of them - sometimes as many as 20 or 30 a day. They never come in any other window. Why are so many flies attracted to this window and what can I do to stop them? L.L., Roanoke
A: These pests that appear in large numbers in the fall and winter are referred to as cluster or attic flies. Cluster flies enter attics and walls through small cracks and crevices in the outside of the house, probably on the sunniest side. During February and early March adults begin to leave their overwintering sites and seek places of moist soil to lay eggs.
The flies found in your bathroom window may have moved to that location through the wall, or they may have found it easy to enter your house near the window.
To prevent a recurrence, check with a professional exterminator about spraying the outside of your house, particularly the south side, with a residual insecticide in late summer. That will deter or kill sufficient cluster fly adults that otherwise would be entering the walls for shelter.
Otherwise, about the only thing you can do is to use an indoor insect control products or spray to kill flies that get in.
Got a question about your garden, lawn, plants, or insects? Write to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.
John Arbogast is the agriculture extension agent for Roanoke