THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606070084
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: 121 lines
When we bought our home several years ago, we inherited some wonderful old plantings including indigenous azaleas, rhododendron, Scotch broom and many other established plants. Unfortunately, wisteria has taken over so much of the woods that it's choking out the other plants. I've tried cutting back what I can get to, also breaking branches and sticking them in milk jugs of Roundup, but it comes back stronger than ever. I have saved your recipe for soil sterilant. Would this be any help in getting rid of the dreaded wisteria? The woods slope to a lake, so I have to be careful of toxic runoff. Can you offer help?
Elizabeth Smith, Suffolk
Do not use a soil sterilant - chemical or organic - because it can kill or harm every plant whose roots it reaches. Wisteria can be a terrible pest when it gets into trees. Cut it off at ground level with loppers. Then take a small watering pot, filled half with common motor oil (it can be used) and the other half with Weed-B-Gon directly from the container. Pour just enough of that to cover the stem of wisteria left in the soil, and that will kills its roots. As the vine dies, you can pull it out of the trees. Unfortunately, wisteria drops many seeds and you'll have to pull up small seedlings for many years, but you can eliminate it.
Can you steer us to someone to help solve these problems?
Of the 16 azaleas we planted, four are dead, one appears mostly dead and several others are partly dead. Before planting these azaleas, we dug up five others in the last 10 years.
We have two camellias, planted nearly three years ago. One looks sick and hasn't grown. The other is not really healthy either. In 1995, we didn't have one bloom worth cutting.
We had two yews planted 15 years ago to mask a clothesline. They did well until two years ago. Now they are so thin you can see through them. We also have dwarf Indian hawthorne and one of them nearly died in the spring of 1995. It was cut back to 6 inches and has not grown back, although it has some leaves.
We rotate pansies and vinca and they haven't gotten as large as they should for the past year or so, compared to our neighbors'.
Our cherry tree died back to ground level but has suckers coming up.
Last summer we didn't get a single edible tomato from six plants. Also our marigolds weren't worth cutting. They started to turn brown before they were fully open.
Perhaps we need a pathologist, because our yard and garden have become an over-all disaster. We would like to have someone come to the property, inspect it for an hour and tell us what is wrong and how to correct it.
Richard H. Grace, Portsmouth
If I had all the problems you describe, I think I'd throw in the hoe. But gardeners are a tough lot and seldom give up. Virginia Tech experts say it sounds like you're trying too hard and probably watering too much. Your yews must have good drainage to live. They don't grow well in this area. Podocarpus, which looks like yew, does better in this climate.
Azaleas and camellias must be planted very shallow, and you may be planting them too deep. Most of your problems sound like they're caused by poor drainage. You'll need to solve that problem by elevating where you plant, perhaps using raised beds. Feed your plants at least once a year and water them only during droughts or when they show visible signs of distress.
I do not recommend particular plant or landscape people but check the yellow pages for those who have proper credentials.
I have a question on an organic spray recipe from Nursery Business magazine. It's one cup Listerine, one cup flea and tick shampoo and prepared tobacco. Can this mixture be broken down to be used in a one gallon sprayer for small jobs? A hose end sprayer is suggested, but my garden is small. Can this recipe be used for any kind of insect in my flower garden and, if so, how often?
Linda DeLoatch, Virginia Beach
I'd never heard of the formula you describe, so I asked Entomologist Peter Schultz, director of the Hampton Roads Research Center, the eminent pesticide authority for this area. His says: ``Is this supposed to be organic? Flea and tick shampoo contains a pesticide. Tobacco contains nicotine, which was used years ago for insect control. Orthenex for roses may have less toxic ingredients.''
I agree. Many so-called organic sprays are just as toxic as chemicals. The only non-pesticide in your formula is Listerine, and it's better for gargling than spraying on plants.
What kind of bug or moth is this I'm sending you? I see them fly around in my home at night.
Peggy Reid, Suffolk
Your pest is a moth. Check to see where they originate. If from a closet, they're clothes moths. If from a pantry or kitchen area, they're a meal moth and difficult to eliminate. Either way you want to eradicate them. I know many people with meal moth problems this spring, including an invasion at our house. They often come into your home in cereal, unbleached flower or even dried flowers. Check all products in your pantry made from grains, plus beans and rice. Throw out anything infested. Bird seed is another thing they like. The best control I've found is a trap from Gardens Alive! that attracts them with a sex pheromone and draws them to a sticky substance from which they cannot escape. They worked at our house. Call (812) 537-5108 for a catalog.
I own a home in Suffolk on a two-acre lot. I want to plant trees to provide more shade on the back portion of my property. My brother-in-law gave me a brochure from Rocky Mountain Austree describing a tree they call the Austree. They say it is the most sought-after tree in America. They claim it will grow 12 feet the first growing season, topping out at 50 to 75 feet, depending on the soil. They also state it is bug- and disease-resistant from Alaska to Florida and is supposed to live for 70 years. Do you have information on this tree that would help make a decision?
Richard D. Dusch Sr., Suffolk
When anything sounds too good to be true, it probably is something to avoid. No one at the Hampton Roads Research Center had heard of the tree except Bonnie Appleton, their tree specialist. She says it is a fast-growing poplar, which sometimes dies within a few years. Poplars are tall and slim and don't provide much shade. Better choices would be Heritage river birch, a fast-growing and good tree for this area, or Chinese pistache or Japanese zelkova. MEMO: No gardening questions will be taken over the phone. Write to
Robert Stiffler, The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk,
Va. 23510. Answers will be published on a space-available basis. For an
earlier reply, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. by CNB