Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 10, 1990 TAG: 9006110315
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A: Irises can be dug up, divided and transplanted after they have bloomed, preferably in late summer or early fall. Since the leaves should still be green then, do not harm the foliage but cut it back slightly, maybe removing one third of the height.
Dig under a clump of iris rhizomes (thick horizontal stems that grow at the ground line) and lift out the whole clump at once. Wash away soil clinging to the plants with a steady stream of water so that you can see where to cut the rhizomes to separate the divisions. Use a sharp knife.
Discard the hard, oldest part from the center of the old clump as well as any diseased or damaged parts. Replant the divisions about 10 inches apart in prepared soil and cover the rhizome with about 2 inches of soil.
Your iris problem last year may have been caused by bacterial soft rot, a disease in which bacteria enter the plant through breaks in the rhizome and the iris borer frequently follows.
The control for bacterial soft rot of iris is to dig up the diseased rhizomes, cut out and discard damaged parts and replant the healthy parts, if there are any. Prevent iris borers by cleaning up and disposing of dry leaves and debris in the iris planting in the fall, so that borer adults do not have good spots to lay eggs. Lindane or Cygon can be applied to young iris leaves in the spring when they are 5 to 6 inches tall.
Q: We have a maple tree about 100 feet tall in our front yard. It is hollow from the ground up to about four feet. There are some dead branches, but the rest of the tree is all out in leaf. How safe is this tree? Mrs. R.W.D., Bedford
A: It could be risky for anyone to guess at the safety of this maple (or any tree) without seeing the tree. The fact that the tree is pretty well leafed-out is not a good indicator of its strength. Contact some arborists (tree professionals) and select one to look at your maple and make recommendations. To get an idea of the knowledge of prospective contractors, ask questions like these: do they belong to professional tree organizations/associations; when did they last attend their association's national annual meeting; what professional workshops have they recently attended; and what references of their work in your area can they suggest.
Q: I have a rose bush, probably 15 or more years old, which has bloomed only once ('88) in five or six years. It has roses that are a beautiful cream color with slight pink tinge at the end of the petals and ordinarily would bloom spring and fall. Now it grows but no buds appear. F.K.M., Natural Bridge
A: I can't say exactly why your rose has not bloomed but some possible causes are: an increasing amount of shade; improper pruning; some kind of injury to the former rose variety that killed the grafted rose portion thereby allowing suckers of inferior quality to be predominant now; or something such as disease or site related factors that have weakened the old plant. The improper pruning possibility is not easy to explain, since pruning is normally based on the type of rose. During the growing season, prune bush roses only to shape the rose or to remove suckers and dead or dying growth. Of course, a lack of pruning leads to poor flowering.
Q: What spraying schedule would you recommend for peach and pear trees that are not bearing fruit this year due to frost damage? H. S., Salem
A: Generally a routine spray schedule should be followed for fruit trees in years when they aren't bearing a crop because of frost injury. Even though the so-called cover sprays will not be covering any developing fruit, it is still important to maintain strong, healthy leaves free from insect or disease injury so that the trees will be strong for the next year.
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.
Gardeners checklist
Mid- to late June is an excellent time to take softwood cuttings of shrubs to start new plants. Some shrubs that can be propagated in this manner are spirea, boxwood and azalea. Propagating plants by cuttings takes patience.
Take care that trees and shrubs planted last year or this spring receive a thorough soaking about once each week as needed during the whole growing season. Soak the ground; do not sprinkle it lightly. Mulch will conserve water and is especially recommended where watering is difficult. It is helpful to make a well or saucer shape with mulch around plants to collect the water.
When trimming grass with a power tool that uses rapidly spinning monofilament line, be careful around young trees and shrubs. Tender bark can easily be damaged, opening the tree to insect and disease problems.
Broken branches and suckers of tomato plants will often root if stuck into loose, moist soil. This method of starting new, late tomatoes will provide youthful plants that might keep going after the old ones tucker out
by CNB