Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 5, 1992 TAG: 9201060233
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: E-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
PLAN NEEDED IF TREES ARE TO BEAR FRUIT
This is the time of year that garden, flower and fruit catalogs arrive. It is easy to become tempted by the pictures and descriptions and to think of the money one might save by growing food at home.However, for tree and small fruit plantings, which are supposed to be relatively permanent, one must take several factors into consideration in planning now, so the work will be worthwhile after the plants arrive or are purchased in early spring.
Success with a home fruit planting depends upon how well it is planned and how well those plans are carried out. Unfortunately, it is not possible for fruit trees to be planted and good quality fruit harvested with little or no effort.
Relatively less care is required in the culture of sour cherries and pears than any fruit trees. But, sour cherry trees are rather short-lived, and some varieties of pear trees are susceptible to fire blight disease, a problem that is difficult to control.
Also, even these cannot be left unattended if good quality produce is expected. Remember that work with fruit trees will include insect and disease control, pruning, some fertilization and soil management for acidity and moisture.
The term small fruits is given to plants that produce edible fruit from either low plants, bushes or vines and includes strawberries, grapes, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
Small fruits offer advantages over fruit trees for home culture. They require less space for the amount of fruit produced and bear one or two years after planting. Also, pest control typically is easier than with most tree fruits. Again, though, success with a small fruit planting will depend on the attention given to all phases of production.
I can give an example of how failure to plan meant failure in my own yard a while back. I tried planting a row of strawberries as a border along a back fence. However, I failed to realize that the soil in that spot was very dry and that my management would have to include a lot of watering for that site.
Q: I grow African violets, mostly under lights. I have noticed a very small insect on the flowers of only my dark colored ones. The insects are tan in color, very small, and they seem to either jump or fly. I'm not sure if these insects eat the flowers. I tried to control them by removing them with alcohol on a Q-tip swab, but the next day I'd find more of them. Please tell me what they are and if they are harmful. M.M.S., Roanoke
A: I can think of one thing that might fit the description you gave, an insect called thrips. There are several species of thrips that can infest indoor plants. They are slender and barely visible to the naked eye. The color of the adults may vary from tan as you noticed, brown or black, with lighter marking.
Young thrips are whitish to yellow or orange. The adults fly or leap away or run rapidly about on the plant when disturbed. The young are less active.
Thrips can be harmful, because they suck out plant juices and cause flowers to be streaked or distorted or the leaves to become blotchy or to drop.
Thrips are difficult to control because of their small size, which gives them ability to hide effectively. You can try to control them with an application or two of one of those ready-to-use houseplant insect-control sprays available either in an aerosol can or finger trigger bottle, as long as the label of that product lists thrips as one of the pests it can kill and lists African violets as one of the plants that the product can be used on. Follow all use directions on that label to avoid damage to your violets from the control itself.
Got a question about your plants, lawn, garden, or insects? Write to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010-2491.
John Arbogast is the agriculture extension agent for Roanoke