Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 29, 1993 TAG: 9308300264
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: John Arbogast
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
My problem is that I don't see any earthworms. I've always felt that soil that had an abundance of worms had good tilth. Does the fact that I rototill eliminate the earthworms? I also feel that I do not have enough water-retaining material in the soil.
When it bakes in our Virginia sun, the soil turns to either dust or concrete, depending on how long ago I rototilled. I would like to have a nice rich soil with all its nutrients, but horse manure and straw don't provide it. What am I doing wrong? Perhaps I should go to double digging and go to narrow rows with nothing in between the rows. C.J.L., Lexington
A: You are right in thinking that the presence of earthworms is a sign of a good soil and that the addition of organic matter is the way to improve clay soils. Also, it's great to hear gardeners using manure and any of the legume cover crops to reduce or eliminate the need to add "store-bought" fertilizers.
It does sound like you are overworking your soil and possibly destroying its natural structure, since you used "sand consistency" as a comparison. The organic matter that you work in every couple of years plus mixing in the cover crop each spring is not enough humus-forming material. This is based on the fact that there are no earthworms in your garden plus that the soil gets either dusty or concrete hard in the sun. Poor soil, rather than the rototilling, explains the lack of earthworms.
I suggest you work in additional organic matter like compost (start a pile to recycle yard and garden wastes) along with the cover crop in late winter, reduce your frequency of summer tilling, plus work about a 2-inch layer of organic matter into the soil in late summer before seeding your crimson clover cover crop.
Double digging may not be necessary unless parts of your garden won't drain after rains come, because the main purpose of that practice is to break up a hard soil layer under the top soil layer. Narrow rows won't automatically provide more organic matter to your soil, although that would help to shade your soil and possibly keep your tiller out of parts of the garden.
Q: We have a magnolia tree that is more than 20 feet tall and 20 years old and has never bloomed. I want magnolia blossoms. What do I do? Mrs. A.J., Smith Mountain Lake
A: First, for the purposes of this answer, I'll assume that you are talking about the Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora); there are many other magnolias.
Two possibilities come to mind to explain the lack of blooms. I have read that it may take as long as 15-20 years for a Southern magnolia that was grown from seed to begin to flower. So, wait and you may soon see and smell flowers in a year or two.
The other possibility is that if you have this tree in a spot where it gets winter chills, winds or other harsh conditions, you might not ever get flowers. Buy a new Southern magnolia that is in flower, plant it in a different location and give it all the usual care for a new tree, including weekly soakings.
Q: I purchased a red dogwood three years ago, and although it has had good growth and lush foliage, it has not bloomed. A friend recently told me that he had been told that high-nitrogen fertilizers would prevent dogwoods from blooming.
Is this true and if so how can I counteract the effects of the nitrogen around the dogwood, as I have a new lawn and still need to use turf fertilizers? G.E.H., Bedford
A: I don't know of any research showing that high-nitrogen fertilizers keep dogwoods from blooming. It does make sense that a lot of nitrogen, especially during the late spring and summer, could reduce the number of blooms on a dogwood, because dogwood flower buds must form in mid- to late summer for the next spring's show.
Any stress on the dogwood during the summer, such as from a lack of moisture, will inhibit the formation of those flower buds.
You didn't mention the size or age of your red dogwood three years ago when you bought it. Assuming that the tree was rather small and young then, it may not have been mature enough these last three years to flower. So, I would recommend giving your dogwood routine care and simply waiting for it to come into blooming.
Continue to promote dense growth of your new lawn by fertilizing, but supply most of the nitrogen in the fall if you have bluegrass, ryegrass or fescue turf; that is the season the cool-season grasses will gain the most benefit from nutrients and the time that your tree should not be overstimulated.
Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants or insects to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010-2491.
We need your mail, but this column can't reply to all letters. Those of wide appeal will be answered each week. Personal replies cannot be given. Please do not send stamped envelopes, samples or pictures.
John Arbogast is the agricultural extension agent for Roanoke.
by CNB