Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 2, 1994 TAG: 9401030287
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: John Arbogast
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Seminar topics are: "Landscaping Your Home," "Lawn Care," "Vegetable Gardening," "Fundamentals of Irrigation," "Fundamentals of Orchids," "Vineyard and Vintage," "Water Gardening" and "Gardening with Herbs."
Deadline for registering at the VWCC Admissions Office is Jan. 11. The tuition for each seminar is $44. For more information, contact the VWCC Horticulture Department at (703) 857-7120.
Q: We have a Red Jade tree (with weeping branches) that is 5 to 6 years old; it produced a full tree of red "apples" this year (remindful of crab apples). Are these "apples" edible? D.M.S., Rocky Mount
A: Red Jade is one of the many cultivated varieties of flowering crabapples. I can't vouch for the edible qualities of this particular crabapple. However, birds like the fruits of this tree. Crabapples, in general, have been used for making jelly.
Q: I would like to plant a row of hedge by cutting switches from an older hedge and sticking them in the ground, hoping they will sprout roots and grow. What is the best time of year to do this and how far apart should I plant them? Would 2 feet be about right? F.F., Roanoke
A: Without knowing the name of the hedge, I can't give specific recommendations. However, I can give reliable generalized suggestions to your first question. I am assuming that you mean a leafy plant rather than a needled-evergreen that is used in a hedge.
Four- to six-inch long cuttings of various woody landscape plants root most readily when cuttings are taken in early summer from vigorous shoots that were produced the previous spring. This would be when the new spring growth has become firm but has not yet become hard and woody. Your idea of rooting cuttings in the ground where you want a new hedge can work if the soil in that spot is fairly loose and you are able to supply moisture as needed. Also, most leafy hedge plants will have a nice, dense look in full sun, which is an environment that may cause leaves on the cuttings to wilt before rooting has a chance to occur.
I would need to know the name of the hedge plant you will propagate before I could discuss spacing of rooted plants. Keep in mind, though, that roots may not form on all cuttings you stick into the soil. It may be a good idea to use more cuttings at a closer spacing than you will ultimately need and plan on thinning later.
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, Va. 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 DON'T SEND STAMPS, STAMPED ENVELOPES, SAMPLES, OR PICTURES.
Gardener's checklist
Jobs for early January:
Keep your Christmas poinsettia and other holiday flowering plants looking great by placing them in a location of bright light, no drafts, 60 to 70 degrees F., and complete watering only when the soil feels just slightly damp to the touch. Remember that these flowering plants are living things, and not just decorations.
John Arbogast is the agriculture extension agent for Roanoke
by CNB