Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 17, 1994 TAG: 9407290038
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: John ArBogast
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A: Trap the chipmunks with a box trap, which may also be called a live-trap, not any snapping type trap, and carry them far away to a wooded area and release them. Chipmunk bait for a live-trap could be whole shelled corn or other forms of grain such as scratch grain, wheat, oats or barley.
Q: What will control the small insects on the foliage of my gladiolus? Spray doesn't seem to stick well enough to offer any lasting control. I've tried Sevin and Diazinon. These insects are eating like crazy. T.S.B., Glade Hill
A: To recommend specific control information, we must identify the culprit. Are the insects sucking the juices from the gladiolus leaves or are they chewing holes?
I'm not aware of an insect that does the latter damage to glads, so I can't even venture a guess at the insect identification, proper controls or why the insecticides were ineffective. If your glads haven't been ruined and if this pest is still present, contact your local extension office and arrange to bring in a sample of the pests.
Q: How should irises be cared for after they bloom? Also, what causes them to go to one color? The first two years these were planted there were many colors. Now there are only about three colors. O.J.P., Collinsville
A: After blooming, iris should be cared for in the following manner:
Soak soil once a week during droughts;
Keep weeds and grass from the iris rhizomes;
Cut off only the tips of the foliage after the ends turn brown;
Remove the iris foliage, as well as any leaf litter, in the fall as soon as the leaves become yellow to reduce chances for iris borer egg laying.
The only explanation I can think of for the reduction in iris color is that iris plants (rhizomes) of certain colors died after those first two years due to some site-related cause, leaving behind only the hardier iris plants of those three colors.
Q: Please suggest some perennials that bloom from the middle of May through June, after my irises have bloomed and before my daisies, black-eyed Susans and coreopsis start to bloom. M.S., Salem
A: Due to variabilities in locations and the weather, I wouldn't want to stake my reputation on this, but here are a few perennials that should bloom during the weeks that you specified: Astilbe (Astilbe arendsi), Fernleaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina), Maiden Pink (Dianthus deltoides), Cottage Pink (Dianthus plumarius), Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis), Yellow Foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora), Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides), Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) and Globeflower (Trollius europaeus).
Refer to garden catalogs for information on colors, heights and need for sun or part shade. To save the expense of perennial plants next spring, readers should keep in mind that midsummer is an ideal time to sow perennial seed.
Q: In April some Christmas tree growers gave us three 3-year old Fraser firs, about 11/2 feet tall. The friends told us to plant the trees in a northern or eastern exposure.
However, almost all of our property receives full sun most of the day. We planted the trees in semi-shaded spots. The two that receive the most sun are now yellowed and dropping most of their needles.
Should we try to shade them this year until they get established, water them more, replant them in full shade, or give up trying to grow these trees in Blacksburg? Also, this spring we planted a 6-foot redbud that was curved when we bought it. The tree seems to be leaning in one direction and the curve hasn't straightened out. Will the redbud straighten out as it grows or should we tie and stake it to get a proper form? If so, what is the best procedure? The tree has many thin branches all growing upward. S.P., Blacksburg
A: Unfortunately, the Fraser fir suffers in our hot, dry summers at locations under 2,000 feet above sea level. Providing a good soaking once a week may be all you can do, since keeping the soil constantly wet will lead to root rot. If the firs survive this heat, you can try transplanting this fall to shadier spots, but that won't guarantee success with already stressed trees. Actually, in the cooler mountains above 3,000 feet elevation, this fir does well in the sun.
The future growth of your Eastern redbud will likely be straight in the direction of the predominant sunshine and least competition from neighboring plants, if applicable in a given spot. The currently curved portion, as well as any existing lean, probably will stay that way, so supporting your redbud to attempt to correct that lean would be a good idea. Install two 5-foot stakes on opposite sides of the redbud, just outside the rootball area and gently pull the trunk into a more vertical location before securing that to the stakes with plastic landscape ties available at nurseries. Leave the supports for one year only.
Q: What kinds of shrubs and/or ornamental grasses or trees, if any, can I safely plant over septic lines and over the septic tank itself? B.J., Blue Ridge
A: To be on the safe side, I would avoid planting anything except turfgrass over any portion of your septic system because of these two reasons: Roots of trees, shrubs or other garden or ornamental plants can clog or cause damage to the system; and watering plants can lead to a hydraulic overload and cause problems or premature failure of the septic system, according to Jay Conta, soil scientist at Virginia Tech.
Q: At this time of year, irregular rust-colored spots of varying size appear on the leaves of our Japanese maple trees. What causes these lesions and what is the remedy? R.W.D., Blacksburg
A: These spots are likely the result of an environmental stress referred to as scorch, not due to a disease or a pest. The term ``scorch'' describes death of leaves due to a loss of moisture.
Japanese maples have thin leaves and thus scorch easily. The remedies would be to plant shade trees at the right angle from your Japanese maples to shield them from the hot direct sun, and provide weekly soakings during dry weather. Contact your Montgomery County Extension Office and arrange to bring them a sample just to be sure that something else is not happening.
Q: Last year we planted three apple trees in our front yard. Last summer and again this year, they developed spots on their leaves that looked like pictures that I have seen of cedar-apple rust disease.
Are there any other species besides cedar that cycle this rust? How close do they need to be to my apple trees? Is there anything that I can do to protect my apple trees? Also, the leaves of one of my young cherry trees (planted in March '93) are turning yellow and falling off. What could be the cause? K.B.P., Roanoke
A: The fungus that causes cedar-apple rust disease must alternate between apples and then either certain species of juniper or red cedar. It is usually not practical to remove the cedars because the fungus spores in springtime can be blown as far as three miles to apple trees. However, do not plant apples within several hundred yards of known junipers or red cedar.
Cedar-apple rust cannot be controlled on this year's apples and leaves. Starting early next spring when the new apple leaves are only about one-half inch long until about three weeks after most apple flower petals have fallen, make repeated applications of the fungicide ferbam according to label details.
The yellow leaves on your cherry might be the result of insect feeding or a lack of nutrients. Gather more information, such as condition of adjacent plants and distribution of yellowing, and contact your local Extension office to have a dialogue or arrange to bring in a sample for diagnosis.
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 don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples or pictures.
by CNB