Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 6, 1994 TAG: 9501060044
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: There are many species of wolf spiders, but they are not dangerous, so don't panic. The abundance of these in the fall is a sign of the time of year, not a reason to call your exterminator. Take comfort in the fact that wolf spiders are beneficial; they prey on other spiders and insects; so, a general spider-spraying program is not recommended. Use a fly swatter and/or an aerosol household insect spray to kill what you can't tolerate. Wolf spiders don't build webs, so vacuuming won't help.
Q: I have been told that the wild chestnut tree is now a rarity in Virginia. Is that true? I would like to know because I found a chestnut sapling growing on my property. C.M.W., Clifton Forge
A: It is true that there only a few American chestnut trees left in Virginia large enough to produce pollen and nuts. I talked with Bob Boeren with the Virginia Forestry Department office in Salem, and he said that he was aware of a few American chestnuts along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Boeren did say that saplings coming up from American chestnut stumps likely will get the fungus when the saplings get large. Questions about American chestnuts can be directed to Tom Dierauf, chief of applied forest research with the Virginia Department of Forestry in Charlottesville at (804) 977-6555.
Q: I would like your advice for establishing an assortment of evergreen trees along my yard, which backs up to deciduous forests of the Blue Ridge Parkway and U.S. 220. This is not a very dense forest, and I am interested in planting hardy fast-growing trees that will provide a screen. Also, I would like your opinion on whether dense evergreen growth will help diminish the traffic noise from 220. My plantings will be in sun-shade and can extend 25 to 50 into the forest. Also, the forest (and my yard) is full of stink trees. How can these pesky trees be controlled? K.B., Roanoke
A: You can successfully accomplish both the screening and noise-reduction purposes with an assortment of evergreens in a wide border planting. Consider these comments from the book "Plants/People/and Environmental Quality,'' which was a study report published by the U.S. Department of the Interior in collaboration with the American Society of Landscape Architects Foundation:
"Buffer plantings ranging from 25 to 50 feet in depth, depending on the height and density, have produced satisfactory [noise reduction] results. For maximum effectiveness a planting consists of both trees and shrubs. Border plantings, to control noise, should be lower toward the source and higher toward the hearer.''
This means that the buffer plantings should be multiple layers of plants, not just a single row. Get suggestions from professional nurserymen, landscapers or landscape architects for the best buffer-plant species to use.
Control stink trees, also known as tree of heaven, on your property by these methods: Eliminate all the big, summer-seed-producing stink trees there to reduce the amount of seed and thus seedlings that come up; kill small stink trees with an application of Roundup according to label directions when the trees are in active growth, keeping in mind that Roundup can kill many plants on which this chemical falls. And use a stump- killing chemical - such as the use explained on the label of Brush-B-Gon Brush Killer - on freshly cut stink-tree stumps during active growth to kill the attached roots and thus prevent resprouting.
Q: We have a very old grapevine at our house that produced beautiful sweet grapes this summer. I am not sure of the type of grapes they are. About two years ago I accidently ran over this plant with the lawn mower. I have never purposely pruned this grape vine and would like to know how or if I should. D.G.D., Boones Mill
A: Yes, grapevines should be pruned any time after the vines become dormant. Envision the work you will have to do on your vine by thinking of the following purposes of grapevine pruning: (1) Cut out dead growth; (2) eliminate excessive past growth, especially older branches; (3) select 1-year-old branches that will fit on your trellis to produce grapes the coming summer; (4) select small shoots that will grow during the coming season and can be the branches to fit onto your trellis a years away; and (5) finally reduce the number of buds by pruning parts of those 1-year-old branches so that production is not too heavy in the coming year, which would result in more grapes but of smaller size and reduced quality.
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