Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 28, 1995 TAG: 9505310010
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A rule of thumb is that a garden needs an inch of water a week either from rain or irrigation to produce good vegetables. However, factors such as hot, dry or windy weather; poor soil; or a large weed population can increase water needs. On the other hand, cloudy, humid, or still weather conditions; soil with high organic matter content; and adequate mulching can reduce water needs.
So, before the lazy, hazy days of summer hit, let's look at some irrigation methods from the Virginia Tech Office of Consumer Horticulture, with advantages and disadvantages listed:
Sprinklers: Advantages - can provide even coverage of large area. Disadvantages - high water loss to evaporation; can leave foliage wet and thus favor disease spread; often waters unintended areas or can otherwise be wasteful; difficult to use efficiently on slopes.
Micro irrigation (includes drip and trickle irrigation, bubblers and micro sprinklers): Advantages: places water directly at roots, thereby keeping foliage dry and helping reduce weed populations by irrigating only desirable plants; can be installed under mulch to reduce evaporation and runoff; water is applied slowly; can be adapted to irregularly shaped areas; and allows the gardener to have more control over water given to individual plants. Disadvantages: most systems are not easily portable; sometimes easily clogged; ``micro irrigation'' tubing can be damaged by rodents.
Hand watering - Advantages: applies water where needed; no special equipment needed. Disadvantages: time consuming; method easily results in underwatering; amount of water applied can easily be too much in a short time, which can create runoff.
Q: When and how should azaleas and boxwoods be trimmed? V.B.A., Roanoke
A: Azaleas can be trimmed now, just after their spring blooms have faded. Select the type of pruning tool based on the diameter of azalea stems to be cut. Simply cut branch ends to remove unwanted length, making sure that the cuts are just above a side branch, leaf or bud on that large stem.
Boxwood pruning consists of two parts: 1) thinning, which means cutting out scattered small shoots. The thinning job is usually done by reaching into the boxwood shape with sharp hand-held pruners to remove selected branch ends. This may be done any time during the growing season. 2) reduction in boxwood size, which ideally should be done in mid to late March just before new spring growth. Boxwood pruning to reduce the size is done by cutting boxwood stems to remove the desired amount of greenery.
Q: The moles are ruining our yard. We just reseeded a portion of the yard, and the moles are tunneling through that. Should we tamp these raised areas down before the new grass appears? Is there any help in ridding one's yard of these pesky things? S.H.S., Buchanan
A: You should gently tamp down the tunnel paths raised by moles as soon as possible. I realize that the new grass is likely up by now. However, you'll want the ground to be fairly even when you mow.
Mole control is handled by traps designed to be placed over active mole pathways. Follow the instructions that come with that style of trap. Castor beans can be planted as a mole repellant on the border of a yard if moles seem to be coming from an adjacent area. However, these plants, especially the beans, are known to be poisonous to people.
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.
by CNB