ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 15, 1995                   TAG: 9510180009
SECTION: HOMES                    PAGE: C-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium


WORKSHOPS SHOW HOW TO MAKE COMPOST

This time of year, those who have a yard have all the materials needed to begin backyard composting.

Try using lawn wastes and leaves as a soil improver for next year instead of leaving them for local pickup.

To help folks who wish to do this, I will conduct three backyard composting workshops, open to the public, in partnership with Roanoke's Clean Valley Council, Virginia Western Community College, the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

They will be held Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and on Oct. 28 at 10 a.m.

Registration is required by calling the Clean Valley Council at 345-5523. The one-hour compost workshops will be held at the backyard composting demonstration site behind the fine arts building at Virginia Western Community College.

A registration fee of $5 provides each participant with two portable, lightweight, degradable, 150-gallon compost bins and an instruction book.

Q: I need help on how to care for native Hawaiian trees. I recognize the palm. I have no idea of the identity of the other. Should they be pruned back for cold weather? Can they be stored indoors where there is no heat for winter? S.M., Bedford

A: Most of the plants grown indoors are tropical plants that grow in nature out of doors in the hot parts of the world. So, give your plants from Hawaii the care and environment they have in that habitat, which means good light and protection from chilly temperatures.

An indoor location without heat would likely be too cold if the temperature dips into the 40s or below. Don't prune your Hawaiian plants for winter, since that really won't help the plants; at this time, new growth might not occur quickly enough with the shorter days to replace parts lost.

Q: I would like to know when to trim hibiscus. B.J.S., Lexington

A: Which kind do you have? The shrubby outdoor hibiscus that blooms in the summer can be pruned in the early spring just as the new growth is first appearing. The indoor hibiscus can be pruned if needed when it is just beginning to make vigorous new growth following a period of slow growth.

Q: I have three clematis vines. Each spring they burst forth and look so pretty. They start to bloom. Then, the leaves start turning brown and soon the whole vine is dead and brittle. I cut away the dead parts. I've tried fungicide, watering and everything with no result. This problem has gone on for four or five years. Do you know what this is? Should I get rid of these clematises and start all over? K.B., Marion

A: I don't have a clear idea what is causing this problem. Some of the problems that have been identified on clematis are: a leaf spot/stem rot; a so-called leaf blight caused by a bacteria; and various pests including root infesting nemas that can kill the entire vine.

To get to the root of the problem, don't get rid of these clematises now. Let them grow but be ready to take samples to your Smyth County Extension Office (540-783-5176) to be sent to the Plant Clinic at Virginia Tech just as soon as symptoms begin appearing next spring. Take some pencil-size roots with plenty of soil from one of the affected vines as well as vine pieces.

Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times, 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 during the weeks that the subject is timely. Personal replies cannot be given. Please don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples, or pictures.

Gardener's checklist

Jobs for mid October:

Remove and destroy all faded iris foliage to reduce chances of iris borer damage next year.

To prevent rodents such as squirrels, mice, or chipmunks from digging up the loose soil where you've planted spring flowering bulbs, cover the newly planted bed with some type of open mesh wire, like chicken wire, and fasten it in place with bent wires or pegs.



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