ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9604040019
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Dear John
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
Q: I recently saw an advertisement for Canada Green grass seed mixture. What is your opinion of this? M.C.G., Pearisburg
A: I could not find any information on Canada Green. However, I recall a cautious reply in the past from Dave Chalmers, extension specialist for turf at Virginia Tech. He warns that consumers should look carefully at the description of any unfamiliar grass variety, paying special attention to the presence and amount of either perennial or annual rye grass in the mix. Rye grass is a temporary grass in our area, where the summers are hot and humid, and is sold for quick greening because it germinates quickly.
Rye grass should not be used for a permanent lawn in these parts, even though its quick sprouting and early growth will give confidence to a poorly informed gardener. Also, rye seed is fairly inexpensive, so beware of any big price tag.
Q: Each year I have to heavily overseed my back yard because of the activity on it from my two dogs. I typically have used a combination of mostly turf-type tall fescue with smaller portions of bluegrass and rye grass, but the grass struggles over the course of the summer. There is one patch of my yard that has what I call ``wiregrass,'' which I assume is a type of Bermuda. Because it seems to be more resilient to the heavy traffic and recovers better after the winter than my fescue, I now am strongly considering overseeding my back yard in all Bermuda or zoysia grass. If so, when is the best time in the spring to overseed and what type of fertilizer should I use with that? Also, I have some Turfbuilder Plus Halts in my garage that is about two years old. Can fertilizer go bad after a period of time? B.E.P., Roanoke
A: Your plan might not work because it's difficult to establish Bermuda grass or zoysia grass from seed. The recommended way is from sod, plugs or sprigs during the hot times of late spring to mid- or late-summer. Take a soil test to determine fertilizer needs.
Properly stored fertilizers should remain OK to use, providing that the product has not become wet or caked. The unknown with your Turfbuilder Plus Halts would be the pre-emergent herbicide that is part of your combination product (Plus Halts). The precise longevity of any individual pesticide is difficult to predict, but I would question the complete effectiveness after two years. Remember that fall is the best time to apply nutrients to bluegrasses and fescues.
Q: We have two apple trees that bear fruit from May through July. We don't want the apples. Is there any product we can spray on the trees to prevent them from bearing apples? If there is, when should we apply the spray? L.D., Roanoke
A: The only chemical that I know of that will cause some apples to abort that is available to home growers is Sevin if applied 14 to 21 days after full bloom. Before you decide to do this, please be aware that Sevin used on apples at that time will kill bees that are important pollinators, plus reduce the population of beneficial predators. Check with garden centers for any new product to prevent apples from setting.
Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants or insects to Dear John, c/o The Roanoke Times, 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 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 early April:
Resume the growing season practice of making monthly applications of soluble fertilizer to indoor plants.
Encourage continued root growth on your turf by mowing your lawn frequently enough so that no more than one-third of the grass height is cut off at one time.
Be sure that your lawnmower blade is sharp.
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John Arbogast is the agricultural and natural resources extension agent for Roanoke.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB