ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 26, 1996 TAG: 9605300005
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: DEAR JOHN
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
Organic landscape mulch, whether it is shredded wood, bark or needles, has numerous merits, but there seems to be an increasing concern for the fire hazard that mulch creates around the home.
The homes at a greatest risk are those with combustible exterior surfaces and those in a woodland setting. However, all homeowners with organic mulch adjacent to their residences need to look at, and possibly modify, this hazard.
The goal is to break the chain between the home and the flammable fuel, which frequently is organic mulch but might also include plants.
The area within 5 feet of the house is the most critical for fire protection. The bottom line is that we should have nothing flammable next to the house. This does not mean that area must be barren.
Maintain a well-kept lawn or use crushed brick or stones instead of organic mulch. We can also use raised beds, large decorative rocks, stone walkways, patios or other features to create visual interest while maintaining a fuel break for safety.
Suggestions for the next area, which includes the space about 10 feet out from the house, include maintaining a well-kept lawn and avoiding evergreens that catch fire easily and burn quickly.
The Virginia Department of Forestry has developed a "Woodland Home Fire Safety Checklist" and other material regarding these concerns. For information or assistance, call Bob Boeren in the VDF Office in Salem at 387-5461.
Carpenter ants
Residents might report seeing large black ants known as "carpenter ants" in the kitchen. If these ants are found early in the year, it usually means that the ant colony has established itself indoors. However, if these same ants are seen in late May or June, it usually means that the colony is outdoors and the ants are coming indoors in search of food. Locating carpenter ant nests should start with the fact that they prefer moisture- damaged wood in which to build their nests.
Q: I have a new stand of grass growing, but we see sprigs of fall grass already coming in it, which ends up killing the grass by winter. Is there anything to spray with and kill the fall grass and not destroy the good grass? Also, how high or low should the new grass be cut to keep it growing? S.H.S., Buchanan
A: I'm not too sure what you mean by "fall grass," but two important points are (1) newly established grass is tender and thus easily injured; and (2) if your so-called "fall grass" is actually a summer annual grass (example: crabgrass), chemicals are available to kill it in a mature lawn but only if the summer annual grass is still very small. I would recommend that you take a sprig of your fall grass to a local turf expert for identification and more specific information on your concern.
New grass should be mowed at the regular cutting height for established grass of the same type. For a bluegrass/fescue lawn, the cutting height should be about 3 inches.
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.
Open gardens
Gary and Carol Osborne extend an invitation to their Glebe Hill Gardens, 2322 Glebe Road in Daleville, featuring 500 varieties of daylilies, 300 varieties of hostas, 75 varieties of ornamental grasses, 50 varieties of Coral Bells and a water garden. Visitors are welcome from June 10 through July 7 - weekdays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sundays 1-8 p.m.
Call (540) 345-6771 or (540) 992-1567 for more information.
Gardener's checklist
Jobs for late May:
Call the Greenline staffed by trained Master Gardener volunteers in the Roanoke City Extension Office during work hours at 857-7915 for answers to consumer horticulture questions. Long-distance calls cannot be returned.
Mow grass at a frequency based on the growth, so that no more than one-third of the blade height is removed in a cutting. Use grass clippings that are free of weed killer residues as a mulch in flower beds and vegetable gardens if allowed to dry well before use.
Stay out of the garden when foliage is wet to avoid spreading disease.
Look for aphids nearby when you see ants crawling about on garden plants.
Plant gladiolus bulbs now in well-drained soil in locations protected from winds.
LENGTH: Medium: 89 linesby CNB