THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 25, 1994 TAG: 9409230082
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
My son gave me a Mandevilla plant for Mother's Day. It was great at first, with lovely blooms. Then it started turning yellow, and the leaves fell off. Little white flies were on all the leaves. I bought some Black Flag House & Garden Spray, but that didn't help. All the leaves are off now but the plant is starting to come to life again. It's been inside my house all the time. Will the white flies come back?
Mrs. R. Hollandsworth, Norfolk
Mandevilla is an excellent tropical vine with beautiful rose-pink blooms, but it needs to be outdoors in summer. Inside, it is a potent attraction to white flies. Spray with something labeled for white-fly control. Several products are available in garden centers, but often you have to spray every five days. Keep it in its pot in a sunny place outdoors. Bring it in before cold weather, and then check it daily for white flies. My manual says a combination of seaweed and garlic/pepper tea spray is the most effective control. I've found J. Howard Garrett's ``Organic Manual'' (The Summit Group, $16.95 paperback) is the best for organic controls.
The response to my offer of hyacinth bean seed has been overwhelming. I am currently ``beanless.'' But if all those readers of yours who have written will be patient, I will share. My surviving vines will have dry pods with seeds in late fall to early winter. I have all the unfulfilled requests with SASE on file and expect to fill them.
Cynthia Erskine, Seward House Inn, Surry
Hyacinth bean was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorites at Monticello and should not be planted until warm weather. So when Cynthia Erskine sends you seed this winter, put it away in a cool, dry place and plant it next May. You'll be delighted with its purple blooms.
My problem concerns a few baseball infields that have been invaded by Bermuda grass and numerous weeds. A few months ago, you provided a recipe for a herbicide that would kill Bermuda grass and weeds, but I failed to write down the recipe. Would you please give it once more? Will this herbicide have any effect on the properties of clay soil or any adverse effects on humans that come in contact with it after application?
Bill Weiss, Virginia Beach
The recipe is a home-recipe soil sterilant. It's from the ``Green Thumb Extra'' newsletter: One gallon 5 percent acidic acid (same as used for making pickles) plus one pound table salt. Add one tablespoon liquid hand soap to get it to stick better to leaves. Mix, dissolve and spray. Keep away from tree roots. It sterilizes the soil for several years, so nothing will grow there. To subscribe to the Green Thumb Extra, send $15 to P.O. Box 17614, Denver, Colo. 80217.
A chemical product that kills grass and weeds, but does not sterilize the soil, is Roundup. Kleenup is a derivative that works faster. Spectracide Weed and Grass Killer is another version of a similar product and kills within three days. None of these products is long-lasting.
I am sending you leaves from azaleas I purchased in April. When we bought them, they were in full bloom and looked good. We had to remove some azaleas to put these new ones in place. When we started to plant the new ones, they were covered with this blight. Can you tell me what it is? Also, should we go ahead and plant them and hope they are OK next year?
Ralph B. Bowden, Norfolk
Your azaleas have leaf gall, a common problem on some trees and shrubs, especially native bay trees and azaleas. Specialists believe most galls are caused by stinging insects. Your azaleas may have been infected when you purchased them. The good news is that galls, though horrible looking, are harmless. Pick them off by hand. There is no effective spray.
Another good practice is to plant azaleas in October, the best month for this area. MEMO: No gardening questions will be taken over the phone. Write to Robert
Stiffler, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, 150 W. Brambleton
Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510. Answers will be published on a space-available
basis at the proper time for their use in the garden. For an earlier
reply, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. by CNB