THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504140076
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Please repeat your advice about the use of Epsom salts on roses to enhance caning. Also I am interested in growing rhubarb. Could you please provide some assistance?
Don Vtipil, Norfolk
In recent years, it's been recommended you apply Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to roses, tomatoes and peppers for improved growth. The rule for roses is one tablespoon per gallon of water, applied to each rose in spring. Some rosarians apply it spring and fall. A new recommendation out of Los Angeles says to use two tablespoons per gallon. What I do is just dribble a spoonful around the rose and let rain do the rest. Epsom salts are supposed to produce more and tougher rose canes and darker green foliage.
As to rhubarb, our climate is too hot and humid. Some people plant them and may get one year's crop but seldom does it repeat. Unless you want to wait five years to grow from seed, it's wiser to start with plants, perhaps available in garden centers but most likely by mail. Plant rhubarb in the shade, in a well-drained high-compost soil. Plant on a ridge and hope for the best. I have grown rhubarb but not in this area.
The Virginia Tech Research Center advises, ``It's easier to open a can or buy rhubarb in the supermarket than to grow it in Hampton Roads.''
While in Florida recently, we saw several trees that resembled Norfolk Island pines but definitely were not. The pines have branches spaced very evenly 8 to 12 inches apart. Enclosed is a piece from the branches of one of the trees. Could you identify it, and if so, do you know where we can purchase one?
Ryan and Neena Wieck, Chesapeake
We must have visited the same part of Florida. I saw these unusual trees on Marcos Island but could not identify them. Taxonomists at the Virginia Tech Research Center say this is a species of the Araucaria family. The Norfolk Island Pine and the Monkey Puzzle tree are in the same group. They are unusual and attractive but would have to be wintered indoors in this area.
Two sources that might have them are Glasshouse Works, P.O. Box 97, Stewart, Ohio 45778. Call (614) 622-2142. Another is Logee's Greenhouses, 55 North St., Danielson, Conn. 06239. Call (203) 774-8038. The extension office for Fort Myers, Fla., referred me to a local nursery that probably could identify the tree and might be able to ship one. Call SZABO'S Nursery at (813) 597-2322.
I also called Donna Sprunt at Florida Keys Native Nursery Inc., 102 Mohawk St., Tavernier, Fla. 33070, because she is very helpful answering questions about South Florida plants. She said this one isn't native to the Florida Keys, but if you have questions about native plants, you can talk to her at (305) 852-2636.
My pecan tree had a tremendous crop this past year, but I had some problems with black spot on the meat. The tree is in a cultivated field and gets fertilized every year. I have been told the problem of black spot is caused by a lack of iron. What do you recommend?
J.E. Stieh, Franklin
Your problem is probably plant bugs that sting the nuts, leaving a black spot on each kernel. One problem with large pecan trees is that they grow too large to spray, but spraying is the only effective control. Virginia Tech recommends good weed control around the tree, which will help kill adult bugs. Legumes (soybeans, alfalfa, clover) should not be planted near pecan trees, because some are hosts for this bug.
Pecans trees benefit from some additional iron and zinc and annual fertilization, but that will probably not prevent the problem you describe. by CNB