THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 16, 1995 TAG: 9508150128
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Virginia Beach Master Gardener Alan Pocta might be called ``Doctor'' Pocta instead.
Part of his yard in Lynnhaven Acres, a neighborhood adjacent to Kings Grant, is like a hospital for ailing potted plants. Most are house plants and other tropicals, such as fig trees and hibiscus in various stages of recovery.
``Like some people take animals in, I take plants in,'' Pocta said. ``I like to see plants succeed, too.''
``Doctor'' Pocta's patients are referred to him in a variety of ways. Often friends drop off ailing plants for a little TLC and sometimes he actually purchases a sickly flower from a garden center or other such place and starts it on the road to recovery.
Nursing sickly plants back to health is just part of the retired oil company employee's gardening efforts. Pocta also likes to experiment with the off-beat and the difficult to grow, particularly tropical plants.
``I like Florida and I like the plants down there,'' he said. ``Every time I go down there, I bring something back.''
One of the more obvious tropicals in his yard is a 20-foot-tall banana tree. Every fall, Pocta cuts the big leafed tree back to 8 feet, digs up the huge 1 1/2- to 2-foot bulb, wraps it in burlap and stores the whole thing unceremoniously in the crawl space under his house until the following spring.
Pocta also has hibiscus growing around his yard and in winter he digs them up just as he does the banana tree. Only he pots the hibiscus and stores them in the garage where he waters the plants every week or two throughout the winter.
Pocta not only deals with hibiscus in this way, but he also winters over bougainvillea vines, night blooming jasmine and other tropical plants. He manages to keep lemon, tangerine and navel orange trees going in the same way too.
Pocta takes on unruly plants also. For example, he has a stand of bamboo which he planted, despite all advice to the contrary, more than 20 years ago. Bamboo takes a lot of work to keep it contained because it is so invasive. Now Pocta's bamboo stands more than 50 feet tall, yet it hasn't taken over his whole yard.
He keeps the bamboo under control by rotor tilling the spreading roots every so often.
When Pocta's not treating patients or moving tropicals in and out for the season, he propagates plants - everything from golden raintree, Japanese red maple and magnolia seedlings to windmill palms, Boston ferns and peace, ginger and day lilies.
``I like to propagate and grow them from smaller stages and watch them grow,'' he explained. ``Then when they get too much for me, I try to find a home for them.''
Occasionally he will advertise in the paper when his babies grow up or his patients heal. If you think you might be interested in purchasing any of Pocta's youngsters or former patients, you can contact him at 340-4414 and see what's available.
P.S. ATTEND A PROGRAM AND WALK AT BACK BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE at 2 p.m. Saturday. Ranger Dean Werner will focus on public use aspects of refuge management and will welcome questions. Call 721-2412 for reservations.
STURGEON FISHING in the Columbia River (where it's legal) will be the topic of Dr. Jim Wright's Saltwater Fishing program at 6 p.m. Saturday on the Home Team Sports Channel. Wright, a Virginia Beach ophthalmologist, called to correct last week's column on sturgeon. He said it is possible to catch sturgeon with a rod and reel and he'll show us how Saturday. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know about
Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555. Enter
category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Master Gardener Alan Pocta grows bamboo in his yard. He keeps it
under control by rotor tilling the roots.
by CNB