THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 24, 1995 TAG: 9512220099
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Long : 230 lines
Can you tell me the best way to care for my poinsettia? I've kept the plant since Christmas and would like to see it continue to thrive. The plant is in the original pot. I water it only when necessary and keep it in bright sunlight.
Dianna Carr, Virginia Beach
Elizabeth Colwell of Virginia Beach also wrote asking for instructions on caring poinsettias. Here's an easy method, Plan A:
St. Patrick's Day, cut the bracts (blooms) back.
Memorial Day, repot the plant in a larger container with rich, loamy soil and place the pot outdoors where it can get full sunlight and warm water. During spring and summer, fertilize the plant and water it twice a month.
July Fourth, cut all stems back by 6 inches.
Labor Day, bring the plant indoors to a sunny window.
Columbus Day, put it in a dark corner or closet. It needs needs 14 to 16 hours of continual darkness per day to set buds. Allow it to get only four to six hours of direct sunlight each day. Water and feed as usual.
When the plant reddens up into bloom, enjoy its beauty until St. Patrick's Day. Then start all over again.
Here's an easier method, Plan B. On Martin Luther King Day, put the pot and plant in the trash can and buy a new one next Christmas.
I need to divide my daylilies. They've been in the ground five years and didn't bloom well this year. When is this best done and do you have any tips? Once I divide them, I'd love to get some to my son in Atlanta. Is there a way to mail or ship them to him? How long can they be divided and not replanted?
Dee Paske, Virginia Beach
There have been numerous complaints that the widely promoted `Stella de Oro' daylily does not bloom after two or three years. This usually means it needs dividing, says the University of Delaware extension service. You can divide daylilies almost any time of year, but mid-summer after they've bloomed is the time usually recommended. Fall is also good. Dig the bulbs, hose them off and pull them apart. Or dig them with a clump of earth and then cut them into sections with a straight spade.
For shipping to your son, after they're hosed off and divided, wrap them in damp newspapers and ship at once. They should arrive in Atlanta, be planted and healthily growing within 30 days.
If dividing does not get your daylilies blooming again, perhaps they need fertilizing. Feed them with 10-10-10 in early spring and again in summer, using not more than two ounces per plant. Too much fertilizer results in foliage instead of blooms. Are yours getting enough sun? How about water? They like lots of water.
I want to try growing rhubarb and would like the phone number or address for Patricia Green. Can you send them to me? I want to see how she does it. I have tried for years with no luck.
C.P. Kuethe, Norfolk
More than one reader has asked to talk with Patricia Green, who grows rhubarb in Ocean View. Patricia is willing to share her secrets with others. If you want to talk with her, call 587-8015.
When is the correct time to prune hydrangeas? They were heavily laden with large blooms this year. I feel sure they need a trim.
Viola L. Boyce, Newport News
Hydrangeas should be pruned immediately after blooming. Some folks cut off and dry the blooms for winter bouquets. You can prune as much as you want to control their size. Be aware that most varieties bloom on new growth from this year's stems. You should cut off some stems at ground level to thin out the bush. Do not cut them all off or you won't have any blooms next season. Hydrangeas grow fast, so annual pruning is almost a necessity.
I am interested in your question concerning Mylar tape to control birds. I have a serious problem with birds in my garage. They mess up our two automobiles. I have tried many different things but nothing seems to stop them. The garage does not have doors. The Mylar tape should solve the problem. I live on the Eastern Shore, and the tape is not available here. Where in Norfolk or Virginia Beach can it be purchased? Rabbits have about taken over my yard. How can I get rid of them without shooting?
Milton T. Hickman, Painter, Va.
I'm not sure Mylar tape will work for you, because it needs to blow in the wind to be effective. In a garage that might not happen. It is sold in this area by Gardens in a Flowerpot, (804) 489-8972; McDonald Garden Center, (804) 464-5565; Smithfield Gardens, (804) 238-2511; and Virginia Beach Feed & Seed, (804) 431-1714. Virginia Beach Feed & Seed will ship; I don't know about the others.
As to rabbits, I know of nothing that works except a fence. To keep them away from specific plants, human hair deters them as well as anything else. They are a gardener's worst pest.
Please send me information on how to over-winter a banana tree. It is 3 feet tall in a large pot. It was outside all summer. The bottom leaves slowly yellow and fall off and new large leaves unroll at the top. I have become attached to this plant so I am concerned on how to treat it properly.
Genie Parker, Ahoskie, N.C.
Because your banana is small and in a pot, Esty Vollrath says to bring it indoors before the nights become cool - probably by mid-October. Put it in the sunniest spot in your house. Water it only when the soil is dry and then drench it. It should be put back outdoors when the weather warms up in the spring.
We would like to know where we can buy Mole-Med. We have been going crazy with moles.
Elmer Sherman, Edenton, N.C.
Mole-Med is available in many hardware, feed and seed and garden stores in Hampton Roads, including Virginia Beach Feed & Seed. Some outlet in Edenton should carry it, because it's the only mole remedy known to work. If you cannot find it, call toll free (800) 255-2527 and ask for the name of the nearest retail outlet.
Thank you for printing my letter offering a solution to a pesky slug situation. My solution was and is the ``red-bellied snake.'' Inasmuch as I did not capture the snake and did not turn it over to see its belly, I accept the identification. If any additional facts become available, I will write you. Please do not divulge my name or address. I wish to keep harmony in the household.
Jim in Virginia Beach
Jim gave me his full name and address but because some people are afraid of snakes, including his wife, it's being withheld. He discoverd a night-moving snake in his plants that ate all his slugs. Gary Williamsen, Southeastern Virginia's snake authority, identified the snake as a rare but wonderful ``red-bellied snake.'' Since then readers have asked where they could buy one, but it's one of those benefits of nature not for sale.
Can you tell me the best way to care for my poinsettia? I've kept the plant since Christmas and would like to see it continue to thrive. The plant is in the original pot. I water it only when necessary and keep it in bright sunlight.
Dianna Carr, Virginia Beach
Elizabeth Colwell of Virginia Beach also wrote asking for instructions on caring poinsettias. Here's an easy method, Plan A:
St. Patrick's Day, cut the bracts (blooms) back.
Memorial Day, repot the plant in a larger container with rich, loamy soil and place the pot outdoors where it can get full sunlight and warm water. During spring and summer, fertilize the plant and water it twice a month.
July Fourth, cut all stems back by 6 inches.
Labor Day, bring the plant indoors to a sunny window.
Columbus Day, put it in a dark corner or closet. It needs needs 14 to 16 hours of continual darkness per day to set buds. Allow it to get only four to six hours of direct sunlight each day. Water and feed as usual.
When the plant reddens up into bloom, enjoy its beauty until St. Patrick's Day. Then start all over again.
Here's an easier method, Plan B. On Martin Luther King Day, put the pot and plant in the trash can and buy a new one next Christmas.
I need to divide my daylilies. They've been in the ground five years and didn't bloom well this year. When is this best done and do you have any tips? Once I divide them, I'd love to get some to my son in Atlanta. Is there a way to mail or ship them to him? How long can they be divided and not replanted?
Dee Paske, Virginia Beach
There have been numerous complaints that the widely promoted `Stella de Oro' daylily does not bloom after two or three years. This usually means it needs dividing, says the University of Delaware extension service. You can divide daylilies almost any time of year, but mid-summer after they've bloomed is the time usually recommended. Fall is also good. Dig the bulbs, hose them off and pull them apart. Or dig them with a clump of earth and then cut them into sections with a straight spade.
For shipping to your son, after they're hosed off and divided, wrap them in damp newspapers and ship at once. They should arrive in Atlanta, be planted and healthily growing within 30 days.
If dividing does not get your daylilies blooming again, perhaps they need fertilizing. Feed them with 10-10-10 in early spring and again in summer, using not more than two ounces per plant. Too much fertilizer results in foliage instead of blooms. Are yours getting enough sun? How about water? They like lots of water.
I want to try growing rhubarb and would like the phone number or address for Patricia Green. Can you send them to me? I want to see how she does it. I have tried for years with no luck.
C.P. Kuethe, Norfolk
More than one reader has asked to talk with Patricia Green, who grows rhubarb in Ocean View. Patricia is willing to share her secrets with others. If you want to talk with her, call 587-8015.
When is the correct time to prune hydrangeas? They were heavily laden with large blooms this year. I feel sure they need a trim.
Viola L. Boyce, Newport News
Hydrangeas should be pruned immediately after blooming. Some folks cut off and dry the blooms for winter bouquets. You can prune as much as you want to control their size. Be aware that most varieties bloom on new growth from this year's stems. You should cut off some stems at ground level to thin out the bush. Do not cut them all off or you won't have any blooms next season. Hydrangeas grow fast, so annual pruning is almost a necessity.
I am interested in your question concerning Mylar tape to control birds. I have a serious problem with birds in my garage. They mess up our two automobiles. I have tried many different things but nothing seems to stop them. The garage does not have doors. The Mylar tape should solve the problem. I live on the Eastern Shore, and the tape is not available here. Where in Norfolk or Virginia Beach can it be purchased? Rabbits have about taken over my yard. How can I get rid of them without shooting?
Milton T. Hickman, Painter, Va.
I'm not sure Mylar tape will work for you, because it needs to blow in the wind to be effective. In a garage that might not happen. It is sold in this area by Gardens in a Flowerpot, (804) 489-8972; McDonald Garden Center, (804) 464-5565; Smithfield Gardens, (804) 238-2511; and Virginia Beach Feed & Seed, (804) 431-1714. Virginia Beach Feed & Seed will ship; I don't know about the others.
As to rabbits, I know of nothing that works except a fence. To keep them away from specific plants, human hair deters them as well as anything else. They are a gardener's worst pest.
Please send me information on how to over-winter a banana tree. It is 3 feet tall in a large pot. It was outside all summer. The bottom leaves slowly yellow and fall off and new large leaves unroll at the top. I have become attached to this plant so I am concerned on how to treat it properly.
Genie Parker, Ahoskie, N.C.
Because your banana is small and in a pot, Esty Vollrath says to bring it indoors before the nights become cool - probably by mid-October. Put it in the sunniest spot in your house. Water it only when the soil is dry and then drench it. It should be put back outdoors when the weather warms up in the spring.
We would like to know where we can buy Mole-Med. We have been going crazy with moles.
Elmer Sherman, Edenton, N.C.
Mole-Med is available in many hardware, feed and seed and garden stores in Hampton Roads, including Virginia Beach Feed & Seed. Some outlet in Edenton should carry it, because it's the only mole remedy known to work. If you cannot find it, call toll free (800) 255-2527 and ask for the name of the nearest retail outlet.
Thank you for printing my letter offering a solution to a pesky slug situation. My solution was and is the ``red-bellied snake.'' Inasmuch as I did not capture the snake and did not turn it over to see its belly, I accept the identification. If any additional facts become available, I will write you. Please do not divulge my name or address. I wish to keep harmony in the household.
Jim in Virginia Beach
Jim gave me his full name and address but because some people are afraid of snakes, including his wife, it's being withheld. He discovered a night-moving snake in his plants that ate all his slugs. Gary Williamsen, Southeastern Virginia's snake authority, identified the snake as a rare but wonderful ``red-bellied snake.'' Since then readers have asked where they could buy one, but it's one of those benefits of nature not for sale. MEMO: No gardening questions will be taken over the phone. Write to Robert
Stiffler, The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va.
23510. Answers will be published on a space-available basis. For an
earlier reply, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. No gardening
questions will be taken over the phone. Write to Robert Stiffler, The
Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510. Answers
will be published on a space-available basis. For an earlier reply, send
a self-addressed, stamped envelope. by CNB