THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603090057
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G9 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Long : 143 lines
I started my one-half acre of lawn over four years ago with Titan fescue, with good results - so good that all my neighbors admire it. I am surrounded by areas of Bermuda grass, and last summer it started making inroads into my Titan lawn. I have about had it trying to kill off areas where it has begun. I then re-seed, trying to control it. Does it make sense to just let the inevitable happen - which would mean overseeding with summer grasses in the spring and rye in the fall?
James M. Whiley Sr.,
Elizabeth City, N.C.
I never like to throw in the towel on any project, but I can tell you from experience that if Bermuda gets into your fescue lawn, you have a severe problem. The only solution is to spray every sprig of Bermuda as soon as you see it with a strong solution of Roundup. That will kill it. Then reseed with Titan. But it will be a never-ending battle, particularly if your lawn is in full sunshine and surrounded by fields of Bermuda wiregrass.
As to summer-winter grasses, that is another battle. The better your stand of Bermuda for summer, the tougher it is to have rye in the winter. Conversely, if you have a good stand of rye grass, it won't die out until May, and then it's tough for the Bermuda to get established. My suggestion would be to concentrate on having a good summer lawn - or a good winter lawn. Trying to have each is almost impossible.
Of your options, I think I'd kill the Bermuda, reseed with Titan and continue every week with that effort. If you can keep a decent stand of Titan, it will be green summer and winter.
The recent letter from Rena Creef in Chesapeake told my story as well. Could you be so kind as to send a copy of the list of plants that will grow in wet soil?
Ted Forte, Norfolk
A list of such plants is in the mail to you.
Your column is so helpful and appreciated, but I have a problem that may not be too common for this area. I received an orange tree as a gift, 10 inches high. Last fall, it got an infestation of tiny white, fuzzy insects that can fly. I kept them under control until spring. By spring it had grown to 18 inches so I set it out in the yard for summer. By fall, it was 7 feet tall. Can it be pruned and how do you do it? I brought it indoors before freezing, putting it in a new pot with sterilized soil, but the insects are back, even in an entirely new environment. What is the solution?
My last comment is on African violets. I have never seen such huge houseplants with large clusters of blooms standing up in the center of these plants. I fed them one time this past year, and they are certainly a pleasure to have. I am 76 years old and have enjoyed working with plants all my life.
Mildred Bell, Portsmouth
First, consider yourself lucky that your African violets are performing. I know more gardeners who can't grow them than those who can. Your letter proves they don't need much fertilizer. What they must have is just the right light, which is usually an east window, but protected from full sun.
As to your orange tree, your insect problem is white flies, which are always a problem with some houseplants. Joe Freeman, chief horticulturist at Cypress Gardens in Florida, says to apply an insecticide twice a week for at least three weeks. He uses Neem, often sold as BioNeem, an organic insecticide that disrupts the white fly's life-cycle and also repels adult white flies. If that doesn't control them, use alternate applications of Neem with an insecticidal soap. If you can't find Neem in stores, it can be obtained by mail from The Natural Gardener, 8648 Old Bee Caves Road, Austin, Texas 78735 or Gardens Alive, 5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, Ind. 47025.
You can prune your orange tree almost any time. I'd cut 6 inches or so off each side limb to prevent it from becoming too large. I'd tip the top the same way. I'd do this in the spring just before putting it outdoors.
I live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and would like to find out more about growing persimmons. In the Jan. 14 Home & Garden section, you mentioned that Mrs. Dot Pefley ``grows everything from lilacs to persimmons.'' I've ordered persimmon trees from Stark Bros. and J. Miller Nurseries, but their trees are not what I'd like to grow. I'd like to find out more from Mrs. Pefley. Would you please give me her address? I would like to write her and inquire about her experience in growing persimmons and what she recommends as the best source for young plants of the varieties I want.
Ngoc-Lan Kaufmann,
Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
I talked to Mrs. Pefley, who grows rhododendron, eucalyptus and many other difficult-to-grow plants, with more success than anyone I know. She said she'd be glad to communicate with you about how she grows persimmons by the bushel. Her address is Dorothy Pefley, 2021 Pefley Lane, Virginia Beach, Va. 23457.
I desperately need your help in identifying what I assume may be a shrub or tree. I commute every day from Carrsville in Isle of Wight County to the Greenbrier area for work. On the trek home between Bowers Hill and the Route 460 exit, the air is consumed with an unbelievable fragrance in late October. It is so intoxicating that sometimes I pull onto the shoulder to breath it in. It reminds me of sandlewood.
I read an article in Southern Living on a native shrub called Calycanthus, also known as Sweet Shrub, Sweet Betsy, Carolina Allspice and Sweet Shade. The author said if not for its famous fragrance, the shrub had little use. Instantly, I thought, ``This is it!'' But as I read on, it said the flowers produce the scent only in March and April. Can you help me identify this wonderful smelling something?
Vicki Augustine-Holland, Carrsville
The shrub you smell is Osmanthus or Eleagnus. It could be either, but most likely is Eleagnus, because it often is planted along highways. Both plants bloom in the fall, although some varieties of Eleagnus don't bloom until spring. Osmanthus and Eleagnus each have a wonderful fragrance. I agree with the comment about Calycanthus. Unless you're very close to the plant, you don't get the spicy smell. On the other hand, you can appreciate the fragrance of Osmanthus or Eleagnus from a distance.
Can you send me instructions on how to care for dwarf apples? Apples in our backyard are fruitful but we can't eat them because they're full of worms. The second problem is our peaches. They also are very fruitful, but they don't grow large enough to be edible. They get dry and wither; then fall on the ground before they ripen.
Mrs. Abad Carolino, Virginia Beach
The only way to successfully grow fruit in this area is to follow a very rigid spray program. I usually say, ``You must spray seven times to grow fruit.'' But that does not always hold true. If it rains right after you spray, you must spray again. You may end up spraying 10 to 12 times. Spraying instructions are being sent you.
Always use a spreader sticker in your spray to get the spray to stick to the leaves. You can buy it in a garden center, or use a spoonful of liquid soap per gallon of spray. Spray with any good fruit tree spray, available in garden centers.
For your peaches, after they bloom and set fruit, knock off the small peaches, leaving only one every 5 inches. That's all the tree can handle if it is to produce large, juicy fruit. Also check closely at all times for borers in your tree.
I use rose food on my garden, which keeps the roses healthy and free of white flies. The rose food is suggested for use on all types of shrubs, so I also used it on my forsythia. I really enjoy your column and have found lots of good tips in it, including receiving free seeds from people who often offer them.
Margaret L. Allen, Virginia Beach
Although you did not ask a question, your letter proves that rose food or any shrub fertilizer can be used with equal success on most plants. Exceptions are trees, which need a high nitrogen fertilizer like 12-6-6 or 16-8-8. Any shrub fertilizer can be used on most shrubs. Just be careful on roses that you don't use something with too much nitrogen. It's smart to use a fertilizer with long-lasting nitrogen.
I wish I could agree that rose food keeps away white flies. A healthy rose bush can better resist white flies, but fertilizer won't prevent them. Only an insecticide - chemical or organic - will help control those pests.
KEYWORDS: WEEDER'S DIGEST by CNB