THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607260079
SECTION: HOME & GARDEN PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: 141 lines
MAINTENANCE AND cleaning of hummingbird feeders is critical. The liquid can ferment and foster the growth of mold and bacteria, especially in warm weather. Hummingbird feeders should be washed in hot water and thoroughly rinsed every two or three days. (Rubbermaid hummingbird feeders are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. We run ours through the dishwasher on the top rack.)
About once a month, take down your wild bird feeders and give them a good cleaning. Bird feeders get contaminated with bacteria or viruses and can spread disease. Take your feeder down and wash with soapy water and household bleach. Also clean up the seed hulls under your feeder, because they can transmit diseases.
Squirrels are a constant pest around bird feeders. You can use Squirrel Away to discourage them. It's available in garden centers. The other and more permanent method is a squirrel guard. If you can't find one, call (330) 264-7119.
Prune spent blooms
Be sure to take time to prune spent bloom stalks from daylilies. Otherwise, the plant's energy is wasted producing a seedhead. Continue deadheading (another name for pruning spent blooms) zinnias, marigolds, snapdragons and other flowers. They'll repay with new blooms until fall.
More vole control
A group of North Carolina State University specialists made a study of voles and report the following in the North Carolina Turfgrass magazine: ``Pellets sold as Rosol Rat and Mouse Killer Pellets are recommended for use by homeowners for controlling voles. It is effective and safe if used according to the directions. Household pets should be prevented from coming into contact with this or any other pesticide.''
How to grow showy dahlias
Green Thumb Extra offers this advice on caring for dahlias: ``Dahlias send out three buds at each flowering terminal. By removing the two side buds when they are very small (pea-sized), growth energy will be directed only to the central bloom. Disbudding will cause this central bloom to be larger, open fuller and have more substance. Disbudding will also stimulate the stem to grow longer and stronger. These are attributes which are extremely valuable in a cut flower.'' For a year's subscription to Green Thumb Extra, mail $15 to P.O. Box 17614, Denver, Colo. 80217-0614.
Fungi invade bark mulch
This is the time of year some gardeners discover their bark mulch has a funny-looking fungus on it. It's not a serious problem but is disturbing to see. Strange-looking fungi form on wood chips, including artillery fungus. When you disturb bark that has this fungus in it, billions of spores resembling puffs of smoke are released. Some may land on vinyl siding and discolor it.
Veteran garden center operators Doc and Katy Abraham, writing in Nursery Retailer magazine, say that you can wash the spores off siding by mixing 3 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent with 1 tablespoon of laundry detergent in a gallon of water. Use that with a soft brush to scrub off the discoloration. If that doesn't work, scrub with full-strength household bleach.
Another fungal growth that is spawned on wood chips or bark mulch is called ``deer vomit,'' so named because of its unattractive appearance. Scoop it up and discard it. These fungal growth feed on wood and are nature's way of breaking down organic matter, so they may reappear.
Deer don't like the scent
Cornell University extension service offers these two cures for deer browsing on valuable plants. Place old rugs or carpet pieces around plants. Deer refuse to step on them. But this solution is no good if and when snow covers the carpet. The other is to hang scented anti-static strips meant for use in clothes dryers. Deer shy away because of the fragrance.
Tips for camellia growers
John L. Rogers won the ``grand slam'' at the recent Slidell, Ga., camellia show. When asked for his secret, he said he used Fertilome camellia-azalea fertilizer applied in March and July. He also adds basic slag around his plants, because he says pine straw mulch lowers the pH of the soil so it becomes too acidic. Basic slag also contains trace minerals that fertilizers don't have.
Grass isn't always greener
Several readers have asked about Canada Green grass seed they've seen advertised in national publications. Bonnie Satterthwaite, a representative for wholesaler Wyatt-Quarles Seed Co. in Raleigh, reports that Patten Seed Co. in Georgia ordered a bag of Canada Green to see what it contained. Here's what they report as the analysis: 51.3% creeping red fescue, VNS; 25.5% annual ryegrass, VNS; 19.5% Kentucky Bluegrass, VNS. Creeping red fescue is difficult to grow in this area; ryegrass dies by June 1 every year and bluegrass won't grow in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina. So save your money.
First aid for stings
This is stinging season, and the following advice for treating stings also comes from the Green Thumb Extra: ``Apply an antiseptic, cool lotion or compress to relieve pain and swelling. Crushed aspirin or powdered meat tenderizer also helps reduce pain. If you are stung numerous times, oral antihistamines can reduce swelling and itching. Symptoms generally disappear in a few hours. Contact a medical doctor as soon as possible if you develop a severe allergic reaction, which includes difficulty breathing, dizziness, nausea and hives.''
Lythrum adds summer color
Lythrum Morden's Gleam is ablaze with carmine-rose color in many landscapes now. It's an excellent plant that bees and butterflies love. It has taken a bad rap in recent years because it can be invasive in fresh-water areas. I like what Bluestone Perennials says in its fall catalog: ``Lythrum should not be planted near marshes or low areas of fresh water because, as pretty and useful as it is, it has spread rapidly in some wildlife areas. However, for most of us without nearby wetlands, Lythrum provides that much-needed color during the summer doldrums.''
For a free catalog from Bluestone, write them at 7211 Middle Ridge Road, Madison, Ohio 44057. Lythrum is available in containers at many garden centers now.
Feed summer vegetables
It's time to ``side-dress'' peppers, eggplants and tomatoes with 5-10-5 fertilizer or a vegetable food. These three fast-growing, hot-weather plants need an application of fertilizer in summer. Do not use one with more than 5 units of nitrogen or you'll get all vine and no fruit. One-quarter cup per plant is usually enough. In hot weather, too little is much better than too much. Be sure to water it in well after applying.
An ear to the ground
There have been several questions recently about earwigs and the problems they create. The following is a letter from Vivian Zito of Painsville, Ohio, that ran in the July/August issue of Organic Gardening magazine: ``I'm not fond of earwigs; they ate my grapes. But they entertained us when I was young. We visited my grandfather's farm and saw funnel-shaped holes in the soil. My grandfather said if we called to these `bugs,' they would respond. We were to call, `Whirly, whirly, dig up Davey.' We did and we'd see the earth move. Never saw the critters that moved the soil, but later found out it was earwigs. One must get close to their dwelling and call over and over again. Try it. Seeing is believing. They bite too!'' That is but one example of the many amusing letters found in that magazine, which is on sale at newsstands now. ILLUSTRATION: Drawing by Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center
If you remove the two side buds from a dahlia, the central bloom
will be larger and fuller. by CNB