DATE: Sunday, June 29, 1997                 TAG: 9706280096

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G2   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: REMINDERS

SOURCE: Robert Stiffler

                                            LENGTH:  127 lines

HOT WEATHER HITS PLANTS WITH STRESS AND INSECTS

HOT WEATHER has really arrived, and the heat can stress plants but spur population explosions among common garden insects such as aphids and mites. It can also make garden pesticides less effective.

It's a good idea to check your garden frequently to catch any infestations while they're small and relatively easy to control.

Michigan State University specialists warn that gardeners aren't immune to heat stress. When temperatures soar, it's a good idea to tend to gardening chores early in the day. Take frequent breaks and drink water to keep yourself from wilting. NEW INSECT SPRAY

While on the subject of insects, Diazinon is now available as a spray. In the past it was only sold as granules. The manufacturer says it provides protection against most garden insects for several days, with little or no odor. It is available at yard and garden supply centers. SECRETS TO A GREEN LAWN

A friend commented recently about how thick and green our lawn was and said, ``You must be watering it regularly.'' I was happy to say it had not had a drop of water except what nature supplied. And that hasn't been much recently.

I believe the secret is that for the first two mowings this spring, it was mowed close and the clippings collected and used as mulch. That was primarily to clean up debris and fallen leaves. Since then it's been mowed at the highest mower setting and the clippings left on the lawn.

Many lawns throughout the area are looking scorched, because they're mowed too closely. Lawn-mowing crews are partially responsible, but as a homeowner you should either mow your own lawn or tell the people who do that they should mow at the highest setting now. If you don't, your lawn is probably going to look scorched for the rest of summer unless you water a lot. And then it's apt to get brown patch.

If everyone would set their mowers high and return the clippings to the grass to add nitrogen and organic matter, the area would have healthier, better-looking lawns. PLANTS TO SHARE

Shirley Brendle of Virginia Beach says she has plants she'd be happy to share. She has wood hyacinths (scilla) ajuga (the ground cover), Bishop's weed/Gout weed (not a weed but a pretty, variegated-leaf ground cover) and jonquils. If you'd like some, call 340-5460. FERTILIZE STRAWBERRIES

Now that strawberry season is over, it's time to fertilize the plants. This promotes growth to support next year's fruit. Never fertilize before harvest, because that promotes lush growth but yields soft, poor-quality berries.

A soil test should be your best guide. In the absence of a soil test, apply 2 to 3 pounds of fertilizer, such as 12-12-12, per 100 feet of row. Keep the fertilizer off the foliage and provide plenty of water. Also keep weeds and grass hoed out of the bed. SMILAX WORTH GROWING

Smilax is in the lily family, and many Edenton residents grow one variety of the vine around their front porches. In these parts, smilax is a pest in the woods, because we have the rotundifolia species, which is often called horse-brier and is difficult to eradicate.

If you want the version with better manners, Smithfield Gardens usually has a few in quart containers for around $15. But they tell me it's so difficult to locate that they have only two now. The plant is on the ``protected plant list'' in Florida.

Does anyone in Edenton have some they want to share or sell? REALLY REPELS RABBITS

Finally there's a rabbit repellent called Rid-A-Critter that really works - at least it has at our house. I've used dried blood, mothballs, human hair and dog and cat hair, furnished by the nice folks at Pet Grooming at Hilltop.

Rid-A-Critter is a potent mixture of moth crystals. Last fall and winter, rabbits in my yard killed a new forsythia and gnawed away at a bed of ground-cover roses. I bought some Rid-A-Critter and sprinkled a 2-inch row around the roses, and a rabbit has not crossed that line of defense for eight weeks.

The repellent costs $7.99 for 20 ounces at retail outlets, including Virginia Beach Feed & Seed and Abner's Ace Hardware in Oceana. BAMBOO TO GIVE AWAY

Ethel Lemond of Virginia Beach writes: ``Dennis Williams of Chincoteague recently asked for bamboo. He can have all the bamboo he wants for free if he would like to dig it up. My phone is (757) 464-0738, or write to Mrs. Lemond, 5516 Sunnywood Drive, Virginia Beach 23455. DAYLILIES IN BLOOM

Many gardeners make an annual trek to the Ballard Iris and Daylily Garden in Chesapeake. Viola Ballard called recently to say the daylilies are now in bloom, which makes it a good time to select colors you want. She also said she has some beautiful Gloriosa daisies this year. The address is 1304 Canal Drive, Chesapeake. Call 487-0176 for directions. FOR WANT OF A BEE

Kiss the cantaloupe good-bye, says Tom Teobald in the Green Thumb EXTRA newsletter. If you don't have a beekeeper nearby, you may find it impossible to produce cucumbers, melons and cantaloupes, or if they grow, they may be malformed from inadequate pollination.

You may have to become adept with a camel-hair brush, transferring pollen from one flower to another as the honeybee once did.

The same newsletter says you can train young fruit trees to grow branch angles of 60 degrees by putting weights on those branches with narrow crotch angles. Pour wet concrete mix in a plastic cup, stick a Christmas ornament hanger in the concrete. When dry, hang the weight near the end of the branch and leave weights in place for a few months. Reposition if needed to encourage stronger branch growth. The weights increase the branch angle and prevent breakage.

The Green Thumb EXTRA is an all-organic publication from Denver that costs $15 per year, sent to P.O. Box 17614, Denver, Colo. 80217. ALL ABOUT ENGLISH ROSES

If you're interested in English roses, there's a new book titled ``100 English Roses for the American Garden'' (Workman Publishing, paperback, $16.95). It highlights the most reliable cultivars for American gardens and describes the best way to plant and care for them.

The book was authored by Clair Martin, curator of rose collections at The Huntington Botanical Gardens, with photos by Saxon Holt.

The book is a partnership of Workman Publishing and Smith & Hawken, the large mail-order garden supply house headquartered in California. The partnership also is working on a cookbook. If you'd like to contribute a recipe to that book, send it to Smith & Hawken, Attn: Cookbook, 117 E. Strawberry Drive, Mill Valley, Calif. 94941. If your recipe is accepted, you'll get a free copy of the book.

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