NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
April 23, 1998
Hortiscope
Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University
Q. Once again I look to you for answers. I read that corn gluten meal can be used for crabgrass. Where might I be able to find an outlet for it in North Dakota?
Also, what are forsythias? I have looked in all my seed catalogs and can't find them. (Bismarck, N.D.)
A. Corn gluten meal is an organic means of controlling weeds. Timing of it is critical to be effective. As far as I know it is not available from any retail outlets at this time, but can be purchased through garden catalogs like "Gardens Alive," phone 812-537-8650.
Forsythias are woody plants that produce yellow flowers in the early spring. These are commonly available from nurseries and garden centers.
Q. Can you tell me if there is any chemical spray that can be used to control Creeping Charlie that will not kill the lawn? Also control of night crawlers.
I enjoy your column and learning many things. Thank you. (Lake Park, Minn.)
A. A relatively new product for homeowners is Confront. It will control just about any broadleaf weed.
Night crawlers are controlled with an application of Sevin to control grubs. Follow label directions for grub control and about one-third of the night crawler population will also be controlled.
Refer to the enclosed circular, H-1009, "Weed Control in North Dakota Lawns," available to other readers by calling (701) 231-7882.
Q. I hope you can help us. My pastor asked me to plant a garden for them two years ago. We tilled it deep and put some manure on and we raised tomatoes, radishes, potatoes, rutabagas and carrots. It was a continuing battle. The plot is a wilderness of bindweeds, morning glory and Creeping Charlie.
I refused to work that hard last year, but they want a garden this year. What can we do to get rid of the weeds? Will it be safe afterwards? Please help. (Ellendale, N.D.)
A. Your letter is a good experience to relate to others who till deeply and add uncomposted manure.
I suggest allowing everything to bloom this spring, then kill it off with Roundup. Make sure everything is brown before planting!
Then I suggest either no-till or minimum till planting. If you really must work the soil, do so shallowly, not deeply. Set out the seeds and transplants where you want them, and once established, mulch with compost or peat moss.
Roundup leaves no residue, so the produce from the garden would be safe to eat.
Thanks for writing and being a faithful reader.
Q. Will a garden do well if planted where cedar trees have grown? They did well and were removed from that area last summer.
Can you tell me what kind of tree this is? I call it a plume tree, but I doubt that is its real name. Thank you. (Lisbon, N.D.)
A. You should be able to grow a decent garden anywhere plant growth has been previously successful. The basic requirements are six hours of direct sunlight, ample moisture and fertile soil.
The plume tree you are referring to is sumac—either smooth or staghorn. If I were to bet on one, I would go with staghorn, Rhus typhina.
Thanks for writing.
Q. I read the Hortiscope and really enjoy all your help.
I have an old Christmas cactus. After blooming at Christmas time, it is begging for help. The three center branches get sort of wilted and then fell off at my touch. I am trying to start them again in water. The other branches seem OK only some wiltier than another cactus.
When setting them outside in summer do they need shade and do I leave them in their original pots?
Hope you can help. (Hill City, S.D.)
A. The Christmas cactus should be given less water during the two rest periods it requires every year, right after flowering and the other early in the fall to prepare for flowering.
Yes, summering it outdoors on the north side should benefit the plant.
I suspect that some rot organism got started after flowering, if you maintained your usual watering practices. Leave them in the same container.
Q. The last three years my broccoli-cauliflower (not my cabbage) have been developing a soft root problem. First the plants wilt and then finally fall over.
What can I do about this problem? (Dazy, N.D.)
A. It sounds like your crops are being affected by verticillium or fusarium wilt. Both attack the susceptible plants through the roots, then the spores move into the transpirational stream of the vascular tissue, causing tissue collapse or wilts.
Unfortunately, both are very successful saprophytes, so they can remain in the soil a long time.
I suggest crop rotations along with the use of resistant cultivars of these vegetables.
Q. You were right on with your answer to the reader in Lisbon who wondered why her poppy seeds wouldn't grow: they were probably kept at too high a temperature. But it might be helpful for her and other readers to know just what temperatures are "too high" for some types of seeds, including Iceland poppies.
Room temperature, for one! In fact, many seeds won't sprout unless they have been through the cold cycle of winter. They have to freeze first. Some can be planted very early in the spring, as soon as the soil can be worked, but others won't grow unless they have spent the winter outdoors.
Maybe it would work for the Lisbon reader to gather seeds, leave them in a container in an unheated area over winter, and plant them as soon as the soil can be worked. It might be better yet to plant the seeds in the fall where they are to grow, so they will get all the benefits of freezing, thawing, moisture, etc. If the volunteer plants will grow, this certainly ought to do it.
Thanks for a great columnI really enjoy it. (Valley City, N.D.)
A. Thank you for the endorsement on my advice! It is good to know that someone out there is tracking me closely. I never shy away from extra input based on knowledge and experience.
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Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161
Editor: Barry Brissman (701) 231-7866