NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
August 31, 2000
Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University
Q: I have a perennial bed on the north side of a low building that gets full sun from about 3 p.m. on but stays quite wet. What perennials can I plant in such a location? Some daylilies I planted there are doing OK, but I think they need more sun for good bloom. Also, I love mums but have poor results in getting them to come back. Any suggestions? (Bismarck, N.D., e-mail)
A: The daylilies should hang in there for you, as they are quite shade tolerant. Similar selections include lily of the valley, hostas and astilbe.
You are probably better off treating mums as annuals. In other words, set low expectations for their perennial character and you won't be disappointed.
Q: I have been trying to start slips of Engleman ivy, the creeping vine, but I have been unsuccessful. Can you tell me how to do it? (Fargo, N.D.)
A: The ivy, for your likely conditions, will root best from hardwood cuttings taken in early spring before leaf-out.
Q: I read in your column about rabbits eating tulip buds and other flowers, and I would like to tell you what I do to keep them away. I sprinkle blood meal around my plants. (Warren, Minn.)
A: Thank you for this time-tested tip. I find that blood meal needs continuous reapplication. We have tried many tricks to keep the rabbits away, including but not limited to human hair, deodorant soap, Ropell, dog urine, noise makers responding to movement, pepper spray, live trapping and exclusion fencing. To date, the last two seem most effective.
Q: We have two beautiful spirea that have always been covered with white blossoms every spring, except the last two years. Could this lack of flowers be caused by my pruning the new growth in June? (Neche, N.D.)
A: Yes, absolutely! If the spirea need pruning, it should be done right after flowering is over. You learned a lesson I’m sure will never be forgotten!
Q: Here’s a tip to keep rabbits out of flower gardens. I take branches off of my Russian sage bush and lay them around my flowers, and the rabbits leave them alone. (Oldham, S.D.)
A: Thank you for a new tip on controlling rabbit damage! I had never heard of Russian sage being used for this, but it is logical, given the strong aroma that sage has.
Q: Could you tell me how to start new plants from my clematis? (Williston, N.D.)
A: Clematis can be summer propagated by cuttings in a 50-50 sand/peat mix. Seed can also be collected and planted after 60 to 90 days of stratification at 40 F, or it can be collected in late fall and directly planted in a greenhouse or sunny window for germination about three and a half months later.
Q: My daughter and family who live in Ft. Madison, Iowa, have a problem with moles. They have tried numerous ideas such as hosing them out with water, chewing gum and hair wrapped around moth crystals. Is there a solution to getting rid of them? They seem to make new runs and move all over the property and to the neighbors. (East Grand Forks, Minn.)
A: If they are sure it is mole damage, then their food source--grubs mostly--need to be eliminated. Applications of an insecticide like diazinon will control the grubs and consequently mole activity.
More common in the Midwest are pocket gophers. Their have widely varying food sources: roots, seeds, tubers and grasses. A common way to distinguish the difference between moles and gophers is to note the shape of their mounds. A gopher’s mound is fan-shaped with an off-set plug or hole, and an indentation in its circumference. A mole’s hill is circular with the plug at its center.
With either burrower, steps for eliminating are basically the same: one, establishing physical barriers (welded wire mesh) buried where their activity is persistent; two, flooding the runs and when the varmints appear, dispatching with a shovel; three, trapping; and four, poisoning with carbon monoxide from a lawnmower engine.
Q: Can you tell me what is wrong with my peony bush? There were lots of buds on it, but then they dry up. (McVille, N.D.)
A: From your description, it sounds as if it could have been a combination of Botrytis, anthracnose and leaf spot. Allow the plant to remain as is this summer and then cut everything back this fall. With the emergence of new growth next spring, put down a protective spray of bordeaux mixture, zineb or captan.
Q: My lawn is really uneven with hard bumps all over. I have been told that it is caused by earthworms. Is this true? If so, how do I fix the problem? (Ellendale, N.D.)
A: I suggest that you hire someone to come in and power-rake those pilings down to give you a more even surface to walk upon. Then apply Sevin at the label rate for grub control and water the insecticide in well. That will take out about a third of the population. Repeat again if the level of control isn’t satisfactory.
Q: We have been battling grubs in our lawn for years with diazinon, but we cannot seem to get the upper hand. Recently, you mentioned Bacillus popillie (Bp). I have checked with greenhouses in Bismarck, but no on has heard of it. Do you have a brand name or company from which it can be ordered? I don’t like using too many insecticides because I am afraid of contaminating my well. (Napoleon, N.D.)
A: I’m afraid my previous information wasn’t 100 percent accurate. The Bp is effective against Japanese beetle grubs but not the white grubs (June beetles) that we have in North Dakota. The best bet, unfortunately, still appears to be insecticides. Timing is critical for good control, with the best being in the spring with the first mowing of the grass. Apply the product and water the insecticide in well. Repeat this for about three years, and you should pretty much have the white grub population under control.
Q: When I planted my squash last year I got some fresh manure and put some in each hole with the seed. At harvest time I got some squash but not very many. When I pulled up the plants in the fall there appeared to be not much of a root system. Did I do the wrong thing? (Audubon, Minn.)
A: The manure was not a good idea. It is often high in soluble salts and weed seeds. The salts are what kept the roots from developing.
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Do you have a gardening or houseplant question? Write to Hortiscope, Box 5051, NDSU Extension Service, Fargo, ND 58105 or e-mail to Ron Smith at ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu.
Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Gary Moran, (701) 231-7865