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April
27, 2006
Hortiscope
Ronald C.
Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service
Q: My vine cuttings
have rooted. How do I make sure when I transplant the vines into a pot
that they will survive? I transplanted two of them, but the leaves dried
up. What should I do? What is the best soil to use for this kind of transplant?
(e-mail reference)
A: Freshly-rooted
grape stems with leaves present are tender objects. There are a couple
of things you can try to avoid so this won’t happen again. Slowly
harden the rooted cuttings by reducing the amount of water for three
to four weeks. Transplant and cover the vines with shade cloth and a
functioning mist system to keep the humidity high. Allow the cuttings
to remain where they are until fall. At that time, gradually expose
them to colder temperatures until the vines go dormant. You can try
transplanting again under the present conditions, but do so at the end
of the day, just before daylight ends, or on a cloudy day. Be sure the
vines don't get direct sun and keep them misted. In every instance (except
allowing the cuttings to remain until fall), try to reduce the air temperature
to toughen the plants before transplanting.
Q: I was in the yard
today and noticed the lawn has little patches of black dirt, such as an
ant hill. The piles are an inch and a half in circumference and about
a quarter-inch high. The dirt is dry on top, but wet as I dig down, although
I didn't dig down very far. Any suggestions would help. (Valley City,
N.D.)
A: Welcome to the
club! I believe the piles of dirt were created from the alternate freezing/thawing
of our soil, possibly enriched by a high night crawler population from
the previous year. To correct the problem, I suggest rolling the lawn
with a ballast roller half filled with water. Do this when you can walk
across the lawn without leaving a wet footprint.
Q: I have a question
that may be unpopular. My flower garden is overrun with poppies. Last
year the poppies just about choked everything else out. We are planning
to redo the flower garden, but don't know how to get rid of the poppies.
They grow like weeds! I pulled off as many heads as I could catch last
spring in an attempt to minimize the seed droppings, but they're back
again. Can you offer any advice? Would covering them with landscaping
material be enough to prevent them from returning next year or should
we till something into the soil? (e-mail reference)
A: If they are sprouting
now, a light tilling will do the trick. Tilling should get rid of more
than 90 percent of the poppies. The rest you can catch with normal garden
vigilance. If you don't want to till the soil, then spray the poppies
with a dose of Roundup as they emerge. That also will give you control.
Q: I am hoping you
can help us out with our hibiscus plants. We live in Zone 4 and have three
beautiful hibiscus plants. They are planted in large 24-inch pots. In
the summer months, we put the plants outside and virtually do nothing
to care for them. They seem to do well and flourish. As fall approaches,
we get the plants ready to bring indoors for the winter. That preparation
consists of removing any cobwebs and leaves, and giving them a good shower.
At first they seemed to do well (weekly watering), but as winter drags
on, we hit a crisis stage in February/March. At that time, there is excessive
leaf drop and what appears to be an aphid infestation (small black bumps
covering the stems). At this point my wife freaks out. I have tried using
Safer's insecticide soap, which dries out the bumps, but my wife thinks
using the soap is actually harming the plant. We also spend hours picking
the little bumps off the stems, which she thinks helps. I am hoping you
could provide us with some guidance on how we should better care for our
hibiscus. I have proposed trimming the plants, but my wife forbids me
to touch them! (e-mail reference)
A: There are some
things that you can do that will keep you on your wife's good side.
When you move them outside this summer, get a systemic insecticide from
a local garden center outlet. Carefully follow the directions when handling
and applying. Repeat the application about seven to 10 days before bringing
the plant indoors next fall. Your insect problem sounds like scale,
based on your description. Instead of picking each one off that you
see (this is not spending quality time with your loved one!), get some
horticultural oil that can be applied without damaging the plant. This
is more efficient in killing the little buggers. If applied properly,
you won't miss any insects, which the two of you are bound to do using
your current method. When combined, these two techniques will do a good
job of getting the insect problem under control. You both need to understand
that these sun-loving plants are going to be under stress as the long
winter months pass. The plants are bound to decline in quality as spring
slowly arrives. The addition of plant lights through the winter months
will help maintain qualitative growth. I have a special note for your
wife. Hibiscus plants thrive on being pruned, so pruning will not hurt
them. In fact, pruning will increase flower production. If she doesn't
believe you and she does me, don't feel bad because it happens all the
time to husbands!
Q: We have lilac bushes
that rabbits have stripped the bark off up to a foot above the ground.
These are established bushes. Should we cut back the chewed parts? Will
the lilacs bloom again this year? When should they be trimmed? (e-mail
reference)
A: If the rabbits
have completely girdled the stem, the stem is dead and likely will not
have enough energy to flower. I would suggest leaving everything as
it is to see what happens. The plants may leaf out with undersized leaves
and reduced flowers and then suddenly die. There is a possibility there
will be no foliage or flowers this year. In either case, cut the bushes
below the damaged area and you probably will get a flush of growth coming
from the crown. The flush will come whether or not you trim the damaged
shoots back, but they will not flower until next spring. Since you are
bothered by rabbits, I would suggest that you use one or a combination
of Liquid Fence, Plantskydd or Hinder.
Q: I had about an
acre and a quarter seeded last August with 250 pounds of rural mix. It
did not achieve a good germination rate, despite frequent watering. The
soil is extremely sandy, almost to the point of having a river sandbar
in some areas of the yard. I recently overseeded with a rural mix and
a country blend. I used 150 pounds of seed. I can’t remember the
different species in the two varieties I used. If possible, I would like
advice on when to start watering. I was hoping for some rain shortly after
I overseeded, but Mother Nature has not cooperated. Also, what can I do,
if anything, to improve germination other than hauling in tons of black
dirt? (e-mail reference)
A: I'm sorry you
didn't get in touch with me before doing the second seeding. In a sand
base, such as you describe, so-called "country mixes" have
little chance of getting established. I would strongly suggest using
a grass species called prairie sandreed (Calamovilfa longifolia). This
is a rhizomatous, warm-season perennial that is native to our sand hills
region of the state. It should become established with proper seeding
and follow-up care. You might want to consider covering the seeded area
with hydromulch. There are professional grass installation companies
that do this. Such a treatment would hold the moisture around the seed
for better germination.
Q: I have two Australian
shepherd dogs. Urine builds up during the winter, so I have a beautiful,
burned lawn come spring. Is there anything I can put on the grass to reverse
the effects other than digging up the spots and planting new grass? (Bismarck,
N.D.)
A: I wish I knew
something that would solve the problem or could invent something. If
I could invent something, I would be a very rich man! I'm sorry, but
other than immediately diluting the urine with generous amounts of water,
there is nothing that I know of that will take care of the problem.
Q: Last year I planted
a lilac purchased from a reputable nursery. By the end of the summer,
every branch was dead except one. I cut the dead branches off, leaving
about 5 inches on each. The one branch that survived is now covered with
buds and more than 5 feet tall. I had hoped I would see some new growth
around the stump, but there doesn't appear to be any. I was hoping to
eventually have a large, bushy, healthy lilac. I also have golden privet
that was extremely healthy and happy until I moved it last spring. I only
moved it about 4 feet. I did move it closer to my cement foundation. It
was not nearly as lush as the previous summer. I was generous with using
Miracle-Gro. (e-mail reference)
A: After the lilac
flowers this spring, cut it back to a leaf node to force it to bush
out. As for the privet, it doesn't make a difference how far you move
it. The privet will “pout” for a while. Continue with the
Miracle-Gro treatments once a month during the active growing season.
Q: I have had a problem
the last few years that started on my peony plants and now has spread
to include a few of my hostas. The leaves are notched around the outside
edge, looking like someone took a very large pair of pinking shears and
cut around the edge of each leaf. What causes the problem and what should
I do? (e-mail reference)
A: Slugs or cutter
bees are two possibilities. I’m betting that slugs are the problem.
There are several ways of controlling slugs, such as diatomaceous earth,
egg shells, hydrated lime, slug motels, stale beer and commercial slug
baits.
Q: We installed a
new lawn late last fall (four various grades of rye). Unfortunately, we
now realize that quackgrass seeds were present in the straw we used. The
quackgrass began to grow last fall, but we didn't know what it was or
think much of it. We thought we could kill it in the spring. After seeing
so much of this strange grass in our new lawn, we took the plants to our
Extension agent. The agent confirmed our quackgrass invasion. I tried
pulling up the quackgrass in certain sections, but even though the plants
only make up a small percentage of the total lawn area, they are scattered
everywhere, so we decided to use Roundup and start over. We applied our
first application of Roundup two weeks ago. It now looks very yellow and
dead.
How long are the seeds
viable? Is there something that can be applied to degrade the seeds? Do
we put down a pre-emergent killer? If we put in a new lawn, are any remaining
seeds going to sprout new quackgrass, putting us in the same situation?
By using Roundup, we have killed "active" plants, but what about
any rhizomes that still are waiting to grow? I have read that we should
use nitrogen to encourage rhizome growth and then use Roundup again. Is
that true or are we wasting time because these are young plants with only
starting rhizomes? If the nitrogen/Roundup process is a good one, how
many times should we do that to be sure we have killed off the quackgrass?
How long should we wait between applications? There is a slit seeder that
we can rent. Once all the quackgrass is killed, is this the best way to
seed the lawn since it is available? Do you think we can replant our lawn
this spring or is fall a better time? (e-mail reference)
A: Getting a lawn
established from seed depends on how much patience one has. It seems
that you are determined to get your lawn growing by using seed. I would
suggest allowing whatever grows back this spring to do so. After a couple
of mowings, have another dose of Roundup applied to kill it. At this
point, you should have taken care of most of the surface weed seeds
that will germinate. Once you are convinced everything is dead (do touch-ups
if necessary), then mow the grass as short as possible and collect the
clippings. Rent the slit seeder you mentioned and sow a mixture of Kentucky
bluegrass (more than 55 percent), creeping red fescue (30 percent) and
the balance with perennial ryegrass. Purchase quality seed, so don't
be suckered by bargain-priced seed because you get what you paid for.
Go over the area to be seeded in two directions, perpendicular to each
other. Do not add mulch! The dead litter from the Roundup treatment
will suffice. Trust me on this. Start a light, frequent watering cycle
until germination is visible. After that, decrease the watering frequency
and increase the duration, but don't overdo it!
When the grass gets
3 to 4 inches high, mow it at 2 1/2 to 3 inches and let the clippings
fall. After about the third or fifth mowing, apply a starter fertilizer
that contains NPK.
This should get you a decent looking lawn by mid to late summer.
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Source: Ron
Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu
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