Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 15, 1990 TAG: 9004160395
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: John Arbogast
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Azaleas root fairly easily from cuttings taken in midsummer from the current year's new growth that has become somewhat firm.
To root azaleas, prepare a rooting media of half coarse sand and half sphagnum peat. Dampen this before placing in a wide shallow flower pot or container with drainage holes. Fill the container to about an inch from the rim and firm the media down. Then, use sharp pruners to take 4- to 6-inch long cuttings from the tips of vigorous branches. Strip off most of the leaves (leave two or three per cutting) and dip the cutting bases in a root stimulating hormone such as Rootone or others available at garden departments. Shake off excess hormone and insert the cuttings about one and a half inches deep into the rooting media.
The cuttings should be spaced so that the leaves don't touch. Put the pot with cuttings in a large clear plastic bag that is secured around the pot to hold humidity around the cuttings. Bent pieces of coat hanger wire or sticks can be used to keep the plastic off the cuttings. Place this in a shaded location that receives natural light, such as in a protected outdoor spot against the north side of your house or on a window sill with shaded light.
The plastic will keep the media from drying out quickly, but be sure to check the cuttings frequently and water as needed to keep the media damp but not soggy. Gently tug on the cuttings after 5 or 6 weeks to check for rooting. Once rooted, the little plants can be moved to small individual pots with potting soil, placed in a protected location with morning sunlight, and treated as any potted plant (normal watering and liquid fertilizing).
They normally should grow in pots for a year or two before planting in the landscape.
Q: We need to move two maple trees - a young 6-foot one and the other a dwarf about 2 feet tall. Is this the time of year to do it? What directions can you give us to do this with the least possible injury to them? Also, their placement - how much room to allow for their growth? We already have a big, old maple, opposite where we plan to plant the 6-foot one. Also, nearby the older maple, we've planned to put the miniature. Mrs. L.L., Roanoke
A: Digging trees or shrubs in the landscape and moving them to another planting location should be done when the soil is workable (not too wet) and those plants are dormant, either in mid to late winter before spring growth starts or else in midfall when the soil is still warm but the leaves have dropped.
This is different from installing nursery-grown plants, which can be done later into the spring or else anytime in the fall months, since those nursery plants should have better root systems, either in containers or else in a root ball in burlap.
To minimize root damage in digging your maples, start by digging a round trench around each tree several inches out from the drip line of the branches to begin forming a root ball. Maples have shallow, wide spreading roots. Two important points for success are to dig a wide hole for planting that will allow the roots to be spread out naturally and make sure that the roots are no deeper in the new hole than in the original situation.
Plant the maples away from sewer drain lines and far enough from other plants and the house to allow for the mature spread of the trees. Most standard maples can have a full-grown spread of 30 to 40 feet, while dwarfs, such as a dwarf form of Japanese Maple might only have a 10-foot spread.
Q: We have a flowering ornamental peach tree that is beautiful when it is in bloom. Recently, we have noticed what appears to be seedlings coming up all around the tree. If we transplant those, can we expect to get other trees with the same full flowering color characteristics as the mother plant? We have no other peach trees in the area for cross fertilization. P.J., Huddleston
A: The flower color of those seedling flowering peach trees, as well as the form of the flowers, might be the same as the parent, so the project is worth a try. However, according to Dr. Richard Marini, Extension Horticulturist for Commercial Tree Fruits at Virginia Tech, there's a lot of variation with peach seedlings. As a matter of a fact, he stated that most probably the new trees will not have the same flower as the parent.
I will add that it is possible that some of those new trees are really sprouts from the roots of your ornamental peach rather than seedlings.
`Tree Doctor' to visit
R. Jay Stipes, extension specialist and professor of plant pathology at Virginia Tech, will visit Roanoke at 7 p.m. April 23 to be part of the Outdoor Odyssey events at the Roanoke Civic Center auditorium.
Stipes has earned the informal title of "Tree Doctor of Virginia" through his practical and often humorous approach to working with diseased trees over the years. The topic for his Roanoke presentation will be "Famous Patients I Have Known," similar to what well-known people doctors have done in discussing celebrity patients they have had. Admission is free.
Got a question about your garden, lawn, plants, or insects? Write to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010. GARDENER'S CHECKLIST THIRD WEEK OF APRIL
Forsythia: In pruning forsythia after the blooms have faded, THIN OUT (cut out) some of the old branches as close to the ground as possible. Forsythia is a multistemmed shrub and should continue to produce new shoots from the base if this thinning out is done. The newer shoots should bloom much better than the old.
Dahlias: To ensure that the dahlia tubers you intend to plant as soon as danger of frost is over have survived their winter storage, bring them into a warm, lit spot to sprout. For early flowers, start dahlias growing in pots.
Last frost: Circle your calendar for April 30, which is the average date of the last frost in Roanoke. Tender garden plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, and many annual flowers, can be safely planted outdoors after that although protection may still be needed from unexpected late frost.
by CNB