Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 26, 1993 TAG: 9312270298
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: John Arbogast
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
We hear a lot these days about Integrated Pest Management, which I would like to discuss for home gardeners and home landscapers. Remember that the term "pests" includes insects and diseases.
Integrated Pest Management encourages integrating and evaluating different pest control methods, including biological, physical, and/or chemical controls to provide adequate pest control in an economically efficient and environmentally sound manner.
The basic premise of integrated management is that no single pest control method always gives the best control. Integrated management advocates regular monitoring to detect pest problems early. One fundamental is that a certain number of pests and/or a certain level of pest damage can be tolerated. Home gardeners can follow all of these things.
Native Americans and early settlers obviously did not have today's chemical controls. They relied primarily on cultural and physical methods to control pests. Some of their practices are still in use, such as hand-removing beetles and caterpillars, removing diseased plants, destroying crop residues, tilling the soil in the fall to kill overwintering pest stages, removing alternate pest hosts, and timing planting dates to avoid pest-damaging periods. An example of the latter is planting squash as early as possible in the spring to avoid squash vine borers which lay eggs in early to mid-summer. Such methods have given adequate control of JOHN ARBOGAST many pests.
Q: I have a green patina growing on my brick work, wooden deck and some trees. I would like to kill it without hurting the underlying structures or the adjacent plant material. Any or all suggestions are welcome. P.T., Blacksburg
A: The green patina, or film, growing on all those surfaces sounds like some kind of moss. To eliminate this material and keep it gone, it will be helpful to understand that a porous condition which has allowed moisture to accumulate in those bricks, deck boards and tree bark provides a nice environment and easy opportunity for moss to grow.
The nonselective herbicide glyphosate, which is sold as Roundup, Kleenup and possibly other products, has been mentioned to control moss. I don't have any information to say whether it would be helpful on your bricks or deck because I don't know if herbicides containing glyphosate would stain those surfaces. Also, if the glyphosate ingredient dripped onto any plants, those plant parts would be killed.
I wouldn't worry about the moss growing on the tree trunks or branches. Moss is not a parasitic plant. However, the dampness that allows the moss to grow could be a signal of a real problem, such as poor air circulation around plants or even decay in plant injuries.
Talk to a paint or hardware store sales person about a product to kill the moss. Read the product information to see if it could injure underlying structures or plants. Once you kill the moss, you'll likely need to seal the bricks and deck so those surfaces don't hold moisture which encourages moss growth.
Q: I inherited a Nightblooming cereus, which belonged to my deceased grandmother. This plant is approximately 40-45 years old and it has not bloomed in years. How do I care for this "cactus family" plant in order to get it to bloom? Also, what is the botanical name for that plant? S.S.W., Roanoke
A: The name Nightblooming cereus is given to several distinct plants. The one commonly referred to as Nightblooming cereus is the triangular-stemmed, white-flowered Honolulu queen (botanical name Hylocereus undatus). Others that have sometimes been called Nightblooming cereus are queen of the night (Selenicereus macadonaldiae), which has roundish stems and white flowers, and princess of the night (Selenicereus pteranthus) that has very fragrant white and yellow blooms.
To care for the Hylocereus you inherited and to encourage it to bloom on a summer night, repot the plant if necessary so that the roots are not crowded and the soil is rich in organic matter and well-drained.
Hylocereus plants need warmth and sun in the summer, so plan to keep the plant in a south-facing window if it is to stay inside all year, or put it outside after night temperatures are above 45 degrees F., in the spring in a sunny location with partial shade.
Apply ample moisture during the summer and fertilize with a "soluble plant food" monthly from spring through early fall. In winter, Hylocereus plants need bright light (not full sun) with less moisture and a cooler place, about 50 degrees.
Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P. O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. We need your mail, but this column can't reply to all letters. Those of wide appeal will be answered each week. Personal replies cannot be given. Please don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples or pictures.
Gardeners' checklist
(Jobs to be done in late December or early January)
Root cuttings from older potted geranium plants in order to have new, vigorous plants to set out in May.
Review garden catalogs for new vegetable varieties with improved insect and/or disease resistance and also drought tolerance.
John Arbogast is the agricultural extension agent for Roanoke.
by CNB