Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9510030007
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Roanoke Times has received some information on a new natural-type grub control called Hb parasitic nematodes. Nematodes in general are microscopic eel-like worms that can be either beneficial or harmful to plants, depending on their species.
The 1995 Pest Management Guide for Home Grounds and Animals from Virginia Tech mentioned ``predatory nematodes,'' the good guys, as a control for many ground-dwelling and boring insect pests.
This Hb parasitic nematode is one of the helpful kind in that it is advertised to attack and kill grubs within 48 hours after sprayingturf areas.
I talked to Eric Day in the Insect ID Lab at Virginia Tech about this helpful Hb parasitic nematode. He said this type of nematode method works well, but is expensive. He went on to say that this nematode doesn't maintain itself in the soil like the natural grub control milky disease spore and would have to be applied every year or as necessary.
I also talked to Dr. L. T. Kok, also in the entomology department at Virginia Tech, about these helpful Hb parasitic nematodes. He stated that the beneficial nematode method can work to control grubs, but he knows of no one who has tested this particular product in Virginia.
Thanks for your input
A big thank you goes to all who completed and returned ``Dear John'' evaluations in the Roanoke City Extension office. Evaluating what we do is a big part of our educational work in Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Q: I need help with my poinsettia that I got last Christmas. How do I care for it and make it rebloom? L.B., Bastion
A: Fall care of a poinsettia to get it to bloom for the upcoming holidays includes: avoidance of all adverse conditions; bright, sunny day location; starting Oct. 1, a long, uninterrupted night of total darkness from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. each day; protection from all drafts and chills; regular complete watering when the soil feels barely damp to the touch; no fall pruning; frequent inspections for pests and appropriate controls if any found; and fertilizing with any brand of water soluble house plant food for flowering plants mixed according to package directions about once a month.
Q: Please give information on preserving geraniums for the winter. Mrs. S.
A: Any of these methods to carry over geraniums must be started before the plants are injured by frost. Geraniums from a flower bed can be lifted and carried over winter as a potted plant, which I'll explain as method ``A''; by being held in a resting condition, which I'll call method ``B''; or by taking cuttings, method ``C''.
A: Potted geraniums - Cut the top growth back by about half, and place in a sunny, rather cool location; water thoroughly but only when the soil feels dry to the touch.
B: Forced rest - after lifting geraniums from pots or flower beds, leave soil that is clinging to the roots, and hang in a cool, upper-50 degree cellar; coolness with humidity keeps plants at rest and prevents shriveling, although plants held this way should be checked periodically and potted as soon as shriveling is noticed.
C: Cuttings - take 3- to 5-inch tip cuttings to root in a warm, lighted location in a dampened mixture of half peat and half coarse sand.
Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times, 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 during the weeks that the subject is timely. Personal replies cannot be given. Please don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples, or pictures.
by CNB