ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606110005
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: DEAR JOHN
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
About this time of year gardeners discover that their plants are looking great and want to spray to keep them that way.
The answer to "what to spray just in case?" is that, except for fruit trees and ornamentals like roses that require a lot of care, there is not a recommended preventative spray program. Instead, you should (1) observe garden and landscape plants frequently and get recommendations for sprays for specific problems when and if they occur; and (2) prevent problems with proper care of plants with everything from site and variety selection to proper spacing, watering, pruning, etc.
Here are a couple of examples of how to use plant care to avoid spraying:
Problem: Lacebugs attack azaleas from beneath the leaves, sucking plant juices and causing leaves to turn speckled silvery-gray or copper color by mid- to late-summer. Solution: Plant new azaleas only in shaded areas. Lacebugs are partial to azaleas that get afternoon or full-day sun.
Problem: Early blight, which shows itself on established tomato plants as dark brown spots with dark concentric rings. The spots appear first on lower leaves and then kill lower leaves before moving up the stem. Tomato production is affected.
The blight fungus continues from one season to the next from diseased plant parts left in the garden. Solution: Clean away diseased plants so the fungus won't return. Also, because the disease is promoted by moisture, avoid spraying the plants with water in late evening when there is not enough sunlight to dry them off. Increase air circulation around tomatoes by spacing farther apart.
Q: When is it time to cut azaleas back? Also, when is the best time to cut snowball bushes back? V.A., Roanoke
A: Prune azaleas now while there's still time for some new growth that will allow flower buds to form in late summer for the next spring's blooming. I can't be specific about pruning snowball bushes, because that name can be commonly given to plants whose proper landscape literature name could be New Jersey Tea, or one of the Viburnums, or even one of the Hydrangeas.
In general, though, the recommended time to prune flowering landscape plants is right after the usual flowers have faded. In general, landscape plants that flower in late summer or fall should be pruned in the coming spring to avoid late growing season pruning. This oversimplification leaves out some details, though.
Look at hydrangea as an example. There is one type that takes partial pruning in the early spring and another type that thrives if cut back completely annually.
Q: I have a large maple in my back yard that has clusters of tiny, reddish, pinhead size "beads" on the leaves. There appears to be no damage to the leaves, but there continues to be more areas of these red beads on more areas of the tree. It might be the type of maple that this is, but the bark on the tree looks like it's peeling. Any ideas?
A: The problem sounds like "maple bladder galls." This is a visible but not harmful occurrence. Those red beads will likely turn dark later, but don't worry. Control is not recommended nor would spraying be effective. Galls on any plant are abnormal growths of plant tissue induced by some organism, such as mites. Sounds like your tree is a Silver Maple. The gray bark of Silver Maple does become scaly when the tree is older, which can explain the peeling bark you mentioned. Also, the Silver Maple seems to be the variety most likely to develop Maple Bladder Galls.
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.
Gardener's checklist
Jobs for mid-June:
Take cuttings from the new growth of your favorite shrubs and root them in a dampened mixture of half sand, half peat.
Provide a deep soaking once a week during the entire growing season for all trees and shrubs planted since last winter.
Injury to tree trunks by power grass trimmers happens easily when the bark is tender now and should be avoided, because it can't be repaired.
Root broken parts of tomato plants in moist, loose soil.
LENGTH: Medium: 81 linesby CNB