THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511030079
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
GOOD NEWS! Milky spore is again available. It is a non-chemical material you spread on your lawn and garden that gives a bacterial disease to beetle larva in the soil. When they die, most moles leave. It's expensive but lasts up to 20 years. Even organic gardeners can use it without fear.
The Japanese beetle is very prolific. One female can produce up to 1 million offspring in three years. They feast on 275 forms of plant life.
I used milky spore many years ago, but then the manufacturing processes were lost and the product has not been available for at least five years.
Other stores may stock it, but the store where I've seen it is Virginia Beach Feed and Seed,. It is sold in bulk at its Witchduck Road location and pre-packaged at its Virginia Beach Boulevard store, at $19.99 and $49.99 for 2 1/2 pounds. DIG UP BANANA PLANTS NOW
Esty Vollrath, the ``banana lady'' of Virginia Beach, wrote to remind me that readers who bought banana plants from her during the past two or three years should dig them up now and store them for winter. Esty and her husband, Dick, cut off all the leaves and store the stalks in the crawl space under their house. They also can be stored in a garage or any other dark area where they won't freeze. Esty says that when hers are dug, she'll have a few to sell, including a new variety named the Manzano or Apple banana. It grows to 18 feet tall. Two of her Manzanos bore bananas in late September. Call 486-3217. MORE MOONFLOWER SEEDS
Dawn Martin has a variety of free seeds for you - morning glory, scarlet runner bean and moonflower vine. They're free by calling her at 456-2861. And Joseph Elder in Franklin has moonflower seeds; he didn't say whether they're the moonflower vine or plant. Send a stamped addressed envelope to him at 31186 Carter St., Franklin, Va. 23851. LET THERE BE COLORED LIGHT
Did you know that mulching fruit trees and corn with silver or colored mulch has increased the size and color of the crops? Scientists are concentrating on colored mulches to bounce selected wave-lengths onto plants. Peppers yielded early when mulched with red plastic. Yellow or silver plastic increased yields by 22 percent.
This unusual use of light is covered in a special issue of The Avant Gardener titled ``Lights for Plants and People.'' It tells how to use colored plastic mulches and how glazings of various colors do the same thing in a greenhouse. In a home, light can be ``piped'' into any room. It tells how to use lights to speed up growth of seedlings, control plant size and change the time of flowering. For a copy, send $2 to The Avant Gardener, P.O. Box 489, New York, N.Y. 10028. BRING HOUSEPLANTS BACK INSIDE
It's time to move your houseplants indoors if you've not already done so. Short days and cool temperatures will slow or stop growth of indoor plants. Keep an eye on your houseplants during the winter and always check before watering. Weekly watering will often keep them too wet. You can also reduce or stop fertilizing.
Grouping plants together increases the humidity around them but also promotes insects and disease. Make sure they're not close to hot, dry air vents or radiators. Outdoor light levels decrease in winter, so you may want to add supplemental light from lamps over your plants. WAYS TO CONTROL WHITE FLIES
There have been numerous questions from readers on how to control white flies on plants moved indoors for winter. Hibiscus and Mandevilla are two of the worst to become winter havens for the pesky white fly. Specialists from Virginia Tech say spraying once a week with Raid Home and Garden spray is one of the best controls. It's as non-toxic as any on the market.
Cheryl Long reports in the November issue of Organic Gardening magazine that the University of Florida says Sunspray Ultra-Fine oil worked better than anything else for white-fly control. The oil killed 98 percent of adult white flies and five days later, it was still working, eliminating 84 percent of the remaining ones. It also worked to control young nymphs and eggs. Be sure to use one of the new ultra-fine oils and not the heavier old-style ``dormant oils'' that might damage your plants, she warns. ORDER CHRISTMAS GREENERY NOW
The Little Neck Garden Club is taking orders now for Christmas wreaths and roping, with all varieties of greenery available. Call 486-4064 days or 464-6363 or 486-3091 evenings. Orders must be placed by Nov. 15. DAYLILY EXPERT TO SPEAK
Next Sunday the Tidewater Daylily and Horticultural Society will be host to Elizabeth Salter, nationally recognized daylily hybridizer. A brunch will begin at 10:30 a.m., and Salter will speak at noon. Cost is $15 per person for members; $19 for non-members. The public is invited, but reservations are necessary. The meeting will be at the Norfolk Airport Hilton, 1500 N. Military Highway. Call 464-3972. WHITE FLOWER FARM GIFTS
White Flower Farm has just published its Christmas catalog, ``Gifts for Gardeners and Their Friends.'' It's free by calling (800) 503-9624. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ROBERT STIFFLER
Snowflakes in the fall
Summer Snowflake Viburnum starts blooming in the spring, continues
nearly all summer and finishes up with a fall display, going on
right now. This recently introduced variety of shrub is available in
garden centers. Now is an excellent time for planting.
by CNB