Garden Column for the Salisbury Post

Darrell Blackwelder

October 24, 2003

     Leaves are falling in earnest signaling homeowners that fall cleanup time has arrived. Many are taking advantage of the cooler weather and with outdoor chores. Below are questions many have posed over the past few weeks as they work to accomplish their outdoor maintenance goals.

     Question: Can I still seed my lawn now?  Answer: Yes, even though it is getting cooler there is still time to over-seed cool season lawns.

     Question: Is now the right time to prune crape myrtle trees?  Answer: No I would wait until spring in mid-March. Research has shown that early pruning may cause bloom delay or damage trees if a late freeze occurs.

     Question: Do I need to mulch my grass seed if when I over-seed.  Answer: Yes, I have actually compared straw mulch versus no mulch and the results are striking. The mulched areas germinate quicker and produce a better stand of grass.

     Question: Can I use any other type of mulch other than wheat straw mulch.  Wheat straw is difficult to find now.  Answer: Yes, rye or barley straw mulch will work.  Avoid using oat straw.  Oat straw tends to form a thatch and does not allow water to penetrate as well as other mulches.

     Question: My pecan tree was loaded this year, but a few weeks ago the nuts turned black and falling prematurely. What can I do?  Answer: Excessive rain and warm fall temperatures produce the perfect environment for pecan scab. Pecan scab is a fungus disease that is difficult to control.  It is impractical to spray large trees. Rake up infected nuts and leaves and if possible, burn to eliminate re-infection of next year.

     Question: I over-seeded my lawn a few weeks ago and now I have little weeds coming up through my grass.  What can I do to control these weeds?  Answer: The predominant weed germinating now is chickweed.  Wait until lawn is well established and spray with a broadleaf weed killer for lawns such as Weed-B-Gon or similar herbicide.  Make sure that the newly seeded grass as been mowed at least four times before spraying.  Spraying when the grass is young and tender will injure or in some cases kill newly seed grass.

     Question: Can I prune the tops of my daylilies now? Answer: Many have already had some frost damage and will die from frost.  Normally you wait until frost kills the tops and then prune them back, but if you must prune them now it will not kill them.

     Question: When is your next Master Gardener Volunteer Class?  The next series of classes for Rowan County begins in January ’04.  Applications can be found on the Rowan County Master Gardener Web Site at www.rowanmastergardener.com

Darrell Blackwelder is an agricultural agent in charge of horticulture with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. For archived garden columns or other information, visit the Rowan County Master Gardener web site at www.rowanmastergardener.com , e-mail Darrell_Blackwelder@ncsu.edu or phone at 704-633-0571.