October 7, 2004

Darrell Blackwelder

     I could see my breath early this morning when I let my dogs outdoors; a sure sign fall is on the way. As the temperature falls, people have a natural tendency go outdoors for fall cleanup and work outdoors. Many have called with various questions about lawns and gardens of which you may have an interest. Here are a few:

Question: Can I prune my holly shrubs now? Answer: Light pruning is not a problem now. Wait until spring at mid-March to do heavy-duty pruning on most evergreen shrubs. Avoid pruning azaleas and other spring blooming shrubs until after they bloom in the spring.

Question: Is now the right time to prune crepe myrtles? Answer: Not really. Years ago Extension recommended pruning spent blooms in the fall. You can still do this, but research from University of Georgia has proven that in the event of a sudden freeze or unusually cold winter, those that plants that were pruned may have cold injury and be later blooming in the spring.

Question: I over-seed my lawn in September and the seed have germinated. When do I cut a new lawn? Answer: Make sure your blade is very sharp and cut the new lawn when the grass has reached a height of 4 inches. Mow it as high as possible.

Question: Leaves are falling on my newly seeded lawn. Is it that critical that I remove the leaves? Answer: Fescue will never become established without sunlight. You need to remove those leaves as carefully as you can without disturbing emerging grass seedlings. Keep emerging grass properly irrigated to maintain growth.

Question: I have gourds in the garden. When is the best time to harvest? Answer: Gourds can take a light frost, but not a hard freeze. When the rind is very hard and the stem is brown is the best to pluck them out of the garden. Use pruners to cut the stem, leaving an inch or more of stem and then move them to a cool, dark location to cure. Check often for those that are immature as they will have soft skin and will decay quickly.

Question: Is it still to late to fertilize and sow grass seed? Answer: No, the experimental turf test plot always goes in late and does fine, however, don’t wait much longer. Water will be an important factor in establishment during a dry fall and winter.

Question: When can I get long leaf pine seedlings? Answer: Pine seedlings of all types are available from the North Carolina Forest Service. Contact the county forester, Rodney Kriser for an application or more information about planning trees. Seedlings are usually harvested in December through March while supplies last.

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