Garden Column for the Salisbury Post

October 19, 2006

Darrell Blackwelder


 

As the temperature falls and leaf color changes, many will have outdoor maintenance chores. Many have called with various questions about lawns and gardens of which you may have an interest. Here are a few questions from the public:

Question: Something is cutting small twigs off of my hickory tree. It looks like a perfect cut with a knife. What is causing this? Answer: The twigs are being cut off by an insect called a twig girdler. The beetle lays eggs on the end of the twig in the stem itself and makes a smooth even cut around the twig causing it to break off and fall to the ground. Gather all the cut twigs and burn them if possible to keep the insect from re-infestation next year.

Question: Can I still core aerate my lawn and plant seed now?  Answer: Yes,
 there is still time to seed or over-seed fescue lawns. Try to get your seeding done before November 1.

Question: I just planted my lawn in September. 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: I have just planted my lawn and the grass is just beginning to
show, but I have leaves falling. What shall I do? 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: Can I prune my shrubs now? Some have long shoots that don’t look good. Answer: Light pruning is not a problem now. Wait until spring at mid-March to do heavy-duty pruning on shrubs. Wait until azaleas bloom before pruning them back.

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.

 

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