The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-23


is covered with mildew. Wha'
spray should I use?'
If you are sure it is milde"
Ia white or gray coating on the
LEAVES - you need do nothing
about it now for the leaves are
done with and will soon fall. Il
it appears on new leaves mex
spring, spray with Bordeaux
mixture or one of the new spray
compounds containing fermate;
or use a fine busting sulphur.
4. 81 planted two peonies or
Oct. 9th. These were just roots
with three sprouts on each. Are
they supposed to come thru now
or early in spring?"
they will not come up unit.
spring. The sprouts should be
just 2 inches under the soil
Mark the area carefully so that
they will not be cut off, for you
will have no bloom if the sprouts
are cut. Do not protect them
with a mulch as they need to
be cold in winter to prevent the
sprouts from coming up toe
early and being killed.
5. "I've tried to grow holly
hooks in two different places.
The plants grow bout a foot
then the leaves die, then new
sprouts come up to a foot and
die. What causes this? Some in
sect is eating the leaves and my
spray doesn't seem to help. l
haven't had any experience with
liquid sprays"
l cannot say what is the cause
of tE< hollyhock d y ing without
some facts and a specimen OF
infected leaves. It may be lack
of ppper drainage, for holly
hooks must have good drainage
and a fertile porous soil. Rust
is a fungus that attacks the
leaves and is recognized by or
ange-red spores on the underside
of the leaf. 1t starts on the new
leaves in the fall at the base of
the clunp. Dusting the under
sides of the leaves and the
ground with sulphur dust. or
using dust or spray compound
containing fermate helps to con-
troll rust. Rust does not usually
kill the shoot. Pick and burn in
fected leaves. Red spider often
attacks hollyhocks in dry
weather and causes much dam
age if not checked. Dust with
sulphur to kill red spider mites.
6. "My verbena bed is two
years old and looks bad. Should
cut all the tops off or pull it
all up and refertilize the bed
and set out new plants?"
It is usually best to set new
beds every two or three years
to get best results from YER
benas. They need slow acting
fertilizer and plenty of humrU in
the s.il with some sand, but do
not need to be made "rich," for,
though they are gross feeders
and have many fine roots that
run out in every direction, they
60 to leaf and runners instead
of bloom if given too much food.
With plenty of old manure,
woodsearth or peat worked into
the soil, they need no fertilizer
except some slow acting food
such as bonemeal. The runners
root readily at tn e joints and
new plants are easily obtained
from these rooted runners. It is
late now to set them, but you
can m axe new bed when
weather conditions allow and set
the new plants in early spring.
Or cut back old plants leaving
several inches of tn e runners,
and put on a mulch of woods
earth, old crumbly manure or
compost when the ground is
cold. When growth starts in
spring, give a little 5-10-5 fertil-
izer and work it into the soil.
Do not cover the plants with the
mulch.
Mrs. B. asks about flame
azaleas which had til cir buds
killed by cold last winter; asks
when to prune a small apple
tree; and asks if grape vines
that are only a year old row
should be sprayed and how soon
they should bear.
Protect the flame azaleas
from cold winter winds with a
frame, with pine boughs stuck
in the ground a foot away from
the plants on the north and west
sides, or with evergreens plant
ed on those sides. Protection
should be far enough away to al
low good circulation of air about
the azaleas but no direct cold
winds.
Prune an apple in early spring
before growth begins.
Grapes should bear a good
crop their fourth year. Some
vines may be allowed to bear a
small crop their third year.
Spray year old vines only II
trouble appears.-November 70,
1947.
Radio waves have the longest
wave lengths OF any form OF
radiant energy now IN 0So