Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-11
This Week.
Problems in
he Gdrden

A good soaking q week viii keep
plants growing during. periods Of
high temperatures. The soaking
should moisten the soil to q
depth Of s inches.
| Gardeners should be on the,
watch for red spider mites. They
are especially bad on azaleas,
pole beans and roses. It is diff
f1cult to see them but they may
be seen without difficulty If you
will hold q piece Of plain white
paper beneath . branch and
strike It to shake the mites onto
the paper.
Control the spider mites with
q spray, such as nicotine sui
phate. Malathion, Aramite, ETC.,
as well as a number Of phos-
plate compounds sold under
trade names. Apply the, mite
killer three time at weekly in
tervals. These materials kill only
the adults. not the eggs or
nymphs.
It is not too late to dig that
clump Of daffodils that have be-
come too crowded for good
bloom. Dry bulbs in a shady sit
uation before storing for the
summer In a dry airy place.
# you leave the tulips In,
mulch the surface rather heav-
lily to keep soil temperatures as
low as possible.
| This humid cloudy weather is
ideal for the spread Of late blight
and tomato growers should be
prepared to spray or dust their
plants at the first warning. CAp-
tan is recommended for control
ing this destructive disease.
The Dutch bulb crop promises
to be as big as last year, hence
no injury appeared dispite
severe winter and the new crop
Is being dug and processed.
It will soon be time to take
cuttings of azaleas and camellias
for roofing In peat moss and
sand. The January 1854 issue Of
the National Horticultural Mag
azine is given over to q series
Of reports on the various means
Of vegetative propagation and is
an excellent reference for those
interested in growing their own.
Copies may be obtained from the
Secretary, American Horticultu-
raj Society, 1900 Bladensburg
Road, Me-. Washington, D. G.
The Jap beetles are now be-
coming rather plentiful and rose
growers might well try one OF
these methods to protect blooms
for cutting. Dust the buds each
morning with DOT, to keep the
beetles from working into them.
Or. cut the buds while still tight
and place them in cool water
in the basement. A third method
is to cover buds with q cello
phane sack.
Iris are gross feeders and they
should be fertilized, use a 5-10-5
mixture and scatter over the
root area. Cultivate the fertilizer
into the soil by scratching the
surface--the roots OF the iris are
shallow and deep cultivation
would jnjure them.
I A better practice would be to
lift the iris clump and remove
one or two fans for transplanting
into a new. well-prepared bed.
Replace the old clump for next
springs bloom, The new plants
may not produce good bloom
until the second year.
Strong winds can ruin a tall
growing flower spike, whether
it Is a glad, snapdragon, del
phinium, or cosmos. For this
reason the gardener should keep
a supply Of strong stakes for
stalking tall-growing plants as
soon as they are large enough.
Strips Of cloth, prepared ties, or
coarse, soft cord may be used
to fasten the plant to the stake.
Snip OH those long "wands"
on the wisteria. This pruning
aids In keeping them within
bounds; but more important. it
is the summer pruning that
stimulates flower buds. w. H. Y.