Saturday, September 01, 2007
Garden crisis? Call VCE
Libba Wolfe
Libba Wolfe's column appears twice monthly in Extra.
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My interest in gardening began with one plant about 10 years ago. I planted a Lady Banksia climbing rose at the base of an old tree when we moved to our new house. It quickly wove into the branches. In April it was covered with thousands -- I'm not exaggerating -- of tiny buttery blossoms.
As the flower grew so did my confidence. Even though it required no special care from me, I began to think, "Hey, hey, maybe I can be a gardener." It was the first thing I planted and its spectacular spring show has never let me down.
You can imagine my dismay when it started dropping all its leaves this summer. Was this the dreaded black spot fungus that I've heard often afflicts roses? Should I spray it? If so, with what? Should I cut it back? Dig it up? Who you gonna call?
The Virginia Cooperative Extension, that's who.
I clipped a spray of damaged leaves and paid a visit to the Extension office at 3738 Brambleton Ave. Horticulture Technician Barbara Leach slipped the foliage and stems under a microscope. Not black spot. Not septonia. My sweet Lady Banks is suffering from oedema, a weather-related injury. The hot, dry summer is taking its toll. Leach recommended regular water, no fertilizer and a good trim in late winter. Whew!
I expect that visit will be the first of many. I had no idea about the wide range of services the VCE offers. It extends the services and expertise of the Colleges of Agriculture at Virginia's two land grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. What a resource it is.
There is a department that helps commercial growers and trains the Master Gardeners. There is a department that runs local 4-H Clubs. There is a Family and Consumer Services department that answers nutrition, food preparation and dietary planning questions. And then there's Leach's department that helps bewildered homeowners and backyard gardeners.
Her horticulture hotline, 776-7178, is staffed by master gardeners from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. The help desk is open the same hours for walk-in visitors.
You don't have to worry about asking stupid questions, either. They've heard it all. Not only are they experts, but the office is also crammed with reference books and current pamphlets. Anything that stumps them gets sent to Virginia Tech for an answer.
Say you've moved into a new place and don't know what the foundation shrubs are. Snip some branches and take them in. Once Leach and her folks identify them they'll help you figure out how to nurture them.
Don't know how to get rid of the mystery weeds that suddenly appeared? They'll give you an ID and a plan to get rid of them.
Weird spots, deformed trees, failure to thrive, sudden death, bizarre bugs -- all the things that you scratch your head about -- are the meat and potatoes of the VCE. This time of year they're answering calls about drought damage to lawns, fall lawn care and renovating perennial borders.
Year-round they get desperate calls about wildlife and pest problems. While I was there a bug in a plastic bag arrived for identification. They field calls about coyotes, snakes, voles, chipmunks, deer (no easy answer there), fleas, ticks, ladybugs, wasps -- you name it, they've been asked about it.
Leach and the master gardeners prefer a call or visit instead of e-mail. This helps them make a more accurate diagnosis or ID. Sometimes the only answer is an on-site observation.
The VCE doesn't make house calls. They don't lend animal traps. They don't do your entire home landscaping design. They are in the business of supplementing, not supplanting, area landscaping, arborist and pest control professionals. They'll help you zero in on problems and refer you to the pros when you need them.
I asked Leach about planting fall vegetable crops. She whipped out a chart based on our average first frost date of Oct. 10. Spinach seeds need to go in by today, so you know what I'm doing this afternoon. The pack of red mustard seeds that I forgot to plant last spring should have been in by mid-August.
If you live in Southwest Virginia but outside Roanoke you can find your local VCE number in the state government listings at the front of the phone book. I'm going to write the hotline number on my garden gloves.
TO DO: The Roanoke Master Gardeners will present a $10 seminar, Turf Wars and Culinary Herbs, Sept. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Brambleton Center gym. Call 772-7524 to register. Also, registration for fall training class continues through Wednesday. Call 772-7572.
Libba Wolfe's column runs twice a month in Saturday Extra.
