Grasses Not
Dear Plant Doctor: Wc just
moved to the Sandhills of North
Carolina and the lawn of the home
wc purchased has never been taken
carc of. We need some help in de
ciding what would be the best way
to handle our front yard.
Wc moved here from Michigan
where we had a beautiful front lawn.
A good lawn fertilization program
was all that was really required for a
nice lawn up north.
Wc would like to know what
types of sod the golf courscs use in
North Carolina. People arc on them
daily and they hold up very well.
However, wc arc also considering
the use of artificial turf or white riv
er stones.
Please let us know what is the
best cover for oui front yard.
Answer: Most golf courscs use
hybrid bermuda grass. This warm
season grass is easily ovcrsccdcd
with cither annual or perennial rye
grass during the fall for winter and
early spring color. Hybrid bermuda
grass is a high maintenance, finc
tcxturcd, sun-loving, turf grass that
is highly resilient to traffic and wear.
It is suitable for home use where a
high quality (and high maintenance)
lawn is desired.
Artificial turf or white stones can
be utilized but will not provide
many of the environmental and aes
thetic benefits of a living ground
covcr.
Turf grass is just one of the many
ground covcrs available for your
front yard. English ivy, low growing
junipers, Asiatic jasmine and others
can be effectively utilized to provide
a living green ground covcr for your
front yard.
I am sending you two publications,
Only Lawn Cover Choice
Volunteers
Sought For
Program
Volunteers arc being recruited In
Brunswick County in conjunction
with "Speak Up! For North Caro
lina's Abused and Neglected Chil
dren," the 1993 public awareness
and volunteer recruiting campaign
of the N.C. Guardian ad Litem pro
gram.
Guardians ad litem are trained
community volunteers appointed by
juvenile courts to represent the best
interests of children involved in
court proceedings as a result of hav
ing been abused or neglected. Vol
unteers are paired with attorney ad
vocates, ahd they work together to
ensure that children's rights and best
interests are before the court.
During 1991-92, 2,272 guardian
ad litem volunteers worked with 140
attorney advocates to serve more
than 12,257 children across North
Carolina.
For more information on becom
ing a guardian ad litem volunteer in
Brunswick County, call Betty Buck
at 253-4060.
KT
CLOTHING FOR MEN
TUX
RENTALS
FOR PROM
Reg Tux $43
and up
Large selection of
cumberbunds and bow
ties available at no
extra charge.
?Require 1/2 Down lor Deposit
ill
on.-Thurs. 9
\ Fri. & Sat. 9-7
- 754-5000
Coastal Plaza Shatlotte
THE
PLANT
DOCTOR
C. BRUCE
WILLIAMS
Extension Area
Turf Specialist
Carolina Lawns. AG-69, and Ground
Covers for North Carolina, AG-75.
The best treatment of your front yard
is one that is environmental iy sound
and agrees with your life style, bud
get, and sense of aesthetics.
Dear Plant Doctor: 1 have two
questions I would like you to ad
dress and reply to at your conve
nience.
First, 1 have a number of dwarf
pittosporum bushes around my
house and most of them arc devel
oping barren areas at the bottom of
the plants. It seems like the tops arc
healthy but the bottoms arc becom
ing very sparse. Also the leaves on
bottom arc a very light green color
in the affected areas. All of these
plants are near the house.
My other problem is clover grow
ing in the lawn. My entire lawn is
centipede grass and it is being in
vaded by large patches of clover.
I enjoy your column and would
appreciate your comments and sug
gestions.
Answer: Pittosporum (Pittospor
um spp.) is susceptible to numerous
fungal and bacterial pathogens that
would cause the symptoms you de
scribe.
However, I suspect the problem
5^ P
Y* GALLERY
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STITCIIERY
"THE UNUSUAL"
Selected for your pleasure by
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Calabash Post Office Complex
" Jjwy. 179 ? (919)579-9924*
Easter Cards, Stuffed Bunnies
and Basket Stujfers at
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Pcllcan Square Center ? Hwy. 904
between Ocean Isle & Sunset (next
to Food Lton)
579-8984
GUEST PASS"1
We are Inviting You To Be Our Quest at
7Kc*uh? Stfuet. a Private Club for
Members and Their Quests.
Monday - Drink Specials Tuesday - Ladies Might
j j Wednesday - Shag Lessons Thursday - Country
Line Dance Lessons Friday - Margarita Special
Saturday - Request Might Sunday - Shag Practice
Open 7 days a week from 4 pm to ?
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Must present this GUEST PASS at the door for entry
Expires April 30. 1993
relates to inadequate pruning anil/or
fertilization. Opening up the plant
canopy by the use of numerous thin
ning-out pruning cuts will allow bel
ter light infiltration and air move
ment. This will greatly reduce the
susceptibility of your plants to dis
ease.
Next, use a slow release fertilizer
with trace nutrient elements. Your
pittosporum problem could also be
due to a nutrient deficiency.
Nitrogen deficiency first shows up
on the lower leaves of the plant and
moves up the plant as new growth is
initiated. A soil test in the pittospo
rum beds is also highly recommend
ed.
Large patches of clover in a cen
tipede grass lawn signal a potential
problem. Centipede grass prefers a
slighdy acid soil reaction whereas
most clovers prefer soils with a
greater tendency toward alkalinity.
In other words, you may have ap
plied too much limestone to your
yard or the soil is naturally loo alka
line for optimum ccntipcdc gras
growth. Please take a soil sample.
Clover is a wonderful cool season
legume lhat fixes nitrogen in a form
that can be used for plant growth.
Clover will go dormant or disappear
in this area as soon as the weather
heats up. Use cultural practices
(such as mowing and proper turf
grass fertilization) to control clover.
The last resort should be herbi
cides. Clover can be easily killed
with several common turf grass her
bicides which include Ortho
Chickwecd and Clover Control
(mecoprop) or Banvcl (dicambd).
Send your comments and ques
tions to The Plant Doctor. P.O. Box
109. Bolivia. N.C. 28422.
Tutor Training
Workshop Set
Trie Brunswick County Literacy
Council is spnsoring a tutor training
workshop at its office in Supply.
The 12-hour workshop will pre
pare students to use the phonics
based Laubach method with an adult
student.
It is scheduled for Friday, April
23, from 6-9:30 p.m. and on Sat
urday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. It will be led by Rich Dixon of
Shallottc.
The literacy council currcnUy has
a wailing list of adult students
throughout Brunswick County, so
tutors arc needed in most areas.
There are also programs allowing
volunteers to work in the elemen
tary, middle and high schools.
To prc-rcgistcr, or for more infor
mation, call the office at 754
READ.
X ?
\ \'i,
STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG RUTTfH
Speech Contest Winners
Shallotte Middle School students Heather Heavener (left) and
Sean Pruitt were winners in the recent Optimist International Ora
torical Contest sponsored by the Optimist Club of South Brunswick
Islands. The subject was "/ Can Make A Difference." Pruitt spoke
about how he can make a difference in the future as a teacher.
Heavener talked about how she can make a difference by helping
classmates as a tutor, picking up litter around the school and
teaching others about the effects of smoking. Both advanced to
zone competition to be held April 21 in Whiteville.
r Red Ripe
< Strawberries
Asparagus
Fresh Chilled Bag
Del Monte
Pineapple
Fresh
Sweet
Potatoes
f Large Assortment O f Easter Plants1
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Corsages
Easter Lillies
& Mums
$"|99 $?599 $A99
Each Each Each
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Hyacinths
w ^ ^
Frozen Grade A
Turkey
Wilson Corn King (5-7 Lbs.
Average) Sliced FREE!
Whole "Boneless"
Ham
Bryan All Meat
Juicy Jumb
Franks
USDA Choice
Beef Bottom
Round
Roast
Shank Half
Smoked
While
Hanfj"
Wilson Corn
King Half
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Ham
$169
X Lb.
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Shoulder &
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Steaks
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Lb.
Frozen Grade A (10-14 Lbs.
Avg.) Self-Basting ESQ
Turkeys Lb. *0^7
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Butt Half w QQ
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2 Liter - Diet Coke, Caffeine
Free Diet Coke, Sprite, ^
Diet Sprite t\\
Coke Classic
1
99m
We Reserve The Right To Limit
Quantities. (Vices in (his ad good Wed..
April 7 thru Tues.. April 13. 1993.
Save up to $8.00 off
your next Food Lion
Shopping Order with
Receive $1.00 Off your next shopping order
with any of the following purchases
n
iSkSASJll
?Buy any 2 boxes of
Pillsbury Brownie Mix
?Buy 1 (22 Oz.) Wlndex
?Buy any 2
Fleischmann's Margarine
?Buy any 5 of Stouffer's
Regular Entress
(Excluding Stouffer's
Lunch Express)
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lass Cleaner 4.6 Oz. or Larger
?Buy 2 Edge Shave Gel
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Reg., Potpourri, Elegance,
or Nature's Collections
?Buy any 2 (64 Oz.) or
larger containers of
Tropicana Pure Premium
Re frig. Orange Juice
BOW in mi 11)1! I?? Mii
r 25 Oz. Kellogg's
Sugar
Frosted
Flakes Reg. $3.67
32.5 Oz. Lemon
Electrasol
Ultra Automatic
Dishwashing
Detergent Reg. $2.29
6 Pack - 12 Oz.
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Jam &
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