Give Up On
Blight-Stricken Redtips
Dear Plant Doctor: The leaves
of my redtips are getting black spots
on them. After a couple of weeks,
the leaves turn brown and die. I have
enclosed leaves for you to examine.
What is the best solution to this
problem?
Answer: Homelite, Stihl or Poul
an offer the best solution to your
problem.
Your redtips (Photinia x fraseri)
have a severe disease callcd entomo
sporium blight. This disease is espe
cially common in eastern North
Carolina this spring because the
cool, wet conditions have been ideal
for this fungal pathogen's develop
ment.
Fungicides (e.g. Daconil 2787,
Funginex or Bayleton) can control
the disease but regular spraying
every 7 to lO days throughout the
growing season is required for good
control. For most people, this treat
ment costs way more than any redtip
is worth.
Cut down your redtips and plant a
native shrub in its place.
I think Southern Wax MyrtJc
(Myrica cerifera) or just about any
of the native hollies would be a bet
ter choice than the redtip.
Dear Plant Doctor: Twenty
years ago we moved to the coast of
North Carolina and I immediately
sprigged my grasslcss, sandy soil
with centipede grass. Yearly weed
ing, fertilizing, and liming seemed
to sustain the yard just fine. For the
last three years, the enclosed weed
has began to appear in early spring.
It dies with the warm weather but
the extensive root system this weedy
grass produces seems to be choking
out my centipede grass. There are so
many plants of this weed that it is
getting in my flower beds and veg
etable garden.
Can you tell me what this weed
is? What should I do about it?
Answer: The weed you enclosed
THE
PLANT
DOCTOR
C. BRUCE
WILLIAMS
Extension Area
Turf Specialist \
is c ailed annual blucgrass {Poo an
nua). Annual blucgrass or "poa" is a
very interesting cool-scason grass
that is considered to be a weed in the
southeast United States but a desir
able golf course grass in other areas.
Annual blue grass produces a yel
low-green, "silver-dollar" size
clump of fine textured grass blades
that are nearly always accompanied
by a plume-like sccdhead. 1 have
seen annual blue grass thrive on golf
greens even when mowed to 5/32ths
of an inch! Under optimum condi
tions, some types of annual bluc
grass can complete a generation in
30 days (ic. from planted seed to
seed on a mature plant!).
Warm temperatures will kill annu
al blue grass in this area and for this
reason chcmical control is not nec
essary in home lawns or gardens.
However, several herbicides arc
available to the homeowner that will
control this weed in the lawn. For
centipede grass and St Augustine
grass lawns, the best control for this
weed is to treat dormant grass with
atrazine (Purge II) or simisinc (Prin
cep) in early December. However,
do not use this on lawns ovcrscedcd
with rye grass.
On centipede grass lawns only,
this weed can also be controlled by
scthoxydim (Poast or Vantage).
However, Poast will kill all other
lawn grasses so use with care. Read
and follow all label instructions and
safety precautions when you use any
pcsticides.
A hoc is the best control in gar
dens because the weed is easily
killed when disturbed.
Dear Plant Doctor: How do I
grow plants in this poor, poor sand?
What flower and vegetable crops
would do best? I am sick and tired
of seeing nicc gardens around me
and not being able to grow a thing.
Answer: Contact your local N.C.
Cooperative Extension office. Ex
tension has excellent publications on
irrigation, home vegetable garden
ing, plant variety selection, soil and
water testing, food preservation and
safety, and landscaping.
I think you will find the best gar
deners stay tuned-in to environmen
tally sound horticultural and agro
nomic educational materials provid
ed through N.C. Cooperative Ex
tension.
Send your gardening questions
and comments to The Plant Doctor,
P.O. Box 109. Bolivia. N.C. 28422.
Brunswick Parks
And Rec Sets Trip
To Amish Country
The Brunswick County Parks and
Recreation Department is planing a
trip to the Pennsylvania Amish
country June 1-4.
The four-day trip will cost S215
per person and includes dinnery
every night, continental breakfast,
double-occupancy hotel room, a
farewell banquet and visits to the
following: Martin's Pretzel Bakery,
Hershey Park, Seltzer's Bologna
Factory, Milton Hershey School and
a lour of the Wheatland.
Deadline for registration and pay
ment is May 17. For more informa
tion or registration, call Kelly Fields
at 253-3257 or 1-800-222-4790.
After Prom '93 Seeks Support
Plans for the fourth annual West Brunswick High Against Driving Drunk (SADD) support and encourage
School "After Prom 1993" arc well underway, according events like After Prom because such events help prevent
to After Prom Director Patricia Poulos. drug and alcohol-relaled accidents which take as many
The event will be held after the Junior-Senior Prom as 2,700 teenage lives each year and injure 75,000 to
on Friday night, April 30, and promises to provide "an 100,000 other teens.
exciting, fun-filled yet safe experience" for more than "We expect the support of the community in the
300 students who arc cxpcctcd to attend, Poulos said. form of cash, gift certificates, merchandise and man
"This 'After Prom' commitment is sponsored by power to be greater than ever," Poulos said,
parents and our community and is supported 100 percent "Participation by our community and parents is needed
by our school," she said. "Great entertainment, fabulous to make this year's After Prom as successful as those of
prizes and delicious food will create a memorable the past three years."
evening." ? To participate or learn more about After Prom, call
The N.C. Governor's Safety Program and Students Poulos at 754-7493 or Polly Russ at 754-9420.
A Celebration of
and for CHILDREN
SATURDAY, APRIL 24
MYRTLE BEACH CONVENTION CENTER
10:00 AM-8:00 PM
S2.00 KIDS $4.00 ADULTS
No child will be
admitted without an
adult and no adult y
without a child. S
FAMILY x
FESTIVAL
OF FUN
\
Meet Celebrity FOOTBALL HEROES J
MUSIC ROOM fl
SCIENCE and NATURE Exhibits
Kids Paint A Giant MURAL
Clowns 4"^ ffl
Meet the DIGNITARIES V
dressed as their favorite kid
ENVIRONMENTAL Exhibits
Petting Zoo
EMS & FIRE Department
Choose a SUMMER CAMP
Learn to Write a CHECK
Meet CARTOON CHARACTERS
including your favorite YELLOW BIRD
and perfect PURPLE DINOSAUR
at
^ THE MYRTLE BEACH CONVENTION CENTER
DO
rtlTl? HtGULAH
Ml ADMISSION
(REGULAR ADMISSION PRICE; ADULTS $ >.(K> ? CHILDREN $2.1K))
With < oupon Saturday April 24. /*/<>} tn>m IC.OO ,vu until ti:QO pm
BB
SPONSORS: Conway Hospital Ask-A-Nurse ? The Cribbs' Cribs ? Myrtle Square
Mall ? Showbiz Pizza ? The Sun News ? WPDE TV-15 ? WYAV 104
Like A Jigsaw Puzzle
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Brunswick Little Theatre's spring production, "Jigsaws," will be staged Friday and Saturday, April 23
and 24, at 8 p.m. at Centennial Center, Southport. Set in Australia, it is an adult comedy dealing with
three generations of women in the same family. Stuart Callari (bottom right) directs and plays the role
of the grandmother, Emma. Other performers include (front left) Jean Hrdlicka as a daughter, Pat,
and (back, from left) Jane Carr and Vickie Rridgers as granddaughters Alex and Monica. Not pictured
is Sherrill Jolly, who plays the other daughter. Tickets are $8 each or $15 a couple and include cham
pagne and dessert. Get them at Sweettreat in Southport, the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Com
merce, Bob Hrdlicka (278-4212) or Stuart Callari (457-6790).
Keiserhaus Kennels
In Supply
Boarding Dogs & Cats
Basic Grooming
Indoor Runs
Heated & Air Conditioned
?Outdoor Exercise Area
1403 Makatoka Rd. NW
We're Well-Bread
but we always talk fresh to our customers!
Delicious fresh bread baked daily
in our shop...
Pepperoni ? Rye ? Italian
Pepperoni & Cheese
MICKIE'S DONUT SHOPPE & BAKERY
754-2996
Shallotte Plaza. Shallotte (across from Sizzlin Sirloin)
ttama muni - mean
"The Excitement Continues"
The response to our inventory
clearance sale was phenomenal!
We are continuing our sale for one
week only! Many specially marked
items throughout the store are...
COST or BELOW!!!
(Because these items are priced so low, please arrange for
your own pick-up and delivery.)
Final
Week!!
ta-ej
J. LIVINGSTON
1470 Hwy. 17, Little River, SC 803-249-6188
C1W3 T'-l ? - , y , ? - ?