PHOTO Wt IACMCL MAJKMON
Kirby Yard Selected
The H olden Beach Beautification Club has selected the yard of Bobby and Debbie Kirby of 160
Saiifish Drive as yard of the month for June. The yard is landscaped with coreopsis, Gerber daises, lo
belia , lantana, verbena, mums , and several varieties of lilies.
Kings Trail Winners
Lois and Keith Curry were May "Yard of the Month" designees for the Kings Trail section of Sea Trail
Plantation. Their yard features paths lined with "Johnny jump-ups" and many more plants in beds.
Faithful Readers Respond On Lisiui ithus Article
Dear Plant Doctor. After reading
your article on lisianthus... 1 copied
the enclosed articles for your infor
mation. Some seed suppliers, like
Thompson and Morgan, still call
lisianthus Eustoma.
As far as personal experience
goes, I grew lisianthus from seed in
New Jersey and it was a long drawn
out germination, but eventually a
few plants grew to maturity and
were just beautiful.
Plants produced purple tlowers
that looked similar to tulips. 1 would
leave them on the back deck in a pot
all through December and they kept
on flowering, so I know they are
cold-hardy. 1 have never tested their
heat-hardiness, but my sources tell
me plants should do fine all the way
into Florida. I saw them in many
gardens in Australia. ? Long Beach
Dear Plant Doctor; In response
to your request for information
about lisianthus, please find en
closed an article that I clipped ?
Shelby
Dear Plant Doctor; I saw your
request for information concerning
lisianthus. I just recently purchased
two plants in a garden center in
North Myrtle Beach... I am sending
you the information tag from the
plant. Hope this will be helpful to
you. ? Calabash
Answer: I have been over
whelmed by readers' kindness in
providing information about lisian
thus. A brief condensation and sum
mary of the information sent to me
regarding lisianthus follows.
According to the reference Hnmi*
Third, the property scientific name
of lisianthus is Eustoma grandiflo
mm or Prairie tVnfian plant ia
classified as an annual or biennial,
depending upon cultural practices. I
found at least four major seed hous
es list lisianthus in their catalogs:
Park Seed Co. (Highway 54 North,
Greenwood SC 29647); Thompson
and Morsan. Inc. ("P.O. Box 1308.
Dept. FG~ Jackson NJ 08527); J.L
Hudson (P.O. Box 1058, Dept. FG,
Redwood City CA 94064); and W.
Alice Burpee and Co. (Warminster
PA 18974). Burpee even featured
lisianthus (... "The Blue Rose") on
the front page of the 1994 catalog!
All sources report that lisianthus
is difficult to grow from seed or to
transplant, but worth the effort.
Seedlings can be grown in a cold
frame planted in the fall or in a
greenhouse in early spring Seedling
transplant survival is generally low
due to an extensive root system.
Plant should be grown in a fertile,
well-drained, organic enriched soil
with a pH of 6 J to 7.0. Avoid high
nitrogen fertilizers in the culture of
seedling plants, and fertilize juvenile
plants with light feedings of 5-10-10
or equivalent fertilizer. Pinch buds
from young plants to cncourage
multiple branching. Provide support
for plants when size reaches 8 inch
es.
Treat sucking insect pests (aphids.
whiteflies or snider mites > with in
a *
secticidal soaps or appropriate insec
ticides (e.g. Orthcne).
Readers, thanks for all the infor
mation!
Dear Plant Doctor: Please find
enclosed a sample of a branch from
a dwarf apple tree. The branches are
dying. The disease starts on the end
of the branch and moves toward the
center of the tree. My tree is 10
years old and loaded with apples.
Can you give me any advice on
what might be causing this problem?
Do you know of any remedy? I
would hate to lose the tree.
Thank you in advance for your
help. ? Lambertoa
Answer: Your problem is due to
fire blight.
Fire blight is a bacterial disease
which can severely appica,
pears and many other plant members
of the rose family. Fire blight is a
jfiiwj nf VI M /carnally rmwmiHyj
disease) since honey bees often in
fect plants during pollination visits
to the flower. The disease can also
be transmitted by hail, wind or in
fected pruning tools.
Blossoms, fruits, fruit spurs, twigs
and branches are affected, and
sometimes the entire tree may be
killed. Fire blight develops rapidly
when temperatures are 65 to 90 de
grees F. combined with humid or
rainy weather. Damage appears in
early spring when blossoms appear
water-soaked, wilted, shriveled, and
eventually turn from brown to black.
Blighted twigs wilt at their tips,
giving the appearance of a "shep
herd's crook." Infected young fruit
appear oily or water-soaked, often
exuding a milky- or honey-like
ooze. The fruit will shrivel, become
mummified, and suy attached to the
branch.
Only antibiotics will control fire
blight, and generally small quanti
ties of Agrimycin or Agri-Step are
not available to home gardeners.
Fire blight is difficult to control, but
ifance Connection
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here are three suggestions to help
minimize the damage to vour tree.
? Choose apple varieties for new
plantings which are genetically re
sistant to fire blight.
? Remove all infected fruit,
twigs and leaves from trees before
growth starts in the spring. Prune
out all infcr??*J wood Cu?? should
be made 10 to 12 inches beyond the
last evidence of the disease. Use
bleach (e.g. Clorox) diluted 1:10
with water to sterilize the pruning
shears between each cut.
9 Avoid heavy fertilization thai
Mjcoursges succulent growth Keep
watersprouts pruned from the base
of the tree, and remove and destroy
all printings promptly.
I am sending you the N.C.
Cooperative Extension publication
" Fire Blight of Apple and Pear,
Fntii Disease Information Note 3. "
by Drs. D.F. Ritchie and T.B.
Sutton. Good luck.
Send your gardening questions
and comments to the Plant Doctor,
P.O. Box 109, Bolivia NC 28422.
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