Down in the dirt: Lynchburg area extension agent answers your gardening questions

By Don Davis
Published: June 10, 2008

A snake in the yard caused one gardener to call me last week. The others who called for advice had plants on their minds. Here are some examples.

Q. There is a black snake in my yard. I want to know if it is dangerous. — B.G., Lynchburg
A. Your snake is probably a black rat snake, which is not poisonous. This snake eats rodents, including voles, so having one in your yard is not a bad thing. Snakes such as this can bite when they feel threatened, so give it wide berth. There are only two poisonous snakes in Lynchburg: copperheads and rattlesnakes.

Q. I have a question about my red Japanese maple. It has a big green-leaved sprout growing up out of it. Can I divide or root the green part? After cutting off the green part, should I put some kind of dressing on the wound? — P.W., ForestA. Crimson Queen, Bloodgood and other red Japanese maples are grafted trees. The green growth you see is undesirable growth coming from the
rootstock, and cutting it out is the right thing to do. Although Japanese maples are sometimes grown from cuttings, I doubt the green part will root if you place it in a pot of soil or water. No wound treatment is needed after pruning this tree or any other.

Q. I went to a store to buy Supersonic tomato plants, and there were none in stock. The people working there told me to plant Better Boy tomato because it is the same as Supersonic. Is that true? — A.G., Lynchburg
A. That is totally bogus. Keep looking for Supersonic. It is the superior tomato.

Q. We have five birch trees, and they all look terrible. Their inner leaves are shriveling and black, while their outer leaves at the tips of their branches are normal. I’ve seen it on other birches recently. Their leaves are all wrinkled up like prunes and folded like an accordion. What’s wrong? — T.R., Lynchburg
A. The trees are infested by aphids. These insects attack birches almost every year, and their damage is purely cosmetic. Lady bugs are attracted to these birches, and they will provide biological control by eating the aphids. There is no need to spray with insecticides.

Q. I need a soil sampling kit. There could be some termiticide in my garden soil, so I want to get it tested before I do any planting. — G.B., Lynchburg
A. The soil testing lab at Virginia Tech tests for nutrients, salts and acidity, but not for chemicals such as termite killer. If you like, I can suggest a commercial lab that does this kind of testing.

Q. I have an old azalea about 4 feet tall. Is it OK to prune it severely? Will if re-leaf? — M.J., Madison Heights
A. Severely pruning an old azalea will rejuvenate it and make it look like a new plant. Spring is the time to do rejuvenation pruning, so get it done this week or next. Your azalea will be covered in fresh leafy growth by the end of summer if you prune it now.