DEAR SUN SPOTS: I am writing to see if any readers would have a calla-lily begonia plant that I could get a cutting from.

A calla-lily begonia has variegated green-and-white leaves and dark pink or red flowers. The plant is beautiful.

I don’t have a computer, so I don’t have an email address. You can call me after 4 p.m. weekdays at 998-2852. Thank you for your help. — David Tedford, Poland

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Please, can you help us? How do you get rid of strawberries on your lawn? They have taken over our lawn. Thank you. — Francis Gallant, maxine@roadrunner.com

ANSWER: Sun Spots perused several websites and came up with the following tips:

* Make sure your lawn is well-nourished and watered appropriately. Healthy grass will push out many weeds, including wild strawberries.

* Isolate the part of your lawn where they are already established. Wild strawberries, like the ones we eat, spread by sending out tendrils. Place a barrier, such as a trench, between them and the good lawn.

* Pull them up. You will need to keep at it, but if you pull them up and feed your lawn, eventually the grass will win. Gardensalive.com suggests that you attack small sections at a time. Now is a good time, because wild strawberry pulls out of wet soil fairly easily.

* You could try an acetic product such as plain vinegar or BurnOut, a vinegar solution with lemon and other oils. This will kill whatever it touches, so it must be applied only to the strawberry plants. Corn gluten meal was recommended at gardeningknowhow.com to prevent sprouting of new plants.

* Apply an herbicide that contains a combination of three different herbicides, such as 2,4-D, Dicamba and MCPP, which specifically lists wild strawberries as a target weed. One site recommended Trimec. Apply it only to the target plants when they are growing vigorously and when no rain is imminent. Follow the herbicide directions carefully; improper use of herbicides (which are technically poison) can be hazardous. Butterflies and birds are having a tough time as is.

* And, finally, consider leaving them. At least one website voted with Sun Spots. The plants have pretty little white flowers and their fruit feeds small creatures (chipmunks?). Sun Spots does not see the allure of perfect grass, although many people do, including Mr. Sun Spots, an avid golfer.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Here I am again. Aloe vera plants are ready for a new home. They’re free. Just call. — Ruth, 784-4278

DEAR SUN SPOTS: United Way of Androscoggin County, in conjunction with the Androscoggin Volunteer Administrators, is having a volunteer fair on Thursday, May 15.

The public is invited to visit and talk with local agencies in regards to volunteer opportunities and initiatives in our areas. The event will take place at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College at 51 Westminster St. in Room 108 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Local agencies such as United Way of Androscoggin County, The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing, SeniorsPlus, Central Maine Medical Center, Advocates for Children, Lewiston Public Library, Catholic Charities – SEARCH Program, Book Reach, Safe Voices, Lewiston Public Schools, Androscoggin Head Start, American Red Cross, Girl Scouts of Maine and many more are in need of volunteers.

For more information please contact Angie Coombs at 207-795-4000 or acoombs@unitedwayandro.org or visit www.unitedwayandro.org. — Matthew D. Shaw, director of campaign and marketing, mshaw@unitedwayandro.org

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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