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Answers to Your Questions:
My
zucchini and eggplant are big and beautiful with vibrant flowers that die and
never produce fruit. Then new beautiful flowers bloom and die with no
fruit. I have an equal mixture or cow manure, peat moss and topsoil.
I feed them organic blood meal and bone meal once
a month. I bought 1,000 ladybugs, and earthworms are plentiful, so there are no
bugs. They are watered regularly and they get full sun. What am I
doing wrong?
Orlando, Florida It sounds like
your plants have a problem called blossom drop. Since flowering and fruiting is
an optional process for plants, any kind of stress may make the plant drop the
flowers and direct its energy toward maintaining roots, stems and leaves. There
are many possible causes, but it sounds like you are taking good care of the
plants, so I’ll list a few of the most common. I heard that people pour beer on their lawn to get rid of thatch. Is this an old wives tale, or does it actually work? If it works, how fast or slow? I know mechanical de-thatching and aerating is best, but since I live in an apartment I do not want to spend that kind of money.
Lakewood, Ohio Thatch
stops breaking down because soil washes out of it. The best way to get the
thatch to break down again is to put soil back into it. I
just planted an oleander shrub and was wondering about winter protection.
I live in southeast
You
will have to move your oleander indoors during the winter. Oleander can not
survive temperatures below 10 - 15 degrees F, and even with substantial mulching
and wrapping protection, southeast
I have a poplar tree and I would like to know how to get rid of little worms that are in the stem of the leaves. The stem swells up to a size of a pea and inside there are little worms. This is the first time I have noticed it and people tell me that the tree will die if not treated.
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
I
believe your tree is suffering from poplar petiole gall (also called poplar
leaf-stem gall). The pea-sized gall is caused by aphids feeding on the petioles
(leaf-stems) early in the spring when the leaves first emerge. This feeding
causes a swelling in the petiole, which the aphids inhabit through the season.
They lay eggs on the branches before the leaves come down in fall, and the eggs
remain over the winter to hatch out next spring. I
could not find any kind of caterpillar or worm that would inhabit galls on leaf
petioles on any kind of tree. If you think you have a different problem, please
write back. When is it time to trim a new velvet mesquite tree? We planted it about one month ago and it is really growing, unlike the blue palo verde tree that I wrote to you about.
Saddlebrooke, Arizona
Velvet
It can also be trimmed into a single-stemmed tree is space is an issue. Simply choose the strongest and straightest trunk and remove the others at ground level. It will develop a picturesque quality with age.
Velvet Mesquite is another excellent choice for your area. In addition to its ornamental qualities, its seeds and leaves provide food for wildlife, and birds like to nest in the branches.
I live in Northeast Ohio and I found this “weed” growing in one of my empty containers of dirt outside. It didn’t look like a typical weed so I let it go just to see what it would look like full grown. Well now it’s full grown (the plant is about 3.5 feet tall) and I still can’t figure out what it is. I’ve been all over the net looking for this weed / flower and I can’t find it. I’d be very grateful if you could identify it.
Yes,
this is a weed. It is called velvetleaf (Abutilon
theophrasti), which I’m sure makes sense to you after handling the
leaves. I This insect was hovering around our butterfly bush. When I first saw it out of the corner of my eye, I thought it was a hummingbird. Its wings were transparent and it hovered instead of landing. I could see antennae. I never saw anything like it before. Do you know what it is?
Fairview Park, Ohio
This is a hummingbird moth, probably the common variety (Hemaris thysbe). It is a very cool insect that really does look just like a hummingbird. They are sometimes called clearwing moths because their wings are mostly transparent. The antennae are usually the first thing people notice that tells them that it is not a real hummingbird. They are members of the sphinx moth family, but unlike their nocturnal cousins, these moths are active during the day. They use their long, coiled tongues to drink nectar from flowers just as hummingbirds use their beaks.
Hummingbird moths are good pollinators and should be encouraged in any garden. The adults like any plant that butterflies and hummingbirds like, and their caterpillars feed mainly on honeysuckle, hawthorn, snowberry and viburnum.
My husband planted a Blue Palo Verde tree and it looks like a big twig with very few little leaves. When does it start to bloom, and why does it seem like it is taking forever to grow? Can you please help us?
Saddlebrooke, Arizona
The
Blue Palo Verde tree (Cercidium
floridum) is the state tree of
The
tree usually blooms around March, depending on weather, with
a spectacular show of flowers.
My mother's weeping cherry tree has branches infested with small brown caterpillar-looking insects. The limbs infested are leafless and don't look good. I hosed them off. Any suggestions on how to treat this?
Cincinnati, Ohio
Hosing off the caterpillars is a good start. If the branches weep down to the ground, the caterpillars will likely climb back on the branches. They may even climb back up the trunk. You can spray the tree with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring soil bacteria) and this will kill the caterpillars without harming other types of insects, pets, people, etc. Nearly any other general purpose insecticide will also do the trick. Be sure to coat the leaves thoroughly, especially on the inner parts of the tree.
Though the tree may look bad, and damaged leaves may turn yellow or brown and fall off, the branches are unaffected. The branches may not produce new leaves this year since it is so late, but will certainly do so next spring.
We have planted a weeping cherry tree earlier this spring and it has been doing beautifully. However, we were away and when we returned we found that Japanese Beetles had nearly completely eaten the leaves off of the tree. How will this effect the health of the tree? Is there anything we can do to ensure the health of the tree?
New Jersey
Your tree will likely survive its encounter with Japanese beetles. I would treat the tree with an insecticide such as malathion, acephate, carbaryl or permethrin to protect any remaining leaves. I would also fertilize the tree to help it regain energy and possibly put out new leaves this year. If it doesn't produce new leaves this year, it may still leaf out next year.
When is the best time of the year to kill grass and plant new grass in the Cleveland, Ohio area?
The best times to plant new grass in Northeast Ohio are the spring and the fall. Air temperatures are in the range that will allow the grass seed to sprout and grow quickly, and there is more chance of rain to assist the gardener in establishing a new lawn. Each time of year has advantages and disadvantages. In the spring, the ground is colder and may delay seed germination. More weed seeds are around and primed to sprout along with the grass seed. Pre-emergent crabgrass control, which is normally applied at this time of year, must be skipped because the chemical will also kill turf grass seed. (There are alternative chemicals that will control crabgrass without harming turf grass seed, but they are much more expensive.) Fall grass planting has less weed pressure and has much warmer soil temperatures for faster sprouting. Most weed seeds that sprout with the grass will die in the frost that is only weeks away. The major disadvantage in fall grass seed planting is that it may be difficult to eliminate undesirable grass before planting a new lawn.
Lawns that become infested with perennial grassy weeds are the most likely candidates for killing the existing turf and starting with new seed. Some of these grasses, notably creeping bentgrass, is likely to be dormant in late summer when the existing lawn needs to be killed. Since the bentgrass is dormant, herbicides like glyphosate (Roundup) can not kill the roots, and the bentgrass will reappear in the new lawn from the stored energy in its roots. I have seen bentgrass remain dormant into November, long past the time for fall seeding. If bentgrass is your main problem, it may be better to reseed in spring, unless the lawn has been well watered all summer and the bentgrass is green and growing.
Begin killing the old lawn at least two weeks before planting the new seed. Be sure to completely coat the lawn with the herbicide, while being careful to avoid flowers and other landscape plants that may be adjacent to the lawn. after one week, reapply herbicide to any areas that are still green. Once all the old turf is brown and dead, you may begin to prepare the soil for the new seed. If you can avoid tilling the existing soil, you will reduce the number of weed seeds brought to the surface. Limiting the amount of added topsoil will also reduce weeds. I find it is easiest to apply about a quarter-inch of topsoil over the killed lawn before putting down seed. Apply grass seed over the top, and then scatter no more than one-eighth of an inch of peat moss over the seed to hold moisture. Avoid straw; it brings in weed seeds, attracts birds, and takes over a year to disintegrate.
In Northeast Ohio, begin killing lawns around August 15th, or April 1st, depending on weather conditions. Plants must be actively growing to be killed by herbicides, so avoid drought, heat over 86 degrees, or freezing temperatures. Plant grass seed from late August through September, or April through May. Seed planted after October first will sprout and grow, but may not establish itself well enough to survive the winter.
Bentgrass is creeping over my entire front and back lawn. At first I thought I had grubs because the grass lifts up easily, but my neighbor informed me that it was bentgrass. I have been told by several people that there is nothing I can do about it. Please give me any information you have to help me rid my lawn of this problem.
Bentgrass
spreads quickly and will soon overtake the other types of grass in your lawn. It
is used on golf courses because it can be mowed very close, even to ¼ of an
inch, for putting greens. It is not desirable for a home lawn because it
requires a lot of water to keep it from going dormant in the summer heat. The
only way to get rid of it is to kill it all with glyphosate (Roundup). When it
is completely dead, reseed the lawn with a desirable turf grass mix such as tall
fescue or Kentucky bluegrass. Unfortunately, summer is not the best time to
start a new lawn from seed as the soil must be kept moist all the time so the
seed and seedlings don’t dry out. Grasses also grow slowly, if at all, when
temperatures are in the upper 80s. If you wait until late August, the next good
time for starting a lawn from seed, you have another problem. If the bentgrass
goes dormant, the Roundup will not be able to kill it. Your best bet may be to
wait for next spring, in early April, and kill the bentgrass then. Make sure you
do not use a crabgrass preventer on your lawn, because that will kill the new
grass seedlings when they sprout. Make sure all the bentgrass is dead, and then
seed the new lawn. If bentgrass reappears sometime in the future, kill the spot
with Roundup while it is small, so that you will not have to replace the whole
lawn again.
We just got top soil and put it on the bare spots on our lawn, then planted Scotts grass seed for sun and shade. It has been two weeks and the grass seed has not come up yet. We water twice a day and had hay on it. It there still a chance for it to come up?
Scotts
Sun & Shade grass seed mix has perennial ryegrass in it, which sprouts in
5-7 days. It should have come up by now. Red fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are
also in that mixture, and it takes fescue 10-14 days to come up and bluegrass
takes about 3 weeks. It
sounds like you are watering enough – after an initial thorough watering, the
soil needs to be kept moist (but not wet to the point of having puddles) all the
time. Grass seed needs to be on or near the surface of the soil, no more than
1/8 of an inch down. If it is too deep it will not sprout. Similarly, too much
straw will block out the light necessary for the seed to germinate. You should
be able to see a good deal of soil through the straw. One
other possibility – did you use a crabgrass preventer on your lawn this
spring? The chemical that kills crabgrass seedlings will also kill turf grass
seedlings. If this is the case, you may want to wait for late August to try
reseeding these spots.
We had three white yuccas that were three years old. This past spring we had beautiful blooms on them, but now two months later they are all dead. When we pulled them out, we found some sort of beetle had attacked the roots, thus killing them. They were about twenty feet apart and nothing else has been affected in the area. One was next to a Palo Verde tree and I'm told these trees are prone to some sort of beetle. Could this have been the cause? What do we have to do to the soil to be able to replace these yuccas?
Florence, Arizona It
is possible that the Palo Verde Borer Beetle (Derobrachus
geminates) may have done this damage, or it could have been another
type of insect. A number of insects feed on the thick, starchy roots of plants
because they store lots of nutrients and moisture. New
yuccas can be protected with a systemic insecticide like Bayer Tree & Shrub
insect control. The active ingredient (imidacloprid) has very low toxicity to
mammals but is very effective in preventing most insect damage, and one
treatment lasts for a year. If you decide to replace the yuccas, ask for this
product at your local garden center.
I read an article today about a company successfully treating ash trees for the emerald ash borer at Grosse Point Farms, Michigan. The article goes on to say that the pesticides that are commonly used to not harm the environment and can be applied by drenching the soil at the base of the tree, by spraying the bark, or by injecting the pesticide directly into the trunk. The article does not say the names of the pesticides. Would you know what they are? I have several ash trees I would like to treat.
The
product that is used to drench the soil is imidacloprid, also called Merit. It
is the preferred method for protecting ash trees from emerald ash borer. It is
available to homeowners as Bayer Tree & Shrub Insect Control. Another option
is to use “bullets” of acephate, also called Orthene, which are inserted
into holes drilled into the trunk. Because this method requires making holes in
the tree, it is not the preferred treatment. There are some formulations around
that can penetrate the trunk, but none that I know are currently available to
the homeowner.
Scotch broom sure looks pretty but is it as unruly as they say it is, and poisonous if the seeds are eaten? A friend was putting in an orange/yellow something and he said it was Scotch Broom. When I Googled it, they don’t say much good about it. What do you think?
Berea,
Ohio Scotch
Broom (Cytisus scoparius) is considered to be a desirable landscape plant
with a few things to keep in mind – it has the potential to spread from the
roots and seeds, it may be injured or killed in cold winter weather, and it may
not live for more than a few years anyway. Its main attribute is the color it
produces in May and June. It is poisonous, but then again, so many other plants
are poisonous but nobody ever thinks to eat them. (Azaleas, rhododendrons,
buttercups, tomato leaves, daffodils, crocus, hyacinth, tulips, English ivy,
lilies, etc., are all poisonous.) It may be hard to find Scotch Broom in
nurseries around
These
are Arum seedlings. They are often unvariegated and typically begin as a single
small leaf about 2 inches long, more teardrop shaped than arrow shaped. Arum
italicum (a common species of variegated arum) is easily propagated by seed.
I just recently planted sweet alyssum and the leaves are turning light brown. I used new potting soil, did not over crowd the plants and put them on my patio where they get sun in the afternoon. I keep the soil moist and add Miracle Grow to the water every other week. I water them at soil level so as to keep water off the leaves to prevent them from burning in the sun. I was hoping you could tell me why the leaves are turning brown.
Franklin Township, NJ
I am assuming your alyssum is on a patio outdoors, where they would be subject to the cold nighttime temperatures we have been experiencing lately. The browning of the leaves is likely to be caused by the cold. Alyssum is relatively pest and disease free, so it is unlikely to be an insect or disease. Alyssum can handle cold temperatures quite well if the plants are mature and have had a chance to gradually adjust to the cold. If you started them from seed, they are probably not mature enough to handle the temperature extremes. If you bought the plants already started from a nursery or garden center, they were probably not accustomed to the cold. The plants should recover, and it would be best to bring the pot indoors on nights when a frost is expected.
I have two small evergreen bushes, and several branches that look like someone painted them with a can of white spray paint. The bushes are separated by a patio, and none of the other foliage next to them have this, so I am guessing this may be inherent to the type of evergreen. Unfortunately, I do not know the name or species but it is a low lying green bush. Someone suggested a type of oil be applied to the affected areas. Any advice? Concord,
Ohio
It often
goes after mugo pine, a low-growing species that generally stays under 3 feet
tall, even after years and years. I am guessing that is the type of bush you
have. The first picture is from Penn State of pine needle scale on a I love the color of peony bushes, but hate the ants they attract. What can I do?
Brooklyn
Heights, Ohio
Peonies
secrete sugary water from the buds and leaves to attract insects, including
ants. Spraying the stems and the soil underneath them with an insecticide like
permethrin should substantially reduce the number of ants on the peonies. If you
wanted to pick a flower and bring it indoors without ants, submerge the flowers
in a bucket of water for a few minutes and then shake it out well before
bringing it inside. By the way, it is a myth that peony buds won’t open
without ants. Peonies grown indoors without any insects open just fine.
I live
in the Los Angeles area and we had a cold spell in January (almost frost). We
have a 6' dracaena which is planted in the ground. All the long
leaves are dead and brown, but the branches and main part of the tree seem OK.
Do I trim back all the dead leaves, and if so, how far back?
Dracaenas can tolerate cold conditions up to, but not including, hard frost. Excessive cold will cause the leaves to turn brown and fall off (or you can cut them off), but new leaves will come out soon if the stem did not freeze. Check the stem carefully for any softness or mushiness, like a banana that was frozen and then thawed. If the stem is still firm and healthy, just trim off the leaves close to the main stem. New leaves will soon appear. If there are places on the stem that seem damaged, cut off the top of the plant down to a few inches below the soft parts of the stem. The stem will soon re-sprout. Don’t trim the stem if it seems okay, since it will take longer for a cut stem to sprout than an intact stem. I
purchased crocuses recently and they have now bloomed (gorgeous) inside the
house. My question is how to maintain the crocuses until I plant them outside? Someone
wanted to know where they could buy a tea plant. My first response was our
growing season around here might be too short for it. So what do you say? They
may have been talking about a ti plant, a type of Cordyline, which is a
houseplant that is grown for its foliage. It grows into a short tree (like Dracena)
and often has pink or magenta in its leaves.
I have a bunch of shrubs that need to be planted in my flower bed, and in the past, they always die on me. I never know if it's the poor planting or the watering (too much or too little), or other. Can you give me some kind of "idiot proof steps for planting and maintaining shrubs"? I've heard several things about...how deep should you dig? Should you break-up some of the roots before you plant? water every day, twice a day, etc? Your help would be greatly appreciated. Stockbridge, Georgia Once
the shrub is planted, it will take some time to get its roots grown out into the
soil where it can find water on its own. This may take up to three years before
it is able to withstand moderate droughts. In the meantime, and especially the
first year, check the soil moisture level at the side of the original root ball
a few inches down with your finger or with a moisture meter. It is important to
check a few inches down as the soil on the surface may be dry but the soil is
moist just below, and it is important to check the soil in the original root
mass as the vast majority of the roots are still in there the first year. If the
soil is dry a few inches down, water it thoroughly. It is best to water deeply
but infrequently, (not a little bit and often) as this will moisten the soil
down deep and then dry out from the top down, encouraging the roots to grow deep
as they chase the water. Shallow frequent watering encourages roots to grow very
near the surface where they are likely to dry out right away. It is very
difficult to say how often to water as the moisture needs will vary based on the
type of shrub, type of soil, temperature, humidity, wind, rainfall, etc. The
best way is to check it every so often, daily in hot dry weather and less often
in cool rainy weather. A starter fertilizer formula is a good idea when first planting the shrub. It is important not to overdo the fertilizer as it is important not to overdo the watering. Plants are far more often killed by kindness than by neglect. Sorry if this seems too simple or condescending – but I have found it is best to spell everything out clearly to make sure that everything is understood. I can give you more specific information about what kinds of shrubs would be good if you describe the area, and more specific care information if you could tell me the name or type of shrub you want to plant. I can also help with questions along the way if any problems develop. Is it wise to
plant grass seeds under the snow? Sowing
grass seed in the winter is known as dormant seeding. The theory is that the
freeze-thaw cycle will work grass seed in to better contact with the soil, and
also that the seed will already be in place when conditions are right to in the
spring. In 1)
The percentage of
seeds that will sprout will be considerably less than would grow if the seed
were sown in the spring or fall. Since grass seed is relatively inexpensive,
compensate by using up to twice as much seed per square foot. 2)
Good contact between the
seed and the soil is essential. Prepare a good seed bed in the late fall. Do not
scatter seed on the snow as it may blow away, wash away during snow melt, get
eaten by birds, or meet some other fate besides producing new grass. 3)
Dormant seeding can easily
be disrupted by unusual weather. For example, seed sown in November 2006 would
likely have sprouted in the warm weather we enjoyed throughout December and the
first half of January. These seedlings would not be mature or established enough
to tolerate the cold and snow that arrived in late January, and you would have
had to start again with new seed in spring. 4)
When spring comes, do not
use a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer in it if you have done any dormant
seeding. The herbicide will kill grass seeds as they sprout, unless you are
using one of the products specifically labeled for use when seeding new lawns. My daffodils are all coming up already! The leaves are several inches out of the ground. Do I need to mulch them, or otherwise protect them from the cold weather we will surely have? Westlake, Ohio Spring blooming bulbs often come up during the winter. We just don't notice it most years because they are covered by leaves or snow, or it is too cold for us to be outside. The plants are fully adapted to the cold weather and require no protection. They will bloom normally at the regular time of year. This applies to all spring-blooming bulbs, including tulips, crocus, and allium as well as daffodils and other narcissus. Some bulbs, like grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) and lords and ladies (Arum italicum) put out leaves in the fall each year, and the leaves do quite well all winter. The only problem I have ever seen was the tips of the leaves turning brown where they extend above the snow. This has no effect on the health of the plant or the blooming in spring. ©2008 Roger S. Bolger.
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t
is in the mallow family and is closely related to a houseplant called flowering
maple. Hibiscus is also in this family, and you may have noticed that the
flowers resemble tiny hibiscus flowers. It is a summer annual and reproduces by
seed. Velvetleaf can grow to be 8 feet tall.
Can
you help me with this? I have planted seeds from a variegated Arum in several
spots in the garden. I now have some small plants which have come up over the
last several months, and the leaves are not variegated or pointed as I would
have expected. I was told they are weeds, but I would hate to pull them up in
case they would need another year or two to look like the parent plant. I took a
picture.
mugo
pine, while the second picture is a closeup photo from the University of
Massachusetts Extension showing a single scale on a needle, and young
("crawlers") that have not yet formed a shell:
