Kim
from Destin, Florida, USA asks:
I have a Aeschynanthus radican (Lipstick plant) that I just purchased
about 2 months ago. I have it sitting on top of my computer monitor
next to a window that gets the eastern morning light (filtered). My
plant's leaves are starting to shrivel up even though it has new growth
at the tips. I water it once a week with a very weak solution of Miracle
Grow. Any ideas as to why it is starting to be so unhappy? Do you
think that maybe I should take it off of the monitor even though the
front area where it is sitting is not hot? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Kim,
Yes take it off the top of the monitor straightaway. It is the hot
air rising from the vents in the casing that is damaging your plant.
The dry air is sucking moisture from the edges of the leaves. Place
your plant elsewhere on a wide saucer of moist gravel, keeping the
gravel moist as well as watering the plant. This will provide a higher
level of humidity around the leaves.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Emma
Dove from Forest Hill, London asks:
I've never really maintained a garden much before, and I wanted
help identifying some pale, smooth, caterpillar like grubs living
in our soil. I keep reading everywhere about chafers, and although
the lawn is rubbish I've seen these more in the borders. I saw one
that looked like it had pupated stuck to the edge of an iris leaf.
They are creamy coloured, curled, with small black flecks on their
bodies and brown heads. I have seen some evidence of silkened pupae
cases hanging from brick walls and fences. We get quite a lot of
very big bluebottle type flies - any chance they could be related?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Emma,
First of all I do not think that these larvae are anything to do with
the bluebottle flies as, although they have a larval stage they feed
mostly on meat. Do these larvae have any legs, if not they are not
chafer grubs but they are very likely to be vine weevil grubs. One
of the best ways to control them is by using a natural, biological
control agent called Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer.
Visit www.greengardener.co.uk for full details.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Peter
Saphier from London asks:
I would like to know whether the hedge growth regulator (Scotts
Cutlass) that you recommend is still available. If it is where can
I get it?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Peter,
No, I'm afraid that the active ingredient used in the product has
lost it's licence so Cutlass was withdrawn from sale a few years ago.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Derek
Lawlor from Monks Kirby asks:
Dear
Reg,
I have a large lawn with a stream running down one side, the bottom
1/3 of the garden tends to hold water and is usually quite moist.
In the last 3 months I have noticed an increasing number of small
holes appearing on the lawn, each hole is about 20 ~ 25mm in diameter,
around each hole is a patch of dead grass about 100 ~ 150mm in diameter.
This dead patch looks as if some small animal has sprayed to mark
it's territory.
Do
you have any idea what is causing these holes? Will it cause a problem
to my fruit trees in the area? Without resorting to terminal measures,
how can I stop further holes appearing?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Derek,
I think that the holes are likely to have been made by voles and if
so they pose no threat to your fruit trees.
If you would like to persuade them to live elsewhere try using one
of the battery operated rodent repellers that are available in many
garden centres. They emit a noise that is pitched at a frequency which
can be heard by rodents but not by humans. This upsets the creatures,
encouraging them to move on.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Katy
Hood from Banbury asks:
I was given a jasmine plant at Christmas, it's covered in flower buds
but over the last few weeks some have been turning brown and drying
up. Some of the buds are opening OK and then turning brown straight
after flowering. I've fed it fortnightly with Miracle Grow, and have
cut back on watering in case I've been over doing it. Please help. |
Reg
answers:
Hi Katy,
If you have flower buds drying up this is due to the air being too
dry around the plant and/or the room is too hot for the plant.
This plant is at its best between 60-65F (16-18C). Place the pot on
a wide saucer of moist gravel, keep the gravel moist as well as watering
the plant and this will release moisture up around the foliage so
that humidity levels are increased. Misting over the plant with a
hand sprayer, containing just water, will also help.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Iain
Bell from The Walthams asks:
My neighbour has suffered from subsidence damage and his insurance
company initially requested 'my cooperation' in containing my fabulous
willow tree to its current dimensions. They were very clear that
my tree had not caused the damage. The insurance company has now
written to issue me with 'formal notice' that they may seek a full
recovery of costs if I do not agree to cut the tree. Can you help
with my legal position here please? Can they do this?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Iain,
I'm afraid that I do not know the answer to this one, but I would
seek advice from the Tree Officer at your local authority.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Megan
Thompson from Cesseras, Languedoc asks:
We have just bought a house in the Languedoc in South France. There
is a large area where we would like to lay to lawn/meadow, but it
needs to be drought proof. Is
there any type of seed we can buy that can cope with very dry summers
and rain in the winter/spring?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Megan,
Yes there are blends of grass seed which are more drought tolerant
than others. I have two ideas to offer you;
1 Personally, I think that one of the best grass seed mixtures available
for lawns in the UK is Johnsons Quicklawn. It is both shade and drought
tolerant, germinates quickly and requires only a minimum of mowing.
Check it out at www.dlf.co.uk
2 Visit a gardening outlet near your new house and see what grass
seed they are selling as this is bound to be good for that region.
The only word of warning here is to watch out for mixtures containing
high proportions of ordinary perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) as
this could well be used in cheaper tough grass seed mixtures. This
is a very strongly growing grass more suitable for pasture than lawns,
but the more modern species of ryegrass specially bred for use in
lawns are perfectly OK. These are often described as "dwarf type
perennial ryegrass" on grass seed packs.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
John
from Wimbledon asks:
Good afternoon Reg,
I moved to a property 4 years ago which has an old apple tree. The
first year it flowered and produced plenty of apples, since then
it has suffered from woolly aphids and now it is really bothering
me. This year I am spraying it with an aphids spray and I have tried
washing up liquid but this isn't good for the grass. What else do
you suggest?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi John,
I'm afraid that woolly aphids are rather difficult to get rid of once
they become established. Keep up the treatments with insecticide but
another thing that helps is regularly painting over the colonies with
either methylated or surgical spirit. This works by dehydrating the
creatures.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Jackie
asks:
I was writing because I have a lucky bamboo plant in water. It is
in a clear container, I just moved it to a ceramic one, and just
sitting in water. I keep having the problem where a stalk will turn
completely yellow and then shrivel and die :( Do you have any idea
why this is happening and any suggestions to stop it?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Jackie,
These lucky bamboo plants are in fact stems from a plant called
Dracaena sanderiana cut to various lengths and tied in a bundle
while they are dormant. They then begin to shoot again once they are
placed in a container with water and make a new root system. They
should last bunched together in water for several years but after
a while the odd cane may surcumb, usually to a fungal problem, and
turn yellow and die. The best thing to do is remove any dead canes
asap. and change the water every 10-14 days, preferably use soft or
rainwater but do not add fertiliser to it. Usually the death of odd
canes is more likely when the water is not changed often enough or
tapwater is used.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Julia
Crisp from Luxembourg asks:
My coniferous hedge is turning brown and it's spreading. What should
I do? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Julia,
If the browning is just at the bottom and gradually getting higher
there is a possibility of dryness at the roots being the cause.
However I think that it is much more likely to be brown patches appearing
at random all over the trees and gradually spreading. If this is indeed
the case, then the trees are being attacked by conifer aphids, or
maybe conifer mites, and should be treated with a systemic insecticide
to clear them out. In the UK we have a product called Bio Provado
Ultimate Bug Killer (containing the chemical imidacloprid) which does
the job well, but see what your local gardening shope has to offer.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Sally
Pope from Bodmin asks:
We bought our house 4 years ago with 2 Dracaena palms planted about
3 feet from the front of the house (either side of the front steps).
They look lovely now (about 10 foot high) but we are very worried
about the roots under the house/steps. Are the roots likely to be
causing any damage to the structure of the house? Your advice would
be appreciated - I have been unable to get any information off the
internet.
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Sally,
I very much doubt if your Cordylines will pose any real threat to
the foundations of your house but I suppose that there may be slightly
more risk of the POSSIBILITY of them damaging the steps. This of course
depends on how thoroughly the foundation work for the steps was carried
out. I think that the best way to put your mind totally at rest would
be to contact the tree officer at your local authority and seek their
advice.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Karen
Lodge asks:
Hi. I just wanted to know if I can shape a nice design on some fir
trees that I have. They are about 4 foot high. It's just I have seen
some in the gardening centres and they cost quite a lot. If you can
could you show me how I make these shapes, thankyou. |
Reg
answers:
Hi Karen,
The answer to this question depends on which species of "fir
trees" your have as some conifers respond well to clipping whereas
others do not. Probably one of the easiest shapes to go for would
be a ball but the best way to find instructions would be to look in
a book such as The Royal Horticultural Society book Pruning and Training
by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce (isbn number 0 7513 0207 4)
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Susan
Lawson from Swansea asks:
My stella cherry tree gave loads of fruiting cherries last summer.
This year there are no buds, leaves or blossoms. What could be wrong?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Susan,
If your Stella cherry is showing no sign of any new growth whatsoever
it may be dead. The best way to check this would be to scratch a little
of the bark away from one of the branches using your thumbnail and
see how the cells beneath are looking. If they are green and moist
then the tree is still alive but if they are brown and dry then that
part is dead. If you do find that the tested area is dead keep working
back along the branch towards the trunk as you may discover that all
the branch is not dead. If this is the case prune out all the dead
portion. Try the scratch test on the trunk of the tree as well to
check if this is alive.
If the tree is alive it should leaf up in a few days - you could try
to encourage it by an application of rose fertiliser to the root area.
If the tree is dead you may wonder what has killed it and my guess
would be bacterial canker. If you find gum oozing from the trunk or
branches this is indicative of that disease.
Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Christene
Howard asks:
Something is eating small holes in my primroses and pansies. The leaves
end up looking like lace. Please help. |
Reg
Answers:
Hi Christene,
Here are the options.
1. Are there any brown spots on the foliage?
If so, the problem is caused by a leaf spot disease which kills out
an area of leaf which turns brown and eventually drop out, leaving
a hole. This then looks as if an insect has been eating the foliage.
The remedy here is to remove most of the infected foliage and then
spray the plants with a fungicide like Bio Dithane 945. This will
protect healthy foliage and, if repeated twice at 10 day intervals,
new leaves will be protected too.
2. Are there any slime trails present and the edges of the holes are
brown?
Slugs and / or snails. They mostly feed at night and everyone has
their own favourite method of control. Many people worry about the
safety of standard slug pellets where wildlife is concerned, although
there seems to be no definite scientific evidence to support this
idea. However since last spring we have had a new type of slug pellet
available called Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer which does not
contain the metaldehyde found in standard pellets. It contains ferrous
phospahte, which is harmless to everything except slugs.
Another organic alternative would be to use natural biological pest
control measures, in this case involving the use of nematodes. These
are living microscopic worms which feed on the slugs, visit www.greengardener.co.uk
or www.nemaysisinfo.co.uk for more details.
3. If it is neither of the above then the culprits are caterpillars.
These can be dealt with by searching the plants for the offenders,
likely to be small, green in colour and trying to look like a vein
on the back of a leaf, and squashing them between finger and thumb.
Otherwise you could spray the plants with Scotts Bug Clear, Bio Greenfly
Killer Plus, or Bio Bug Free.
With Best Wishes,
Reg |
Art
Segan from Florida asks:
I need to kill a Palm tree. Is there a chemical that I can put at
its base? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Art,
I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with the brand names of weedkillers
on general sale in the U.S.A. What you need is a "systemic"
weedkiller that will travel through the sap system of the palm and
kill it off. In the UK we have a brand called Growing Success Deep
Root, containing the active ingredient ammonium sulphamate and another
called Vitax S.B.K. Brushwood Killer containing the chemicals 2,4D,mecoprop-p
and dicamba.
So really you need a product containing similar ingredients, you could
print off this answer and show it to an assistant in your local gardening
store.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Liz
Ausden from Southampton asks:
Thanks for your answer last week about my
mimosa. It is actually an Acacia Longifolia and planted against
a fence to give it shelter in our garden. The leaves are continuing
to turn yellow/brown ... do you still think it is an iron deficiency
... or is the south coast still to cool for such a tree?
Thanks Reg.
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Liz,
Thanks for coming back with the exact species that helps a lot when
giving advice.
Acacia longiflolia, commonly known as the Sydney Golden Wattle or
the Sallow Wattle, should grow OK in a sheltered position on the south
coast.They do best in full sun and love a well drained soil.
Although Acacias in general need at the very least a neutral soil
but prefer it to be acid, A. longifolia is one of the more lime tolerant
species, so my diagnosis of iron deficiency may not be so certain.
However I would still give the shrub a couple of dosse with a liquid
seaweed feed with added sequestered iron. The main brands you are
likely to come across are Maxicrop Seaweed with Sequestered Iron and
the Vitax equivalent both of which come in blue plastic bottles.
Now, the reason for recommending this course of action is that seaweed
is a great plant stimulant and has benefits that we do not really
fully understand. I feel that maybe your plant is feeling a little
"under the weather" following the recent colder spell and
it should recover as the weather warms-up. If you are worried you
could protect it for a while with some garden fleece and if the shoot
tips have died back this is a good time to prune them back to healthy
wood.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Margaret
Philpott from Ireland asks:
My
mother has a plant grown from shop-bought bird seed (it had started
in the bag, she got curious) now its in the greenhouse, has heartshaped
furry leaves, a flower like a small passiflora, purple inside, yellow
outside, it also has lantern like things from which an orange coloured
fruit? (about the size of a bonbon) has emerged this year..
Please
can you tell her what it is before I go mad trying to find it on
the THOUSANDS of gardening sites... many many thanks.
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Margaret,
Plants grown from wild bird seed always cause indentification headaches
as they are not usually to be found in gardening books as they have
no particular garden merit.
I would say that it is extremely likely your Mother's mystery plant
is a member of the plant family Solanaceae.
Have a look at a plant called Nicandra physaloides and see if yours
resembles that.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Yvonne
Charles from London asks:
I bought a potted legustrum and did not water it as I thought the
rain water was sufficient. It was ok for a number of months but now
it is losing all its leaves which are yellow and dry except for the
ones lower down the bush. What can I do if anything to restore it? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Yvonne,
Lots of people fall into this trap of thinking that rainfall is sufficient
to satisfy the needs of pot grown evergreens but the problem is that
the foliage shields the compost from the rain. This would not matter
if the plant was growning in the garden soil as the leaves would shed
the rainwater around the edge of the canopy, where the roots would
be waiting to receive it. When plants are grown in pots the edge of
the foliage canopy is often shedding water beyond the edge of the
pot, missing the compost entirely.
The good news, however, is that your ligustrum should recover as they
are really tough customers.
I would just try scraping a lttle of the bark off the main stem with
my thumbnail and then taking a look at he cells exposed. If they are
fresh, green and moist then the branch is still alive, but if the
tissue is dry and brown then that portion of stem is dead. Check the
plant all over in this manner and I am just about certain that you
will find most of it to be alive. Then you can cut the stems back,
just about as hard as you like, water the compost well and maybe sprinkle
a little (not too much) general fertiliser onto the compost before
you water. The fertiliser could be Growmore, Pelleted Chicken Manure,
or Rose Food and the water will help to take the food down to the
roots in order to help to stimulate new growth.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Rick
Sprague from Hawarden asks:
I have two small manhole covers in my front garden. They are both
not level with the lawn but about 1 1/2 inches lower. I would like
to returf the lawn this year and I need to know if it is feasible
to lay soil on top of polythene laid on top of the covers then turf
over them. I have never yet had any reason to lift the covers in my
twenty odd years of living here and neither have my neighbours had
to lift theirs. If it came to it I could always lift the turf again
if I had to. I suppose my question is, how much soil does turf need
to grow? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Rick,
I'm afraid I don't like this idea very much. For one thing it is not
going to be all that practical to get turf to flourish laid over a
manhole cover, the area will dry out more quickly than the surrounding
lawn and the grass will tend to become a lighter green or even yellow.
I have also got an idea that it is illegal to cover a manhole in this
way, but I'm not entirely sure if that is correct.
Although you might think that grass, being a shallower rooted plant,
should be able to grow well on a depth of topsoil around 15cm (6in)
it is not really as simple as that. You see there is also what goes
on under that topsoil to consider, the steady regulation of food and
water supply the activity of micro-organisims all of which will not
be happening when all that is under the soil is a manhole cover.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Sandra
Croad from Steeton, West Yorkshire asks:
We have planted several golden leylandi in containers with multi purpose
compost but we have noticed several brown leaves appearing on a couple
of the trees, mainly at the base. What can we do, and what do you
feed them with? Many
thanks. |
Reg
answers:
Hi Sandra,
Brown leaves beginning at the bottom and working their way up usually
indicates a lack of water, so that would be my first thing to check.
Even if it has been raining sometimes evergreens in containers tend
to shield the compost from rain with their foliage. If you need to
feed the conifers I would either apply a controlled release fertiliser,
such as Osmocote which will sustain the plants throughout the growing
season, or give regular liquid feeds with Phostrogen or a similar
product every 14 days until mid September.
The other possibility with the browning would be conifer aphids, so
check the foliage in the vincinity for tiny charcoal grey insects
or stickiness and the possibility of a black sooty mould appearing.
If these are present then apply a spray of Bio Provado Ultimate Bug
Killer as this will sort them out.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Nick
Scanlon from Gloucester asks:
PLEASE
CAN YOU HELP ME REGARDING MY RHODODENDREM.
IT HAS BEEN IN A POT FOR 2 YEARS, AND HAS DONE WELL UNTIL NOW. I
RE-POTTED IT LAST YEAR, BUT NOW LOOKS LIKE IT IS DYING, THE LEAVES
ARE DROOPING AND IT IS LOOKING LIFLESS.
THANKYOU.
|
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Nick,
Whenever you see a plant looking like yours you can be reasonably
sure that you are dealing with a root problem of some description.
Even if the plant had been suffering from the problem for a while
it might not have appeared to be stressed until the spring surge
of new growth began - or in this case tried to begin.
There
are two possible causes
1. Vine Weevil
This is a charcoal grey beetle that eats notches out the edges of
plant foliage, particularly evergreens, but these adults lay hundreds
of eggs each that hatch into off-white grubs with brown heads. These
do the real damage feeding on plant roots and of course they are
particularly devastating when they attack container grown plants.
2. Phytopthora Root Rot
This is an increasingly common fungal problem especially where drainage
is poor, especially where plants are grown in peat-based composts
with inadequate drainge facilities.
I would carefully remove the plant from the container - the root
system should be fairly compact, and examine the root ball and the
surrounding compost.
If the off-white grubs are present (and look carefully among the
roots too) then vine weevil is to blame. I would re-pot the plant
into fresh compost and treat it with Bio Provado Vine Weevil Killer
which will kill the existing grubs and protect the plant from further
attacks for up to four months.
If the roots are dark brown and squidgy or seem to have collapsed
or you can remove the outer skin from the inner root core by pulling
on the roots then it is the Phytopthora. I'm afraid that there is
no cure for this - just dispose of the plant and compost and wash
out the pot with a disinfectant before you use it again.
With Best Wishes,
Reg.
|
|
Karen
Robinson from Colchester asks:
Something appears to be nibbling the edges of our laurel leaves
- any suggestions on what it could be and how to treat it? Many
thanks
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Karen,
If you have fairly neat notches all around the edges of your Laurel
leaves then the culprits are adult Vine Weevils.
You probably know about these charcaol grey beetles which feed at
night but gardeners are most concerned with their larvae - off-white
grubs with brown heads. These feed voraciously on plant roots and
can cause the death of some plants in pots (see answer above). Although
maybe the roots of your laurels may be being attacked the plants are
unlikely to suffer too much as they will already have quite extensive
root systems and so they will be able to cope with some damage from
the larvae.
The adults are fairly easy to kill and I find a good way is to take
a piece of corrugated cardboard - the stuff used in packaging - and
roll it up into a cylinder. Then put either some Doff Weevil Killer
Dust or any brand of Ant Powder down the corrugations in the cardboard.
Place a series of these cylinders among the branches of the laurels.
After feeding at night the weevils will crawl up into the cardboard
to hide during the day and so come into contact with the dust, which
should kill them.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Kerry
asks:
When should I cut my lawn? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Kerry,
It should be quite safe to begin cutting your lawn now as long as
the grass is not too wet. I would just trim the grass over regularly,
keeping it about 2.5cm (1in) tall.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
David
Miller from Hamlet asks:
I understand old railway sleepers may no longer be used in gardens
as they can be carcinogenic. I have them around my vegetable patch.
How real is the risk?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi David,
I am not an expert in this field I'm just a gardener, but I suspect
that the degree of risk depends on how old and well weathered the
sleepers in question have become. If they are fairly old then most
of the creosote will have leaked out by now and so lessened the risk.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
|
Linda
Tarling from near Bude, Cornwall asks:
I need to reduce the height of our cordiline australis. It has multiple
heads. Is it safe to cut off the tallest spike without killing the
whole tree?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Linda,
Yes it is quite safe to prune your Cordyline at this time of year,
particularly so when it has multiple heads.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Beresford
Evitt from Great Billing asks:
My daughter's front garden is plagued by shaggy ink cap mushrooms.
Can you suggest a way of getting rid of them, please? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Beresford,
Really these inkcaps are not doing any damage to the garden or plants
at all. They are simply the fungal equivalent of flowers which produce
spores, like plants have seeds. The main part of the fungus is living
on some type of organic matter in the soil, perhaps old, dead tree
roots or something like that.
One way of discouraging them would be to get a watering can and mix
in 2oz of sulphate of iron in a gallon of water with a dessertspoonful
of washing up liquid added as the final ingredient. Spike the affected
area and water on the mixture at the rate of 1 gallon per sq yd.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Julie
Houghton from Ernesettle, Plymouth asks:
I have a bay tree, which is approx 5' tall, how deep will the roots
be? I'd like to move it. |
Reg
answers:
Hi Julie,
In general terms you can assume that the amount of top growth on a
tree or shrub is echoed by the root growth below the soil. Of course
whenever you lift a tree or shrub you can never get all the roots
out and unfortunately the most useful food and water absorbing roots
are among those left behind after lifting the shrub.
One thing in your favour is that this is the best time of year to
move evergreens - early April - but remember to dig out as large a
rootball with the plant as possible. Please make sure that the root
area is moist before lifting the plant and it would also be a good
idea to cut the shoots back by half to two thirds before lifting so
that there is a better balance between the root and shoot growth.
Otherwise you will have a relatively large amount of foliage being
supported by a depleted root system.
With a bay tree as tall as yours the ideal thing would be to prepare
it for lifting this spring then dig it up the following April, but
I dont know how that would fit in with your time schedule.
To do this preparation work you would dig a trench all around the
tree to about two spades deep and cut through all the thicker roots
with a pruning saw. Make the trench about 60-75 cm away from the main
trunk. This trench should then be backfilled with a mixture of good
topsoil and composted bark (often sold as Levington Soil Improver
and Mulch) with about 10% horticultural grit added to the mixture.
This will help to promote the production of useful new fibrous roots
making the shrub more likely to thrive when it is finally transplanted
in April 2006.
Whenever you decide to move the plant remember that it will need to
be kept well watered for the WHOLE of the year following the move.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
C
W Gray from Newark asks:
I recently bought a Camellia to grow in a pot.
The garden centre recommended I mix 1 part John Innes No3 to 1 part
composted bark as the growing medium, rather than buying ericaceous
compost. Will this work? |
Reg
answers:
Hi,
Yes the advice you got was sound as the composted bark would make
the John Innes compost more acidic and the loam element of the John
Innes mixture would hold water and nutrients in a more balanced manner
than a peat based ericaceous compost.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Nigel
from Winchester asks:
Reg,
I
have two large Japanese Maples in containers. This year I have noticed
that a large number of the new buds have dropped off. Is this due
to lack of water, frost or pest? |
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Nigel,
What were the buds like after they dropped off? If spring frost
was the culprit then the buds would be brown or black. This is quite
likely this year as it was mild earlier on, then we got a cold spell
with quite sharp frosts that could have damaged the newly sprouting
buds.
Under watering COULD cause this problem but I think that it is VERY
UNLIKELY. In my experience more people damage maples by overwatering
them in late winter/early spring as they do not need lots of water
until the growing season gets underway properly and then they like
the compost to be well drained. They hate having wet feet for prolonged
periods.
Option three: if the buds on the floor seem to be in good condition
then I would be suspicious of bird damage. Sometimes small finches
like sparrows will pick off emerging buds, apparently they get some
sort of excitement from doing this. Maybe covering the plant with
garden fleece, draped over some bamboo canes with an upturned pot
sat on the top of each cane, in order to prevent the cane from damaging
the fleece, would act a shield. I would make the cane structure
tall enough for the fleece to end up about 6in (15cm) above the
plant. Keep this in place until the weather become reliably warm,
as it should exclude both frost and birds.
With Best Wishes,
Reg.
|
Liz
Ausden from Southampton asks:
Why are the leaves of my 1 year old mimosa turning yellow at the tips?
and will it recover? |
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Liz,
I assume that your mimosa is in a pot in a conservatory, although
if it is Acacia dealbata, I suppose it could be in a sheltered position
outdoors. I suspect that this is due the plant suffering from iron
deficiency, so it would benefit from a dose of sequestered iron.
This is easily available in garden centres either on its own or
added to seaweed plant foods like Maxicrop with added Sequestered
Iron or the equivalent product made by Vitax.
With Best Wishes,
Reg.
|
Bill
Pearson from Bacup in Lancashire asks:
I have a Rowan which is about 20 years old, it is now too tall, I
would like to reduce it by a third, when is the best time to prune?
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Bill,
The best time to prune Sorbus (mountain ash) is in the period between
leaf fall in autumn and when the foliage returns in early spring.
Depending on the condition of your tree you may just about still be
able to prune it, as long as you act very soon. Otherwise the job
should be left until this autumn.
When pruning be careful as these trees do not regenerate well from
old wood, so you cannot cut too much off, just take the new shoots
back to leave about two buds which should then make new growth.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Stanley
Chandler from Pinner in Middlesex asks:
How do I remove moss from tarmac? Also Agrostis stolonifera gives
a good lawn. Where can I buy it? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Stanley,
One of the best products to remove moss from tarmac is Armillatox
which should be readily available from garden centres. Although it
has be taken off the approval list for other uses in the garden it
is still recommended for cleaning paths and patios.
As far as Agrostis stolonifera (creeping bent grass) is concerned
most companies only sell mixtures of grass seed to the general public
rather than just one species, for lawn making purposes. In my opinion
two of the best mixtures are Suttons Rapid Green and Johnsons Quick
Lawn. I suppose you could always enquire about availability of Agrostis
stolonifera at Johnsons parent company DLF Perryfields Ltd.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Michaela
from Gloucester asks:
I have lucky bamboo, in a glass vase in my dining room. Over the last
few weeks, some of the bamboo has withered and died and now the other
canes are getting yellow leaves and drying out. Have I killed it and
is there anything that can be done to save the other canes in the
vase? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Michaela,
The so called "lucky bamboo" is not in fact a bamboo at
all but a houseplant called Dracaena sandierana. These are grown in
large tree like specimens, the stems of which are then cut up into
various lengths and bundled up to form an attractive tiered column.
When they are kept with the bases immersed in water, they produce
roots and the buds at the top sprout foliage.
If you wish to salvage some of your plant I would undo the bundle,
discard the dead canes and then pot up the ones that are still living,
either in groups of three or as individuals. Threes would fit into
a 4in (10cm) pot while singles would need smaller ones. I would use
houseplant compost to pot them up.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Colin
Webb from Swindon asks:
I missed scarifing the lawn in September - will it be ok to do it
now and should I feed the lawn? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Colin,
September is by far the best time to scarify the lawn as the grass
responds much better to this treatment in early autumn. However you
can still do the job, but I would say just a little more lightly in
spring. I would wait until mid April to use one of the lawn feed and
weed, or feed,weed and moss killer mixtures as they work much better
when we have stable warmer conditions. I also find that one of the
brands with controlled release fertiliser granules does a much better
job than the older, more conventional products. Look for ones like
Phostrogen Feed Weed and Mosskiller , Levington Complete or one of
the Levington Lawn Builder range.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Standish
from Wigan asks:
I have ants in my greenhouse what can I do? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Standish,
It is best to find the nest then you can treat it thoroughly using
biological pest control nematodes. These are microscopic worms that
naturally kill out ant nests and they available from a company called
Green Gardener. Check out their website: www.greengardener.co.uk
If you cannot locate the nest then its down to attempting to control
them using ant powder or one of the baits that they take back to the
nest such as Nippon.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Graham
Slade from Coulsdon in Surrey asks:
I have a 2-3 year old climbing hydrangea on a north-west facing wall
in clayey soil. It is growing very well (about 13ft) but it has never
flowered. Can you help? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Graham,
There are two possibilities here. One is simply that your plant is
quite young and so it is concentrating on growing, rather than using
its resources to produce blooms. I would give the plant a dressing
of one handful to the square yard of sulphate of potash around the
root area in late July - August as this will encourage the plant to
make flower buds.
The other main reason why some people have no blooms is because they
prune the plant by cutting back the young shoots growing out from
the support in spring. The problem here is that it is these shoots
which carry the blooms, so they are cutting the flowers off.
Pruning of established plants is best kept to an absolute minimum
and where pruning becomes necessary it is best done immediately after
flowering. As the plant fills its allotted space overlong shoots and
outward growing side shoots can be cut back by up to two thirds to
a healthy bud.
Climbing Hydrangeas tend to produce most of their blooms towards the
top of the plant, so try to retain as much of this wood as possible.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Eleanor
Peterson from Mudgee, Australia asks:
When belladonnas (aka naked ladies) have finished flowering, if you
dead head them, does that promote the growth of new bulbs, hence a
better bloom next year?? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Elle,
Yes dead heading will help to strengthen up the bulbs as they will
not be wasting precious energy making unwanted seeds. Giving them
a light dressing of sulphate of potash, after dead heading, will also
help to build up the bulbs.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Christine
Duckett from Dagenham asks:
Dear Reg, Last year I planted loads of daffodil bulbs and they were
a real picture. This year however, most of them have come up 'blind'.
Would you know the reason for this? Many thanks. |
|
Reg
answers:
Hi Christine,
There are several possible reasons for this happening but the main
one is that the bulbs were not fed immediately after flowering last
year. You see what happens flower-wise this year is a direct result
of how the plant was treated last year as that is when this year's
flowers would have been initiated. So always feed your bulbs as
the blooms fade using a high potash fertiliser such as rose food
and always leave the foliage intact for at least 6 weeks after flowering
so that the bulb can be nourished for next year.
Another thing to consider is how big the bulbs that you planted
were, as if they were on the small side they could well be not strong
enough to flower twice and sometimes larger ones will bloom in the
first season and then decide to grow new baby bulbs rather than
flower again the second year. These new bulbs should bloom in about
2-3 years time.
With Best Wishes,
Reg.
|
Mel
from Leeds asks:
How do I prune my eucalyptus tree? I want it to look like the lollipop
design. |
Reg
answers:
Hi ,
Eucalyptus trees can be pruned as hard as you like as they will readily
re-grow from old wood. The best time to carry the job out is in April
and if you want to get a lollipop shape allow the trunk to form and
then remove the side branches once the trunk thickens up. The top
branches can then be cut back hard annually if desired, to prevent
the tree from spreading too much.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
T
Lovett from Flintshire asks:
I have a very large lawn with all different types of trees surronding
it, large patches of the lawn now have a lot of mushrooms/toadstools
on it. How do I get rid of them? The lawn was professionally fed up
until October, when I stopped them because the grass looked worse
than when they started 9 months previously & because these mushrooms
started growing, which had never been a problem before. |
Reg
answers:
Hi,
Last autumn was a particularly good (or bad) year for all sorts of
mushrooms/toadstools due to the moist, humid weather conditions and
the lack of a really dry, sunny summer.
It is difficult to give you in depth advice without knowing what the
toadstool looked like as the vast majority of the species are totally
harmless as far as the grass and trees and shrubs are concerned. They
are present because the fungus is busy doing its job of rotting away
some old tree roots or other organic debris under the soil and the
toadstools are the fungal equivalent of flowers which produce the
seeds, or in this case spores, that help to keep the species going.
In most cases all you need to do is to collect up the toadstools (wearing
gloves is a good idea) and just put them in a polythene bag in the
household refuse.
If you wish to discourage the fungus I would try to rake out as much
of the mowing debris (known as "thatch") as soon as possible
now, the ideal time to do the job is in September. This can often
help to discourage some of the fungi that cause problems to the lawn
grasses.
Another idea would be to spike the affected areas with a garden fork
and then water on a solution of sulphate of iron with a little washing
up liquid added as a wetting agent. Again this is best done when you
see the fungi appearing. The rate would be one and a half ounces of
sulphate of iron in a gallon of water with a dessert spoon of washing
up liquid (added last or you get a can full of foam) watered over
one square yard.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Bev
asks:
Why has my monkey puzzle tree started to go brown? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Bev,
Ideally I could do with some more details. If the tree is fairly small
it could be due to dogs or foxes peeing over it but probably the most
likely reason is too much exposure to drying winds over the autumn
and winter.
Evergreens are always losing moisture through their foliage and this
autumn and winter have been particularly dry so this form of scorching
is quite likely. Check the soil to make sure that it is not too dry,
of course if the tree is planted in a very wet situation you could
end up with a similar result.
Bear in mind that it takes some time for a conifer to turn brown due
to the thickness of the foliage, so the tree has probably been suffering
for some time without actually showing browning. If the soil is too
dry water it and mulch the surface of the soil with a layer of bark
chips, or a similar product, over the root area.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Kathleen
from Northants asks:
Would I be able to transfer Heathers from pots to ground? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Kathleen,
Yes certainly it would be perfectly OK especially if the heathers
were in individual pots as you would not be disturbing the root system.
If the plants are currently housed more than one per pot try to separate
them out carefully causing as little disturbance to the roots as possible
and keeping a good ball of soil around each root system. Water the
plants well about 30 mins. prior to transplanting and keep them well
watered afterwards too and I would do the job as soon as possible.
This will enable the plants to begin to settle in their new environment
before the summer arrives.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Gloucestershire's Gardening Guru Reg Moule gets his wellies on to
answer more of your green fingered gripes.
See
also: 