Steve
Atkinson from Pluckley asks:
We have a small woodland plot, which has a bad canker problem on oak
coppices and hornbeams alike. I have read about this and is there
any other solution than removing and burning these trees as there
are quite a few? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Steve,
Unfortunately you are right to say that there is very little that
can be done to control the problem effectively. In theory smaller
cankers could be treated by removing the infected tissue but quite
often the cavity that this produces, as you have to cut well back
into healthy wood, ends up greatly weakening the stem. So the treatment,
which is not always successful by any means, often does about as much
harm to the tree as would the fungus. Really removing the worst affected
trees is the best policy.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Judy
from Bournemouth asks:
I have garden bugs about the size of a pin head and they jump when
disturbed. They live in the soil between the patio slabs. I know they're
not fleas. Can you help and how do I get rid of them? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Judy,
These creatures are likely to be springtails and a good way of getting
rid of them would be to dust down the cracks with ant powder, then
water it in. With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Joanne
Dunckley from Middlesex asks:
How do I care for my Dicksonia Antarctica? It was a present in September
and has been outside since then. It is not planted but has recieved
water. All the fronds died back to brown which I cut off. I can feel
new fronds in the trunk. Is it still alive!!! What is the care all
year round? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Joanne,
Although tree ferns are quite capable of being evergreen they can
lose their fronds during very cold weather or when they become stressed
for some other reason. However, as you have discovered they are still
ready to produce new fronds fronds the following spring so all is
well in the end. Although there is no absolute definite need to pot
the plant I think it would be best as the basal portion of the "trunk"
will begin to produce a new rootball. In fact the whole of the "trunk"
is a mass of fibrous roots and old frond bases, so this must be sprayed
with water to keep it moist and to sustain the plant.
I would get a large pot and bury up to 30cm (1ft) of the base of the
trunk in a mixture of two thirds Multi-purpose compost and one third
John Innes compost No 2, with about 10% horticultural grit added.
The addition of the loam based John Innes compost will give added
stability to the container and make the compost better at regulating
the moisture supply. Place the container in dappled shade and out
of strong wind. Remember to keep the trunk moist by spraying it over
regularly with the hose and when the new fronds have unfurled water
the trunk once every 2-3 weeks between May and early September with
a natural seaweed liquid fertiliser, such as Maxicrop Original Seaweed
Feed or the Vitax Seaweed Fertiliser. This is best applied through
a watering can and WHEN THE TRUNK IS ALREADY MOIST.
Now we come to the vexed question of whether you should water into
the crown (the point where the fronds arise) or not. Usually in matters
like this I tend to trust my friends in the trade who specialise in
the plant in question but in this case they are equally divided -
one in each camp. So, as yours has been a little stressed I think
that I would water into the crown well early in the season, which
will help with initial frond growth and then concentrate on keeping
the stem moist throughout the growing season. When winter comes on
if conditions are mild, as they were this year little protection will
be necessary, otherwise wrapping the fronds in a couple of layers
of garden fleece should prove adquate. If the fronds go brown again
I would remove them, place a handful of straw in the crown and cover
this with a piece of timber or a roof tile to keep it in position
and DRY. This way it will be much more effective as an insulator.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Vanessa
Edwards from Ipswich asks:
Is it possible to successfully move established asparagus crowns?
I need to relocate 6yr old crowns, if you think it is possible, when
is the best time? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Vanessa,
Asparagus crowns hate being disturbed and 6 year old ones would take
a couple of years to recover from this treatment. I know it's bit
of a wrench but I would replant new 1 year old crowns in the spot
where you were looking to re-locate the old ones. I really think that
this is the best answer. This is the ideal time to buy new crowns
and if you try a modern all male variety they will begin to crop decently
in a couple of years without any need to earth them up.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Nicky
Broadhead from Dorset asks:
I have a sumac tree (staghorn) which is in the front garden and it
seems to be spreading all over the place in different locations. Up
to 10ft from the main tree - in fact across the lawn too. Can I save
the tree but stop the shoots coming up all over the place - or do
I need to get rid of the tree? What is the best course of action -
as I have heard that if you cut them down they just come back twice
as fierce? I would appreciate any advice you can give. |
Reg
answers:
Hi Nicky,
Yes you are quite right, if you cut the plant right down you will
get lots and lots of these unwanted shoots, known as "suckers"
appearing all over the rooting area of the shrub. Unfortunately Sumach
(Rhus) is very prone to suckering and this is one of the reasons for
its demise in popularlity particularly with gardens getting smaller.
There is no easy, magic method of getting over this problem but this
is how I would tackle it.
Visit your local gardening emporium and get a bottle of either Murphy
Tumbleweed Extra Strong Gel or Growing Success Deep Root Gel. Both
of these are translocated herbicides that you paint on to the foliage
of the suckers, so that you keep the weedkiller off plants that you
wish to keep. The weedkiller then passes throughout the system of
the sucker killing it off, but be warned that this can take 2-3 weeks
to work. Of course some of the herbicide will pass into the main roots
of the shrub but there will not be sufficient to do it much harm.
Any attempt to dig out the offending suckers will result in them returning
in even greater numbers as breaking the roots helps to encourage them.
With Best Wishes, Reg. |
Fenella
from Sussex asks:
My daughter is getting married in August. Can I delay the flowering
of roses and herbaceous somehow until then? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Fenella,
Although it is possible to control the flowering period of some plants
growing in containers in a very well controlled environment, such
as a specially adapted greenhouse there is nothing very reliable that
can be done with plants outdoors. All the interesting "out of
season" displays seen at leading gardening shows such as Chelsea
are all achieved in this way be experienced professionals. There should
be a good chance of the roses showing some flowers in August, particularly
if you delay the pruning until about late March. This is likely
to help to delay flowering. With the herbaceous plants one suggestion
would be to grow some plants that would normally be flowering in August
in some large pots. These could then be positioned among the foliage
of the existing herbaceous plants to add bright spots of flower.
Some suggestions of plants to look out for are: Acanthus spinosus,
Achillea ilipendulina, Agapanthus, Echinacea purpurea, Gaillardia,
Helianthus, Ligularia dentata, Oenothera,
Rudbeckia, Solidago, Verbascum.
Most garden centres will be having these plants in soon ready for
you to pot up and grow on ready to flower.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Andy
from Swanley asks:
Hi, I have a dracaena marginata (dragon plant?) and it's grown very
tall but with a really thin spindly trunk. Ideally I'd like to get
the trunk thicker and more sturdier and I've seen that you can prune
it by cutting off the top of the plant? It seems a bit drastic to
lop off all the current foliage and wanted some expert advice before
even considering this? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Andy,
I'm
afraid that Dracaena marginata usually does have a relatively thin
trunk, when you compare it to specimens of say Yucca elephantipes.
Sometimes, however they can become excessively thin and even begin
to bend over due to the weight of the top rosette of foliage. Really
you have two options:
One would be to support the stem using a bamboo cane or similar support
and when feeding the plant, every 10 days between April-September
and then only once a month the rest of the year, use a high potash
fertiliser like tomato food. The potash will help to stengthen the
stem and produce sturdier
growth. Option two would, as you have suggested, be to prune the plant
back in order to reduce the height. Yes they do re-grow and April
would be a good month to do this, cut the plant back to where you
would like the new rosette of foliage to appear. You could then trim
back the stem on the remaining upper portion that you have just removed
to leave about 15cm (6in) of it still attached to the foliage. Then
stick this into a jug or similar container of water and keep the water
topped up. With any luck the stem will then produce roots (it could
take up to four months) and you will have two plants.
With Best Wishes, Reg. |
Tom
from Pittsburgh, USA asks.
Reg, I cut down some trees in my back. How do I kill off the roots
or stumps that were left? They range from 1 inch to about 5 inches
round. |
Reg
answers:
Hi Tom,
The
best thing to do is to treat the cut stumps with a brand of stump
killer. In the UK we have Growing Success Deep Root, or Dax Root Out,
both of which contain the chemical ammonium sulphamate. This will
travel down through the root system and after about 6 weeks to changes
from ammonium sulphamate into sulphate of ammonia which helps to promote
rotting of the stumps. No doubt if you visited a local gardening store
they could find you a similar American product.
With Best Wishes,
Reg. |
Clare
Collins from Bradfield in Essex asks:
How can I get rid of Euphorbia safely? |
Reg
answers:
Hi Clare,
I expect that you are troubled by Euphorbia lathyrus (the caper spurge)
which seeds very easily and can suddenly appear and begin to spread
over your garden. Of course they are not just a weed problem, as all
parts of the plant are poisonous, particularly the milky sap. If you
wore rubber gloves you could pull them out successfully but it would
be best to wear goggles if the plants have seed pods as they have
the potential to explode in your face as you bend over the plant.
After pulling them up put them in a plastic bag in the dustbin. The
other remedy would be to carefully spray the plants with a weedkiller
that contains GLYPHOSATE, such as Bio Glyphosate or Scotts Round-Up.
This will go in through the foliage and travel around the root system
killing the plant. Of course you must be careful not to get it on
plants that you wish to keep. Where the plants are growing close to
cultivated ones another option would be to use a paint on gel wedkiller
such as Murphy Tumbleweed Extra Strong Gel (containing glyphosate)
or Growing Success Deep Root Gel (containing ammonium sulphamate).
Both of these are systemic weedkillers but you paint the material
on to the foliage using the applicator provided in the pack.
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: 