NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

February 11, 1999

Hortiscope

Ron Smith, Extension Horticulturist
North Dakota State University

Q: Is there a good fern for centrally heated homes with about 40 percent humidity? Could you give me any advice? ( Fargo, N.D., e-mail)

A: The Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) is indeed a beauty, but does require daily misting at room temperatures above 70 F. There is one that is similar to the Boston fern, but more compact, known as the Dallas fern that does not require daily misting to look good.

You may want to try the local florists to see if they have any. Even if they don't, I know it can be ordered out for you.

Q: Can you tell me what kind of plant I have enclosed? I am wondering also why the leaves are turning brown? Can I start another new plant like you do with African violets? (Enderlin, N.D.)

A: Your plant looks like a gloxinia and while the African violet is related, with both in the gesneriaceae family, their methods of propagation differ significantly.

The gloxinia is beginning to die back naturally now and should be allowed to do so to complete this phase of its life. Allow the tubers to dry completely. Restart the plant by dividing the tubers and when new foliage appears, you can further propagate by taking leaf cuttings. After flowering, collect the seed and sow as well. In a few years you'll have your own gloxinia nursery!

Q: Can you give me some information about jasmine? (Elgin, N.D.)

A: All the jasmine are twining but not self-supporting plants. They all require fertile, well-drained, moist soil conditions to look their best. Most important, they need to be grown from Tennessee on south to make it outdoors. Their hardiness ranges from zones 7-10.

Q: I've started some tomato plants, and the underside leaves are starting to turn purple, curl up and die. I've powdered for bugs, but it hasn't helped. (Java, S.D.)

A: You are starting tomato plants about two and a half months too early! The purpling is a symptom of phosphorus deficiency. Check your planting mix for nutrient balance.

Q: The wind keeps blowing the apples off of my trees, and I am wondering how to keep them on the trees? (Jamestown, N.D.)

A: Generally, the procedure is to plant fruit trees in a protected location from excessive winds. Get a shelter belt or tree row planting started ASAP that will run perpendicular to the prevailing winds. In a few years, the new trees will begin providing adequate protection to cut down on fruit loss.

You must really have an open site to lose so many apples to the wind!

Q: I would like to plant sweet potatoes and am wondering where the best place is to find seed for this and which variety would work the best? I would like to grow one that has a long storage period and a good flavor with reasonable production rate. (Williston, N.D., e-mail)

A: Sweet potato information is something you are going to have to pretty much fetch for yourself. I have no data that I can relate back to you. I grew some about 12 years ago in my own garden, and got lots of vine, but only pips for potatoes! They are a day length and temperature controlled crop. Long days, which we have in the spring and early summer promote vine growth, and short days induce root development and flowering.

I'm afraid you'll be frustrated with the results if we have typical Northern Plains summer weather. They like it constantly warm or hot to do well. Georgia, Texas and Arizona are all good producers of this delicious crop when I lived there. There are probably some cultivars that are more adapted to our seasons, but I just don't know what they are. Sorry!

Q: I want to let your readers who don't have computers know about where they can go to e-mail you as well as look up tons of information on gardening and chat with other gardeners. The Fargo Public Library has several Internet computers available for 30 minutes of use at a time. There are so many Web sites on every aspect of gardening available I strongly recommend curious readers to check them out. (Fargo, N.D., e-mail)

A: Thank you for the information. Most likely, if the Fargo Public Library does, other libraries across the region may have similar or identical services as well.

I echo your comments about the information found on various Web sites. I strongly urge people to tap into other state universities: University of Minnesota, Iowa State, Michigan State, South Dakota State etc. Call up their extension horticulture sites. The information provided will be research based, objective and unbiased in content. We at the university don't always have the answer, and when we don't, we try our best to dig it out for the clientele. At the very least, we can get them on a path for finding the information themselves.

Gradually, I am getting more e-mail users like yourself making contact with me, and I really appreciate it. This is such an easy medium to communicate in, I really believe it will be a major impact in our day-to-day lives (it is already, in mine!).

Q: I would like information on the safety concerns and marketing suggestions for herbs and other food grown for marketing. I was unable to attend Marketplace 99, but I received the resource booklet from the state ag dept. (Mercer, N.D.)

A: I have some information coming to you in the mail. I suggest contacting the people involved in marketing the herbal products. If you can meet their standards of product quality and authenticity, you will have a sale.

Basically, herbs need to be grown organically. Because the herbal material is often concentrateddried, or oil extract takenno pesticide residue can be tolerated.

Q: I recently tried to propagate the snake plant, but I had no luck. I followed the various directions in a variety of books as best I could, except I used potting soil when some recommended using sand as a propagation medium. Have you any personal experience with the sansevieria? (Fargo, N.D., e-mail)

A: Sansevieria is relatively easy to propagate. If you use leaf cuttings, they must be in a sand medium to keep the end from rotting. If the specimen is variegated, the variegation will be lost on the new growth coming up. In other words, the original leaf cutting does not become a permanent part of the propagated plant, but will simply atrophy.

The other way to propagate is via division of the short rhizomes. The variegation in the leaf will not be lost with this method of propagation. Again, a sand based medium is needed, or at least one that is sterile and freely draining.

Also, you can refer to "Home Propagation Techniques" (NCR-274).

Q: They say a picture is worth a thousand words! If so, what is a "corpus delicti" worth? I don't believe these are fruit flies, but what are they? (Litchville, N.D.)

A: Sorry, but the "corpus delicti" was beyond recognition! Try again, this time perhaps catching one alive and placing it in a small vial of drugstore alcohol. If I cannot identify it, I'll find an entomologist who can. But for sure they are not fruit fliestoo big!

###

Do you have a gardening or houseplant question? Write to Hortiscope, Box 5051, NDSU Extension Service, Fargo, ND 58105 or e-mail to Ron Smith at ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu.

Source: Ron Smith (701) 231-8161 ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136