January 31, 2002

Hortiscope

Ronald C. Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service

Q: We just received a beautiful potted miniature rose bush and are concerned about how to care for it since no instructions came with the plant. Can you help? We live in an apartment in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Our only window faces north. The apartment is kept at a constant 70F. (E-mail reference, Vancouver, B.C., Canada)

A: The miniature rose needs as much light as you can give it. Invest in a plant light and beam it on the plant for up to 12 hours a day. The light coming in a north window will not be enough to sustain it. Then follow up with the usual: remove flowers as they fade; cut the stem back to a leaf axil; water as needed once or twice a week with tepid water; fertilize when new growth is apparent and summer it outdoors when that season finally arrives-- although your winters in Vancouver are nothing compared to what we go through in North Dakota! You might be able to move it outdoors quite soon. Check with a local florist or nurseryman.

Q: I have an odd question, which has been debated within my family during the last week or so. It sounds dumb, but here goes. Is a blue spruce considered a pine tree? We have actually looked it up in various places and not found an answer. Hope you can help settle our debate. (E-mail reference)

A: Your question is not as odd as you might think. Spruce and pines are both evergreen conifers. That is they keep their needles or leaves for more than one growing season, and their seeds are produced in cones. That's where the similarity ends. Many people call both spruce and pine trees "pines" when they are two entirely different genera and are usually found in two entirely different ecosystems. Spruce will be found in the northernmost range of our earth's ecosystem, while pines can be found both in the south and temperate zones of North America. Pines have longer needles, usually in bundles of two, three or five. Spruce needles are much shorter, and in the case of Colorado spruce, much sharper and more difficult to work with. The genus for spruce is Picea, while for pines it is Pinus. Both species have proven to be quite adaptable to the man-made landscape, with spruce generally being grossly overplanted in the northern regions of our country.

I hope this answers the question adequately and brings peace to your household. If you need any further information, let me know. This is just the tip of the iceberg!

Q: I have a 14-year-old ficus tree which is "bleeding" where another branch comes out of the larger branch. In between two other branches I see some white stuff. The tree was outside and it got cold while I was on vacation. Can I apply medicine and wrap it or anything? (E-mail reference)

A: I would check to make sure that there are no colonies of insects that have taken up residence on your plant. I am especially suspect of the "white stuff" between the branches. That could be mealybugs or scale. Take a cotton sway, dab it in rubbing alcohol and wipe that stuff off, no matter what it is. As for the bleeding that is taking place, it should compartmentalize and cease very shortly, if the plant has not been irreversibly damaged by the cold. Wrapping will not help.

Q: I have a peace lily and a miniature Arboricola plant that someone has poisoned on purpose with finger nail polish remover. How can I keep them alive, or will I be able to? Is there any thing I can buy to help them? My husband is a landscaping foreman, but he says nothing can be done except to just flush with water and hope for the best. Is he right? (E-mail reference)

A: Your husband is right--partially. Repotting will take the toxin out completely. I would suggest doing that immediately with a commercially prepared, pasteurized potting soil. I would also keep the perpetrator of this crime out of my house.

Q: I purchased a peace lily about three years ago. It had one flower at that time. Shortly after bringing my lily home, the flower died. My lily never bloomed again. I have tried putting it in several different locations and tried different amounts of water. Nothing seems to help. What am I doing wrong? (E-mail reference)

A: The peace lily will tolerate low levels of light, making it an ideal plant for office corners, etc. But to get it to flower on a regular basis, you need to get it to a bright but indirect light location, like a north or east window with curtains filtering the light. You also need a little more patience. It will take about six to12 months under those conditions for it to produce a flower. Even in its foliate state, the plant is an excellent absorber of acetone, benzene, and formaldehyde. So keep it around, flowers or not.

Q: I have mealy bugs on my jade plant. How do I get rid of them? (E-mail reference)

A: Take a cotton swab, dip it in rubbing alcohol, and rub the little suckers off! Swab the entire area where they were housed with the alcohol. That should take care of both the parents and their offspring.

Q: We are trying to locate a business that sells cottonwood buds. Do you have any ideas as to where to begin looking? (E-mail reference)

A: Not the slightest clue! Perhaps a reader will know and weigh in with the answer. If they do, I'll let you know.

Q: I had a fuchsia hanging basket over the summer, which has now died out. Before it died, I took some clippings and put them in water. They are now getting spots on them and turning yellow, one leaf at a time. I have now put them into dirt, hoping that will help. Were they getting too much water or what? (E-mail reference)

A: Cuttings of fuchsia will root readily in a perlite or vermiculite media. The pure water was too much. If you can take fresh cuttings, do so, as this is the ideal time for propagation via cuttings. Otherwise, get some seed and sow over a sterilized media without covering, as the seeds need light to germinate.

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. Note to e-mail correspondents: please identify your location (city and state) for most accurate recommendations.

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Source: Ron Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Gary Moran, (701) 231-7865, gmoran@ndsuext.nodak.edu