Q: Have you ever heard of a spider plant flowering? The stalk of the plant has several white flowers. As I checked for information on the Internet, I have not come upon any mention of flowers and for all the years I've had spider plants, I’ve never seen one. (E-mail reference)

A: It is rare, but in the 17 years that we have owned one, it did flower once for us. So enjoy it while you can. Very likely you won't see that happening again for decades!

Q: I am trying to plant a sierra juniper (western juniper). I have seeds or can get cuttings if that will work. Any other info would be great. (E-mail reference)

A: Go for the cuttings and don't plant them too deep. Water it well, and don't allow it to go into winter dry. No fertilizer needed.

Q: What would you recommend for killing suckers from a elm tree? We’ve removed most of the tree except for about three feet. There are trees on both sides that we would like to keep. Also what would be your general guidelines for watering trees this fall? Specifically, is there any special concerns considering the severe drought we are still in here? (Hettinger, N.D.)

A: Try to get a hold of a material called Sucker-StopperRTU which is sold by a California company. It is a form of NAA, a growth regulator, that apparently works in some situations. It’s worth a try. They have a phone number listed on their label as: (559) 499-2100. It is made by Monterey chemical for Lawn and Garden Products. Inc. in Fresno, CA. Water the trees! They should not be allowed to go into the winter dry. Hydrated plants always have a better chance of surviving than those that are not.

Q: My friend has a well-established and very healthy looking white fig tree. However, when the fruit ripens (green to yellow) the fig is all dried up inside. (E-mail reference)

A: Unfortunately I have no experience growing figs,. I would love to be able to as I enjoy the fruit so much. Sorry!

Q: A tomato gets ripe on the plant and after it gets picked, it does not get ripe, it gets old, right? (E-mail reference)

A: Sounds like someone has a bet on this question so here is my answer: Mature green tomatoes will ripen after they are picked if placed in the right environment. Immature green tomatoes will not ripen no matter what, and will, as you say, simply get older, eventually rotting. Tomatoes go through some interesting biochemical changes as they develop to maturity and ripen, either on or off the vine. We are currently conducting research on tomato cultivars for acidity (pH), taste, and lycopene (antioxidant) content. We are initially finding that acidity varies little between cultivars and that they are not as acid as we once thought. We also think we are seeing a difference in the sugar and acid content based on weather conditions or location such as Fargo compared to Williston. Once tomatoes biologically mature, they have the biochemical capability of ripening, changing the acid/sugar ratio as the fruit ripens. A fully ripe tomato has a higher sugar content than one that is not fully ripe with no difference between the ripening taking place on or off the vine. I hope I answered your question to your satisfaction.

Q: I have an evergreen business in Minot and recently did some work for a lady who has been trying to get blue spruce growing for many years and is having all kinds of problems. She has about 75 evergreens that are 4 to 7 feet tall and not one of the trees has a leader and the trees look terrible. I think one of her problems is too much water. One person in the are says the problem may be bud worms. I have about 4,000 to 5,000 evergreens and have never had this problem. I have no idea what to suggest to this person. (Minot, N.D.)

A: You can try an insecticide known as Orthene. It has both contact and systemic power. The spray application should be just before buds swell in the late spring. This is a commercial product that is readily available to homeowners through most garden store outlets.

Q: My grandmother has had her jade plant for about 10 years and within the past week or two the leaves have all started falling off. She said that she has not been doing anything different than she usually does. Can you tell me what kind of lighting the plant should have and how much water it needs? I would like more information on how to care for the plant. (E-mail reference)

A: If your grandmother has been successfully growing a jade for 10 years and has not altered anything, then she isn’t the problem. It’s more likely something else like mealy bugs or scale. Tell her to take a look at the leaf axils and see if there is anything that looks like a small fuzzy cotton mass at the point where the leaves attach to the stem. If it’s there then she has mealy bugs. If it isn't present, then have her examine the branches to look for small bumps along the stem, that is the scale insect. Both can cause defoliation and, in most cases, copious amounts of honeydew that is usually more noticeable than the insects. Both are very difficult to control when they start causing visible symptoms such as you describe. Usually the cure ( a potent systemic insecticide) is worse than the problem. She might be better off getting rid of the plant and starting anew. For culture, the jade requires high intensity lighting or full sun. Water normally when the plant is in active growth. During winter, allow the plant to remain on the dry side. If there are no insects present, then something in the plant's environment has changed that is causing leaf drop to occur and needs to be corrected ASAP.

Q: Please tell me what this weed is. It is low-growing, and hard to destroy. What chemical should I use? (Elgin, N.D.)

A: The weed is known as knotweed, which is an annual and will be killed by the autumn frosts. Early next spring, March or April, spray with a 2-4,D-containing product (something that kills broadleaf weeds) and correct the compaction that caused it.

Q: I planted 12 rose bushes on the south side of my house last year. They have bloomed beautifully all summer. Can I cut them back and how much? Will they bloom next year if I cut them? (Mercer, N.D.)

A: Prune the roses back to about 9-12 inch canes after a couple of hard frosts this fall. Then just before freeze-up, take soil from another location and cover the canes completely with 8-10 inches of soil. Add to that a bag or two of leaves you raked up from your yard and you should have them over-winter for you.

Q: We have two apple trees in the backyard that are approximately 15 years old. The bark has peeled back as if burned and blistered on the trunks up to a point you would put on Tanglefoot Pest Barrier which we have been doing each spring. One of the trees was a very good producer of eating apples. This year it has dropped all of its apples. The other tree produces an abundance of pie apples which are also dropping, but to a lesser degree. Will the trees will recover or should we take them down? (Fargo, N.D.)

A: I would recommend waiting a year to see what happens. In the meantime, I suggest you clean up all fallen apples and leaf litter this fall, then wrap the trunk before the winter snow arrives. Early next spring before leaf-out, spray the trees with lime-sulfur to sanitize it. If the trees continue to decline after that, replace them.

Q: I have a beautiful mandevilla plant that has blossomed all summer. How can I keep it through the winter so I can enjoy it next summer too? (Hatton, N.D.)

A: Keep the temperature above 55ºF, water sparingly but mist regularly. Keep it in bright light, not sunlight.

Q: I've got a plant book that discusses how to get your Christmas cactus blooming for Christmas. Give it a good drink of plant food that will last quite a while. By Oct. 1 put a dark sack or something over it and leave it covered till the plant is covered with buds. Then take the cover off and by Christmas you should have your Christmas cactus covered with beautiful flowers. I ended up with too many plants so I am giving all but 3 away to anyone who wants them. They are all bug free because I've never put them outside. Anyone that wants plants can call (701) 285-3378. (Carrington, N.D.)

A: Thanks for the reminder. I'll publish this with one minor correction. Remove the cover every day and recover again at 6:00 p.m. The plant needs 12-plus hours of total darkness each day for about six weeks to set the buds.

Q: Could you tell us why our 20-30 foot evergreens are hanging the top 12-15 inches of their tops? Some of the evergreens are growing at a slant. There are choke cherry and Russian olive in the rows beside them, but not touching the evergreens. We have waited so long to see them get that tall and now they are disfigured. (Cathay, N.D.)

A: It could be from herbicide drift. If so, they will likely pull out of it next year.

Q: I seem to have some type of rot problem with my dahlia flowers. As soon as they start budding out, the underside of the flower dries and gets brown. Some of the flowers didn’t bloom out all the way. They are crippled but the bushes seem to be very healthy. The buds seem to be a bit discolored too. Can you tell me what's wrong and how to remedy it? (Columbus, N.D.)

A: There could be a couple of things that are causing this problem. My first suspicion is thrips. They are minute insects that feed on flower buds and cause them to be disfigured and/or leave an aborted flower blooming period. Since you state that the rest of the plant looks healthy, I doubt that it is a fungal disease. When you bring the dahlia bulbs in this fall, dust them with powdered sulfur going into storage. Spray with Orthene, a systemic insecticide, as new growth begins next season. That will eliminate them as they begin feeding.

Q: I have a mystery plant in my garden. It appears to be some kind of sunflower. Last year I had an herb garden in the spot where this has grown. It was over five feet tall and many seed heads have grown. (Regent, N.D.)

A: Your mystery plant is called velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) and is a member of the Mallow family. The seed can remain viable in the soil for 50 years, so it is good you pulled this one before it was able to disperse its load of seed. Heights of 6-8 feet are not uncommon. Some folks use the dried seed pods (or fruits) in dried floral arrangements. The plant becomes more noticeable in farm fields and gardens as the summer heat accumulates.