February 27, 2003

Hortiscope

Ronald C. Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service

Q: I received a bouquet of flowers from a friend. I put an aspirin in the vase when they started wilting. I’m wondering why aspirin helps at all. (E-mail reference)

A: Aspirin is made up of salicylic acid which lowers the pH of the water, preventing fungal and bacterial growth for a period of time. The water should also be changed daily or at least every other day and fresh cuts made on the stems.

Q: I would like to know what the difference is between a red rose and a black rose on valentines day? (E-mail reference)

A: Very important question. Red roses bespeak of one's deep and passionate love for the receiver. A black rose doesn't exist in nature and is in fact the holy grail of plant breeders worldwide. They come close with very dark red roses that appear close to the mystical or wished – for color. With this dark color comes the mystical expectation that something wonderful, such as a marriage proposal, will happen in the near future - a few minutes, hours, or days. There are a couple of roses that florists may carry that have the deep, dark velvety hue toward black that you can use. Black magic, black baccara and black beauty are some examples that may be available. My advice? If your intent is to become engaged, then go for one of the black varieties intermixed with some pure reds. That will show your passionate love and intentions. Good luck!

Q: We have a spider plant that has maggot-like critters in the soil. They seem to stay in groups. Any ideas on treatments to get rid of the bugs? (Gwinner, N.D.)

A: They could be the larval stages of fungus gnats or some other soil-dwelling insect. You should repot it with fresh potting soil like Schultz's or something else. Insecticides can be applied to the soil but more and more, I don't like the idea of using pesticides on houseplants unless it can be something relatively innocuous like insecticidal soap.

Q: I have a 25-year-old hopa flowering crab that blooms only every other year. Should I cut it down and plant a variety that blooms annually? How does one know which varieties flower annually? A local dealer told me that all flowering crabs are biennial. Is that correct? (E-mail reference)

A: It may be because of the heavy fruit bearing that takes place one year, resulting in a very light or no bloom the following year. I suspect something else is going on with your hopa crab, especially one that is 25 years old. Your best bet, since crabapples are so regional in their disease resistance, is to contact your local university extension service through your local county agent or the university campus to find out which cultivars do well locally. That’s the best solution since I don't know where you live and crabapples are so fussy about their locality.

Q: I had fruit flies on some peaches last fall. The peaches are gone but the fruit flies aren't. I think they are living in some of my house plants. Any idea how to get rid of them without killing the plants? (West Fargo, N.D.)

A: Fruit flies are harmless but pesky! They need a moist environment to survive, so your houseplants are a logical choice. Look at the garbage disposal unit on your sink to see if they are originating from there. They are very vulnerable to insecticidal soap spray which is not harmful to us or the plants. Safer is one company that markets such a product and is usually available anywhere garden supplies are sold.

Q: This is my third goldfish plant and hopefully my last. However, I am wondering if it is really a goldfish plant. The flowers are a beautiful orange/yellow (just like candy corn) but the flowers are shaped like fat, plump goldfish, with pursed lips and are not the long Chinese- fighting-fish-looking-flowers. The tag says goldfish but the flowers are not red and elongated like some pictures I’ve seen on the Web. I haven't had much luck with the other two either but it's such a beautiful plant! (E-mail reference)

A: It probably is, since there are numerous varieties of columnea spp. To care for them provide normal warmth, usually room temperature is more than sufficient, and provide bright but indirect light – no direct sunshine. Water sparingly during the winter months. During the rest of the year, keep the media continually moist, mist the leaves frequently with distilled water and repot in late spring every other year. They propagate fairly easily from stem cuttings after flowering has stopped. Dip the end of the stems in rooting powder and use bottom heat to accelerate the process.

Q: I rooted a jade plant for my aunt and it's been growing fine. It's still healthy looking but she says there are little white strands, like roots, growing from the trunk. Do you know what they could be? None of my jade plants ever did this. (E-mail reference)

A: I have never heard of white strands growing out of the trunk. I suspect it could be a scale insect or mealybug infestation. Take a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol and run it along the stem. If the white strands are removed easily, it is an insect problem. Check closely where the leaves attach to the stems, at the base of the petiole, to see if there are any white specks there as well. If there are, then using a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol, do the same thing. This plant will require close monitoring to be sure you have these pests under control.

Q: I have a lopsided amur maple. It has branches radiating out approximately 270 degrees around its center with a missing area at 90 degrees (imagine a pie with 1/4 of it missing). Is it possible to trim a branch and graft it onto the bare trunk? ( Fargo, N.D.)

A: Not in this lifetime – sorry. There are techniques known as T-budding that are carried out on what is known as "lining out" stock, but I cannot see how that, or anything else, could work on a mature tree. Can you place a statue at the empty spot so it looks like the tree is growing around it?

Q: I have a beautiful calla lily but I have noticed that it has some clear water-like liquid coming out of the leaves. Is it crying or something else? The plant itself looks perfect in every way, it's blooming and the leaves are perfectly green. I am very worried as I love my plants and no plant has ever died on me. (E-mail reference)

A: Your calla lily is not suffering. Plant leaves contain stomatal and hydathode openings. The stomates are located on the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves while the hydathodes are located along the leaf margins. Calla lilies are kept moist during the growing/flowering stage of their life cycle. The moisture makes its way up through the vascular tissue to these openings and bleeds out as droplets. It’s commonly observed in the morning on turfgrass or anytime there is positive water pressure within the plant.

Q: I have several Christmas cactus plants. They stay green but don't grow or bloom. The last one I bought had buds on it but didn't bloom. Can I put more than one plant in a pot? If so, how many in each pot and how big a pot? Should I take the dead buds off even though they eventually drop off? Is it true that if you move the plant it will not bloom? (Aberdeen, S.D.)

A: Pot size makes little difference. I have seen three plants growing in a 6-inch clay pot then each plant moved into a 6-inch pot when they were transplanted. This species of plant is generally day-length sensitive. It performs best in cool rooms where the temperature is hovering in the mid-60's. Its blooming is poor and short in duration if the room is too warm. Begin covering the plant, about the end of September, as the sun goes down around 5:30 or 6:00 and keep it covered (must be light-proof) all night long. Remove the cover when everybody leaves the house in the morning – around 7:00 a.m. This will trigger bud set over the next several weeks. When they become apparent, covering is no longer necessary. By that time you will need to heat your home which dries out the air. In some instances, this dry air causes the buds to abort and not open. However, in some cases it doesn’t affect the buds at all. If it becomes evident that the buds on your plant are in need of misting, then do so on a daily basis using distilled water. Christmas cactus like bright, indirect light. Keep the plant on the dry side while it is undergoing photo-period response development. Allow the soil to dry about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way down, then water just enough to rewet the entire soil mass. During the vegetative stage you can increase the watering frequency. Bloomability is not dependent on whether or not you move it, but whether or not you have met the above requirements. Some people have the good fortune of just setting their plant in an east-facing window, not altering the watering or anything else during the year and the plant still blooms profusely. So don't look for justice in growing plants!

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: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu