|
January
8, 2004
Hortiscope
Ronald C.
Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service
Q: I have access to
horse manure but may not be able to get it until spring. Can I till it
into the garden and plant at that time or does it need some time before
I plant? (E-mail reference)
A: Horse manure
is pretty hot stuff if it is used fresh. If it has been outside in a
compost pile for a year, then it should be fine. You can then take and
spread about three to four inches over your garden and till into the
upper six to nine inches of soil, going in two perpendicular directions.
If it has not been composted or aged somewhat, I would suggest using
it with great care and in lesser amounts. You might want to get it tested
for soluble salt content, pH, and nutrient analysis.
Q: I am doing a project
in my agriculture class. I’m wondering why there are different types
of apples, who came up with them and what the difference is in where they
are grown. (E-mail reference)
A: Apples are a
cool climate crop. What that means is that they must go through a sufficient
chilling process in order for them to survive and be productive. Apples
are members of the rose family of plants, which means they are related
to roses that you see growing in gardens. Apples have what are known
as mixed buds, which means the flowers and leaves are in the same bud.
Such plants can usually tolerate lower temperatures than those in which
the flower buds are separate. Often the separate flower bud type plants
(cherry and peach) will open too soon in the spring and be subject to
frost damage. Apples need about 1,200 to 1,500 hours below 45 degrees
(roughly 50 62 days) to satisfy their resting period requirements and
flower the next spring. Since the origin of the apple is thought to
be south of the Caucasus Mountains in Asia Minor, it is obvious that
most are very cold hardy, although there is a lot of variation in cold
tolerance among the cultivars. It is estimated that humans have been
consuming apples for more than 2,900 years! In America, apples got their
start from the seed brought over by the early European colonists. It
spread via colonists moving westward as well as being carried by Native
Americans and the legendary Johnny Appleseed (whose name was really
John Chapman). He distributed both seeds and sprouts primarily through
the Ohio Valley. The state of Washington is known as the apple state
for its prodigious production of this delicious fruit. Apples are genetically
active because they constantly produce new sprouts, chimeras, and variants
of all sorts, most of which make up the wide selection of apples that
we take for granted today. The “delicious” apple is an example.
It originated as a chance seedling in 1870 on a farm in Peru Iowa. It
now has a market value of $22 million. From just this one original chance
seedling discovery, literally millions of apple trees have been propagated
and several hundred mutant strains have been identified. I could write
a book on apples but I'll stop here. I hope this is enough to get you
started on your class project. Good luck!
Q: We've been invaded
by attic flies this fall and winter. Can you tell us where they might
be getting into the house and how to control them? (Ashley, N.D.)
A: I am not sure
I know what you mean by attic flies but there are a couple of remedies
you might consider. Flies enter the house through the smallest openings,
lay eggs and when the conditions are right, emerge as adult flies. If
they are what I think, the usual winter household temperatures will
kill them. If not, then get some sticky fly strips. They do an excellent
job of catching most flies and don't pollute the environment or hurt
anyone else. Flies of any kind are extremely susceptible to pyrethrum
based products, which are available in just about any garden store.
You can spray them as you see them and eventually win the war. These
characters that get into the house in fall can also go into a rest or
dormant state when the temperature drops. If the low temperatures do
not kill them off, they become active pests when the temperature rises
on high-light-intensity days, which we have been having lately.
Q: I was given several
4-foot blue spruce trees. They have been sitting outside for several weeks
and the root ball and fiber containers are frozen. Do I stand a chance
of planting them successfully or should I cut up them for firewood? (E-mail
reference)
A: Don't cut them
up for wood. Mulch the root balls to keep them from drying out through
the winter. Straw piled up and held in place with boards or burlap tied
around them would do the trick. Don't worry about getting the mulch
too thick. When spring comes and the soil thaws, remove the mulch (the
root balls may still be frozen) and plant them at the right depth where
you want them to mature. Keep in mind that a mature spruce, white or
Colorado, will eventually have a 15 to 20 foot or more spread at the
base so don't plant them too close together.
Q: My big tomcat is
using my gardens as a litter box. In the summer I try to keep them wet,
but they now have no snow cover on them. I've visited some of our garden
centers in but have not found a solution to keeping the cat out. I dug
up one garden he killed this past summer and totally replaced the dirt
along with the perennials. He's now in the bulb garden. I finally dropped
a bunch of mothballs out there but the smell wafting out over the neighborhood
just engulfs me and isn't a good solution either. What can I do to keep
him out of the gardens? Thank you. (Bismarck, N.D.)
A: I used to recommend
mothballs until someone pointed out the obvious; they are toxic and
a hazard to cats and children who might pick them up by mistake. Try
the natural approach instead. You might try planting a cat litter box
of catnip (a member of the mint family) to attract him to a particular
spot. In the beds you don't want him in, plant herbs such as lavender,
rue, geranium, absinthe or lemon thyme. A German gardener has come up
with a plant, coleus canin, which he has found keeps cats at bay. It
can be ordered from various garden catalog services in Germany or perhaps
your local garden center can obtain it for you. He has also come up
with a mixture that is easily made and will keep away just about anything
on four paws. It’s two parts cayenne pepper, three parts dry mustard
and five parts flour. Mix together and sprinkle on areas where you don’t
want cats. Cats don’t care much for tea leaves, so save the tea
bags and sprinkle the leaves over the beds you want to keep him out
of. You can try laying large, flat river stones around the digging areas
of your bed. Cats love freshly prepared soil (and fresh laundry too!),
so putting the stones around would keep kitty from doing as much digging.
Finally, you may
want to consider installing a sprinkler system that is activated by
movement. One or two douses will cure the cat quickly and will also
deter prowlers! I know it works because as a little kid I remember we
had a cat that liked to use the bathtub. My Mother would dutifully clean
up the mess each time and say nothing. Dad found out so the next time
the cat was in the tub, the shower kicked on for a few seconds. The
cat never used the tub again! Give these ideas a try and let me know
which one works or if they all do. Good luck.
Q: Can you give me
a little info on hemlock? I read it can grow to 40 or 50 feet high. Is
that right for a full grown evergreen? We don't want anything that gets
that tall. We have a house next to ours and don't want the root structure
to interfere. It is not too close, but just in case we want to be safe.
Let me know a little about it if you could. (E-mail reference)
A: True Canadian
hemlock will eventually get that tall. They are beautiful evergreens
that slowly grow and maintain a graceful, somewhat weeping architectural
form. Un-pruned arborvitae will also come close to that height. Neither
plant has what is considered an interfering root structure. The choice
is yours, depending on local availability and price.
Q: My gooseberries
always have a lot of blooms but never any fruit. What do you think is
the problem? (E-mail reference)
A: The gooseberry
plant species are dioecious, which means it has separate sex flowers
on different plants. You probably have all male or female plants. A
mix is needed for pollination to take place and fruit to develop.
Q: Last fall we planted
a Harry Lauder's walking stick, which is doing very well. This year it
produced a very tall, straight stem that looks out of place on the shrub.
My husband wonders if it should be pruned and when. (E-mail reference)
A: Prune the straight
stick back to the ground or its source of origin. Do it before new growth
starts in the spring. If it should re appear, cut it back immediately
during the growing season.
Q: A friend from
Badger, S.D., asked me to write a note and ask for your advice about some
evergreens in their yard. She cut a few branches off to make a wreath,
but says they are so dry the needles fall off about a foot from the end
and all the way back. She thinks they are much drier than they have ever
been before and wonders if she could water them at this time of the year
or if there is anything else she should do. (Bruce, S.D.)
A: You can water
if the soil is not frozen. She might also want to spray the trees with
an anti desiccant such as Wilt Pruf, as long as the air temperature
is above 40 degrees.
Q: I received a peace
lily two months ago. The leaves still look shiny and healthy, but some
of the stems and white flowers are drying up. The soil is light weight
and I wonder if additional potting soil should be added. Will it flower
again? (Brookings, S.D.)
A: Peace lilies,
like other houseplants, go through cycles of flowering followed by a
rest period. If you wanted to treat the plant like it is in its native
location, Costa Rican rain forests, you would let it dry down for the
winter and start watering again in the spring. Flowering requires a
lot of energy that can only be derived from light. Since these plants
are a sub canopy species, they have evolved to flower with the filtered
light in a rain forest. It would be great if you could put the plant
in a draft free setting that is at or very near an east or west window.
Be sure the light is filtered through a sheer curtain in summer because
direct sunlight can damage the plant. You can keep the plant through
winter by keeping it moist and sitting on a tray of pebbles that you
keep water in or you could let it dry down to mimic the plant's natural
habitat. I would not add any potting soil to the mix because you want
good drainage, which is apparently what the original grower provided.
Q: I purchased a rather
large jade about six months ago. I expected some leaf loss but it has
progressed to a point where I decided to repot and separate the plant.
That’s when I noticed a fungus or some sort of insects on it. My
plant has small white cottony spots on the trunk and at the base of its
leaves. I dread that you will recommend taking a cutting to save the plant.
Is there anything else I can do other than cleaning with alcohol swabs?
(E-mail reference)
A: It sounds like
a mealy bug infestation has been underway for a long time. You can try
systemic insecticides that are available at your local garden store
and safe for houseplants. You can try and locate a No Pest Strip somewhere
and place the plant in a large plastic trash bag for 24 hours. It will
kill insects and any other pests that might be harbored on the plant.
I would also take some stem and leaf cuttings that are free of pests
and root them in order to not totally lose the plant. I would also go
back to the store that sold you the plant and inform them of your discovery.
Purchasing an insect infested plant is not a bargain, no matter how
much the price is reduced.
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.
###
Source: Ron
Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu
|
