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January
22, 2004
Hortiscope
Ronald C.
Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service
Q: We have collected
about 1,600 berries with the intent of starting a significant number of
seedlings. You once mentioned that a solution of lye-enhanced water should
be used to emaciate the fruit for easy removal of the seeds. What would
be a recommended concentration of the lye-enhanced water in terms of the
amount of lye per water volume or weight? Also, what type of yield might
we expect from the seed planting? (E-mail reference)
A: The usual recommendation
is one teaspoon of lye per gallon of water. Soak them for at least two
days and repeat if the berries are still sticky. Be sure all the berries
are covered with the solution. Rinse and allow to dry and then rub the
berries over a screen to separate out the pulp and seed. Soak everything
in water. The pulp and empty cones will float to the top while the seeds
will sink to the bottom. Some may have only one seed, others as many
as a dozen. As to the anticipated yield, that depends on the seed maturity
at time of harvest. Stratify the seeds in a moist sand/peat mixture
and store it for about 130 days at a temperature between 35 to 40 degrees
F (can be done in a plastic bag in the crisper of the refrigerator).
Plant the seeds after that. The seed should germinate the following
spring, assuming you did all of this in the fall. If not, they should
sprout in about six weeks assuming the maturity is adequate and the
stratification (chilling) requirements have been met.
Q: I have a three-year-old
weeping ficus tree. I have never cut the tree back so it is now 5 1/2
feet tall. There are around 10 thin trunks at the base. Is this how a
ficus tree normally grows? The tree looks full now. Will it start to thin
out as it grows? Is it necessary to cut the tree back? (E-mail reference)
A: Cutting the tree
back and possibly increasing the light intensity/duration will result
in a thicker foliated plant. You are correct in thinking that those
thin stems will eventually die out if more light is not provided. However,
don't remove more than 25 to30 percent of the branches at one time.
Q: My spider plants
have produced hundreds of seeds. I would like to know the proper method
of growing them. Do I need to soak, stratify, heat or scarify? (E-mail
reference)
A: I am sorry I
do not have any information on spider plant seeds. It seems that everyone
uses the "spiderettes" for their propagation purposes.
Q: I had a beautiful
bed of cosmos and zinnia last summer but in August they developed mildew.
I did not compost any of the plants after I removed them. What can I do
to prevent this next year? (Fargo, N.D.)
A: Look for mildew-resistant
varieties, increase air circulation, don't water as much and pray for
lower humidity!
Q: How much oxygen
does a spider plant produce? How many people would it provide oxygen for?
I’m asking because I'm in a competition called Future City where
I have to create a futuristic community. The problem is that the city
is on mars so I need to know what plants produce oxygen. I’ll need
to know how many plants and forests we'll need. (E-mail reference)
A: Your easy question
is difficult to answer. I suggest you get on the Web and contact NASA.
They did some experiments years ago on oxygen generation and cleaning
the air of impurities. If you can visit an old bookstore, I seem to
recall a text called "Harvesting the Sun" that may have had
such information. Ecologists generally don't measure it on a per-plant
basis as far as I know. They focus on the biomass relationship. Sorry
I can’t be of more help.
Q: I just got a ficus
two days ago, which I replanted in a larger pot. Now many of the leaves
are turning yellow and some are falling off. I put some plant food sticks
in the soil. What can I do? (E-mail reference)
A: Remove the plant
food sticks immediately. Back off on the watering because you are probably
overdoing it. Try to keep the plant away from any drafts of cold or
hot air. The plant should stabilize in a few weeks with the leaves that
it will be able to support with the available light.
Q: How deep do the
roots of a cotoneaster hedge go into the ground? Can these roots affect
sewer lines? (E-mail reference)
A: The cotoneaster
roots do not have a reputation for being invasive. Their depth depends
on the characteristics of the soil in which they are growing. They will
go deep if the soil is well drained and fertile but not deep if the
soil is poorly drained and infertile.
Q: I have a 5-year-old
gooseberry plant that has never had berries. The plant is huge and gets
small white flowers on it in the spring. I have never seen it start to
produce berries. The flowers fall off and nothing happens. Do I need another
one as a pollinator? It is on the west side of a garage and gets at least
six hours of sun a day. It is watered regularly. The grasshoppers have
stripped the leaves around late July or early August for the last two
years. Is this the problem? Should I cover it? Should I move it to a sunnier
location? Should I fertilize more often? (Tabor, S.D.)
A: You probably
have just a male plant. They are dioecious which means it needs both
a male and female plant to produce fruit. Visit a local nursery and
see if you can find one that is a female or already has fruit on it.
Q: I have a Christmas
tree question. We cut trees off my parents land every year for a Christmas
tree. This year the trees were so tall that we cut the tops off for each
of our homes. They are spruce trees. To our surprise, they have new growth
coming out. Are they alive? Can they be transplanted or put in dirt and
actually grow? We have kept our tree up until we can find an answer. (E-mail
reference)
A: No, they are
not "growing." The buds have simply had their chilling requirements
met, and are breaking dormancy, extending to the extent of the energy
reserves in the material that you cut off. I wish it were that easy
to propagate spruce trees.
Q: While sitting in
her easy chair the other day, my wife discovered a slug had crawled up
her leg. She knocked it off and we relocated it outdoors, but the slug
left a trail of slime on her jeans. She has tried two unsuccessful washings
and several spot helpers to no avail. Can you suggest something to get
the slime out of clothing? (E-mail reference)
A: I must admit
this ranks as one of my most unusual questions! I am by no means an
expert on laundering clothing, as my wife will substantiate! She might
try one of the organic citrus-based spot removers, as they seem to be
pretty potent at removing stains like dog urine and red wine. It should
work on the slug slime, I would guess. Certainly wouldn't hurt to try.
I hope you did more than relocate the slug outdoors. If you treated
this one so kindly, it might decide to reproduce itself and raise a
family in the garden.
Q: The leaves on my
beautiful gloxinia plants turn yellow as they come up. I don’t think
I’m overwatering but maybe I am. (E-mail reference)
A: Most likely you
are overwatering. Allow the plants to dry out and store at about 50
degrees if possible. Root the tubers in fresh, organic-rich soil this
spring and start watering again. Water from the base, not the top and
use only tepid water. Any water getting on the leaves will cause spot
diseases. Keep the plants on a tray of pebbles saturated in water to
keep the humidity high around the plant. Gloxinia is a challenging plant
to grow after it has finished the initial flowering, even for professionals,
so try not to get too discouraged.
Q: My Christmas cactus
is dropping leaves in what I would call a "molting" effect.
Is there something I can do to correct the problem? (E-mail reference)
A: The water may
be too cold. It may be in a draft of hot or cold air. The light intensity
could be too low or you could be overwatering. Any of the above could
cause the symptoms you describe.
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
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