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September 16, 2004 Hortiscope
Q: My apple trees have not produced fruit for 10 years other than a berry-type apple for the birds to feast on. Now I have severe mold coming out of the leaves and sprouts. Is the problem due to excessive watering? (e-mail reference)
Q: Is it possible to grow fiddlehead (ostrich fern) in North Dakota? (e-mail reference)
Q: Someone I know has brown spots on her evergreen shrubs. In the past she used Miracid, which solved the problem. She says Miracid is no longer available. Is there another product she can use? (Dickinson, N.D.)
Q: What is the difference between clump amur maple and the tree form? I want to use the tree form, but I’m concerned that it may grow too tall. Is it like the clump form, but grows to about 20 feet? (e-mail reference)
Q: Three years ago, my wife and I bought a home that had two small plum trees of some type. The first two years they grew a few plums that were absolutely delicious. This year they were covered with blossoms and have grown considerably. We hope that our loving care has had something to do with it. Despite all the blossoms, the trees barely produced a dozen plums. Is there something in particular we need to know about getting our plum trees to produce fruit? (e-mail reference)
Q: Last year we lost our silver maple. The city planted a red maple to replace it. We have clay in our soil, so I put two tree spikes around the tree. It has some yellow leaves and some of the branches on top are partially bare. I have noticed no new growth. I see other young trees in the neighborhood that are slowly losing their canopies, so I’m worried that our tree is dying. (e-mail reference)
Q: I have two African violets. I am a little confused about where to place them. I have them about a foot away from a southwest window. I have a sheer curtain on the window. One plant is growing well and flowering while the other is not. They are in the same size container and get the same amount of light, water and humidity. The one not flowering has two crowns in the same pot. Is that the problem? (e-mail reference)
Q: Down at the bottom of a hill is a run-off pond with some wild growth that will soon be cut back and mostly removed. I am thinking of planting a willow or two, but have heard that they are very dirty trees. Is there a type of willow that is showy but not dirty? Do you have other tree recommendations? (e-mail reference)
Q: We have a red maple that until this spring seemed perfectly healthy. Half the tree has failed to fully leaf out. The branches budded and tiny leaves appeared, but did not fully develop. The other half of the tree looks fine. Someone said it might be root girdle. Do you know anything about this? (e-mail reference)
Q: I used to use Round Up around the edge of my fence to prevent having to clip that area all the time. I decided I needed to try another method because I'm beginning to see some ground erosion. I also have neighbors on each side of my fence. Do you have any suggestions on a slow-growing grass that I could plant along the fence line so that I don't have to use the weed eater every week? My grass is primarily fescue. Is there a special kind of mulch that I could place along the fence that would keep that area grass and weed free, yet still not cause soil erosion? (e-mail reference)
Q: Because they predicted a possible frost, I brought in my petunias and placed them on the floor of the garage. I had three pots and all were petunias. This morning every flower had spots on them. It almost looks like they are water spots that turned brownish. Could it have been something with the rain we had and then bringing them in? Also, can I put super phosphate around my tomato plants at planting time? Does it do any good? What is the best way to care for them? Some articles encourage the use of tomato cages or stakes while others say let them grow naturally. (e-mail reference)
Q: I think I may have Dallisgrass in my yard. Is it fairly common in our area? It grows in hard clumps and has wide blades. The blades lay rather close to the ground and are not easy to mow. It is like stepping on a rock. It is ugly and I don't know how to get rid of it. Is it a perennial type of weed? Does it have runners? If I have a company spray my lawn for weeds, would that take care of it or is this something I will have to take care of on my own? (e-mail reference)
Q: I thought my wife had a senior moment when she started saving gallon plastic milk jugs. When she had about 20 to 25 jugs, my curiosity got the best of me so I asked her what in the world she was going to do with them. She promptly told me that she was going to cut the bottom off the jugs and create miniature hot houses for our tomatoes and peppers. She went on, treating me somewhat like a small child, to say she could get a month head start on all the neighbors by putting the jugs over the plants. She continued to explain that with the jugs in place, she did not have to worry about the sun baking the tender plants. I went to my shop and sharpened the lawnmower blade, amazed by her knowledge. (e-mail reference)
Q: Can I put grass clippings on my garden after the grass has been sprayed by a professional lawn care person? Will it hurt the garden produce or harm me if I eat it? We had them spray our yard for dandelions and also said it had something in it that would kill other weeds as well. (Ellendale, N.D.)
Q: I was just out to the Wahpeton Armory to look at their black ash trees. They have several trees that were planted in 2001 that are partially leafed out at the top or not leafed out at all. The branches are not dead as they are still pliable and when scratched, still green under the bark. The branches do not have buds. Other trees of the same variety planted at the same time appear to be doing well with no signs of a problem. The trees did leaf out and grow normally the previous two years. All of the trees have landscape cloth with crushed rock mulch around them at the base of the tree. Could this be winter injury? I tend to think it is environmental as there is no evidence of anything else. (e-mail reference)
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 |
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