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February
24, 2005
Hortiscope
Ronald C.
Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service
Q: My wife and I have
corresponded with you before and always enjoy your advice. We moved into
a new home and received a cyclamen from a friend. I have had little luck
with cyclamen in the past, and this one seems to be going the same way.
It was full of buds and blooms, but within three weeks the leaves started
turning yellow and dying. I tried to increase the humidity by putting
it in a saucer filled with rocks and water, but not letting the plant
sit in water. Does this plant have to go through dormancy? If so, how
long? (Mellette, S.D.)
A: Thank you, glad
the advice has been of value to you! Cyclamen plants are difficult to
get to rebloom. I cannot claim success myself, so I will only be able
to give you “textbook advice.” The yellowing could be from
hot, dry air, which is not unusual during midwinter. Dry air seems to
be the plant’s biggest nemesis. Keep a pebble tray filled with
water with the potted cyclamen sitting on top. This will keep the air
humid around the plant. Keep the plant reasonably cool. The ideal temperature
is 50 to 60 degrees. Provide ample, bright, indirect light. Once the
flowering has ceased, reduce the watering and stop fertilizing. Place
the pot on its side in a cool spot and keep it dry until midsummer.
Then repot using fresh potting soil, place it in a bright spot and water
to keep the soil continually moist. As stated, I have not had good luck
raising cyclamen. Typically, I dump them after a season of frustration.
Good luck!
Q: I would like to
cut the spiderettes and trim back the long stems of my spider plant. What
is the proper way to cut and trim without damaging the plant or the spiderettes?
(e-mail reference)
A: To remove the
spiderettes, cut the long stems back as far as you can with a sharp
knife or pruners. Then cut the spiderettes off the stems and plant or
set on a premoistened media. The spiderettes should root in a few weeks.
Any foliage that needs trimming should be cut back in the same manner
and right to the base of the plant.
Q: I have a jade plant
that was given to me. It is 9 inches around the main trunk. It had another
large trunk off the main that has been cut off. The cut developed into
a mushy hole, so I removed it. I thought this would fix the problem, but
then it turned into mushy mold. I scooped out the mold, which now has
taken me into the main trunk area. It is turning brown and I fear it also
is going to turn moldy. The plant itself is healthy and has a large root
ball. (e-mail reference)
A: Let me introduce
you to my jade Web site at www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/houseplnts/jade.htm.
The site has more than 100 questions and answers regarding jade plants.
In response to your question on pruning, your jade is a tree that needs
to be pruned like a tree. Use a sharp pruner or saw. Always prune a
jade back to a lateral bud or branch, but never into the main trunk.
You always want to make the smallest pruning cut possible, which means
that if you see a branch growing where you don’t want it to, take
it off immediately. Large tree wounds, like on humans, take longer to
heal. Finally, prune when the tree is growing actively or coming into
an active growth phase. This will allow callus tissue to form and quickly
compartmentalize the wound. Always prune back to a leaf node, not into
it. Cut to about one-eighth inch above the leaf node, or to a lateral
branch, but never leave a stub. Try to envision what you want the finished
product to look like before tackling the job. If you don’t, chances
are you will go too far!
Q: Our gardener does
not use the bag that comes attached to the lawn mower. When he cuts the
grass, the clippings pile up on top of the lawn. He tells us this is a
good source of food for the grass. Isn’t that bad for the lawn because
the clippings cover up the lawn? Won’t the grass turn yellow and
brown and become a big mess? I usually try to rake the clippings. Is that
a good thing to do? (e-mail reference)
A: Your gardener
is not mowing the grass often enough. He is mowing it on the calendar
and not on the need. A lawn that is mowed in a timely manner should
not have more than a third of the grass blade removed at any one time.
When that schedule is followed, the cut grass does not pile up on the
lawn. The clippings break down and become fertilizer for the grass.
I am assuming your turf is Bermuda grass. Even if it isn’t, increasing
the mowing frequency will not hurt and he then can allow the clippings
to remain without a loss of aesthetics. Collecting the clippings is
extra work and takes more time. I assume you are paying him through
a contract and not by the hour. Even so, you are the customer and should
have your wishes met. I would make that clear, even if you have to renegotiate
a new price.
Q: We inherited a
little tree farm that has about 20 acres of blue spruce. The trees are
3 to 5 feet tall and quite healthy. An occasional tree has a double leader.
I have noticed that by the end of the summer, one leader will take over.
Should I still go ahead and prune all double leaders? When is the best
time? (e-mail reference)
A: The best time
to prune the trees is prior to new growth emerging.
Q: Bean beetles decimated
my bean crop last year. I read that purple string beans are distasteful
to these pests. Will the beetles stay away if I plant some purple string
beans in with my yellow and green beans? (e-mail reference)
A: I don’t
know. It depends on how smart the bean beetles are! It would have some
sort of sequestering effect, but how much is difficult to say. The best
thing you can do is some inter-cropping (I assume you are writing as
a gardener) with an entirely different species of vegetable and practice
crop rotation.
Q: I have had a spider
plant for a couple of months. It has a few little, white flowers on it.
Is there a way to pollinate them? (e-mail reference)
A: Spider plants
are self-fertilizing, so all you have to do is sit back and watch a
wonder of nature unfold before you. You soon will have spiderettes all
over the mother plant.
Q: I have a beta fish
in a small tank. Can I plant baby spider plants underwater in the fish
tank or would they drown? Would the plants poison the fish? (e-mail reference)
A: I’m sorry,
but I don’t know the answer to your question. Perhaps a reader
of this column will know the answer and pass along the information.
Q: I have a brown
knot growing between two limbs of my fig tree. I have been told it’s
a gall, something like cancer. I have cut off the knot but it’s
growing back bigger than before. What can I do about the knot? (e-mail
reference)
A: Most galls are
nonlethal to trees, but are disfiguring. Total removal is necessary
to keep it from regrowing. I don’t know the cause of the gall
on your fig tree, but it is usually a mite or psyllid that has “stung”
the vascular tissue and laid eggs. It causes irrational cell proliferation,
which is analogous to cancer in mammals, but in most cases is nonlethal.
If the gall cannot be cut out without extensively damaging the tree,
I would suggest leaving it alone to see what eventually happens.
Q: I am trying to
find some salsify seed. Do you know where I can find it? I have three
seed catalogs, but none of them has it. (Hecla, S.D.)
A: Salsify, good
old “vegetable oyster,” was a popular herbal root sold in
seed packets when I was a sales representative back in the Dark Ages.
Try the J.W. Jung Seed Co. Salsify is listed on page 46 in my catalog.
They can be reached at www.jungseed.com.
Q: I’m growing
two amaryllis bulbs. The emerging growth was a healthy, bright green,
but after it was exposed for a short period, it started turning a reddish
brown. Could this be caused by low temperatures at night? Too much or
too little exposure to the sun? (e-mail reference)
A: It could be a
cultivar characterization. As long as the plant is healthy, I wouldn’t
worry about it. After the initial growth, the plant needs have bright
interior light and household temperatures in the mid-60 to mid-70 degree
range. If you have them in the kitchen or living room with normal, indirect
light and household lighting, that is all that is required. When you
are attempting to get it to rebloom, then it needs more light. Summering
it outdoors would do the trick. Go to www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/landscap/h811w.htm
for more information on amaryllis care.
Q: The new growth
leaves on my goldfish plant are mottled with a lighter color, almost as
if they were variegated. Some of these leaves are slightly deformed as
well or curling under as they grow in. Do you have a guess as to what
the problem could be? (e-mail reference)
A: The curling could
be from mite or scale presence, a gas leak or ethylene gas given off
by adjacent flowers or fruit. Try a close examination to see what you
can find.
Q: I rescued a yucca
plant from a friend’s place of business several months ago. It seemed
to be doing well after repotting, but three weeks ago I noticed that several
of the lower leaves had dried up. I pulled off the dead leaves and fed
the plant. It seemed to be OK for a week, but now the same thing is happening.
Even worse, the green leaves appear to be turning a spotty yellow. Any
suggestions? (e-mail reference)
A: You may be overwatering
or don’t have a free-draining container. Yucca plants are xeric
in nature, so when we think they need water, nine out of 10 times we
are wrong. It also could be that you have root rot. Knock the plant
out of the container and check to be sure that the roots are still firm
and healthy. Check my Web site on houseplant selection and care at www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/landscap/h1260w.htm.
Although yucca is not discussed specifically, there are guidelines for
general houseplant care that may be of help.
Q: I rescued my ficus
about six years ago from a personal injury lawyer who never watered it.
(I am an employment lawyer and have much more compassion.) It was all
spindly and had six leaves. I brought it back and it became a full-fledged
tree with hundreds of leaves. The tree is now about 9 feet high. I moved
my office a year and a half ago and repotted the tree. The plant is in
front of a big window with east and southeast light. I turn it every few
months. Last November some leaves turned yellow and then dropped off.
At any one time there are maybe 12 leaves turning yellow. I water it once
every two weeks by flooding the pot, but the water drains down in three
minutes. I never have fertilized it. What’s up? (e-mail reference)
A: It is great to
communicate with a compassionate lawyer! Obviously, the plant doesn’t
like something in the environment or it has a scale infestation on the
stems. Read my circular on houseplants and their care at www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/landscap/h1260w.htm.
After reading the information, examine the plant closely to find out
what is wrong. It could be the amount of light it gets, overwatering,
too much salt, scale or other insect infestation or a draft from the
heating units.
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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