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April 28, 2005 Hortiscope
Q: Do you have a list of garden varieties that do well in this area? (Napoleon, N.D.)
Q: I was given a schefflera a few years ago during a hospital stay. It gets morning sun in my kitchen in the winter and on the porch during the summer. The problem is that it is growing out and over the pot, but not up! It’s beautiful and thick, but if you stand directly over it, you can see the soil and base branches. It’s probably a foot tall, but 3 1/2 feet wide and getting bigger. I now need to replant it. Is there any way to get it to grow upwards? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have a spider plant that is several years old. I recently placed the plant in an east-facing window. The plant now is doing very well. In fact, it is growing faster and healthier than it has in years. However, the other day I was stunned to discover that the outside of the clay pot is coated with a very sticky substance that seems to be emanating from the plant. It starts at the soil line and seems to drip or seep over and through the lip of the pot. The plant does not have bugs or flies. Could you please tell me what this sticky, almost nectarlike stuff is? (e-mail reference)
Q: How do I take a cutting from a schefflera and get it to grow? Does it have to root first or can I just replant? (e-mail reference)
Q: You give wonderful help! I just read about jade maladies, but didn’t find mine. This began when a perfectly old (15 or more years) jade plant accidentally was left outside last fall. The temperature dropped to the 35- to 40-degree range. I brought the plant in and noticed the leaves had dark gray/black stippling on them. I thought these leaves had cold damage, so I let them drop and waited for new foliage. However, the new leaves quickly get this same stippling, followed by deep pockmarks. The leaves eventually dry and fall off. Luckily, this plant is an optimist and continues to grow new leaves. (e-mail reference)
Q: I’ve had a Christmas cactus for about four years. The second year I had it, the outer leaves turned a light purple-pink (the color of its flower). The base leaves are still green, but fades into a light green-white to purple. The leaves have been that way ever since. It flowers well and seems to be doing OK. I’ve never fertilized it. Could that be the problem? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have a mature partridge cactus that has snapped off at the roots (the pot was knocked over). I have tried to get the plant to reroot using growth hormone, but it has started to rot at the base. Any idea how I can save this plant? It still has maintained its turgidity and looks quite healthy everywhere else! (e-mail reference)
Q: I have been interested in your discussion regarding amaryllis plants. I thought they always rebloomed. I have several that bloom every year. After the last frost in the spring, I plant them in my garden and water when needed. I dig them up in the fall and let the tops dry down. I store them in my fruit room until after Christmas, when I feel the need for color in my home. I pot them and they usually grow blossom shoots within 10 days. This year I forgot them, but I potted them a week ago and they already are sending up shoots. I also have some new ones starting from the little bulbs that form on the bottoms. I have heard that they need a lot of fertilizer while in the house, so I give them Shultz when watering them weekly. I thought I’d comment on them because they are a beautiful flower. I have had five to seven blooms on a stalk and a couple of times a plant has sent two stalks up to bloom. (e-mail reference)
Q: Is there a natural sprout inhibitor that can be used on caragana seeds? (e-mail reference)
Q: I just wanted to write about my experience with tulips. I also have some questions. I bought six bulbs from a local hardware store. At the time, I did not know how, when or where to plant them. I planted three of them in my box and saved the others. I stored them incorrectly, so I lost half of them, which made me start to do some research. I read on a Web site that they have to be in a fridge for 90 days, depending on where you live (California). Since I already had planted them, I decided to start watering the plants with ice and ice-cold water. Luckily, that worked. Now I have three beautiful tulips. Now for my questions. I would like to harvest them, as in putting them in a vase. Is there a procedure for this and what do I use to cut them? I’ve read on your Web site that I can get seeds from them. How do I do that? I don’t understand some of the gardener’s language, such as deadhead, on your Web site. Can you explain it to me in plain English? (e-mail reference)
Q: For the first time, I purchased an amaryllis for Christmas. It was advertised as a pink- blooming plant. It had two main stalks and one small stalk. The first two stalks produced four beautiful white blossoms and the third stalk finally opened with two blooms. It really showed off, with 10 blooms in all! (e-mail reference)
Q: I just received 25 cottonwood trees from my state’s conservation department. They are wrapped in some nice packaging. How long will these trees survive in this packaging? What do I need to do to ensure their survival before I plant them? Can I plant them and then transplant them after two to three years? Will they survive at their new location? Any help in these areas will be appreciated. (e-mail reference)
Q: We moved into a new home and are ready to plant trees. Our septic system is in the back yard. What tree will do well within 20 feet or less of the drainfield? I was planning on a clump birch. If that tree works, can I buy it bare-root? (Davenport, N.D.)
Q: Two years ago, I got a healthy yucca plant. The bottom leaves started withering and turning yellow/brown. New leaves still were growing from the top, but the bottom ones were dying faster than the new ones were coming in. Last summer, I put the dead plant outside and a new shoot came out from the bottom and was doing very well. When winter came, I brought it in the house and now the bottom leaves again are starting to die. This year I got a plant that looks like it comes from a family similar to the yucca because it has large, wide leaves branching off the central stem. The same thing has started happening to the new plant. People at the nursery say it’s due to overwatering, but I haven’t watered the plants in months. Both plants get a good amount of indirect light from north-facing windows. Do you have any advice? (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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