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September 29, 2005 Hortiscope
Q: Some of the leaves on my linden tree are curled and shrunken. When you peel the leaves, there is a white substance near where the leaf is attached to the stem. Can you identify the problem and what can be done to fix it? My next question is about my apple tree. I think it is being “nailed” by a woodpecker. It is full of holes that look like they were made by someone pounding a nail into the tree trunk. They follow the circumference of the tree in a nice even line. Also, where I had previously cut a branch off the tree (and sprayed the area with the black spray paint to seal tree wounds), something has hollowed out a nice little cave. Is it a woodpecker that is having its way with my tree? I heard woodpeckers attack trees when they are infested with bugs. I lost a pussy willow tree a few years ago. It had the same type of holes in the trunk that are now on my apple tree. When I cut the pussy willow down, the trunk had live worms or larva inside of it. (West Fargo, N.D.)
Q: Do you have any idea what would cause coleus leaves to dehydrate in the middle? The problem seems to start at the midrib (both sides) and work toward the edge of the leaves. The plants appeared healthy at purchase. (e-mail reference)
Q: Earlier this spring I requested manure for my garden. A farmer brought me too much manure and it was too fresh. Now my cabbage plants are not growing and the leaves on my tomato and peppers are turning yellow. Is there anything I can do for them? Will they snap out of it and start to improve? Some say give them lots of water and some say it will be better next year. What do you say? (Golden Valley, N.D.)
Q: I read in your column where someone is asking how to keep deer out of your garden. I have tried a remedy and it seems to work. You buy a couple of bars of original Dial soap (or you can break them in half) and put a piece in an old nylon stocking. Tie them in trees close to the garden. The deer were tearing off the bark of some young trees with their horns. My remedy seemed to help a lot. I seldom see any deer in the yard anymore. (Enderlin, N.D.)
Q: I think that my grapevine leaves have a disease or parasites (I see small worms on the leaves). I just moved into a house with a grape arbor, but I don’t know how to take care of it. It is growing like wildfire, but many leaves have holes. Some leaves are completely eaten away or destroyed. What does this mean? Can I save my grapes? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have several peonies that were here when I bought my house (19 years ago). I’ve divided and shared a few times. The plants are very healthy and always covered with sweet flowers. I have no complaints. I am curious why, after they’ve bloomed, there are always a few flower buds that never open. (e-mail reference)
Q: We have a flowering crabapple tree that shades a large portion of our house. It was here when we moved in 15 years ago. It bloomed profusely this spring, but it is already losing its leaves. What does this indicate? There are several yellow leaves on the tree that I suspect will soon fall. I would hate to have it die. What are your suggestions? (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Q: I plan to go searching the Burleigh County and Rock Hill Township area for Juneberry bushes to make pies. A friend says Juneberries aren’t ready until the middle or late July. Isn’t she thinking about chokecherries? Can you tell me when Juneberries ripen? I would think June since they are called Juneberries. (e-mail reference)
Q: Last year one of my miniature barberry bushes suffered about 90 percent winterkill and another about 60 percent. We replaced one and are waiting on the other to see if it turns out looking better than it does right now. Can I prune away the dead limbs? Will it eventually fill in with new limbs? Should I have mounded dirt or mulch at the base of the plants or covered them in leaves last fall to prevent winterkill? I just planted a dwarf fiesta forsythia. Since Bismarck is technically Zone 3 and the barberries and the forsythia have northern exposure, should I somehow cover the base this fall also to prevent winterkill? (Bismarck, N.D.)
Q: I have horseradish that keeps coming back in my garden area. It is irritating me to no end. Since I have clay soil, I am thinking about pouring a concrete slab for a patio over the area where it is coming up. Do you think this will eliminate the horseradish or will it spread underneath and pop up somewhere else? Is there anything else I can do? (e-mail reference)
Q: I live in North Branch, Minn., which is right on the border of Zone 3 and 4. We bought a royalty crab tree from our local nursery eight years ago. It has beautiful foliage in the spring and early summer. However, it begins to lose its leaves in early July. Is there something wrong with the tree? Is there something we can do to prevent this from happening? Our neighbors have the same tree and problem. (e-mail reference)
Q: I have an 11-year-old maple tree that has developed a long, vertical gash in its bark. I first noticed it when I saw rainwater flowing along a track that developed in a depression on that side of the tree. The bark became slightly rotted because water was trapped inside. I stripped it to good wood. Is the tree going to recover? Should I plug the gap (inch wide) with tar? The leaves this summer are perfect. (e-mail reference)
Q: I started six leaves from three different African violets. Three of them are thriving and beginning to develop into real plants, but I have tiny gnatlike flying insects around the soil. They look like fruit flies. I don’t want to kill the plants. Can you suggest what I could do to get rid of the little flying pests? (e-mail reference)
Q: What can I expect as far as the life expectancy of a highbush cranberry shrub? (Moorhead, Minn.)
Q: In my kitchen near a northern exposure window, I have a very pretty, braided trunk Eugenia (Syzygium Paniculatum) mini tree. I have had it for several years and am training it into a nice topiary-style ball. I have two problems that may or may not be related. Although I never let it completely dry out (having learned the hard way), every couple of months it decides to drop about 30 percent of its leaves. The fallen leaves feel crisp. For the past few months, most if not all, the new leaf growth is covered with a clear, very sticky sap-type substance. I also noticed that the top edge of the clay pot in which it lives is also sappy and sticky. The plant never has done this before. I see this lovely plant every day and it gives me a great deal of pleasure. I would love to help it. Any diagnostic clues you can give me would be most welcome. (e-mail reference)
### Source: Ron
Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
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North Dakota State University |
