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October
6, 2005
Hortiscope
Ronald C.
Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service
Q: I am having trouble
locating a particular houseplant that my mother kept when I was young.
We called it “the pregnant plant” because it reproduced by
making a “baby plant” grow on the end of the leaf. The baby
plant would drop into the soil (roots and all). I asked the folks back
in Nebraska where I grew up if they remembered the plant. They remembered,
but couldn’t come up with the actual name of the plant. Could you
tell me the name of the plant? (Cresbard, S.D.)
A: No problem. I’ve
been fascinated by this plant since the first time I saw it! It is called
Kalanchoe spp., K. pinnata, K. daigre-montiana or K. tubiflora. Get
one and enjoy!
Q: We have June-bearing
and everbearing strawberries. They started out fine this year, bearing
large, tasty berries, but now most of the berries look like buttons. I
have had this problem before. They have a knob in the center of the bottom
or are otherwise misshapen. I was told that this is caused by lygus bugs,
also known as the tarnished plant bug. If this is the cause, what treatment
should be used on them? (Britton, S.D.)
A: Someone gave
you a very good probability of the cause. It is too late now to do anything.
I would suggest that early next spring you mow the foliage off the plants
and collect the clippings in the mower bag. Then, as the blossoms are
forming, spray with an insecticide approved for strawberries to control
lygus bugs. Be sure to do it in the early morning or evening hours when
the bees are not active.
Q: We have a mugo
pine that has grown quite large. What is the best technique and the best
time of year to prune this particular pine? I’ve enjoyed reading
your column. (e-mail reference)
A: You just missed
the opportunity to prune them for this year, unless you want to reduce
their size by removing selected spreading branches. If that is the case,
then do it now. In the spring, pines grow by what are called “candles.”
To somewhat retain the tree’s size, this growth can be pruned
before it hardens off. Some folks go after it with electric shears,
which builds a nice, tight, globe-shaped specimen. Otherwise, selectively
remove or prune back the candles by hand, snipping to develop a plant
with “character.” Thank you for the nice comments about
the column!
Q: Could you help
me find a place that sells wildflower mixes and a native grass seed that
only gets about four inches tall and does not need mowing? (Carrington,
N.D.)
A: I will give you
two sources. The first is Prairie Nursery at P.O. Box 306, Westfield,
WI 53964. It can be reached by phone at (800) 476-9453 or on the Web
at www.prairienursery.com.
The other source is Prairie Restorations. Its address is P.O. Box 327,
Princeton, MN 55371. Its phone number is (800) 837-5986. It also can
be reached on the Web at www.prairieresto.com.
Q: You often comment
in your column about cyclamens and you frequently advise readers to discard
their plants once they have bloomed because they are so difficult to maintain.
I have been extremely fortunate with my plants and want to share my experience
with you. Some years ago, the janitor in our building fished a potted
cyclamen out of the dumpster and gave it to me. I nursed it back to health
and it has flourished for years. It frequently blooms throughout the year.
I have counted as many as 30 blooms at once, with as many buds still to
bloom. I was curious about how the plant could be propagated. When the
plant was in full bloom, I took a Q-tip and swabbed the inside of all
the blooms several times a day. Many blooms set seed pods that produced
about a tablespoon of seeds. I planted the seeds and about 20 produced
plants. I potted three of the best looking plants and now these plants
are producing blooms. What is even more unusual is the fact that the original
plant was in a 5-inch pot and in time, the bulb grew to cover the surface
area of the pot. Last spring, when my wife was repotting some of her houseplants,
I asked her to repot my cyclamen. Unfortunately, she misunderstood my
instructions. She took off some stems, potted them and discarded the bulb.
The stems, of course, died. However, late in November while I was cleaning
out the dead growth of a large bed of lily of the valley on the east side
of our garage, lying on the surface was the original cyclamen bulb. It
had survived the summer, several killing frosts and neglect. The bulb
had several healthy leaves and stems. I repotted the bulb and it is again
blooming nicely. It now has about 20 buds.
I keep the plants
near a west-facing window. I keep my office cool, barely over 60 degrees
during the winter. I water from the bottom and lightly fertilize once
a month. (Grand Forks, N.D.)
A: You have an amazing
success story! You either have the golden touch with plants or are very
lucky. Have you tried the lottery? Thanks for sharing an interesting
story.
Q: I have several
bags of cocoa bean mulch that I plan to use on my flowerbeds. Since then,
a friend told me it isn’t good for all plants and that it is poisonous
for dogs. I don’t have a dog, but do have outdoor cats. I can’t
find any information that says anything about cats. Do you know if it
is bad for cats and what plants it shouldn’t be used for? (e-mail
reference)
A: It is lethal
to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate, which really attracts dogs.
They will ingest it and die. It is the theobromine in chocolate mulch
that makes it so attractive to dogs. Theobromine acts as a stimulant,
similar to caffeine. Dogs will eat anything short of a discarded tire.
Cats are little more selective, but may use the mulch as a litter box.
It is a shame that cocoa bean mulch has this toxicity.
Q: I have had a lot
of landscaping done by a local nursery. The yellow carpet roses that were
put in 10 days ago looked beautiful, but now all the interior leaves are
yellow with black spots. The roses receive partial sun. What can I do?
(e-mail reference)
A: The local nursery
should have known better than to plant them in a partial sun location.
Get them moved to a full sun location and stop watering from overhead.
Overhead watering sets the stage for black spot fungus to move in and
defoliate the plant. In the meantime, spray the roses with a fungicide,
such as Funginex or a rose specific fungicide that will control black
spot.
Q: We have a dwarf
Haroldson apple tree that has produced very nice apples every other year.
Last year it was loaded, so this year we didn’t think it would have
any, but it is loaded again. Is it OK to have apples two years in a row?
If not, what do we do? (e-mail reference)
A: Enjoy them. As
long as the tree is healthy, don’t worry about it! Next year,
if the production is scant, you will know that this was the heavy year
and the tree needs to recover.
Q: We recently planted
a hawthorn tree. It was healthy when we bought it, but now it has developed
orange spots on many of its leaves. What is this and what can we do? (Jamestown,
N.D.)
A: The orange spots
are probably cedar-apple rust. There isn’t a lot you can do this
year except clean up the fallen foliage. Next spring, before new growth
emerges, spray the tree with lime-sulfur. During the pink bud stage,
spray with something containing zineb or ferbam. Spray again at petal
drop with the same material. Funginex or a Bordeaux mixture also will
give you some control.
Q: What causes newly
planted spirea to wilt? The leaves seem to be turning black from the tip
down. Three of the four plants I have are impacted. (e-mail reference)
A: The spirea could
have been planted too deeply, kept too wet so the soil is anaerobic
or root rot existed and was exacerbated by the watering recommendations
following planting.
Q: I have a huge anthill
at the base of my lilac. Do you have any suggestions as to what I might
do to get rid of the ants, but not harm the lilac? Will the ants harm
the lilac? (e-mail reference)
A: I’ve never
known any North American ant species that would hurt woody plants, so
I think the lilac is safe. The ants may have taken up residency there
because of an infestation of aphids on the lilac at one time or even
now. Try Tempo or Bayer Advanced Garden Multi-Insect Killer. These and
other products are available in national chain stores or at good quality
local garden center outlets.
Q: I read a question
and answer on your Web site that sounded like perennials were not as desirable
as biennials in the hollyhock family. Is this true and why? (e-mail reference)
A: Desirability
is in the eyes of the beholder and where you live. Hollyhocks mostly
are classified as a biennial, but in some cases are classified as a
perennial. Frankly, the classification is confusing, but I will attempt
to clear it up. The Malva alcea, known by the common name hollyhock
mallow, is classed as a perennial. We all associate the indestructible
plant with our grandparents or great-grandparents’ homes. They
appear to tolerate just about any environmental conditions outside of
the Arctic Circle to the Tropic of Cancer! The Althaea rosea is classed
as simply a hollyhock. While the Malva alcea flowers from June to September,
the Althaea rosea flowers from early July through September. There is
not a lot of difference, but the Althaea rosea species is said to be
able to will survive as a perennial in mild climates. It also is high
on the list of desirable plants to eat by Japanese beetles. Apparently,
the dependability of this species to be a perennial is in question because
it self-seeds, which gives the gardener the impression that it is a
perennial, but is behaving like an annual. To add to the confusion,
in some instances the plants are biennial because the seed will germinate
in the spring, remain as a vegetative rosette that summer and then bolt
and flower the following year.
Hence, the desirability of the Malva spp., which is classed as perennial
and the more desirable one because of its consistent growth habits.
Hope this helps clear up any confusion.
Q: Someone called
my office and said his potatoes were blooming like crazy, but was told
to cut off the blooms. Does that sound right to you? (e-mail reference)
A: You get the best
tubers if you leave the blossoms. Flowering does not take away from
the quality of the tuber. In fact, leaving the blossoms on actually
contributes to quality, according to Susan Thompson, our NDSU potato
specialist.
Q: I have a lipstick
plant that hasn’t bloomed since I bought it last spring. I have
it in the south hallway of my house. The hallway has floor to ceiling
glass doors and windows. It gets light, but not direct sunshine. Should
I give it more light? I water it when it gets dry. (e-mail reference)
A: These plants
require a little patience to get them to flower. They need bright light,
but not direct sunlight. They also need to be kept watered well during
the spring and summer months and watered sparingly in winter. Mist the
foliage when the air is dry or temperatures are very high. Repot the
plant every two to three years.
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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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