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March
2, 2006
Hortiscope
Ronald C.
Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service
Q: I have a bamboo
plant that sits in water under florescent light. For some reason, it's
starting to turn a light green and the leaves are dying at the end. What
am I doing wrong? I tried Miracle-Gro, but the water turned black. I promptly
stopped using Miracle-Gro and replaced the water. The plants and the glass
containers are getting a hard, white crust. I can't believe I am killing
something as simple as a bamboo plant. If there was a plant jail, I would
go. (e-mail reference)
A: Here is your
pass out of jail. Purchase some potting soil and plant the bamboo in
a well-draining container. Everything should be fine after that. I don't
want a nice lady, such as you, spending any time in jail, especially
for a bamboo!
Q: We want to plant
some evergreens to block the view of our neighbor’s backyard. A
recent catalog talked about Eastern white pine as a fast-growing, Zone
3 hardy tree that can grow in dry or wet conditions. I don’t remember
seeing these evergreens at our local nursery. Would you recommend this
evergreen? Also, we have heard of mothballs sprinkled around the base
of broccoli or Brussels sprouts to keep white butterflies away. Would
you recommend this? If used around the base of kohlrabi, would the kohlrabi
taste like mothballs? (e-mail reference)
A: How I wish the
white pine would make it in North Dakota! White pines are among the
most beautiful trees in North America. Catalogs have a tendency to "stretch"
the facts a little, so what they say has to be carefully weighed. Arborvitaes
are the brick-and-mortar plants for what you want in our area. When
properly planted, arborvitae will thrive for a long time. They often
succumb to being planted too deeply or overwatering. I encourage you
to communicate with the garden center. It is not going to sell you something
that is not hardy to your area! Mothballs are a bad idea because they
are extremely toxic! I routinely see mothballs used by well-meaning
homeowners for the control of squirrels, voles and raccoons, but it
doesn't work. What mothballs do is pose a danger to anyone downwind
of the fumes. Long-term exposure is chronically toxic to warm-blooded
animals. That's you and me. The worst part is that, after awhile, your
nose is desensitized and you no longer detect the distinctive odor.
The distinctive odor that is overpowering to moths in an enclosed environment,
such as a clothes bag, is naphthalene, p-dichlorobenzene and camphor.
What is unique about mothballs is the ability of the chemical components
to penetrate just about anything except a Fort Knox safe. Any other
use is considered unsafe and off-label, which is against the law. Frankly,
I wish the EPA would put mothballs on the restricted-pesticide or repellent
list! Cabbage and other members of this family of cruciferous plants
can have the cabbage butterfly (either the imported cabbageworm or the
cabbage looper). The butterflies are controlled by using a safe biological
material known as Bt (Bacilllus thuringiensis). The butterflies still
will appear and the females will lay their eggs, but when the young
hatch and begin feeding, they get sick and die. You also can use Sevin
insecticide, which kills them outright upon feeding. Both products need
to be reapplied through the growing season.
Q: I have a ficus
tree that I'm afraid will die if I don't figure out what to do. The tree
was healthy while it was outside. Last fall I had to bring it inside because
the temperature was going to drop below 50 degrees. Since that time, its
leaves have dropped and the few that remain have a sticky substance on
the top of the leaves. Also, it looks like there are dead, black leaches
stuck to the branches. There are about 100 of them. I have no idea how
to save my ficus! I have another ficus tree in a different room that is
not having problems. (e-mail reference)
A: I think your
ficus picked up some scale when it was outside this past summer, but
that’s just a guess based on your description of the problem.
I have some possible solutions, but first, don't get your sick tree
anywhere near the healthy ficus in the other room! There is a material
called Fungicide 3 put out by Schultz Co. It is a neem product that
has fungicidal, insecticidal and miticidal activity. It may work to
reduce or eliminate whatever the pest is that is debilitating your plant.
Cut the plant back severely to where the stock appears clean and just
above a lateral branch or bud and don't leave a stub! If that solution
doesn't appear to be working, get a fumigation strip or "No-Pest"
strip, if they are still on the market. In an isolated, warm room, hang
one of the strips on the plant and seal it with a large garbage bag
for a weekend. This will get fumigant to penetrate the insect egg tissue
and kill the insects. Be sure to follow label directions carefully.
If these solutions don’t work, you have no choice but to dump
the plant. There is a lesson to learn from this problem. Always check
your plants for insect and disease problems after summering plants outdoors.
Q: I had a homeowner
call asking about a snowball bush that he saw advertised. He'd seen them
in Connecticut and said they thrive there and are beautiful. In searching
around, I found that the snowball bush isn't hardy enough for our climate.
Am I correct in saying that a snowball bush also is called a European
cranberry? Would you recommend it for our area? (Mohall, N.D.)
A: The snowball
bush is, as you correctly stated, also called the European cranberry.
It is hardy enough to make it in North Dakota, but is troubled with
borers and aphids. The American version, American cranberry bush (viburnum),
is a native species and does not have the insect or disease problem
as much as the European counterpart does. The American cranberry is
very adaptable, and to the noncritical horticulturist, the flowers appear
to be the same as the snowball. I definitely recommend the American
cranberry over the European cranberry, which I wish would be banned
in this country because of the insect problems it brings into the environment.
Another problem is that there are a few other shrubs that are tagged
with the name snowball bush. The most notable is the hydrangea species,
such as the Annabelle cultivar that grows in most of North Dakota. The
Annabelle features a show of snowball-like flowers. The Annabelle probably
is easier to locate at regional nurseries than the American cranberry.
Q: I planted tulip
bulbs in the fall. It is February and my flowers are starting to grow,
but we are expecting a cold snap with snow. What will happen to my flowers?
Is there anything I can do to prevent them from growing so we can enjoy
them in the spring? (e-mail reference)
A: You have lots
of company this year. Unfortunately, there isn't much one can do except
to play with a mulch covering during the cold snaps. Tulips are tough
and can survive well in our northern winters. I wouldn't write them
off just yet.
Q: I planted a large
grouping of tulips under some trees last fall. Later this spring I would
prefer to remove the bulbs and plant late-spring flowers. With the watering
that is required to keep grass and trees alive, I understand the tulip
bulbs will rot. How do I remove the bulbs properly and store them? (e-mail
reference)
A: You would be
overwatering everything if the tulip bulbs rotted! You can leave the
bulbs and plant your flowers among the fading tulip foliage. It’s
done all the time. If this is not acceptable to you, then I would suggest
that you pull or dig the bulbs up as the foliage begins to fade after
flowering. By the way, cut off the flower as they start to fade so the
plant doesn't put energy into making seed. Store the bulbs in a cool,
dark location until you are ready to replant them this fall.
Q: My daughter bought
a dwarf orange tree a few years ago. It has been growing very well. We’ve
searched the Internet looking for general care and pruning tips, but have
not found anything except to water it when the soil is dry and to use
sandy soil. It has a year to go before it is supposed to bear fruit. We
have it staked to keep it upright. Should it be pruned? If so, how much
do you cut it back? (Eagle Bend, Minn.)
A: Prune the tree
and get more light to it by summering it outdoors, using artificial
light during the winter or both. It shouldn't be spindly, which is the
result of too low a light intensity and duration.
Q: How do I start
a new Christmas cactus from my old plant? Does it work to break off a
piece and stick it in some new potting soil? Would this be the time of
the year to try to start a new plant? (e-mail reference)
A: Please go to
my Web site on Christmas cactus at www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/houseplnts/xmascctus.htm
for all kinds of information on working with this plant. In response
to your direct question, here is my answer to a similar question on
the Web site. All she needs to do is cut off sections of the stem consisting
of two or three joined segments. Allow them to dry for a few hours and
then push them into a 3-inch pot that has the same potting soil as the
mother plant does. Treat the cuttings as mature plants and in about
four to six weeks, the cuttings should have rooted and begun to show
some new growth. This will not harm the mother plant. Good luck and
enjoy!
Q: I recently took
over the care and watering of three 25-year-old jade plants at my job.
They all seem pretty healthy except they haven't been properly pruned
in the past few years. Most of the branches hang over the side of the
pot and dangle down nearly to the window sill. On one plant, one of the
main branches got so heavy that it is severely bent and distorted where
it connects to the trunk of the plant. It hasn't broken off and it's still
alive. I think it's getting nutrients from the rest of the plant. If nothing
else, I need to cut it off because it's unsightly, but what I'd really
like to do is preserve it and turn it into its own plant. I would really
like to keep its thick, woody stalk and promote root growth near where
I cut it off from the main plant. Can I promote root growth by an air-layering
technique before I cut it off the main plant? If air-layering is possible
for a jade plant, could you tell me how to do it? If air-layering is not
such a good idea, can you provide me with an alternative method of stimulating
roots? (e-mail reference)
A: You can air-layer
the plant or take stem and leaf cuttings. Let me direct you to two of
my Web sites that can answer your questions concerning jade plants.
Go to www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/houseplnts/jade.htm
for questions and answers. Then go to www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/landscap/h1257.pdf
to view and get information on propagating houseplants. Jade is a very
easy plant to grow, as can be seen with the 25-year-old specimen you
are working with. All it takes is some common sense. Good luck and enjoy
keeping your thumb green!
Q: I have a rubber
tree that was doing great until I overwatered it. Now half of the leaves
have fallen off. There are new ones growing, but it doesn't look nice
without the rest of the leaves. If I cut it back, will it start over or
kill it? Also, I have many plantain and wild violets in my grass. I know
that I'm supposed to use Trimec, but my dog and cat love to eat grass.
Is there a way to spray my yard without making my animals sick? Will Trimec
get rid of plantain and clover? Thanks so much. (Jamestown, N.D.)
A: If you cut back
the dead parts of the leafless branches and stems, it will not hurt
the plant. Allow anything that has leaves remaining or coming out to
stay. If it looks too weird for your taste, dump it and begin again,
but retain the lesson learned. Trimec will get rid of most broadleaf
weeds in your lawn, but it should be sprayed carefully where the weeds
are visibly present. It is toxic to warm-blooded animals, so you should
keep your animals off the lawn for several days. Follow label directions
in using this or any pesticide.
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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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