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June 15, 2006 Hortiscope
Q: We had sod installed at our new home by a professional landscaping company. The day before the sod was laid, heavy rains saturated the ground and washed out the subgrade. The sod was laid the following day. Because of the soggy ground, the entire lawn has deep ruts and holes. Some areas are large enough that water temporarily ponds. The landscaper wants to spread black dirt over the entire lawn/sod and seed to fix the holes and smooth things out. I have heard that this is not the proper way to fix a bumpy lawn. Any advice on this? (Lino Lakes, Minn.)
Q: A client is wondering if there is a product that you can add to flowerbeds to take care of weeds, but won't kill the flowers. (e-mail reference)
Q: I was wondering if you could answer a question about tulips. I have several tulips that have bloomed. Do I need to do anything to the tulips once the blooms have wilted? Do I need to cut off the flower and leave the stem or just leave the whole thing alone? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have a question about my lilac bush. It appears that my neighbor’s cat has clawed the bark at the bottom of the bush. On some branches, it goes all the way around the stem. I am hoping this will not kill the plant. Do you think I could prune it back in the fall with the hopes of saving it? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have a ton of maple helicopters in my yard. I figured my lawn mower would pick them up, but it didn't and there's a lot left. I tried to rake them, but that didn't work. If I leave them in my yard, will the maple helicopters kill the grass? (e-mail reference)
Q: I am looking for a Web site that will show me exactly what flowering crab colors are available. I am looking for a dwarf variety to plant in my front yard. (e-mail reference)
Q: My friend has a miniature Japanese lilac tree that has a 6-foot tall sucker. Is it possible to cut the sucker near the soil and replant it somewhere else? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have two problems. I need water for my garden and trees. My other problem is that I have a sump pump discharge area that makes a muck hole in my lawn. Can I use the sump pump water to water my garden and trees? I've been told it's not a good idea because the sump pump water is salty. The sump pump water doesn't seem to bother the grassy area it's discharging on. I have very sandy soil, so I don't know if that changes things. Is there someone at NDSU who can test the sump pump water? (Kindred, N.D.)
Q: I have strange problem. I planted yellow bearded irises given to me years ago. The irises are in a bed on the south side of my house. They did great for years. Then I got some violet irises and planted them in a section next to the yellow plants. I gave them the same proper feeding, watering and care. Then I noticed that the violet irises were doing well, but the yellow plants were dying. The violet irises still are doing fine, but the yellow irises are not blooming. The same thing happened when I planted a batch of white irises given to me when a relative moved and planted them next to a batch of violet irises. They were not intermingled. In a few years, the white irises gradually died out and the violet irises took over. What is the problem? I can’t find any information about this problem in my books or on the Web. (e-mail reference)
Q: I have two dwarf apple trees (not sure of the type) that are a few years old. Last summer they had some sort of fungus. The leaves had almost all fallen off by the time I found a spray to use. This spring the trees started to bud and then stopped. The buds are dark and now there seems to be a gray, dusty film on the trees. The trees appear to be dead. I scraped the bark with my fingernail and found a light brown coloring underneath, but with a little bit of green. Is there a way to tell if these trees are completely gone or worth trying to save? If I do try new trees, what are some hardier varieties? (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Q: I just found out how to harvest tulip seeds. I’m planning to harvest my tulips because we are moving to a new house. While waiting for them to finish blooming, my grandfather passed away. At the funeral, there was a beautiful bouquet of cut tulips. Will I be able to harvest any seeds from the bouquet? They have just lost their petals, so I need to know if I can cut the seed parts now or wait for the stems to dry out. Any advice is appreciated. (e-mail reference)
Q: During the winter, there were several ice patches in my yard. Now that spring/summer is here, my lawn is green and growing, but the grass is dead at the places where the ice was. What can I do? Should I dig up the dead spots and reseed or wait to see if the grass starts to grow? (Battleview, N.D.)
Q: Can you tell me where to purchase indoor house plants, such as baby tears, piggyback and all the ivies? I am in a wheelchair and can’t get outside to plant flowers, so I like indoor plants. Please help me. (e-mail reference)
Q: I took my geraniums into the house last fall because they were so beautiful and felt the oxygen created by the plants would be good. I seem to kill every plant I've ever had, so I gave up. I thought the geraniums also would die, but to my surprise they were beautiful all winter. Now they are blooming. Should I cut them back and then water and fertilize when I see new growth? Do I handle them differently because they are blooming? Do I have to replant or can I leave them in the same pots? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have an ornamental weeping birch in my garden. Many of the branches are touching the ground and part of a stone patio. Should I trim those branches so they don't touch? Also, the tree doesn't seem to grow. Do you think I planted it too deeply? The tree is leafing beautifully and appears to be very healthy. (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Q: As usual, I read your section in today's paper. I learned from it and enjoyed it. Thank you. Last year our flower garden was taken over by grass and weeds. During the winter, I heard of a product that can be sprayed on a flower garden to kill the grass/weeds, but not hurt the flowers, shrubs, groundcovers or bulbs. I wrote down the name and had it on our desk, but it's gone and I can't remember the name of the product. I was unsuccessful in my attempt to find it on your Web site. If you know what the name of this product is, please let me know. Also, if there are drawbacks or other negative aspects of it, please share those as well. Again, thank you for being such a great resource! (Buchanan, N.D.)
### Source: Ron
Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
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North Dakota State University |
