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June 29, 2006 Hortiscope
Q: I had a landscaper move a Japanese red maple tree about 10 feet. It has been a week and the leaves are starting to dry up. I was told to give it lots of water and I used some fertilizer tree spikes.When we moved it, we made sure the hole was big enough, but not too deep. The landscaper filed the hole with soil and put mulch on top. The landscaper told me not to worry because the tree is in shock, so I was told to keep watering it and the tree would come back. Is there anything else I should do? Should I water the tree daily, twice a day or every other day? Should I be using anything else? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have been reading about schefflera plants. I have a schefflera that I water once a week. However, some leaves fall off almost every day. I figured out that direct sunlight is bad, so I moved it. Do you have any other suggestions? You mentioned strong, indirect sunlight, but what is that? (e-mail reference)
Q: I am looking for design plans for an elevated gardening bed. The care facility at Rolette is interested in building gardening stands that residents in wheelchairs could garden. Could you direct me to plans for raised beds that would accommodate wheel chairs and also recommendations on what soil mixture to use? (e-mail reference)
Q: I am cutting lilacs for my wedding and need to know where on the branch to cut. I do not want to damage the tree or discourage it from blooming in the future. (e-mail reference)
Q: Thank you very much for the helpful information included in the article about popular peonies. I enjoy peonies very much for sentimental reasons. I brought two plants from my old house to where I now live. The previous owner also had several, which I have moved to various locations. This year, however, most of the plants are not blooming, which is bothersome. Your article was the first that provided solutions. Thank you! Do you have a regular gardening e-letter? Please add me to your distribution list if you have such a publication. Keep up the good work! (e-mail reference)
Q: We share a 20-year-old lilac bush on our property line with our neighbor. For more privacy, our neighbor has tied a few of the branches near the top of the bush down to the ground so the branches are bowed over. I am concerned that the bending pressure is going to stress the plant. Will this kill the plant or prevent blooming? Thanks for your help. (e-mail reference)
Q: A lady called me about eating avocado seeds. Are they edible? Can they be used for anything other than growing other avocado plants? (e-mail reference)
Q: I was pulling up what I thought was grass in my garden, but then I noticed a bulb on the end of it. I planted a bunch of tulip bulbs, which I did not think would come up because of their age. Could it be the tulips that I am pulling up? I stopped pulling it up, but I have a ton of it growing. (e-mail reference)
Q: For our bushes, my husband wants to buy wood chips and tree shreds from a company that cuts down trees and use the materials as mulch. We would put down a plastic weed guard for control and then cover it with the mixture of wood chips. The company has free delivery. Any problem with this plan? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have a question concerning arborvitae. We sold and installed 10 super-nice techny pyramidal arborvitaes last fall. The plants looked green and lush at the time. The client called me to take a look at the plants today. The arborvitaes look haggard. The plants have a lot of browning, especially on the south side. I suspect sun damage, although he sprayed them with Wilt-Pruf late in the fall. This problem seems to occur every year. What can be done about it? Is there a chemical, fertilizer or some product that could be sprayed on the trees to bring the plants back? Is it going to take wrapping them in burlap to protect them during the winter? (e-mail reference)
Q: Do you know if hollyhocks are safe for animals to eat? Our horse seems to love them, but I can't find anything in horse literature if they are safe to eat. (e-mail reference)
Q: I read that you have suggested getting a certified arborist from the International Society of Arboriculture to get rid of quaking Aspen. I had some people come last year and take out six of my quaking Aspen. Yesterday, I went out to work in that area and removed the ground cloth. Under the cloth, I found many Aspen roots. Most of the roots were 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. It was like a nightmare. I only worked in a small section, but my back is hurting and I really didn't accomplish much. I need help getting rid of it. Can a regular landscaper do the job? Would using Trimec work for me? Is it found in local nurseries? I have another quick question. My dad read something about growing tomato plants upside down. I tried it, but the plant didn't thrive and quickly dried out. Any suggestions on what I did wrong? (e-mail reference)
Q: I have a horrible problem with morning glory/bindweed. It is invading my yard and the roots seem to never end. Is there a solution to getting rid of this monster? (e-mail reference)
Q: Everything I read is so contradictory. Are nightcrawlers a good thing to have in a healthy lawn? I have found a few dead spots in my lawn lately and wonder if the problem is caused by nightcrawlers. (e-mail reference)
Q: At my place of employment, there was a beautiful buckeye tree. Last fall, as the nuts fell off, I collected some to bring home to see if the squirrels would eat them. I put the nuts on the tray of a bird feeder and they all disappeared. This spring, as I was preparing my flower beds, I found a plant that I didn't recognize. I dug it up and found attached to the roots a nut from a buckeye tree. I promptly found a place for it and planted it. I found six more of these baby buckeye trees and also planted a second one. So far, both trees are thriving. I guess the squirrels were burying the nuts instead of eating them. I thought this tidbit might be interesting to other gardeners wondering if the nuts (seeds) will grow. I love your Web site because I have learned a lot from it. (Grafton, N.D.)
Q: Can tulips grow through new sod or do I have to relocate them in the fall? (e-mail reference)
Q: I enjoyed reading your Hortiscope articles very much. The column is a great resource for a beginning gardener, especially the information on lilacs. I now know I'm not alone in almost killing these tough beauties. I have two Miss Kim lilacs that were planted in the wrong location last spring. The soil was heavy clay with poor drainage. We installed a French drain along the bed and hoped that would help. The plants struggled for most of last year, with shriveled leaves on almost bare branches. Several of the branches died. I pruned the rest of the branches down to 3-inch stumps last fall. This spring, the lilacs put out nice green leaves, bloomed for a few days and promptly turned brown! When I checked two weeks ago, there was a puddle of standing water in the planting hole. My guess is the lilacs were drowning after extensive spring rains, so I moved them to another spot and planted them on a raised mound. Since the lilacs were recently moved, should I heavily prune the plants to rejuvenate growth? The plants do not have leaves, but the branches have some green under the bark. With all that has happened to these lilacs, can they survive? (e-mail reference)
### Source: Ron
Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
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