Question
Hi! from your friend and neighbour Lee.
A query about daffodils. I had a few tubs of Daffs, which came up blind! I think they were newly bought ones.

Thinking they might be ok next year, I started planting them in where there are gaps... and then I thought I might be wasting my time.

Are some of the bulbs duds? They weren't especially cheap.... just ordinary price.
Regards,
Lee

Answer
The daffs you bought could have been dried out too much when in storage and the flower bud had shrivelled up and died before planting. If you have allowed the green leaves to thrive this time you should have a flower next year.
Regards Valecroft.

Question
We get a ton of maple bugs around our house and on our large maple tree in the back. I am wondering when the best time of year to spray for them would be.

They don't appear to be doing damage to our tree but I'm tired of fighting them off every time I enter or leave the house. Please help!

Thanks in advance! Melissa

Answer
Maple bugs, correctly known as Box-elder bugs.

Adult maple bugs like to spend the winter in sheltered locations including attics of houses. In the spring they emerge and return to their host, Manitoba maple, to lay their eggs in the bark crevices. This is when they congregate in large numbers. They soon distribute for the summer.

They are also known as the Halloween bug for the same nuisance reason.

The young then feed off the tree, sucking moisture from the tree. Mostly the tree is able to tolerate the bug, but occasionally the tree suffers with a major infestation, then you need to call in a pest control contractor.

They can be controlled outdoors by washing off with Insecticidal Soap, according to label directions. If they get indoors, vacuuming up and disposing of the bugs is the best course of action.

Question
The year before last I believe I gave my lawn its first cut just after my crocuses and snowdrops had finished flowering, the following year they did not come up. I have replanted and have a nice display at moment. How long should I leave it before cutting grass?
Bryan

Answer
If possible, leave until the flower leaves have dried up and shrivelled.

The bulb, in order too produce next year's flower bud, will by then have absorbed the food value of the leaves.

Question
How can I successfully remove yucca bushes from my yard? We have pulled numerous bushes in the yard, but within a few months new growth appears.

We have small children and pets and I really don't want them exposed to the sharp leaves of this bush.
Please help. Thanks

Answer
Try spraying with Glyphosate systemic weed killer, this is absorbed into the plant and will kill the roots. Glyphosate is available in many brands best-known brand is Roundup.

Be careful not to spray any plants that you wish to keep. Glyphosate is not choosy. Also keep children and pets away from the sprayed area for a few days.

Question
We live in Northern California; it has been raining for over 27 days. We put out bush beans, and English peas, some from seed and others very young plants. Something is eating the entire top leaves, and not the stalk. What could this be, and what can be done about it.

Our problem is it happens at night, and we don't see anything in the morning but the damage.

Answer
This could be a very small black snail, which will be around in abundance with all the rain. It could also be small moth caterpillars, though theses are more common in dryer weather.

If it is caterpillars they can be washed off with insecticidal soap, or hand picked and squashed. Insecticidal soap is a commercial product obtainable at garden outlets.

If the damage occurs at night it is almost certainly snails. These tiny snails live in the soil in the daytime, coming out too feed at night. Treat with slug pellets spread around your plants just before dark.

Question
I mow a few lawns on the side for some extra cash. One of the guys I will be mowing for just put sod in. He wants it mulched one week and bagged another. What I want to know is can I mulch sod (turf) and not harm it.
Bob

Answer
It is best not to mulch until the sod has taken root and is well established. The mulch can form a thatch and dry out the sod, which will then die.

Question
Hi, I planted lots of tulips several years ago most of them don't bloom. They get very large leaves and no flowers.

What should I do?
Sharron. Oh I live in Nevada.

Answer
This could be a virus specific to tulips, which attacks and destroys the flower bud within the older bulb. The large leaves you mention are characteristic of a young bulb growing from the base of the elder bulb, these will flower in a few years time.

Tulip bulbs are not really successful as a long term planting project and are best replaced every three years or so.

Feed straight after flowering with a low nitrogen, high potash, high phosphate fertiliser. Potato fertiliser would be suitable.

Question
Our jasmine bush has no leaves now. Bugs have eating them all. My husband tried soapy water and oil that we spray on our orange tree and nothing helps. Could you suggest anything for us to use, so the bugs will stay away.

Thank you. George and Sandy, Port Charlotte fl.

Answer
The damage is almost certainly snails. These tiny snails live in the soil in the daytime, coming out too feed at night. Treat with slug pellets spread around your plants just before dark.

Question
Your information regarding the plants being eaten was great, thank you! Now we have other problem with our tomatoes. We have some in pots, they are very small young plants, but they are blooming. The leaves have black spots on them it looks like rust. Is this ok, or is their something we should do, will they live.

I' m in Northern California and it has been raining for 28 day. Some of the plants are outside and others are on a covered porch. Please advise.
Thank You Lillian

Answer
You need a copper based fungicide to combat tomato and potato blight and TMV, tobacco mosaic virus. Read the instructions re application, etc. Do not spray in the daytime, when insects are working pollinating your tomato flowers.

Question
Hi
I have a row of 27 or so Leylandii that are in need of trimming. I guess they are around 20 foot tall at the moment. I am a complete novice but I am keen to do it myself although frankly I don't know where to start.

How much is it safe to take off in one go without harming them and where do I begin, do I take off the top straight down to he desired/safe level and then the sides and do I need to do anything after to ensure they remain healthy, and what tools do I need? Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Kind Regards, Lee

Answer
Your conifer hedge will survive being cut back, but unless you are very careful, it will look a mess for a while. The way to do it is to cut out the centre too a required level and leave some outer branches higher than the centre cut. Too prevent rotting of the stump, cut on a slight angle and coat the wound with a special wax coating, available at all good garden outlets.

You would need a small chain saw, a hand saw, axe, safety boots, safety helmet, with ear defenders and eye defenders, safety boots, safety gloves, a fork too move the branches and a fist aid cabinet.

I would recommend that a garden contractor be employed, much more convenient and safer. They will also have transport too move the debris, which will be considerable. After cutting, feed with a high nitrogen fertiliser too encourage new growth.

Recommended alternative hedging plants. Common beech; Aucuba japonica; Berberis Stenophylla; Common laurel; Holly: Hornbeam; Hawthorn.
Valecroft Nurseries.

Question
Hi, I have a good friend who has a dam full of Water Lilies but he uses the dam for irrigation, how can he get rid of them as they have completely chocked the dam. We are in Sydney Australia.
Regards Patrick

Answer
Water Lilies.
You can seriously retard the growth if you chop up the plants as new growth appears at the surface in the spring and again later in the season as any more new growth appears. Cut off the growth a few inches below the surface. Several such attacks will kill the plants by restricting their access too the air and sunlight.

The debris must be cleared off the water after chopping up or nitrite problems can occur.

If your dam is small you can chop up the plants with a flail hedge cutter on an extended arm working from the surrounding banks. A tractor mounted flail hedge cutter could be loaded onto a boat if the area is large.

You could drain the dam and rotavate the roots out at an appropriate time of the year. There are often local conservation rules concerning this operation.

The good news is there are several special systemic herbicide sprays available for water lilies and other pondweeds. Most are based on Glyphosate. They are expensive and time consuming but are very effective. Systemic herbicides are absorbed by the plant and kill internally.

They are widely available in the US and Europe, I do not know details of their availability, or their legality in your country. Contact local herbicide stockists for more information.

They must be applied as a directed spray to green, actively growing weeds and drift must be avoided.

Most are also effective against bulrushes and watercress.

There are also systemic herbicides available, made too mix into the water, but complications can arise with fish and other wildlife.

I would strongly advise you too contact your state and local agricultural advisory boards, for advice concerning your problem and the local laws regarding water use and chemical controls, before taking any action.

Question
I planted tulips two years ago. I also used miracle grow. To my surprise I have the green leaves that come up but no flowers bloomed only one.

What is wrong? I know I have planted them correctly because I had done this in another home and had no problems. They are one of my favorite flowers. Please let me know what to do. Should I just pull out the leaves and start all over again?

Answer
It is most likely that the bulbs that you bought had been allowed to dry out too much before being planted, either by you or the retail outlet from where you purchased them. The bulbs then being left in a distressed condition, where they were unable to produce enough food to grow the new flower bud.

Allow the leaves to achieve their natural life cycle, i.e. do not chop them off, and you should have flowers next year.

Question
I have recently found a natural spring on the backside of my property and was wondering if I could use this for watering my vegetable garden?

Would it be any better than using my well (water is not city supplied) water? 1) Should I test the water before using it? 2) What do you recommend testing with? 3) Any ideas on methods to use this spring for irrigation?

Answer
Your water should be suitable for use in irrigation, if there was anything wrong with it vegetation surrounding the spring would be dead.

To enable you to handle the water make a shallow depression in the ground below the spring level, line with a pool liner and duct the water into this created reservoir area. Then you can sink a pump into the water and irrigate away as you wish.

Question
I want to plant a garden this year. I'm confused on what you should plant first. I want tomatoes and green bean, and corn, green peppers, broccoli, potatoes cucumbers, yellow squash, onions peas.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
From a BEGINNER

Answer
Potatoes, peas, onions, now, the rest when the danger of frost is past.

Question
We recently bought a piece of property with a Japanese Snowball. What time of year should we prune the dead flowers, and how far down the stem should we prune? Thanks so much for your help.
Jacki

Answer
Prune the flowers soon after flowering at the first leaf joint below the flower. Some people clip the whole bush to a desired shape, after flowering.

Question
I would like to know how to properly prune a china doll bush. The branches have become long and spindly with very few leaves. When I first received it as a gift it full and bushy.

I put it in the garage for winter and the leaves of course fell off and it looks very spare. Can you help me??
Dee

Answer
Just prune any branches that are likely to break off in the wind. Leave to re-grow for now; new growth should appear lower down the branches. Trim again in late summer to restore a good shape.

Store in a frost free but not dark area next time

Question
Hello, after daffodils bloom should the blossom or the whole stem be cut?
Thank you. M.

Answer
Cut off just below the seedpod.

Question
I have a honey locust tree and I would like to edge it off and put mulch around it. The roots do stick up out of the lawn. Would I damage the tree by putting mulch over the roots?
Kathryn.

Answer
If you put mulch over the roots it will encourage the roots to grow shoots (suckers) and thousands of little trees will appear around the main tree.

Question
My neighbor has a beautiful forsythia bush in full bloom. If I wanted to take a piece to replant in my yard what is the best way to go about it? Best time of year etc.
Signed, Not a green thumb

Answer
When flowering is over pull off some young branches that are about 3 feet long, pull them off so that a part of the main branch, or heel, is still attached. Dig a short trench in a sheltered part of your yard, away from direct midday sun. Place some sand in the bottom of the trench and plant the sticks in the sand, surround with soil so that about two feet of stick is above ground.

Firm the soil and water heavily, keep the area damp but not over wet through the summer. You should have the start of bushes by next year, transplant when they are of manageable size and well rooted. Transplant only in the fall, winter, months.

For a quicker method, ask your neighbor if there are any young bushes growing around the main bush. Forsythia often starts new bushes away from the parent plant, which grow from the roots. These are called suckers and can by cut away from the parent bush by cutting through the root between the main bush and the sucker. Dig out and plant as a normal bush.

Transplant only in the fall, winter, months.

Question
Hi there Fellow gardener.
I have a problem with my impatiens I just planted . This is the New Guinea variety. They have the dark green waxy leaves, but they have huge white spots on the leaves and it seems to be " spreading" to the other plants.

Could it be some type of fungus?? We put potting soil in the hole we planted as in North Carolina there is a lot of clay soil and we mulched. We grew some in the same spot last year and they did well. We have not fungicided yet or fertilized as we planted last week and are waiting for stress to dissipate.

I understand about little sun and they get morning shade afternoon sun and then of course there is a little shadow in early evening. This had caused a little lightening of the color last year but no biggie. Could you help with diagnosis of the white on the leaves?
Linda.
Elkin, NC

Answer
This sounds like Botrytis mould, also known as grey mould, this can over-winter in plants and appear in spring. Warm dew can encourage the growth of the spores.

Try spraying with a copper based fungicide as used for tomatoes (many brands are available), or Bordeaux Mixture as used on grapes.

Question
Hello,
First let me say thank your for your website and it's valuable information and secondly let me ask for your opinion.

I reseeded two major areas in my yard to include tilling, liming, fertilizing and removing rocks and debris. However, in my rush to beat weekend storms I left out a valuable part before I laid down 4 1/2 bales of straw, I forgot to rake the seeds into the soil.

My question is whether the seeds will still germinate or do I need to remove as much straw as I can and rake this area? Today is Sunday and Wednesday to Saturday morning is when this work was done. Please help!!!!!
Thanking you in advance, Tonya

Answer
The seeds will germinate but few will survive if the conditions are too dry, the seedlings will have their roots out of the ground and will be unable to absorb enough water for successful growth.

Keep the area damp to encourage the roots to anchor into the soil. Also mice will just love you for providing them with new tender growth under a protected area.

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and
APRIL GARDENING Q&A, PAGE 2.
APRIL GARDENING Q&A, PAGE 4. pages.

MAY GARDENING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

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