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Spring Gardening Questions and Answers. Help advice, hints, tips.
March, April, May. A seasonal Garden Q & A guide. Spring Page Two

QUESTION

I have oriental grass which has turned brown. I live in CT do I cut it back or let it just grow?
It's getting quite large what do I do?
Thanks Pattie

ANSWER

Your grasses are probably short of nutriment and trace elements. Rather than trimming the plants, the best plan is to pull out the dead growth from among the living growth. Wear some strong gardening gloves to prevent cutting yourself, some grasses have sharp edges. Then feed with a high nitrogen fertiliser, plus a mineral supplement.
Valecroft Nurseries.

QUESTION

I recently erected some raised beds but to improve soils quality added a lot of peat - this will clearly make the soil quite acidic - I now fear that this may inhibit the growth of bedding plants which I hope to buy soon - I am a big fan of impatiens, petunia and geraniums - can you please advise?

ANSWER

For the short time that your plants will be in the soil (i.e. spring and summer) acidity will not be a problem. Summer bedding plants are mostly grown in peat based compost, so it is unlikely that the plants will suffer any transplanting problems. Also tap water will be turning the soil more alkaline as the year progresses.

QUESTION

I planted my deck container plants two days ago. Today I noticed that many of the leaves (caladium, coleus and sweet potato) have brown scales. The same thing happened last year in all of my container plants. What is it and how can I get rid of it?

ANSWER

Scale insects are covered by an armoured scale which cannot be penetrated by ordinary insecticide. There are systemic sprays on the market for scale insect control, these are absorbed by the plant and kill the insects as they abstract the fluid from inside the plant. The insects have over wintered in your containers. next winter empty your containers and clean them thoroughly with a strong disinfectant.

QUESTION

Three years ago we had our 12 foot evergreen hedges professionally trimmed. The company recommended that we cut the bottom branches off by 2 feet to help keep our hedges thick. Obviously we were given very poor advice as our hedges are now dead where we cut the branches at the bottom. We now can see through to our neighbors yard. I am devastated by this as our privacy is so important. What can I do to grow back the branches at the bottom?.
Thank-you,
Dianne
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

ANSWER

Evergreen hedge plants are actually trees and it is not unusual for a tree to lose its lower branches as it grows taller. Whether because of lack of sunlight or grazing by animals. It is possible that new growth could start near to the base of the plant, but to encourage such growth you will need to feed the hedge with a generous amount of high nitrogen fertiliser. You will also need to feed with a mineral supplement to encourage young growth. In the meantime you could plant a sacrificial row of evergreens slightly away from the main hedge to form a screen for the time being. Or you could hang green camouflage netting in the hedge to block the view to your neighbours.

QUESTION

I just bought three bagged (field grown) roses and was wondering if I could pot them up early in the house for earlier blooms this summer?

ANSWER

It is unlikely that you would have much success. You would be considerably lowering the light levels by planting the roses inside and the buds would think that it was Fall/Autumn instead of spring.

QUESTION

Hi, I live in Richmond Virginia. We have a very pretty Magnolia tree that has only flowered once in more than ten years. The tree is growing, and the leaves look healthy enough. We get the flower pods, but they never open. How can I help it to flower? Also I have a crepe myrtle, it has very small buds on the branches, is it too late to trim the tree back? I'm trying to get it to be more bushy than a tree. I am a very new gardener, and would appreciate any help I can get.
Thank you.

ANSWER

On some varieties of magnolia, buds are damaged by late frosts just before opening. this could explain the occasional flowering. Your soil may be too alkaline, spread a bag of garden peat around the trunk to make the soil more acid. Feed with a mineral supplement, the tree could be short of vital trace elements. Your crepe myrtle, do not trim now you could introduce infection into the wounds, leave until October.

QUESTION

I have a problem getting and keeping a green lawn. What store bought item should I consider to get a greener lawn? When I first purchased the home the lawn was terrible-but I purchased Scott's Turf Builder Weed & Feed and it made a difference in the first summer I was there, but the last spring and summer of '06 my grass just wouldn't get as green as it was before. I thought about contracting companies like Chemlawn, etc. - but I want to do it myself. One thing I did notice is that the previous owner used to cut the grass really short so I elevated my lawnmower and that also seemed to help but it isn't enough. After I did that in the first year the grass seemed to grow like a thick carpet which I got a lot of compliments. What do you recommend for me to do this year?
Thanks for your time.
C J

ANSWER

Feed in the spring with a high nitrogen fertiliser to promote green leaf production, if possible with a mineral supplement to replace any mineral deficiencies, which could lead to poor grass production. Feed in September with a high potash low nitrogen fertiliser to encourage root production. If your grass goes brown in patches you could be suffering from Japanese beetle infestation, these are a grub which eat the roots of the grass, controls are available at garden outlets.

QUESTION

Can you help us we are trying to remove a 70 year old box hedge. if we cut it off at the roots will it grow back again. we have tried getting the roots out but they are so hard to budge. Regards Mandi,

ANSWER

You need to hire a mini digger from a plant hire or garden tool hire source. Some are so small that they can go through doorways. Hiring one will make short work of the job.

QUESTION

I would like to plant a tree within ten feet from my house. Can you give me advice on what types of trees that won't harm my foundation and underground pipes?
Thank you,
Christine
Los Alamitos, CA

ANSWER

I would not recommend planting any tree within ten feet of your house. Tree roots can reach a width equal to half the height of the tree in all directions from the centre of the tree.

QUESTION

I have a wisteria which is 5 or 6 years old. I prune it twice a year, in Jan and in Aug but it only ever has one flower on it. What is the problem? It is on a wall facing west. Does it not get enough sun? I had another before this one which died and it had the same problem.
Gill

ANSWER

Your wisteria is fairly young to be expecting too much in flower quantity. Wisteria like a damp root, if you are in direct sun the roots may be drying out too much, cover the root area with mulch or cow manure to keep the roots damp. Wisteria like a semi acid soil, always feed with a fertiliser suitable for heathers and other acid loving plants. Feed now with iron sulphate to condition the soil to a more acid level.

In August prune back the new summer growth to about 12 inches 30 cm.

In February cut these shoots back to about 3 inches, at this point you should see the flower buds which are fatter than the leaf buds. Feed early spring with a low nitrogen, high potash, high phosphate, fertiliser to encourage flower development rather than leaf growth.

One other point; cultivated wisteria are grafted on to a wild root stock which is disease resistant but produces very few flowers. Sometimes the graft fails and the wild rootstock takes over without you noticing the fact. Check to see that no growth is coming from below the graft line.

QUESTION

We are wondering if mulching newly planted strawberry plants will effect the growth of new runners.

ANSWER

You are best immediately removing any runners this spring until the plant is firmly established. The only thing to watch for with mulch, is snails out of sight in the warm damp conditions, popping out at night to feed on your plants.

QUESTION

Hello
I recently sowed a new lawn however hundreds of Ash seedlings have sprung up in the lawn. If I mow regularly which will remove the leaves of the seedlings, will they damage the lawn?
Thank you
Melanie

ANSWER

The ash seedlings will soon give up under constant attack from the mower blades and any debris left after mowing will do little harm.

QUESTION

Hello-
Just wanted to tell you that this seems to be a wonderful site - love your candid replies to questions!

I ended up here because I was wondering about moving a well-established skimmia which was here at this house for probably 8+ years - I inherited it when I moved here. It must be the self- pollinating variety because it has a lovely, scented bloom and then a bunch of showy berries - and there's only one of them in my garden. It's about four feet across and 3 feet high. I pruned it (gently) last year, and this year I would like to move it over into the next bed where it's a bit more shady, and then move a Blood Good Maple into its spot (just for the symmetry). Is this an option at this time of year?

I'm not sure where you are located (excuse my ignorance), but I am asking this question from the Pacific Northwest (Nanaimo), so am not sure whether your expertise covers this area.
Thanks for your attention,
Barb

ANSWER

The time to move your trees is late September - October. If you move them now the un-established roots will be unable to supply enough water to the tree to replace water loss by transpiration though the leaves. This is especially true of the Blood Good maple which is notorious for rolling over and dying at the first opportunity.
Glad you like the web site.
Valecroft Nurseries.

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QUESTION

Have just purchased and potted up in some rather large pots some new Azaleas & Rhododendrons. On completion of this task I suddenly realised that the compost that I used was not of the Ericaceous type. Is there any additive or feed that I can add to pots to up the acid intake, or do I have the un enviable task of re potting with a suitable compost. Hope not! Regards. Darryl.

ANSWER

If you have used a peat based compost, which is slightly acid, the damage will not be too severe. If you have used a soil based compost it's probably best to re-pot. There are branded products on the market to make soil more acid, these are widely available at garden outlets. With potted azaleas and rhododendrons always try to water with collected rain water which is acid. Tap water is alkaline.

QUESTION

Will pansy tops grow back if the tops were eaten by rabbits?
Thank you IB

ANSWER

Yes they will grow back, but as your question is dated 5th April it is highly likely that by the time that they flower you will want to be into summer bedding so it's probably best to discard them.

QUESTION

Thanks for the access to your great website. We've recently moved to St. Charles, IL (zone 5-6) and wanted to start a small vegetable garden with our two small children (5 and 7 year olds). I'm wondering what the total light requirements are for this zone? We get about 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Regards, Heather

ANSWER

For general vegetable growing you will have more than adequate light, unless your garden is totally surrounded by tall trees and long shadows are cast. Some crops (lettuce for example) have different varieties for different day lengths in spring summer and fall, but these are best left to the expert.

QUESTION

I live in SE NC and my persimmons tree was hit with frost after the leaves had started growing on the tree. The leaves died and they are still on the tree, is my tree dead? Is there something I can do to save the tree? It was very old, probably 20 years or more.
Thanks
Debby

ANSWER

There have been late frosts all over the US this year, many where frosts are virtually unheard of, even southern California has been affected. It is unlikely that the tree will be totally dead and new growth could probably appear later, but only time will tell. Persimmons are never particularly frost hardy and any possible long term damage to the tree will depend on the severity of the frost.

In the meantime feed with a high nitrogen fertiliser to encourage any new growth and feed with a mineral supplement to help with the health of the tree. Do not attempt to prune the tree at the moment, leave it alone until a positive assessment can be made of the tree's condition much later in the year.

QUESTION

Hello,
my busy lizzies have grown really leggy I have read about pinching them out but don’t really understand how to do it could you please help me to understand
Thank you
Shirley

ANSWER

With your thumb and forefinger simply pinch off the growing point of each shoot. The plant will then shoot anew from around each leaf joint down each stem and make a bushy display.

QUESTION

At the end of March I bought 4 apple trees. I planted them in pairs. Now at the end of May they have no leaves on them or anything. They look like they’re alive and have white fuzzy buds, but nothing else. Each of the trees are different kinds, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and 2 others. Every other apple tree around the area has leaves, not mine. What is wrong? The nursery I got them from is not very knowledgeable and thus not helpful. The base of the tree is healthy and not eaten (I live in the Midwest) and I put up a small fence and mulch to keep out pests. I used soil with plant food in it when planting and once every several days give them Miracle Grow. What’s’ wrong?
Candy

ANSWER

From what you say about the condition of the trees I would assume that your bought bare root trees not trees growing in a container. Your trees have not been able to absorb enough moisture from the soil to produce the leaves. I would not be optimistic about the future of these trees but keep watering for the time being.

QUESTION TO ABOVE ANSWER

The trees were growing in a container when I bought them. How often should I water them? I thought they didn’t like too much water. I just can’t believe 4 different trees of different kinds (and on different sides of my property) are not producing leaves. I have to wonder if the orchard ruined them somehow before I bought them.

ANSWER

Most nurseries usually offer a twelve month guarantee on trees, so best to take it up with them.

QUESTION

I am planning to move from my present residence probably in early to late June. I have a rhododendron that I would like to remove and replant at my new residence, can this be done, when is a good time to remove it, at the present time it is in full bloom.
Thank you,
Joanne

ANSWER

Mid to late June is not a good time to be moving a rhododendron tree. You would need to dig out the plant with a very large root ball, complete with soil. Wrap a plastic bag around the root ball to prevent the soil drying out and keep the roots moist. Dig out a large hole and line with garden peat, plant the bush and saturate the surrounding soil. Cover round the base of the bush with leaf-mould or similar and keep it wet for the rest of summer. After flowering Rhododendrons need a large amount of water to grow the new buds for next year. Rain water, which is acid, is preferable over tap water which is alkaline.

QUESTION

Could you please tell me why my grape vine never seems to produce fruit. I prune it each year by the book. It has its roots in the shade but I have trained it round a shed so it is in the sun?
Thank you

ANSWER

Frost can damage the buds in late spring frosts. There may be a lack of early insects to pollinate the flowers. You could have poor drainage on heavy wet clay soil. Don't over feed, grapes prefer a low fertile soil. Some varieties of grape need a few years to settle in before producing fruit. You may be pruning too lightly. Early winter clear the area around the roots of debris and wash the plant down with Jeys fluid or similar to kill all pests harbouring on the vine over winter, some of which could be attacking the young fruit after the blossom has set.

QUESTION

I had a lot of acorns fall this past fall. And now that it is spring, I have little acorn buds popping up in my lawn...Is there some kind of weed be gone or other product that I can use to get rid of them??? Or will I have to dig them up by hand??
Robert

ANSWER

Your little oak trees will not survive the mower.

QUESTION

I put too much manure on my tomato plants they are turning yellow and the tops do not look so good. What can I do? Please help

ANSWER

Spread a generous amount of garden lime around the plants and rake into the soil, this should neutralise the soil's acidity level. This should help but beware, tomato plants take a long time to recover from such setbacks.

You could obtain pot grown tomato plants of a similar size from a local garden outlet and discard the present occupants.

QUESTION

Greetings,
found your website looking for some answers to a puzzling problem I have with my vegetable garden. I start many seeds in my greenhouse, and also buy the common 6 packs at the nursery each spring. This year, I transplanted all the young veggies (squash, corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant) in my garden, and within a few days, many of the leaves starting turning white. I didn't know how to interpret this, are they getting too much of something or too little of something, what's up. Some of the plants took a real beating, others have gotten past this phase, and the new leaf growth shows no signs of the white leaves. Almost looks like they were burned or something. Any ideas???

ANSWER

I would guess that you have watered the plants directly from above on a hot sunny day and the water has boiled on the leaves and cooked them.

QUESTION

Crepe Myrtles. I live in the Southeast (Tennessee). We had a late freeze +AFs-of several days in April (after everything had started blooming)+AF0- which has really damaged allot of our summer plants and trees. My crepe myrtles appear dead (for the most part). The tree limbs are bare...but I'm seeing lots of growth at the bottom and sporadic new growth on some of the limbs....but they are all low new growth (toward the bottom of the major limbs).

My question is: Do I cut the tree back? Do I cut the new growth (at the bottom) off to maybe entice the nutrition to move further up into the limbs? Or...leave it alone. If I feed the trees - will that damage them? Someone told me to not fertilize yet...but we're almost into the month of June and I'm not sure how much longer to go without giving them nutrition.

The tree seems to still have 'some' life... and yet...I'm not getting much growth on the limbs. Thank you for your help. Cathy Frazee

ANSWER

Late frosts have been a curse all over the US this year. Feed your trees with a generous amount of mineral supplement for plants; widely available at garden outlets. Also give each tree about half a pound of Epsom Salts, this will release trace elements, vital to regenerative growth, within the soil.

In July feed with a general fertiliser that is extra low in nitrogen, this will encourage general tree health without producing to much leaf growth. Do not trim the trees until you can see a suitable shape reappear.

QUESTION

I’ve been told that adding Epson salts around peppers and tomato plant will increase the yield. Could you tell me if this is so and when and how much.
Thank You
Bill

ANSWER

It will also add to the taste. Magnesium in the Epsom Salts is a vital element of chlorophyll the green in the leaves. Applying Epsom salts also releases vital trace elements in the soil. Scatter a couple of spoonfuls around your plants about once a month but don't overdo it.

QUESTION

My trees and shrubs in my wind break, a total of nearly 200 4 year old trees and shrubs were in flood waters for 4 days and under wet debris for several weeks. I now that all that cleared away. What are the chances that these trees and shrubs will survive this event?? Some damage is apparent, some lilacs have already died. Thank you.
Janelle

ANSWER

After severe flooding, fertiliser is needed to replace the feed value leeched away as the waters drained. But more important is the soil Ph value, the balance between acid (sour) soil and alkaline (sweet) soil. Flooding can make the soil very acid, which does not suit most common trees, therefore I recommend dressing the soil with a generous amount of garden lime. If you wish to check on how much damage has occurred, D. I. Y. Ph soil testing kits are widely available at any retail gardens outlet.

Another problem with flooding is the deposit of mineral salts from the standing water; these salts can cause serious problems for your plants. These salts can lock up certain trace elements in the soil. Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate) spread at the rate of 1 pound per 20 square yards will help mitigate this problem by releasing these trace elements.

Small trees and large shrubs will benefit from temporary staking to stop them rocking in the wind. The flooding will have loosened the roots, and until the roots re-establish themselves the plants will be in a fragile state. Note that this is just a general guide, more expert help may be required if problems persist.
Valecroft Nurseries.

QUESTION

My Hybrid Tea rose bushes are small but providing a lot of flowers any idea why?
Patti

ANSWER

Probably sporadic shortage of water or possibly lack of minerals in the soil. Feed with a rose fertiliser with added mineral supplement

QUESTION

Hi,
I live in central Illinois. I have hanging baskets of New Guinea Impatience, which I know need a lot of water and no direct sun. In previous years I water them thoroughly once a day and that was always fine but now I am watering them in the morning and night and half of the basket is ok but the other half is wilted after a few hours. Could it be some type of beetle or disease?? Also, I was always told not to use soft water on my plants but my neighbor said she heard it was good for them. Which is correct? I greatly enjoy your website and appreciate your promptness.
Linda

ANSWER

This sounds that possibly you are over-watering the plants and rotting the fine roots that actually pick up the water. Another possibly, one side of your basket gets too much sun, the other side could be too dark. When the New Guinea Impatiens first became popular they were sensitive to sunlight, but the modern cultivars are a much tougher proposition.
Tap water is bad for lime hating plants.

QUESTION

My Bramley Apple tree has not blossomed for two years, it has plenty of new growth and lots of spurs where I believe there should be blossom what could be the reason for this?
Regards Roy

ANSWER

This is probably Apple Blossom Weevil. When you have got them you have got them. The weevil lays its eggs in the flower bud just before blossom time, the egg hatches out and the weevil grub then consumes the bud from inside. The bud then goes brown and falls off.

There are sprays to deal with the pest, but application presents great difficulties of timing weather conditions, etc. These sprays must be applied, to the bud, before the bud matures.

The easiest path is to squash the grubs inside the bud as soon as damage is detected, they are a large greyish grub so you can't miss them. Any weevils that develop feed in the tree for summer then descend to the ground where they hibernate for winter. So it is vital to keep the ground below the tree clear of vegetation so that predators can find the weevils on their way to hibernate.

Also see MARCH GARDENING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS page.
Also see PAGE TWO MARCH GARDENING Q & A
Also see PAGE THREE MARCH GARDENING Q & A
PAGE FOUR MARCH GARDENING Q & A
PAGE FIVE MARCH GARDENING QUESTIONS ANSWERED
GO TO MARCH GARDENING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PAGE 6

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Also see APRIL GARDENING QUESTION AND ANSWER
and APRIL GARDENING Q&A, PAGE 2.
also APRIL GARDENING Q&A, PAGE 3.
Plus APRIL GARDENING Q&A, PAGE 4.
APRIL GARDENING Q&A, PAGE 5.
APRIL GARDENING PAGE 6.
APRIL GARDENING PAGE 7.

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Please note there can be spring frosts in May, so it is always best to have a source of heat in your greenhouse, set the thermostat to keep the temperature a few degrees above freezing at nights.

Also, if you are planting out any early bedding plants, it is wise to cover them overnight with newspaper or garden fleece if frost is forcast.

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Gardening Glossary.  Aphid. A small winged insect that hatches out in clusters on tender plants and kills the plant by sucking out all the sap from the plant stem. Easily recognised, coloured, green, grey, or black. Some Aphids overwinter on plants kept in protected conditions, so check early for infestation.

Gardening Glossary. ANNUALS. Plants which perform all their growing functions in one year, flowering and leaving seed for the following year's generation before dying at the onset of winter. PERENNIALS. Plants which can live for several years, some of these varieties do not produce seed until mature, which can take many years. BIENNIALS. These plants flower and produce seed in the second year of growth then die. To complicate matters, some of the spring bedding plants sold as annuals are actually perennials or biennials.

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