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What are common Shrub Diseases
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Questions and Answers:Q. Is there a shrub that I can grow in shade? A. In our area, the Fatsia, which is a broad-leaved shrub that resembles a philodendron, will do well, but gets beat up in the winter. Also, the Gold Leaf Acuba, which has bright green leaves with gold specks, brightens up a shady spot. Abelia and the dark purple-leaved Lorapetalum will grow satisfactorily. It's difficult to get anything to bloom in the shade, much less a shrub, so don't plan on eye popping color with any plant in dense shade. Keep in mind that dense shade is usually caused from trees and those trees are pulling lots of water from the ground so plan on providing supplemental water to the area if you plant shrubs. Q. My tomatoes are rotting on the bottom before I can pick them. Why? A. Blossom end rot is a disease most commonly caused by the plant getting too much water after a dry spell. Tomatoes need constant moisture, but should not sit in water. Other reasons are too much high nitrogen fertilizer, lack of calcium and wide variations in nighttime temperatures. I've found that in our area, uneven moisture is the number one reason for blossom end rot. Q. I save squash seed every year and I'm not sure I'm growing squash anymore. Is there a problem with the plant's genetics? A. Squash will cross-pollinate with other plants from the squash family in the garden, including zucchini, other squash plants, and even our native stink-gourd. It won't affect the current year's crop, but if you save seed you may notice that every year the squash looks a little different. The taste and texture of the squash may also be affected. If you can somehow isolate your crop, you can be successful getting a "pure" crop every year. Q. What are those creepy caterpillars descending from my oak trees? A. Known as Oak Leaf Rollers, the moth lays eggs in the trees in early summer where the eggs wait until next March to hatch. They feed on new leaf growth and can defoliate a tree before descending to the ground on a silver thread where they pupate, become moths, and then fly up into the tree to lay their eggs. They can eventually kill a tree if they come back year after year. Luckily, they run in cycles and a cycle usually lasts only 5 years or so. If a tree is completely leafless and stressed, fertilize the tree with tree spikes or a balanced fertilizer at the rate of one pound per inch of trunk diameter. Supplemental water may also be needed to bring the tree back. For smaller trees, apply Bt or Spinosad during the feeding phase to stop the cycle. Parasitic wasps are the natural control for Oak Leaf Rollers, so limit the use of chemicals around the garden. Q. I want to thin out some cedars that are under the drip line of my post-oak trees. I am afraid of disturbing the oak's roots when I dig out the stumps. I don't want the cedars to come back even thicker if I leave the stumps. Any suggestions? A. Evergreens can be cut to the ground for control under your oak trees. Once you cut of all the green from a cedar or most other evergreen trees, they will not recover. Q. I cannot seem to hold my plumeria over the winter. What am I doing wrong? A. Like most tropical plants, the plumeria cannot tolerate temperatures below 50 degrees. The Bougainvillea is another plant that must be stored in higher temperatures over the winter. A garage or storage shed with no heat will not supply the conditions needed to keep most tropical plants alive during our winters.
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