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How to grow Knockout Roses and Herbs How to control Leaf Cutter Ants Pine Trees and Customer Service How to put Tourist Farms on the Map How to control Snakes in the Garden
What are common Shrub Diseases
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Questions and Answers:Q. When should I divide my orchids and how do I go about it? A. Divide your orchids when the number of blooms per bloom cycle decline, when the newest growth is smaller than the last growth, or when the growth in the middle of the pot is dying. Divide when the orchid is putting out new leads or is actively growing. Pull the plant from the pot and cut through the rhizomes with a clean sharp instrument. Remove any dead or rotting matter. Place the transplant's most mature growth against the inside of the new pot. The new pot should be able to accommodate 2 year's growth, be well drained, and filled with an orchid-potting medium appropriate to the type of orchid you are transplanting. Q. How do I care for a Bottlebrush? A. Bottlebrushes are excellent evergreen shrubs for attracting hummingbirds. They have showy blooms and require little care. The secret to success is planting in a well-drained location with good garden soil. They like some extra water during the summer, especially the first year they are planted, but don't water during the winter unless the weather is unusually dry. Q. I love zinnias, but they get powdery mildew every year. Any tips? A. Zinnias, especially the big cutting types such as Benary's Giants, are prone to powdery mildew and other fungal diseases when the weather heats up. Plant in a sunny location and be sure the plants or not crowded with plenty of air circulation. Spray with a garden fungicide listed for ornamentals or neem oil for fungal control. The Profusion Series is new kind of zinnia with smaller but more prolific blooms and is less prone to the mildew problems you see on the larger varieties. Q. There's a wildflower I see every year that grows locally. It blooms on a single stalk up to 6 feet high. What is it? A. That is the Standing Cypress. It is a perennial that begins to grow in the fall. Collect seed in late summer and spread over the ground. You will see the fine textured rosettes appear in late fall and they will take off when the weather heats up in the spring. They are an important hummingbird plant and like dry sandy sites. Q. Is there a home remedy that will repel snakes such as mothballs or sulfur? A. No. The best way to discourage any pest is to eliminate the environment that it likes. When it comes to snakes, keep debris such as wood piles or old tires, that provide cozy places for the snake to hide, away from the home. Trim shrubs and plants up from the ground to eliminate cover and seal holes around the foundation. Q. Do you recommend hostas for our area? A. Hostas are not suitable for our area as they take too much water and care. Snails will eat them up and they are prone to disease. Q. I am finding maggots in the stem of my squash plants. What are they? A. That is the Squash Vine Borer. They lay eggs at the base of pumpkin, squash, and zucchini plants. When they hatch the larvae drill into the stalk of the plant and eat the inside causing the plant to wilt and die. The eggs will overwinter in the soil so crop rotation is very important for control. Try spaying the vine, especially the base of the vine, with insecticidal soap once a week. To make insecticidal soap use 1 gallon of water, 2 Tbs. of dish soap without the antibacterial, such as Ivory, and two Tbs. of olive oil. Don't forget the undersides of the leaves. Rinse off after an hour or so. Do not apply in the heat of the day. Click Here to Ask Me a Gardening Question
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