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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
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Questions and Answers:Q. Do I need to stake a new tree I planted? A. It depends on the place the tree is planted. If it's in a protected area, I would say no. If it's on a windy slope, then yes. Place stakes on the south, northeast, and northwest sides of the tree. Run cables through old pieces of garden hose so they don't damage the tree. Anytime you plant a skinny young tree, let the bottom limbs form for the first couple of years and you can trim them off later. The tree needs them to "catch" the wind. If you trim the tree so it looks like a Q-Tip, then the wind will beat it up pretty good and tear away the new roots that are forming near the surface of the ground. Q. When should I trim my gardenia bush? A. Gardenias should be trimmed after they bloom in mid-spring. If you trim them now, you will damage the tiny new blooms setting for spring. Q. I have Asian Jasmine in my flowerbeds as a ground cover. It's kind of messy and I would like to trim it back. When is a good time to get it into shape? A. Trim back to the green part of the stem after a killing freeze. Use a weed eater to trim the tops and a lawn mower to mow it down if it has completely died back. Q. I think ranunculus are the prettiest of all flowers. How do I grow them here? A. Buy the bulbs from any garden center to plant in late winter, but be sure they are slightly moist and not dried out product from the previous year. Plant shallowly, about 2 inches deep 4-5 inches apart. They die back in the heat of the summer and rarely return the following year, so treat them as annuals. A bulb fertilizer with phosphorous placed in the planting hole will help them along. They will barely survive a really hard freeze so be prepared to cover. Q. How much do I cut my roses back and when should I cut them? A. Cut most roses back by 50 percent in late winter. Climbers should be cut back by the same amount. Some people trim back on Valentine's Day, which is good a time in late winter as any. Antique and knock out roses should be trimmed to shape. Trim out dead canes anytime. Q. My fall cucumbers never seemed to really do well. Is there a secret to growing fall cukes? A. Fall cucumbers need some afternoon shade. All day sun in late summer will cause them to grow slower. Don't forget they need constant moisture to do well. Q. I like radishes but the ones from my garden taste earthy and hot. What's the secret? A. Radishes need to be planted in the cool weather between October and March. Harvest when they are the size of big marbles in 4-5 weeks, and don't let them dry out in the garden. Q. I bought a pathos ivy growing on a stake and the leaves were huge. Now the leaves are small. Why? A. In order for the leaves of a pathos ivy to get really big, they need to keep going up the pole. Once the ivy starts heading downward, the leave's it produces will be small. Keep it trimmed back or add a taller pole if you want the leaves to be larger. Q. What is a French Drain? A. A French Drain is a ditch filled with gravel or rock that redirects surface water and ground water away from an area. You can make a simple one or hire a landscaper to build something more sophisticated and easier on the eye. Many times they are covered and go unnoticed by the casual observer.
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