I saw your column about poplar trees, so maybe you can answer my question. It always has been a messy tree, but I don't want to lose it. During the last few years, it has started losing more and more branches, especially in the fall. The branches that fall off have green buds at the end and appear to break off at the node. The foliage on the tree also seems to get thinner each year. What can I do to save the tree?
Unfortunately, this is the nature of the beast! It will continue to drop twigs and will get around to dropping larger branches as it continues to get up in years. The best I can advise if you want to keep the tree is to hire a professional International Society of Arboretum certified arborist to trim the tree on an annual basis.
What combination of conditions causes winter squash to ripen? Is it day length, watering or temperature? How can a short-season gardener manipulate environmental conditions to cause winter squash to ripen? Does powdery mildew interfere with ripening?
All of the above. Generally, the use of frost blankets will extend the growing season for several weeks in the fall. In the spring, plant the squash in soil that has been prewarmed using solarization. Keeping an eye on shifting temperatures to protect against late spring frosts also will help to ripen on time. Higher temperature trumps all else. Bright, hot, sunny days, with adequate moisture, will accelerate ripening and get your crop harvestable before cold weather closes in.
I have an English ivy that has been dying slowly. Last spring, many of the leaves turned brown. I trimmed them off, hoping the plant would recover as it has in the past, but it has not. I may have overwatered it. Because there is little left of the plant, I might try to repot it. If the roots are in bad shape, do I bother to repot it? Should it be rerooted in water or is it too far gone?
The root system may have been wiped out from overwatering. If that is true, it will be evident when you knock the plant out of the container. If the plant is rotted, don't bother repotting. If there is at least a 4-inch section of the vine that is healthy, then cut it off the plant, dip it in rooting powder (available at any garden supply store) and stick the leafless end into the rooting medium. Use sand, peat moss or pasteurized potting soil.
Be sure to thoroughly wet whatever media you use prior to planting. Finally, cover the pot with a clear piece of lightweight plastic. Place the pot in indirect sunlight on an east window sill or under fluorescent lighting. After two weeks, check to see if the plant has rooted by slightly pulling on the stem. If you feel resistance, remove the plastic covering and keep the soil moist.
We have a Norfolk pine that has healthy growth on the top but has lost all its lower branches. Is it possible to cut the top off and replant the cutting to establish a new root system?
I was moving from a house I had lived in for 10 years and decided to move some of my favorite roses. I was successful with six plants. Out of the six, I have one that seems to be growing at twice the rate of the others. However, it does not have any buds. All the others have given me flowers. Am I doing something wrong?
You are experiencing sucker growth from the rootstock, which has very limited flowering capability. It is used as the stock to be grafted onto by roses that are known for their beautiful flowers. The rootstock often takes over when the budwood (scion) is killed, damaged or weakened to the point where it cannot suppress the vigor of the root system. The result is the rampant growth you are witnessing.
No comments:
Post a Comment