Sally Hammond from Corsham asks:
I would appreciate some advice about taking some cuttings from a rose please.
My mum has some 'Superstar' roses which she bought in London some 40 years ago. These roses are really beautiful, but I gather from my local garden centre, they are no longer grown as they were prone to disease? Mum's have always been fine and regularly bloom twice a year in the summer months. Unfortunately her neighbour pruned them for her last weekend, despite the fact they were still in flower and budding! (she is furious!!) I would love to have some of these in my garden now my sons are grown and don't play in the borders! I have no experience with roses and mum is not sure about growing a cutting. |
Reg answers:
Hi Sally,
Yes it is possible to take cuttings from roses and September/October is a good time to take them. This is the method but I don't know if your mother's bushes will still have any suitable material as her neighbours have pruned them.
You need a shoot that has had a flower on it - this proves that it is mature enough, a thicker one is better than a thinner one.
Cut this off the bush about 30cm (1ft) down from the tip, making the cut just above a bud.
Next remove the top top 10cm (4in) again cutting just above a bud.
Return to the base of the cutting and follow the stem up to the base of the lowest bud and cut just below it, removing a small portion of stem.
You have now prepared your cutting and I would take several as not all will root.
Now it is time to insert the cuttings in either large pots of compost or directly into a sheltered part of the garden.
If you go for the direct into the garden soil option the best thing is to make a slit trench by pushing a spade in to its full depth and waggling it about. The half fill this slit trench with horticultural sand. Dip the base of the cutting sin rooting hormone and inset them 15cm (6in) apart so that two thirds of them are under the soil and only one third is left sticking up out of it. Backfill around the cuttings and firm them in.
For the pot method I would use a 6in pot and fill it with a 50/50 mix of multi-purpose compost and horticultural grit. Then dip the base of the cuttings in rooting hormone and insert them at an angle, 3 per pot, in a triangle formation. Put them in to the same depth as you would in the soil and if all three root you will have an instant container grown rose bush.
In either case the time to transplant the rooted plants into their growing positions is during the following autumn. |
Sue in Bristol asks:
I have a new waterfall and pond situated under the canopy of a walnut tree. Unfortunately some debris from the tree fell in whilst I was away for a week and the water, whilst now clear, has turned brown. Will this rectify itself over time or do I need to resort to draining it and starting again? |
Reg answers:
Hi Sue,
Yes it is always best to remove leaves and tree debris from the pond as soon as possible otherwise they tend to decompose in the water and can cause problems. |
Colleen from Gonubie, South Africa asks:
Have planted foxgloves in coastal sandy soil, well prepared with compost and Bounce-back fertilizer in S-E position with good light. The plants are great but no flowers. Please advise why. Thanks. |
Reg answers:
Hi Colleen,
Foxgloves are biennial plants and therefore depending on the age of your particular specimens, they migh not be due to flower until next year.
As the situation is well prepared do not feed them any more and they should bloom for you. |
Michael Williams in Betws-y-Coed asks:
I have a large area of ground that is covered with Bamboo that i want to get rid of. What is the best way to do this. Unfortunately i cannot dig it as there are trees and roots etc in the way. |
Reg answers:
Hi Michael,
This is a very,very difficult task, particularly under the circumstances that you have, but this is how I would tackle it.
Firstly cut the bamboo down and then as it begins to re-grow in spring spray the foliage with a translocated herbicide like Bio Glyphosate or Scotts Round-Up. After about 2-3 weeks the shoots will die, when more growth comes, as it will, spray again. You will have to keep this up for months but in the end you will prevail. |
Janet Hepburn from Bengeo, Hertford asks:
We have a flowering cherry and an acer tree which have become too big for our garden - is it possible to trim them right down or will we have to dig them up - and if so is it better to get a professional to undertake this? |
Reg answers:
Hi Janet,
It is always best to get professional help in when you are doing a job like tree felling as the person doing the job should be fully insured to cover any accidents. Have a look in yellow pages under tree surgeons and make sure that they do have proper insurance before they begin. It is also a good idea to have the stumps chipped at the same time, they will use a stump grinder for this job. |
Sonia Buckel from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan asks:
I have a Aeschynanthus radicans (lipstick plant) which has produced 2 seed pods - 1 of which has just split open with thousands of tiny seeds. Is this common? and can one propogate easily with the seeds? |
Reg answers:
Hi Sonia,
This is quite unusual and you can sow the seeds if you wish but it will take at least 4-6 years for the plants to bloom well. Sometimes the seedlings are not very good at flowering anyway.
Sow the seeds in a seed compost and cover them with vermiculite as this allows light to penetrate to simulate germination. Sow them straightaway and put them in a heated propagator set at 70F. |
Rhonda Wilson from Australia asks:
How do I get rid of melaluka tree roots? |
Reg answers:
Hi Rhonda,
I do not know if this is available in Australia but here in the UK we have products called either Growing Success Deep Root or Dax Root Out that contain the chemical ammonium sulphamate. This is one of the best things to use to kill off tree stumps and roots. |
Tina Blake in Painswick asks:
Last year I planted some small yew with a view to shaping as they grow but several of them have now changed colour they do not appear to be shedding their needles but they do not appear to be very healthy either. Any ideas? |
Reg answers:
Hi Tina,
It would be good to know what colour they have turned to. If they have gone bronze but the foliage is still soft and seems alive they are likely to be too wet at the roots. If the foliage is brown and dried up, particularly in random patches then the culprits could either be mites or aphids, in which case treat the foliage with Bio Provado Ultimate Bug Killer.
Another good stimulant would be to give the leaves a foliar feed using a natural seaweed fertiliser like either the Maxicrop or Vitax seaweed feed with added sequestered iron. Give an application now and repeat this about 3 times at three week intervals in the spring. |
A Pudrycki from Cheltenham asks:
How can I stop patches on my grass where the dog pees? |
Reg answers:
Hi,
There is a product on sale called Lawn Rescue made by Pet and Garden Manufacturing which will solve the problem. Some Garden Centres may have it but try Pet Stores too. I think some branches of Wilson's pet stores sell it. |
Steve Symes from Meols, Wirral asks:
I have a small, (7ft), eucalyptus tree growing happily in my garden in Meols, Wirral. Unfortunately, it is in the exact place I need to do some remedial work to a garden wall. I've picked out a new place where I would like to move it to but I do not want to do the tree any damage. When is the best time to transplant? Do I need to worry about a long tap-root? Any other advice? Thanks for your time. |
Reg answers:
Hi Steve,
You should be able to transplant your Eucalyptus anytime now or in April. Try to take as much soil with the roots as possible and although they do have a tap root they should transplant well as they are rather vigorous trees in all departments. |
Patricia Cooper in Gloucester asks:
I have a jasmine which has an abundance of clusters of white flowers on at the moment, however I would like to move the plant against a pergola or trellis and wonder when the best time of year is to do this without damaging the root or plant. The plant has been in the garden for approx. 3 years and is very well established. |
Reg answers:
Hi Patricia,
We are just approaching the best time to move your plant, just as the leaves are falling for the winter.
Take it with a good ball of soil around the root system and keep it well watered next spring and summer.
It is often a good ploy to cut the branches back by about a half so that the roots are not under so much stress trying to cope with the demands of the leaf canopy. |
Jane Quilliam from Stroud asks:
Every year I plant sweet peas and they bloom very well, but the growth under the flowers and down to the soil is all brown and dead looking. What am I doing wrong? I do feed them. It happens every year even with new plants. |
Reg answers:
Hi Jane,
This is likely to be powdery mildew, particularly if the leaves take on a sort of dusty appearence before turning brown.
Try to prepare the site well before planting by digging in plenty of organic matter to hold moisture around the roots. Keep the roots moist at all times but try to avoid spraying water over the foliage as dry roots and wet leaves makes for ideal mildew growth conditions. You could also spray the plants with a fungicide like Bio systhane Fungus Fighter, or Scotts Fungus Clear. |
Helen Griffin from Higher Disley asks:
Why are the leaves on my laurel hedge turning yellow and falling off? |
Reg answers:
Hi Helen,
Well there could be several reasons. Are the plants too dry perhaps would be the starting point. Have a look at the leaves and see if there are any sort of small dark spots on any of the yellow leaves or the healthy ones, as this could indicate the presence of scale insects. The treatment being Bio Provado Ultimate Bug Killer. Anyway I would feed the hedge in late March with a fertilkiser called Vitax Q4 as this contains lots of trace elements, as well as the main plant foods, that could help to promote better health. |
Paul in Lincoln asks:
How can i rid my lawn of fusarium patch disease? i have tryed all the garden centres in my area and none of them sell any chemicals to cure. They said they have all been baned.
any help would be appreciated. |
Reg answers:
Hi Paul,
The only treatment still available for fungal problems on lawns is a product called Bio Kills Moss on Lawns containing the chemical dichlorophen. It is currently only available in a ready to use trigger spray and that will be taken off sale by May 2005.
Otherwise spiking the lawn with a lawn aerator and then brushing sharp sand into the resulting holes will help, as having this problem is an indication that the soil surface is too compacted. Avoid walking on the grass during wet or cold weather and never use high nitrogen lawn feeds intended for spring and summer use after mid-September.
Always use a specially formulated autumn lawn food. This disease is now more commonly called snow mould. |
Mia from Dublin, Rep. of Ireland asks:
Hi,
I have a little mango "tree" in a pot, which I have grown from the seed from the fruit. It is about 3,5 years old now. I have recently come back from 5 months abroad. During this time a friend of mine was minding my mango tree. It is not looking very healthy now. The leaves are brown and dry (half of the leaves, from the tips half way up) and the stem seems to be soft. I suspect that it was either watered too much, or too little, and probably watered with unfiltered water so that it got flouride etc. I have now repotted it (know that autumn isn't really the best time but had to try and save it somehow), and fed it with some MiracleGro. The roots looked brown and "burnt" when I looked at them while repotting. Is there anything else I can do, do you think, to save it? It would probably need a bigger pot too I think. Is there anything in particular I should be thinking of when growing mango trees? |
Reg answers:
Hi Mia,
Yes your mango does seem to be suffering as a result of the "care" it received while you were away and the lack of white, new root growth is not a good sign. I think that repotting it could well help but it would not really need a bigger pot as the roots need to recover first before they make any new growth.
I would place the pot on a wide saucer of moist gravel so that moist air is rising around the foliage, as these plants need a lot of humidity - especially during the winter when the central heating is taking moisture out of the air.
Keep the plant well watered, but not absolutely saturated, as they are prone to root damage if allowed to become too dry.
If your plant does recover it is capable of getting very tall, as it wants to become a tree, so pinching out the growing point would encourage it to branch and make a more shrubby specimen. |
Iain Kettles in Mumbles, South Wales asks:
We have two climbing Hydrangers about 8ft in height, on either side of our front door. One of these is showing signs of yellowing of the leaves,as they do in Autumn, however the other one still has green leaves. Is this normal or do you think the yellower leafed one needs feeding? Both were planted at the same time,about 3 years ago. |
Reg answers:
Hi Iain,
Sometimes the micro-climate can be very different over a small area so I would not worry too much about your climbing hydrangeas behaving differently.
If you did feel that you would like to feed the one with the yellow leaves I would give it some rose fertiliser in late March. A couple of handful around the base of the plant should be ample and make sure that they both get enough water. |
C. Macarthur in Barnet asks:
I have just bought a fig tree and have it in a pot outside. The leaves have turned yellow and it looks unwell. Should it be losing its leaves? |
Reg answers:
Hi,
Do not worry, your fig is behaving normally - they drop their leaves in autumn. |
Dale from Yulee in Florida asks:
How do i prune my wisteria? |
Reg answers:
Hi,
Wisterias are normally pruned twice a year. The first pruning is normally done in August when all the long whippy shoots not required for extending the shrub are cut back to five leaves long. That is you count up five leaves from the base of the new shoot and cut just above the fifth.
Then in early spring just before growth re-starts you cut the same shoots back to just two buds long and any over long leading shoots can be reduced by up to two-thirds at the same time.
This treatment should help to encourage flowering as you are removing some of the vigour of the plant. |
Clare Griffiths from Malvern asks:
Why does the inside of a ripe fig smell the same as the inside of a broad bean pod? |
Reg answers:
Hi Clare,
I'm not really 100% certain this is the correct answer but I feel that it could be due to the fact that both are containers for seeds, from the plants' point of view, and part of the scent in both cases would be ethelene gas. This is readily given off by ripening fruit and can easily be noticed coming from bananas and sometimes apples. |
M. Rank from Northwich, Cheshire asks:
Do you whip a walnut tree for a better crop? |
Reg answers:
Hi,
This is an old practice based on the idea that if the tree trunk is wounded (they were usually beaten with chains) then it will feel threatened and crop more heavily.
I doubt if it ever did any good and it is not something that I would recommend. |
Shaun from Rainhill, St Helens asks:
Please could you tell me how to get rid of black spots on two newly planted acer. |
Reg answers:
Hi Shaun,
If these are very slightly raised black, tar-like spots then your Acer is suffering from a fungal problem called Tar Spot.
It is fairly common particularly in moister conditions like the last summer. The best control measure is to collect up all the foliage as it falls as the fungus over winters on the decaying autumn leaves then re-infects the new leaves when they emerge in spring. If your tree is small enough to treat effectively spray it with Bio Dithane 945 when the leaves are fully expaned and repeat treatment about 14 days later. This will help to protect the foliage from reinfestation. |
Gardening Guru Reg Moule has been solving green-fingered problems for years. 
