Q I bought a vine a couple of years ago which unfortunatley proved to be infected with red spider mite. After it died I replaced it with a Sollya Heterophylla, putting it in the same position as the vine although in a different pot . This too has become infested with red spider mite. Can you tell me if the mites could be living on the wall (red brick) and if so any ideas on getting rid of them. |
A Yes the mites are definitely surviving on the wall between getting on to your plants. They can proove difficult to control but they thrive in hot dry situations so try to increase the humidity around your plants would help a lot.
If they are grown in pots place the pots on wide saucers of moist gravel so that moist air rises around the foliage. Misting the plants over regularly, like every day, with plain water also helps to keep them down. If possible spray the wall to clear them off it and check any crevices which they could hide in too. Another poosibility to look at would be using biological control involving releasing a predatory mite onto your plants to eat the red spider mites. A reliable supplier is Green Gardener. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Q Why is my new mimosa shredding its flowers as soon as they form. Also one of the plants is very spindly and the other is quite bushy. Do we lop off the top of the spindly plant to make it more bushy? These are new plants purchased earlier in the year. |
A I think that your mimosa is probably too dry if the blooms drop readily. There is also the less likely possibility that you have been over watering it but it would need to be really soggy for that to happen.
Certainly if you pinched out the shoot tips on the spindly specimen it would respond by getting more bushy.
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| Q I planted some new hedging plants (Hornbeam) at the begining of this year. When should I start to prune/trim these new plants? |
A It would be a good idea to just lightly trim up the sides of your hedge during early September to keep it neat and bushy. Leave the top to continue growing.Keep the plants moist.
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| Q My brother has a large clump of fully grown bamboo. Will it survive if I dig this up and plant it in my own garden as he no longer wants it? |
A Yes as long as you do it in the next few weeks or in March/April and take lots of soil with it.
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| Q We have a patch of garden with very shallow soil covering utilities. We would like to cover it with lawn and plants, but have easy access in case of emergency. Any ideas? |
A I don't think that covering it with lawn is going to be very successful if you also want quick access to the man holes.
I would prefer covering the area with a layer of landscaping fabric, also known as weed control fabric, and then putting a layer of chippings over this. Finally position some containers on the shingle which can be planted up with suitable shrubs, or bedding plants. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Q I have a huge ficus tree in front of a glass door that I've had for many years. I haven't moved it or done anything differently but for the past two weeks there have been a pile of leaves on the floor everyday. I've examined it and found scale insects on some of the branches...it's not covered or infested.
Since it's such a large tree, how do I de-bug and what else can I do to nurse it back to health. I'd appreciate any advice you could give. |
A Your Ficus should be treated with a houseplant insecticide. They do occasionally indulge in mass dropping of leaves but they often put them back on again in spring.
Place the plant on a wide saucer of moist gravel which will bring more humid air up around the leaves.
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Q I have two acer palmatum 'atropurpureum', which I've planted in the wrong place (too much sun and wind). When is it safe for me to move them? |
A Wait until about early October then move them with plenty of soil on the roots.
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Q I have a tomato plant that has gone berserk. It's seven feet tall by six to seven feet wide. It is hanging over my other tomato and green pepper plants and causing problems with them.
Can I cut back the tomato plant without killing the whole plant? |
A You can only really pinch out the growing point of the top of the plant and remove some of the side shoots if you want it to continue to crop.
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Q Why did my gladiolas all come up beautifully and when they started to bud all the flower buds were shriveled and looked like they were rusty? Some of them had alot of buds but wilted on the stems before opening. I have never seen this before and I always grow glads. |
A I think that your plants have been attacked by Gladili thrips a tiny insect pest which sucks the sap and prevents the flowers from opening properly as well as making the foliage mottled and dusty looking.
Make sure that when you bring in the corms for the winter that you remove most of the old skins and next summer treat the foliage with insecticide. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Q We planted a fig tree three years ago against the south facing wall of our house. We were careful to restict the root growth with rubble etc and have watched it develop into a very healthy tree with abundant leaves which we have to keep cutting back.
Despite it's luxuriant growth there is not a fig in sight! Are we doing something wrong, or do fig trees take years to mature? I would be very grateful for advice |
A Yes it can take figs a while to settle down and fruit and you have done the right thing by restricting the root system. If you keep cutting back like a hedge you may be removing potential fruiting shoots. You should be able to see some young figs appearing on the shoots at the moment. These came through the winter to be next years crop, well the snaller ones do as the larger ones are often frosted if we get a cold winter. Feed the tree with sulphate of potash now. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Q I have recently aquired a Mimosa 'Silver Wattle'. It was in a pot and I have transplanted it into a larger pot using a well drained sandy soil. The lower leaves are turning yellow and are gradually dropping. Could you please advise me on what is the problem? |
A There are a few possible reasons one could be that if you have moved the plant on into a much larger pot you could be over watering it. Another good idea would be to feed it using a fertiliser rich in iron, like sequestered iron as it could be deficient in magnesium. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Q I have three Hibiscus plants in my garden, two woodbridges' which both are being attacked by red ants.
During the last two weeks each time a flower bud appears the ants devour the flower bud before it has a chance to open fully. The plant has flowered fully prior to two weeks ago? None of the plants are plagued by aphids. Have you heard of this? Is this to do with the exceptionally dry summer and unusual? What do you suggest I do to prevent the ants spoiling my enjoyment of my Hibiscus blooms? |
A I think that I would smear a layer of petroleum jelly, like Vaseline, around the trunk of the plants late in the evening. This should stop the ants climbing up but check the barrier regularly in case the ants bridge it with dead bodies. <<Back to gardening questions index |
| Q We live in the Midlands, in Kenilworth which is near Coventry. Is there a cherry tree we can plant which will give tasty cherries and is suitable for our climate? |
A Yes there is and I would choose the self fertile variety Stella preferably on a dwarfing rootstock like colt. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Q I have some strawberry plants which I purchased early last year and had very few strawberries off them this year. As they are now producing runners should I remove them as I want the plants to build up and hopefully produce a good crop next year. |
A Yes it would be best to remove the runners asap, but any larger ones could be planted up and grown on as extra stock. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Q I have lucky bamboo and curly bamboo, in water, with lots of roots. Will they grow if planted in soil in a pot? |
A Yes they will just pot them up in any houseplant compost. <<Back to gardening questions index |
| Q I don't think my rowan had leaves this year, but we had a long, cold winter. Should I wait for next year to see if it has leaves, or take down now? |
A Yes I would leave it to see if it leafs up nest spring. You could always check if there is any life by just scraping off a tiny sliver of bark and seeing if the tissue underneath is green and moist. If so all is well, but if it is brown and dry then the tree is dead. <<Back to gardening questions index |
| Q Why is my Cupressus Macrocarpa Wilma going brown fron the outside to the inside. i.e the centre is still greenish? |
A There could be two reasons .The first is that the tree has become too dry at the roots. The second is Cupressus aphids. If the watering has been good apply a systemic insectide like Bio Provado Ultimate Bug Killer to see off the pests. <<Back to gardening questions index |
