Can you tell me of any way of ridding my lawn of a 'fairy ring? If not can I dig a new flower bed over it or would it still re-appear and affect any plants I put in the bed?
Susan Palmer - Thurlby, Lincs |
Fairy rings are very difficult to get rid of from lawns. The prescribed answer is to dig out all the soil infected by the ring to about 45cm (18in) deep and about 30cm (1ft) beyond the infected area. Replace this with new topsoil and sow more seed. At no time must the infected soil you dig out come into contact with healthy soil, or it will contaminate it.
An old gardeners' remedy that I find is a decent alternative to digging the lawn up is to use sulphate of iron. Mix 3oz of sulphate of iron into about half a gallon of warm water in a watering can, filling the can up to 1 gallon with cold water, adding a dessert-spoonful of washing up liquid. Spike the outer edge of the ring with a fork but after spiking DO NOT just stick the fork into the lawn or you will spread the infection - take it to the path and wipe the prongs with a cloth with disinfectant. Then water on the sulphate of iron solution at one gallon to one and a half square yards. If you just dig up the lawn and plant shrubs the fairy ring fungus will not attack them, so dont worry if you choose that alternative. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have built the timber work for a roof garden over my wood and oil store (approx 6ft by 6ft) and want to know the best medium to put on it to grow sempervivums. The roof has a shallow fall to a gutter, approx an inch overall and is currently felted. I would not want a depth of more than five or six inches. I would be glad of your advice.
Tim Rogers - Bodicote |
The good news is that sempervivums do not need a great depth of soil to flourish as long as they have enough moisture if we get a summer drought. About 4ins should be enough to establish them.
Some good topsoil with about 25 per cent horticultual grit added should suffice, or if you want to use a ready made compost I go for John Innes No 2 with another 10 per cent horticultural grit added. Sempervivumns on the roof are said to protect the building from getting struck by lightening, but make sure that the roof has sufficient supports to be able to cope with the weight of the soil when it is wet. <<Back to gardening questions index |
When, if any, is the best time to prune my Prunus Subhirtella Autumnalis?
Rachel - Nunhead, London |
The best time to prune any member of the plum and cherry family is in late May or early June, when they are in full growth.This is a bit different to most other plants which are usually pruned when they are dormant in the autumn and winter.
The reason for this difference is that the main diseases of plums and cherries which are bacterial canker and silver leaf infect the tree through wounds like pruning cuts. So if these are made while the tree is growing strongly it will soon heal itself before infection takes place. If your tree is behaving itself there is no need for any pruning to be done at all. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Can you tell me how tall and big the roots of a Cotoneaster salicifolius will grow?
David Reed - Newport |
The answer here depends on how big the plant is, as you can buy this shrub trained into a tree which would have a much bigger root system than a shrub.
If you just have a shrub there is little to worry about as they will not usually affect the foundations of a house or wall, even if they are growing against it. As a rule of thumb you can reckon that there is as much growth below the ground as there is above it on most trees and shrubs. Cotoneasters are not considered among the more aggressive rooting trees and shrubs. <<Back to gardening questions index |
We have a money tree which was put outside in the frost for a few days (don't ask!) and now all the leaves have fallen off and it's very juicy. What can we do to save it? Please help - its over 50 years old and we don't want to lose it!
Angela Farrance - Watford |
Bring the plant back inside, cut off all the damaged branches and, as long as the stem is not going black and squidgy there will be new shoots emerging in April.
Place the pot on a wide saucer of moist gravel in order to provide a little humidity, water the compost a little when necessary but do not feed until new shoots begin to appear. <<Back to gardening questions index |
Can you please advise me how to divide a mature Osmunda regalis? It has spread out from its original centre to form a ring of live growth about five feet across. There is some growth still in the centre. I'd like to move some of it to another location, and to put some of the edge pieces in the centre to fill it out nicely. Would it survive if I were to use an axe (the only thing man enough for the job) to move some sections of the 'ring'? And would it be best to do it before growth restarts? It's in full sun on sandy soil (but I assume that must be reasonably moist for some reason).
Alex Ballance - Milton Keynes |
The best time to divide your fern is in autumn or early spring. As you have outlined in your question the job consists of digging up the more vigorous outer parts of the fern and dividing these into suitable sized portions for transplanting.
The old dead centre of he clump could be lifted and disposed of while the younger pieces are re-planted in the old site. You can use whatever tools you think will manage to cut through the root sections to aid division but I have successsfully done the job with a pruning saw, once the clumps have been lifted out of the soil. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have four pernettyas and have been told to plant them in a group (3 female,1 male). Can I plant them in separate containers and sit them near each other?
Elizabeth Bell - Isle of Bute |
Yes it would be perfectly OK to plant your pernettyas in separate containers and site them close to each other.
They need to be reasonable close so that pollination is more likely to take place, with pernettyas the job is done by insects like bees.It would be best to plant them using ericaceous compost as they prefer an acid soil.
<<Back to gardening questions index |
An indoor plant question - I'm being consistently told that ficus plants can cause an allergy simply through the air that they breath out?! I know that many plants are potentially poisonous (if you eat them!) and cause allergies mainly on contact but is there any truth in this claim? I have always believed the opposite? b
Ben roberts - Switzerland |
I have never heard of any plants causing allergies simply by the air that they breathe out.
During the day plants take in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, which should be beneficial to all life and indeed is one of the reasons that we are all alive today. At night they take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide which is not quite so beneficial as far as mammals are concerned. Maybe this is where the idea has come from. <<Back to gardening questions index |
