Blocking the path to the garage there is a fig tree and I've tried several things to get rid of it but to no avail. Can you please tell me what I can do to get rid of it.
Miriam, Malta |
I'm afraid I don't know what gardening products are available to you in Malta but the the products that I would advise for use in the UK would be either Growing Success Deep Root or Dax Root Out.
Both of these are translocated weedkillers that travel through the sap of the freshly sawn tree stump to kill off the root system. Otherwise you could cut the tree down to leave a stump, strip the bark off it and paint it with creosote. <<Back to gardening questions index |
My cherry tree has blossomed well this year but the leaves have made no effort and the ones that have have fallen and the rest are full of holes. Also there is a certain amount of pale green mouldy powder at the base of the tree. Can you tell me what could be wrong?
Angela Heys, Bury, Lancashire |
If the green mouldy powder is on the trunk of the tree that is likely to be a form of litchen which is not doing any harm. The other symptoms you describe are characteristic of bacterial canker, a problem that is rife among plum and cherry trees. As it is a bacterial infection there is little that can be done to control it but if you would like to do something, and this is practical, spray in mid- August, mid-September and mid-October using Murphy Traditional Copper Fungicide. Pruning off any twigs that die back is also helpful. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I love growing sweetcorn, but this year have not raised any from seed myself. A few days ago I planted five young planta that my mother had left over, but this was not enough. So, when I saw f1 jubilee for sale at my local garage I bought the last six. Then I saw that they came with a caution: 'do not plant with sugar enhanced varieties.' I just called my mum to ask her what plants she gave me and guess what- f1 sugar enhanced. Why should these not be planted together, what will happen if they are, and what would be a safe distance away if I choose to make an emergency, temporary bed in the lawn?
Bym welthy, Bedstone, Shrops |
The reason is that if your corn was planted near to sugar-enhanced varieties then there would be a chance that pollen from your plants would fertilise the sugar enhanced plants thus making the sugar enhancement null and void - This would make the cobs on the much more expensive sugar enhanced plants taste just the same as the corn on your cheaper standard plants.
<<Back to gardening questions index |
My cherry tree has leaves that have been crumpling into themselves and I noticed that the leaves are actually being eaten up by tiny black bugs - millions of them. Help - hat do I do?????
Marina, New York |
The bugs in question are aphids known as cherry blackfly and really they are not worth treating at this stage. They only live on the trees for a short time and they will soon migrate off to more tasty plants elsewhere. Their feeding causes the leaves to curl and even if you sprayed them, using an insecticide like Bio Provado Ultimate Bug Killer, the leaves would not return to normal. It does not cause great harm to your tree - give it a dose of rose fertiliser as a boost. <<Back to gardening questions index |
My plants are disfigured due to aphid attack. I've sprayed with insecticide. Will the plants (marigolds and asters) recover from disfigured leaves and flowers or should I throw them away and replant?
Glenn Kilpatrick, Whitby |
No, I would not throw the plants away and replant.
If you feed them every 10 days with liquid fertiliser like Miracle Gro or Phostrogen they will grow away well and make new flowering shoots. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have a palm tree that I purchased in Spain. I have no other instuctions than to put the base of the tree into water until it begins to bud. That has now occured, but now I am at loss as to what to do next.
Mr A Cooke, Cheshire |
I could give you more specific advice if I knew what sort of palm you have but you won't go far wrong by potting it up into a container using John Innes Compost No 3.
Keep it in a sheltered place and when the foliage begins to grow well feed it every 14 days between April and September using a liquid fertiliser like Phostrogen. <<Back to gardening questions index |
A short while ago I bought a small acer. The leaves are tinged with a rust like colour and the shrub seems to be dying. What can I do?
Terry Jackson, Halesowen, West Midlands |
The acer is in the wrong position and I suspect that it has either been scorched by the sun, not watered enough or (much less likely ) overwatered.
The acer has delicate foliage and grows naturally under taller trees so they are best planted in light shade, out of wind and certainly not place in full sunlight. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have severe problem with Japanese knockweed. Please can you offer advise. I can clear one two black bags daily
Sharon Doucy, Northiam, East Sussex |
One good way is to allow the canes to grow to about 60 cm (2 ft tall) then cut then off leaving about 15 cm (6in) of the stem bases intact on the plants.
Mix up a solution of Scotts Round-Up or Bio Glysophate, or even Growing Success Deep Root in a bucket. Then take an empty washing up liquid bottle in one hand and squeeze the sides together. Place the nozzle down in the weedkiller mixture, wearing rubber gloves of course, and gradually release your grip on the sides so that the container sucks in the fluid. Place the nozzle on the centre of the hollow knotweed canes and inject the fluid until the stem is filled up. This is then readily absorbed into the root system. It works quite well but you have to keep it up for a long time. <<Back to gardening questions index |
| It is the second year we have had a Rhus Typhina Stag's-horn Sumactree, and up till now it has been growing beautifully. I have noticed now that the bark on the trunk has started splitting, the splits are about 8 inches long, and there are two at present. Can you advise me on this? |
Quite often these splits happen when plants become too dry or when they get dry then suddenly there is plenty of water present.
If the splits are clean you could treat them with a wound paint, like Arbrex Seal and Heal, but otherwise sumac trees are very strong and will cope with this situation quite readily. If the worst comes to the worst and the branch dies a new one will soon sprout up from the root system. <<Back to gardening questions index |
| I am trying to remove a large shrub from a small square of earth beside my back door. There is little digging space and the roots extend under the house. They are very tough and the spade will not cut through them. I cannot lever it out. Do you have any suggestions? It has to move as it smothers anything else I plant there and it blocks the doorway if I let it grow enough to look good. Kate Young, South Tawton |
If you leave a stump then get either Growing Success Deep Root or Dax Root Out and treat the stump with this as directed on the pack.
These are specialist root and stump killers that will prevent re-growth from any roots that you cannot get out of the plot. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have an acer palmatum, which has been growing in a large pot for three years quite healthily. But lately its leaves are shrivelling and curling up and there is white sap like substance on the bark. It has been in direct sunlight, but I was told that it needs dappled shade, so I have moved it.
Dee Howard, Walsall |
Yes, the advice you got about moving the acer into semi-shade was quite correct as the leaf symptoms that you describe seen to point to scorching.
See if there are any insects on the leaves or indeed any sacle insects - they look like tiny limpets stuck on the stems of the plant. Both of these suck sap from the plant and excrete some of it on to the bark leaving a sticky residue of undigested sap. This may be what you have seen. <<Back to gardening questions index |
What low-lying, fast-growing plants can I use to cover steep slopes which are really hard to look after?
Sheena Machotka, Berndorf, Austria |
I thnk that I would go for rubus "Betty Ashburner" or any other rubus, cotoneaster Skogholm, hedera helix Hibernica, vinca major, hypericum calycinium and maybe ground cover roses - depending on the aspect that the bank faces. <<Back to gardening questions index |
A patio has been recently laid in my garden. Already it seems to have become home to lots of little bright red insects or spiders. Are they harmful and should I get rid of them? If so, how?
Andy Bailey, Up Hatherley, Cheltenham |
There is no need to worry at all. These little red creatures are velvet mites, sometimes called stone mites. They do no harm at all and in fact they are your allies really as they consume some of the algae that grows on the paving slabs. <<Back to gardening questions index |
My coconut tree is looking pretty dismal at the moment. I brought it from B&Q and it looked great at the time, but one month on it looks terrible. When do I water and feed and what compost do I use to re pot when it needs it? And do you have any other useful tips?
Tony Davies, Dudley, West Midlands |
Your palm need plenty of humidity - give this by placing the pot on a wide saucer of moist gravel. Keep the gravel moist as well as watering the plant. Check the plant for moisture by sticking your finger into the compost to the depth of your first joint and seeing if the end of your finger is moist. If it is then the plant is moist enough. Only re-pot if the plant is really pot-bound and then only go up a maximum of two pot sizes, using a multi-purpose or houseplant compost. <<Back to gardening questions index |
