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HORT THERAPY
Dear Readers:
HORT THERAPY is a weekly column where our team of professionals will answer your gardening questions.
Email us your garden questions at AskDIGIT@dig-itmag.com. We love a challenge.
Dear DIG IT!
We have a small front yard where we would like to plant a nice shade tree. Can you tell us what type we should plant? We would like one that would have roots that grow down, not along the surface of the yard. We have in the past had trees that raised our concrete sidewalks & driveway.
Thank you,
Jim & Ruth Gindhart
Dear Ruth and Jim,
The following trees are good candidates for your situation:
Honey locust, Gleditsia triacanthos inermis cultivars, which will grow about 50 to 60 feet in height with a broad-oval branching habit, and
Zelkova, Zelkova serrata, which grows to the same height but has a vase-shaped habit.
Jeff Van Pelt
Dear DIG IT!
I cannot find this flower - it is a bulb. Maybe I don't know how to spell
it...Cantis?? It gets about 3 to 4, maybe 5, feet tall? I don't know what
to do with it for the winter. When is the best time to really plant
them?
Thanks,
Sissy
Dear Sissy,
The plant most likely is a Canna, which are easy to grow. After the
first hard frost of fall remove the dead foliage to within 6 inches of
the ground then dig them up. Store them in a cool dry dark place in
either dry sand or peat. In March you can pot them up and place in a
heated area then, when the danger of frost is gone, plant them in the
garden.
Jeff Van Pelt
Dear DIG IT!
I hope you might be able to help me with a problem that my grapefruit plant has developed. This grapefruit tree, which is about five feet fall, grew from a seed. It has lived in my city apartment for about 28 years, and has generally been healthy except for occasional bugs. However, this summer, it developed an odd problem. The leaves are covered with sticky droplets. I have been able to clean the leaves with alcohol, or soapy water, but the problem has persisted. The floor around the plant has also become sticky.
Do you have any knowledge about what could be causing this problem, and what I might do about it???
Thank you so much.
Julie Diamond
Dear Julie,
It sounds like your grapefruit tree has scale – a hard-shelled insect that loves citrus plants. It’s almost a miracle that your tree hasn’t had it before. Perhaps you brought home a plant with scale already on it. Look for grey or brown bumps on branches and leaves. If they scrape off with your fingernail, your grapefruit tree has scale.
The clear sticky stuff is called “honeydew” and is, all nonsense aside, scale excrement. This sticky stuff can also attract ants and other tiny critters and molds, never mind ruin your furniture and floor. It hardens and is difficult to remove. Attack it now. Ask a nurseryman about the type of insecticide to use on your tree. I’ve used Malathion and it has worked on severe cases. Your infestation sounds severe.
Spray outdoors, if you can, on a cloudy day. You don’t want sunlight hitting the wet leaves. If you must spray indoors, lay down a 12x6 drop cloth; lay the plant down on it and spray, turning the plant to coat every single surface; otherwise, if you miss one spot the scale will continue to reproduce.
Scale transfers easily from plant to plant – every time you touch a plant or brush by it. Inspect all of your houseplants. Be ruthless and toss out or spray.
Good luck!
Mary
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