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Planting under Magnolia tree
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:49 pm
- Hi! I have a huge magnolia tree in my backyard that constantly drops leaves all over. I don’t rake very often because it takes hours and the ground just gets covered up again in a few days. I have two questions for you. The first is, should I be raking? By that I mean is there any benefit to doing so (besides aesthetic) and/or any harm in not doing it? My second question is what should I plant under the areas that are constantly covered by leaves? The few occasions I have raked, I’ve discovered that there is just dirt under all those leaves. No grass or other ground cover. I want to start raking near my back porch stairs to avoid wet leaves being piled up against the wood, but I can picture the bare dirt turning to mud very quickly if I do that. Is there any ground cover that will survive being smothered by leaves? I want to at least plant something around my back porch, but I’m curious if there is anything I can or should plant under the rest of the leaf pile. Thank you for your help!
- Hello! It sounds like you have a beautiful, mature Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora). Along with the beauty of these magnificent trees comes the never ending pile-up of their large leaves. Since you prefer to keep the area tidy (and to avoid potential rotting around porch posts), I would recommend routine cleanup with a leaf blower, and planting some nice, shade loving perennials. Once you have some plants in place under the tree, a leaf blower is really the most practical way to keep the area tidy (as a side note, if you happen to compost it really is best to shred the Magnolia leaves with a mulching mower first). As far as plant options under your tree, I would recommend any combination of the following: native ferns, hellebores, pachysandra, or hosta (if you have no deer problems). All of these plants tolerate shade, and should allow you to periodically use the leaf blower to keep things tidy. Magnolia trees have shallow roots, often near the ground surface, so take care when you do your planting to avoid damage to those roots. Good luck and happy gardening!
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Mint-powdery mildew
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:48 pm
- I am growing organic mint in a pot. Noticed that there is powdery white stuff on the leaves. What is that and how can I treat it naturally? Is it safe to eat / use the mint leaves if it has this white powdery stuff on it? Thanks Vilma
- The powdery white stuff you see sounds like the fungus powdery mildew. This is a very common problem with many plants but it is not difficult to correct in this type of situation. If you can, first, isolate the plant and remove affected leaves. There are many solutions. I'll list 3 here and you can see which one suits you and try another if the first choice doesn't do the trick. 1.Try using this combination-1 gallon water, 1/2 teaspoon non-detergent soap, 1 tablespoon baking soda. Pour this solution into a clean spray bottle and liberally apply this to the plant. The soap will help the diluted baking soap stick to the mint leaves and stems. It's best to water the plant well before using the solution and don't apply while the plant is in hot sun, early morning is best. You can repeat this every 7 days and after a rain. Some people feel this works best as a preventative rather than a control. So if you find that you're having the same issue with powdery mildew year after year, apply this solution at the beginning of the season. 2. Another solution is a mixture of 3 tbsp. of neem oil to one gallon of water, sprayed onto affected plants every 7-14 days. Again, don't spray while the plant is in hot sun to avoid burning. 3. And yet another possibility is using milk. I have never tried this but I understand you can get some good results. Try a mixture of 4 parts milk to six parts water and spray bi-weekly. Apply in early morning. In all cases, try any solution on a test leaf first to see how the plant responds. And no, I wouldn't eat the leaves that are covered in powdery mildew but once the plant shows no signs of the fungus, feel free to use the plant in whatever dish you like. Good luck and let us know which solution was successful for you.
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Leafminers...
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:46 pm
- My broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower has white vine like lines on the leaves. What are they and how do I get rid of them. My plants look like they are not thriving now.
- It sounds like you've got leafminers. They have a broad range of host plants and they seem to like your garden. The first thing to do is remove the affected leaves and dispose of them in the trash (not in compost). If you check the underside of the leaf you will most likely see small white eggs, you don't want those to hatch, so straight to the trash. There are several generations of this pest in one season so you will need to keep a close eye out for signs of their existence. You may see eggs, larvae and flys. Sometimes using sticky traps and row covers for the flies works well. If just removing the affected leaves isn't keeping the numbers down you might try using neem oil or beneficial insects such beneficial nematodes or parasitic wasps. I personally haven't had experience with beneficial insects as an intervention so I don't have any particular insight there. Start with removing the affected leaves and checking plants frequently for eggs and tunneling larvae. Good luck and good gardening!
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Lavender siting, growing
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:42 pm
- I have 3 small (6 " high) lavender plants. Where is the best place to plant? Do the roots get deep/wide? How long will it take for them to get 2 feet tall? Any best practices? Thank you.
- Hello there, lavender is a lovely plant and generally not fussy if given the right conditions. It's partial to warm and dry, not so fond of humidity, but if you plant it in area with good air circulation that should help. Also, it needs well-draining soil, no compacted clay for this plant. As far as height and growth, without knowing the cultivar it's hard to say but it will probably put on a couple of inches of growth each year and most varieties are in the 2-3 foot height at maturity. Enjoy the fragrance!
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Raised beds - yellowing leaves
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:41 pm
- I created new raised beds and filled them with Miracle Grow Raised Bed soil combined with mushroom compost. All of my plants have yellow leaves. The soil should be provided the necessary nutrients, and I was wondering if the weather might be part of it? Can you give me an idea of what I should do? Thank you
- Hello - interesting question. The first thing that comes to mind is your soil. It sounds like you have created a very rich soil for your new plants. Typically, yellowing leaves can indicate a nutrient deficiency, and/or the soil is too wet. As you know, mushroom compost does a good job of soaking up a lot of water and helps keep soil moist. It is also nutrient-rich, and contains a high degree of soluble salts. I’m wondering if your ratio of mushroom compost to soil is too high. The mushroom compost should make up about 1/4 of the total volume of the soil. If your soil is too concentrated and the plants are seedlings or are very young, this may result in your plants dying. The soil may actually be too rich for them. Also make sure your soil is not staying too wet. It should be allowed to dry before adding water. Good luck, and let us know if we can help further!
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Majesty Palm dying
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:40 pm
- I have a majesty palm that sits in a corner by my living room windows. It doesn't get very much light there (but I don't have anywhere else to put it) so I added a growth light. The light delivers red and blue light for 4/hrs every night and is set up about 5 feet away. I also have a terracotta automatic water in the soil, which keeps the soil most without being soggy. Nonetheless, the plant is dying. The fronds have been turning brown from the outside in and now I've had to cut away two complete fronds which and a third is on the verge of death. What am I doing wrong and is there anything I can do to still save it?
- Majesty palms are very particular about the level of light required, but it sounds like you are dealing with that effectively with the grow light. One factor you did not mention was your soil. These plants require very well aerated, loose soil which drains well. Make sure your soil is not too dense, particularly since you are irrigating with terra-cotta automatic watering. I have three majesty palms and all are sitting in north facing windows. They are getting only indirect light all day. One of them was initially in densely packed soil, and was not doing well, so I repotted in a very loose soil and the palm seems much happier. Also, these plants love to be fed. I use a miracle-gro continuous release palm plant food, so you may want to try that.
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Tomato-Blossom End Rot
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:37 pm
- I'm just starting to see fruit on my tomato vines, but unfortunately they look to already be developing blossom end rot. I'm using a mixture of organic soil with fertilizer and perlite, and I'm not sure if the plant is salvageable. What can I do to help this plant? And what advice can you give for other tomato plants to prevent this blossom end rot? Is there something I can apply early on to prevent this? Thanks!
- Hello there, This is a pretty standard issue with tomatoes. Generally, the cause is inconsistent watering and/or a calcium deficiency. So the first step would be to establish a consistent level of watering for your plants. Of course, Mother Nature plays a role here as well, you can't control that. If you're sure that watering is not the problem, then you need to think about calcium. Without testing the soil you won't know the level of deficiency. But if you want to proceed, there is a short-term fix. I haven't tried this myself because the cause for me was generally a watering issue, but you can spray the plant with a calcium solution. That will buy you some time to increase the calcium content in your soil. There may be enough calcium in the soil but the ph of the soil may be preventing the plant from absorbing it. I don't understand all the chemistry of this but soil ph is the root of plant happiness. A ph of around 6.5 will do. Try adding some fast-acting lime (don't use dolomitic lime) and working that into the soil about 12 inches deep.The lime frees up the calcium from the soil. As I said previously about chemistry....This is a time-honored practice so it should work for you if, in fact, you find that watering is not the problem. If you would like to have a soil profile done, please let us know and we can send you a soil test request kit. Good luck with the tomato harvest!
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Recommendations for spring vegetables in garden box
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:33 pm
- We have two garden boxes planted with a variety of spring vegetables. I'd like to add a new box or two this week, but worry I've missed the planting window. Any recommendations for plants that would do well starting in June?
- Thanks for your question. It’s definitely not too late to plant for some vegetable varieties. Several good options include carrots, beets, radishes, as well as peppers and tomatoes. Chard is also an option. Carrots, beets, and radishes can be planted every 2 weeks until mid-summer for continual harvest (depending on size of your garden boxes). Tomatoes and peppers generally take approximately 60 days to maturity - check the labels on the varieties for maturity time. Chard can be seed planted until mid-summer in our zone (zone 7). Hope this helps, and let us know if further questions!
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Bunnies
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Date Posted: Fri, Aug 06 - 8:54 pm
- What is a good way to keep bunnies out of my garden? They have eaten ALL of my strawberries and are starting to gnaw down the plants. They are carving caves out of my broccoli plants and have eaten the leaves off my Brussels sprout... I put down dichotomous earth and pepper flakes to no effect. They gnawed the marigolds I put in the garden as a deterrent to a nub. They are eating the greens off my onions. They have eaten the entire stalks of all my coneflowers. My pepper plants are getting stripped. They have recently started snipping the top 2/3 of the branches on my blueberry bushes off.
- I know, it's hard to believe such benign-looking creatures can wreak such havoc....but they can. I have not had personal experience but I have heard many tales of woe. My experience has been with deer and despite the difference in size, they both seem to do the same amount of damage, actually no, bunnies are worse. The only real solution is to fence your garden. Not knowing the size of your garden, it's difficult to say how much of a project this will be. You may need to make some adjustment to the design of your garden. It could be done relatively cheaply with some fence posts and rails from the hardware store and chicken wire or preferably hardware cloth. You probably want the fence to be 2-3 feet high so they can't jump over and the wire/cloth should be buried 6 inches in the ground to prevent the bunny from burrowing under. If you have individual plants you want to protect, you can make a 2-3 ft high collar out the wire. But it will have to stay in place year round. There are other methods and products out there for consumers but many have to be reapplied frequently, if they even work. You should also have a look around the house and garden to see if there are inviting places for rabbits to hide or nest. If so, take care of that. I hope you're able to secure your plantings and enjoy the harvest!
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Raised beds, native ground cover, bio-diversity, dog-friendly
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Date Posted: Fri, Aug 06 - 8:50 pm
- Thank you for doing this, first of all! My question is: How do I maintain a yard with raised garden beds, while also allowing natural biodiversity to thrive AND keeping it safe for my 2 small pet dogs to roam in? I am about to move into a place with a beautiful, old mulberry tree and a yard full of both native groundcover and some invasives like English ivy. I want to convert it into a big produce garden to share with my neighbors, and have planned out having 4 raised beds, along with allowing native groundcover to grow between the beds. However, I also want to be mindful of the fact that I need to keep any plants that may harm my dogs away, and keep ticks to a minimum (though I know theyre kinda unavoidable because nature is nature). Whatre your thoughts/suggestions?
- It sounds like you've got a great plan. Assuming you have the right amount of direct sun, 6 hours or more, you should have a good site for growing vegetables, herbs ,etc. You mention a large mulberry tree, I hope that it doesn't prevent you from getting the right amount of sunshine. Are you planning on building frames for the beds? I find this to be the best method. It helps deter critters (domestic and otherwise), allows for good drainage, and helps keep weeds at bay. Since you already have some native ground cover you could make the most of that by dividing the existing planting and planting the divisions between the beds. I'm not sure what native you have but if it can take some foot traffic that would be the way to go. Dividing is most successful when done in spring or fall. It sounds like you've got a good amount of yard space In addition to the raised beds so for diversity you could add native shrubs and perennials. Blueberries make an excellent edible addition to a shrub planting or border. There are many lovely native shrubs to choose from - summersweet (clethra alnifolia), fothergilla, sweetspire (itea viriginica) - to name a few. Just remember - right place, right plant. Be sure to consider the specific location you are planting in: sunny/shady, moist/ dry, etc. As far as dog-friendly plants go, I would make a list of all the plants -food and ornamental- you're considering and then check the web to see if any pose a danger to dogs. For example, some herbs are a problem for dogs and some are beneficial, so it takes some research. Regarding maintenance, the raised beds will help with this for the vegetables and herbs, and generally, all plantings (shrubs, perennials) are easier to maintain when a good mulch is applied right after planting. Also, close plantings can minimize space for weeds to take over and a mature ground cover pretty much takes care of itself. And lastly, a convenient water source is critical. I think you'll have some fun with this-Good luck!