Rosie Lerner
Q. I wrote you last year about my apricot tree having no fruit for two years. You wrote that it’s not unusual. Now, a third year had lots of blossoms but no fruit again. What can I do to get fruit? A. Lack of fruiting is to be expected for apricots in our area of the Midwest most years, and this year is no exception. Apricots are about the earliest to bloom of the fruit […]
Q. Three years ago I planted several white pine trees about 6-feet tall. They were doing very well. Then, a short time after a disagreement with one of my neighbors, my pine trees started to die. I planted six trees and every OTHER ONE died. Now I have another maple tree that is dead. I strongly suspect that someone has sprayed some of these trees with Roundup or some other kind of poison. Is there […]
Q. I’ve been interested in purchasing a reel push mower, the kind with no power engine, especially every time I see the price of a barrel of oil rise and every time I try to start my older, smoky power mower. I also like the idea of not polluting the air with noise or exhaust. We have a typical suburban front lawn and a very small backyard (under a lot of trees). Our lawn isn’t […]
Q. My question is about fruit trees. About 8 years ago, I planted 13 semi-dwarf fruit trees: seven apple trees, two apricot, two cherry and two plum. They are now about 15 or so feet tall. There have only been about six apples total. For some reason, that’s about all of the flowers on them. Please tell me, if you can, why the trees do not produce better than they do. A. Achieving a successful […]
Q) My aunt of 99 years passed away and left me 12 African violets. I’ve tried taking care of them like she did, but I can’t get them to bloom. Could you please give me some tips. A) African violets are generally quite easy to care for, adapting quite well to typical home conditions. The most critical factors are proper light, growing media, nutrition, and moisture. They will bloom best with long days (14-16 hours) […]