Rosie Lerner

rosie@purdue.edu

716 articles by this author

Posts List

Blossom-end Rot of Tomatoes Likely This Season

You’re an eager home gardener who has lovingly nurtured a tomato patch from seed to fruit. But alas, just as your mouth waters for the first ripening gems, a black, leathery spot appears at the base of the fruit. Blossom end-rot is thankfully a frustrating disorder and not a disease of the fruit. The black scar tissue is caused by a deficiency of calcium in the developing fruit, usually brought on by extreme fluctuations in…Read more about Blossom-end Rot of Tomatoes Likely This Season[Read More]

 Categories:

June “In The Grow”

Q: Three years ago, we planted two Bradford pear trees at our lake cottage. One bloomed for the first time this spring. It is on the northwest side and gets plenty of sun. The other tree has never bloomed. It gets full sun, has very healthy looking leaves and is planted on the south side of our cottage. What can we do to make this tree bloom? We also have a dogwood tree planted at…Read more about June “In The Grow”[Read More]

 Categories:

May “In The Grow”

Q: We have a problem with bean beetles. You printed a recipe for a spray that’s not harmful to the environment a long time ago. Could you please reprint it? – G. Rominger, Brazil, Ind. A: Some gardeners mix 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent per 1 gallon of water and spray it on insects. Insecticidal soaps have been found to be effective against aphids, whiteflies and mealy bugs. The soap works by breaking down…Read more about May “In The Grow”[Read More]

 Categories:

April “In The Grow”

Q: I read your article about cat litter in the garden. Now I have a problem. We have had cat litter in the garden for years. Besides my throwing it out there, when my husband makes the garden in the spring, my cats are thrilled because they have a large, easy-digging, litter box. Now what can we do? Is there something we can do to neutralize all this? From now on, I can throw the…Read more about April “In The Grow”[Read More]

 Categories:

March “In The Grow”

Q: We have had three English walnut trees for at least 20 years. In those years, we have had about 4 bushels of nuts from them, except for the last four years. Now, we have not had even one nut. I don’t know why. We also have pecan trees. In the last four years, they have had lots of nuts, but the nuts are dried out and no good. What is wrong with them? –…Read more about March “In The Grow”[Read More]

 Categories:

1998 is the Year of the Geranium

The National Garden Bureau wants to see everyone’s home blossom with geraniums. Each year the bureau selects a flower and a vegetable to promote, and in 1998 the geranium is the flower they will spotlight. Geraniums include a diverse array of garden flowers from the highly double-flowered hybrid annual types that give season-long color, to ivy geraniums noted for their cascading growth habit, and scented geraniums grown primarily for the remarkably fragrant oils contained in…Read more about 1998 is the Year of the Geranium[Read More]

 Categories:

1998 is the Year of the Tomato

Each year, the National Garden Bureau selects a flower and a vegetable to promote, and in 1998 the veggie spotlight will shine on the tomato. Tomatoes are native to the Americas, in the Andean mountain region of South America. The Aztecs of Central America are thought to be the first people to cultivate, eat and name the plant tomatl or xtomatl. The tomato was brought to North America by colonists as an ornamental plant, and…Read more about 1998 is the Year of the Tomato[Read More]

 Categories:

How to care for your amaryllis

Amaryllis is a popular holiday gift plant but may have the lucky recipient wondering about its proper care. Amaryllis is a tender bulb that won’t survive outdoors even in the mildest of Indiana winters. But it can be grown indoors to provide a dramatic show of color during dreary winter months. The showy flowers range from crimson, scarlet, rose, lavender, white or bi-colored combinations. Although each plant may produce only one cluster of 2-4 blooms,…Read more about How to care for your amaryllis[Read More]

 Categories:

February “In The Grow”

Q: This spring I would like to plant some blueberry bushes. The soil in this area is mostly clay, with a heavy limestone content. I have dug several holes about 2 feet deep, 3 feet in diameter, and 5 feet apart. The soil from the holes has been mixed with a generous amount of decayed organic matter and replaced. I would like to add an amendment to the mixture to acidify it. However, I have…Read more about February “In The Grow”[Read More]

 Categories:

January “In The Grow”

Q. I thought bagworms and webworms were two different worms. Your answer to the question about bagworms in your November column confused me. Please clarify. Also, I have been trying to grow sweet peas in my flower garden. They seem to germinate and come up OK. They grow to about 1 foot tall, then they die. Could you tell me what type of soil and location is best for growing sweet peas? I see them…Read more about January “In The Grow”[Read More]

 Categories: