Q: I have been trying to raise tomatoes on trellises for several years with not too much success. I tried shorter trellises, several different fertilizers and ground-up eggshells for copper and calcium. My plants grew tall vines, went above the trellis by about 3 feet and fell over, ruining my pepper plants next to them. Also, I had brown spots on the tomatoes. I tried different varieties, so variety isn’t a factor. Could you enlighten me, […]
Q: I have a couple of very large tulip beds (700 to 1,000 bulbs), and I usually keep them weeded by hand after the tulips have died down in the spring. Would it be all right to spray the grass and weeds that come up in the beds with Roundup in July or August? It would be a lot easier than hand-weeding the beds all summer. But would this harm the tulip bulbs in the ground? […]
(Released: 22 September 1995) By B. Rosie Lerner Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist Now’s the time to stock up on the spring-flowering bulbs that will provide a burst of color just when we need a lift from the winter doldrums. But you don’t have to wait until spring to enjoy these blooms if you prepare a few for forcing indoors. In fact, you can have a bouquet in time to decorate for the holidays. Hardy bulbs […]
Q. We have six flowering dogwood trees in our yard that are approximately 3 years old. (They have not flowered, yet.) Our yard is adjacent to a cornfield. Our problem is Japanese beetles. They especially like our dogwoods. According to publication E-75 from the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service on Japanese beetles, flowering dogwoods are “relatively free of feeding by adult Japanese beetles.” Our dogwoods are not “relatively free.” Why are the Japanese beetles feeding on […]
Q. What has happened to my peonies? This year my maroons are pink; my pinks are white. Then I have white, too. My red one has never changed colors. – Mary Harden, Clay City, Ind. A. Flower thrips occasionally feed on peonies, distorting the buds and flecking the petals with red or white. Thrips are most abundant between late spring and midsummer. They’re difficult to control because they’re usually protected by plant tissue, and they often reproduce […]