Q. Some years our potatoes and beets have a pitting or scabbing on the surface. It makes them very unappealing to want to eat them. I think they are OK on the inside. What causes this? A. While it is difficult to diagnose with certainty without seeing samples, there is a disease commonly called potato scab that affects both potatoes and beets. Other root crops, such as radish, rutabaga, turnip, carrot and parsnips, are also…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I have a lot of black walnut trees in my yard in Carroll County. I was wondering if there is any kind of flowers I could grow around these trees. Most people I know say there is nothing that will grow or survive around these trees. A. While many plants grow well in proximity to black walnut, there are certain plant species that are inhibited by this tree. The causal agent is a chemical…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I have two large pecan trees that have a problem. One tree is 75 feet tall with a 30-foot spread. The other is about half this size. Both trees were started with nuts. Both produce large quantities of nuts that do not mature. When the nuts get to the kernel stage, the insides dry up, and the nuts fall off. The trees get plenty of water and fertilizer from the yard, so I can’t…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I’m looking for a tree about 20 foot tall for the corner in the backyard that will be decorative all four seasons: flowers in the spring, pretty green foliage in the summer, colorful foliage in the fall and berries in the winter. I live in Fort Wayne, and the soil is a lot of clay. Can I still plant this tree in December? Will it need watered? Also, one more question please. I’m not…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I’m trying to identify a plant growing along my fence line. It is about 3 foot tall and stays green year round. Grows very slow, and I have a couple others that are smaller. Looks like a pine but does not smell like one. Just curious. A. I was not able to discern enough detail from your info to confirm the plant’s identity. Here are some tips to help you determine what this evergreen…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I have two wisteria bushes that I planted alongside each other about 10 years ago, and either has yet to bloom. One is white and the other is supposed to be red. Do I need to have a female and male plant, as you do bittersweet, in order to produce blooms, and, if so, how do I know which is which? A. First, wisteria do not have separate male and female plants, but even…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I moved to the country 15 years ago, and started planting oak trees then. I have a problem with my white oaks, but not the reds. The leaves are severely curled up and wilted; new growth comes on and looks good for a short while, then it curls also. The tips are especially affected. The trees are growing, but slowly and look awful. Any idea what to do? A. This sounds like a case…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. I moved to the country 15 years ago, and started planting oak trees then. I have a problem with my white oaks, but not the reds. The leaves are severely curled up and wilted; new growth comes on and looks good for a short while, then it curls also. The tips are especially affected. The trees are growing, but slowly and look awful. Any idea what to do? A. This sounds like a case…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. The last approximately six years have been disastrous for my two cherry trees. The first year, I thinned out the fruit and harvested a light crop. The second year, I had an abundance of fruit but, after a few weeks, all the leaves fell off. The fruit stayed, and I harvested a good crop. The next year, the trees lived a short time and then died. This same thing happened three years before —…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]
Q. One of my neighbors recently peeled away a band of bark from his hickory, and I’m wondering if this is a preventative measure against insects or something? Should I be doing this to my hickories? A. Let me preface my reply with the recommendation that most of you should NOT try this at home! Though the most reliable way to understand why your neighbor peeled the band of bark is to ask him, there…Read more about Question and Answer[Read More]