When lightning strikes a tree, it will most certainly leave a calling card, but it can be difficult to predict whether that injury is “strike one, two or three.” There are many variables to consider, including the species, moisture content, and relative health of the tree at the time of the strike and the intensity of the strike. Lightning can strike just about anything tall, but trees do seem to be a frequent target. And […]
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 […]
Recent high winds will no doubt have left their calling card on our yards and gardens. Considering sustained winds of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph, it’s really quite astonishing that there wasn’t more widespread severe damage. In most windstorms, the trees hardest hit are weak-wooded species, such as silver maples, Siberian elms, river birch and willows. Some trees may have had previously unknown internal decay that resulted in large sections of the […]
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. We plant sweet potatoes in a raised bed the length of our garden. We have had an animal go underground and eat one-third of it. This year, some grew 10 inches long and 8 inches around. I’ve read that an animal–“a vole”–could be the problem. What can we do about it? A. There are several species of voles (field mice). Voles are active day and night, year-round. Their territory is usually one-fourth acre or […]
Q. In the last few months, we purchased property that included a portion of an old blueberry farm. We did have some of the bushes removed to have more backyard; however, we still have over 1,000 bushes that haven’t been touched for about three years! Most of the bushes are between six to seven feet high. Just a couple of rows are about four feet. Should we prune or cut down these bushes so they […]
Q. This winter, I was cutting down some trees that had poison ivy growing on them during the summer. I broke out in a rash, even though the poison ivy leaves were gone. Does poison ivy stay poisonous even after the leaves die? How do I remove the plants, even though they are already dead, without becoming contaminated? I am terribly sensitive to poison ivy and thought that I would be safe by waiting until […]
Q. I have a blue prince and princess holly, and I think they are doing fine, but I want to plant another female species (Blue Girl), since it doesn’t grow quite as big. Will the blue prince pollinate the Blue Girl, or do I need the Blue Boy also? Thank you for your advice. A. In order for a female plant to bear fruit, she must be in bloom at the same time as a […]
Q. I am wondering what causes a layer of stiff, hard white tissue under the skin of some of my tomatoes. It only affects a few. The inside of the tomato is fine after this is peeled off. Is there something in the soil? We have a lot of clay soil here in Clay County, Ind. I use Fast Start when setting them but no fertilizer after that. A. Sounds like you’re describing a common disorder […]