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Jill and Rick Van Duyvendyk answer all your gardening questions in Garden Talk on 650 CKOM and 980 CJME every Sunday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Here are a selection of questions and answers from the Aug. 18 show:
Q: What are the red-orange bugs that ate holes in the leaves of my lily plants?
A: That’s the lily beetle. They leave pods on the back side of the leaves that look like lines of black. You need to remove both. Sometimes a lint roller works really well. If you do want to spray, you can use a spray like Bug-X Out or End All. When your plants are in full bloom cover the top of the lily and spray the bottom part of the plant. Make sure to spray the tops and the underside of the leaves. Inspect the leaves every 7 to 10 days.
Find Dutch Grower’s guide to dealing with lily beetles here.
Q: What are the white spots have been appearing on the leaves of my cucumbers for the last couple of weeks?
A: It’s called powdery mildew, and it’s a fungus. If it’s really bad pinch the affected leaves off or spray with a copper or sulfur spray to help help eliminate those spores from spreading. Even if you’re watering from the bottom we are still getting moisture overnight because it’s been pretty humid. Cucumbers and squash are very susceptible to it. If the whole plant is dusted and white and the leaves are being destroyed, it can’t grow anymore.
Q: A lot of my cucumber leaves are starting to turn yellow and it seems like it’s happening a little faster this year. Why is that?
A: As we start to get cooler nights, the plant is putting energy into the fruit instead of leaf production. When the lower leaves have turned yellow, you can start pinching those off so the plant puts more energy into the fruit.
Q: I save my dahlia tubers each fall and plant in the spring but I have trouble getting them to bloom. What am I doing wrong?
A: When you’re splitting them, you’ve have to make sure you leave an eye on each one that you’re splitting. There are some good videos on YouTube to see what those eyes look like. Use a 15-30-15 fertilizer after planting — that middle number is going to help the dahlias to bloom. They also need warm soil temperatures to get them going in the spring. Being patient because blooms might still come.
Q: I picked up some nematodes for my houseplants for those nasty little black flies. What do I need to know?
A: Nematodes need to be applied 10-14 days apart. They only live in moist soil and so as soon as it starts drying out they don’t have a proper environment for them to live. Also they’ve usually eaten all their food. Repeating the cycle also means a higher chance of getting all the pests. Nematodes inject lethal bacteria into the pest so its digestive system does not work and eventually it dies. One nematode for cutworms lays eggs inside the larvae and then eats the pest from the inside out.
Q: I have a four-year-old willow which has been dropping leaves early. What causes that?
A: Willows like moist soil, and the last three or four years we’ve had a drought. What’s happening is some root died in the ground so it it can’t supply enough nutrients to the upper part of the tree, causing leaf drop. Make sure, especially in drought years, to do some regular watering. It doesn’t have to be deep watering, as willows tend to have most roots fairly close to the surface of the soil. At least once a month do a deep watering to add extra reserves.
Q: Is it too late in the season to root runners on strawberries?
A: Not too late. Some people harvest the runners and either plant them or keep them in storage for the winter before putting them back in the ground in spring — either way worls. Cut them off, plant them, and mulch well or cut them off and then store them in peat or in a cold storage area, like a bare root. If they are in storage, don’t let the soil dry out completely, but decrease your watering so the plants go dormant.
Q: I’ve got some knots that are growing in the grass. They are light brown, but if you cut them open, they’re kind of a white colour inside and have a lot of water in them. Where are they coming from?
A: Those are tree roots and could be from any tree that’s close by. Knots usually mean the root was damaged, possibly by an aerator or a lawnmower. It’s almost like a callous. You can cut the knots out.
Q: I bought 40 blue spruce trees that are about four feet tall. How far away from my lane should I plant them, and how far away from each other?
A: The distance you want to plant them is 16 to 20 feet apart. Make the hole about four inches deeper than the pot, or twice as wide as the root ball. The width is more important than the depth. If you hit any clay or any bad soil, throw that away and get some good topsoil and plant it with that. You can plant up until the ground is frozen. Put them at least 20 feet away from the lane if possible, it’s better for clearing snow.
A campfire rose. (NetPS Plant Finder/Dutch Growers)
Q: When do I stop dead-heading a campfire rose?
A: After the September long weekend. Campfires will bloom right until the snow falls but don’t let that happen. Cut your fertilizer out now, and then stop deadheading in September.
Q: The lower branches of my 23-year-old birch tree are hanging down and touch the ground at the tips. Can I prune them back a little or so I have to prune the branch close to the trunk?
A: You can shorten them. Around the middle of July up until the middle of September is the best time to prune birches. If you have sucker birch growing along the base you take those off right against the trunk.
Q: When is the best time to prune my ever-blooming lilac bushes?
A: Deadhead them after each time they bloom because they will bloom up to three times a year. Prune them in spring, summer and a slight deadheading in the fall. Don’t trim the branches, just the flower heads.
These questions and answers have been edited and condensed.
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