July 26, 2010
Emily: Have you ever seen a tomato worm at work? It's scary!
(A north Florida gardener)
A: Rodale's Garden Problem Solver says that the best control strategy is to hand pick them early. They say you can also us Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) spray, or if the infestation gets out of hand, a pyrethrum spray.
Hand pick is best. Then eat them with a little olive oil.
May 31, 2010
Emily: Kudzu is taking over our subdivision!!
Dear Emily: We are about
to have a house built on a lot in a nice subdivision in Alabama, but
our lot is now covered in Kudzu (we bought it two January's ago and the
Kudzu was dormant of course). Some of our neighbors
seem to be keeping a garden of Kudzu.
I am looking for a way to eradicate it from our lot but really hate the thought of 4-10 years of chemicals like I've read on a couple other sites. I wonder, since your site mentions animals grazing will eventually kill it off, could I just keep digging roots and cutting off vines?
A: You probably have a contract with the builder, so moving is out of the question.
Everything you say is correct. The roots go deep and it is a fast grower and will spread quickly.
Even the "Southern Living Garden Problem Solver" says to graze cattle on the kudzu.
Montana looks better all the time.
April 26, 2010
Emily: Will My Caladiums Come Back?
Dear Emily: Are caladiums perennial or do they not come back each year--do you need to take them up in the fall?
A: Caladiums are bulbs. In zones 10 and higher they may winter over in the ground and return each summer season when the ground is well heated up. For lower zones (cooler zones) they need to be taken up for the winter, although it is borderline for zones 8 and sometimes 7. They should be dug stored in a dry cool place no lower than 50 degrees and then replanted in the early spring late fall.
April 12, 2010
Emily: My sago plants are dying!
Dear Emily: I am wondering if you are able to take a look at a few photos of 3 sago palms that I think are dying. They are located in the San Diego area about 3 miles east of the ocean. The soil is terrible, sandy, clay, grayish stuff. The plants were planted about 20 months ago and are starting to turn yellow and brown. They have never been fertilized. We had a very wet winter and perhaps they got too much water.
A: A condition called frizzle top is probably the most common problem. This is a manganese deficiency causing the new leaves or upper leaves to turn yellow. This will start as spots and eventually the entire leaf is covered. There is a way to correct this. Spray the leaves with manganese sulfate.
Once a month for three months mix one teaspoon of manganese sulfate per gallon of water. You can also apply one to five pounds (gauging with the size of the plant) of manganese to the soil in the springtime to correct or prevent the problem.
Very common for this plant. In soils that are high pH soils and very acid sandy soils will have this deficiency. (those are juniper type shrubs around the sago in the photo - they love acidic soil.)
Other than that you can get a palm fertilizer and fertilize the sago four times a year during the growing season.
The yellowing and browning leaves can be removed from the plant with no harm to the mother plant.
March 22, 2010
Emily: Slugs are everywhere!
Dear Emily: Slugs are everywhere. How do I get rid of them?
A: Slugs really do damage plants, especially the leaves. Hand pick the larger ones loose in the evening. Many commercial products will do the trick (for instance dicamateous soil). You may have to switch bait to keep them from getting immune.
The beer bait works. If you will put some beer in a tuna can (or mayonnaise jar top) and set it next to the plant in the evening, in the morning the dead slugs will be floating in it.
March 1, 2010
Emily: My clay pots are white!
Dear Emily: I have recently planted some houseplants into clay pots. After watering them a couple of times all of the clay pots have a white powdery substance on the outside of them. What does this come from?
A: The white you see is salt build up from the watering. No real problem. Just wipe it off or wash it off. One does not want to let it get too thick and crusty. (more clay pots)
February 15, 2010
Emily: Is a Kalanchoe a houseplant?
Dear Emily: Is a Kalanchoe a houseplant or an outside plant?
A: That depends on where you live. There is no such thing as a 'real' houseplant. Every plant lives naturally and normally somewhere on this planet. A Kalanchoe is native to subtropical and tropical Africa and Madagascar, and scattering species in Asia. So in these parts of the world they do grow outdoors as a perennial succulent., climbers and sometimes shrubs. However, in cooler zones one can grow this plant as a houseplant and summer outside 'til just about frost.
Kalanchoes requires good bright light if not full sun and not the best of soil nor fertilizing.
Growing them in clay pots and simulating their native habitat makes for a nice 'houseplant'.
February 1, 2010
Emily: My Elephant Ear Got Hit by the Cold.
Dear Emily: My elephant ear got hit by the recent cold. Will it come back?
A: Even in zone 8 in South Carolina we left our Elephant Ear out for the winter. However, it was in direct sun and a good microclimate. Any freeze will cause the plant to get mushy and the leaves will die. This even happened in Northern Florida when the temperatures would get below freezing just for a few hours at night.
The good news is, that if the freeze did not cause the root ball or bulb to get mushy, the plant will probably come back in the next few weeks.
January 18, 2010
Emily: Can I grow my lucky bamboo in dirt?
Dear Emily: Greetings from the beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados. I have a question about lucky bamboo. Can it be grown in soil? If so, what kind of soil? Will the plant do better in soil or water?
A: The lucky bamboo, you might know, is not even a bamboo. It is a Dracaena sanderiana which we used to grow in soil in pots back in the 1970s. The way it is cut and sold as lucky bamboo, it seems to do much better directly in water, but it can be grown in very moist soil.
It is probably native to a tropical area where it is a rainforest plant in soil getting lots of moisture.
January 4, 2010
Emily: How do I store my amaryllis over the summer?
Dear Emily: Please tell me how to store my Amaryllis bulb over the summer & also when & how to get it started again. (I don't have a cool dark place in my house but may try to store in my daughters cold cellar.)
A: I assume that you are talking about Amaryllis that you have force bloomed for Christmas. After the season let the bloom normally die back then cut the stem(s) near the top of the bulb. Do not water and let the bulb go dormant. You can summer outside for larger bulb growth.
The "A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants" says that bulbs that have been forced into bloom should be planted in the garden once spring arrives or allowed to go dormant in their pots and then planted out in autumn. They will not force well again.
Do not water for at least two months during dormancy.
To try to get them started again, just follow the instructions that you bought with them again starting in, say, mid-October or go to our Amaryllis page.
December 2009
Emily: My Christmas cactus always flowered for my mother-in-law. Why not for me?
Dear Emily: I have a question about my Christmas cactus. I have had the plant for over a year and my mother in law had the plant for a while before me. It always flowered for her, and It hasn't flowered once while I've had it. What am I doing wrong?
A: The soil must be kept moist during the growing season, but somewhat dry when the plant is resting. Full sunlight and and average room temperatures are recommended. Short days are required to induce blooming. On September 1, the plant should have total darkness from 6:00 pm to 8:00 am until buds form. Or, if the plant is in a cool room (I have read 53 degrees or also I have read below 68 degrees but above 42 degrees) from mid-September to mid-October, flowers will be produced regardless of the day length.
More about Christmas cactus.
November 2009
Emily: My Iguana is eating my snake plant.
Dear Emily: I was wondering will snake plants harm my iguana if he eats it ?
A: We do get a lot of poison plant questions.
Here are our favorite websites for poison plants:
http://www.sniksnak.com/plants-toxic.html
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/index.html
http://www.vth.colostate.edu/poisonous_plants/report/search.cfm
As for the iguana, I'm afraid you will have to go to www.EmiliGuana.com