Ed Hume Answers Your Gardening Questions
Ed Hume cannot answer all of the garden questions he receives, but questions
of general interest will be answered here every month. Email your questions
to HumeSeeds@aol.com. Please
note: we do not accept attachments.
Before submitting a question, be sure to check the index
of previous questions and answers or search our
site using key words. Many questions have already been answered
here on the site.
Other February Links
 I was given a beautiful
poinsettia more than a month ago, & surprisingly it is still beautiful,
something unusual for me. But there must be some kind of a bug eating at
it. I have not seen anything on it, but many of the red leaves are getting
all crinkled up & I see a few wholes in some of the leaves. What should
I spray on it. Would the bugs live in the soil?
 Possibly! Leaves will
sometime wrinkle if one rubs against the plant or the leaves are being blown
by a heating duct. If it was mine I would take the plant outside on a warm
day, treat the soil with a 'Houseplant Dust or spray', then take it back
indoors. Make certain it is a spray that can be used indoors and apply it
according to label instructions.
We are experiencing
a large amount of Red Thread in our grass. Do you have any suggestions for
getting rid of it?
You can use a lawn
fungicide to help control Red Thread or you can feed the lawn with a high
nitrogen fertilizer to help control it. My recommendation would be to feed
the lawn now with a high nitrogen 'organic' type fertilizer. The organics
are slow acting, so if you use a fall or winter type of organic lawn fertilizer
it should help control the 'Red Thread' and at the same time green-up the
lawn, without causing excessive growth.
I have failed at growing
my own seedlings every year, last year I bought a growlight but still failed.
The seedlings start out fine, then get spindly fall over and die. I know
that we are to start indoor seeds shortly but how close to the lights should
the trays be kept? And how close should the seedlings be kept to the lights
as they grow? Also, how often should they be watered? My Husband has a tendency
to flood them.
We have the best success
if the lights are about 6 to 8 inches above the seedlings. We keep the lights
about the same distance above the trays, before the seeds germinate. Watering
probably has one of the biggest effects on seedlings, moisten the starting
media, but do not drown the young seedlings. The lights should be kept on
for about 12 hours a day. When the seedlings are about 1 to 2 inches tall,
they should be separated and transplanted.
I am very new to the
houseplant realm. I have two peacelily's and a Dragon Tree. All have recently
had tiny little visitors take up residence. I have these very little flying
pests flying all around my house, but mostly in and around my plants. What
are they and how do I get rid of them?
The two most common
flying insects are 'white fly' and 'knats'. The 'knats' very often come from
the soil and can easily be controlled. My wife likes to take a piece of peeled
fruit, like an orange, place it in an open zip-lock bag, then once the bugs
settle on the fruit, she zips-it-up and throws it away. Then replaces it
with another, until the insects are gone. Houseplant sprays can also be used,
but they will need to be used once a week, for three weeks in a row. If it's
'white flies' try using a bright yellow card, covered lightly with sewing
machine oil. This insect is attracted to the yellow, lands on the card, and
gets stuck in the oil.
I read your article
on the orchard mason bee in which it was stated that the holes should be
cleaned out (using a ramrod type tool) after the bees emerge so that the
bees will reuse the holes.
How do you know when to clean out the holes? The bees do not all emerge at
once. Some of the early bees are already refilling some of the holes while
others are still emerging. To try to clean out the holes would destroy some
of those yet to emerge and some of those already being filled for the next
year. Just how do you know when to use the ramrod?
I just talked to one
of the man that is doing research on this bee, and he feels it is not important
to clean the holes. I think that's a wise opinion, because who would clean
their natural nesting places? He has several dozen hives and has cleaned
some, while not cleaning others, and says it does not seem to make any
difference. Sorry to mislead you, but cleaning was recommended when I wrote
the article.
See Also: Orchard Bees for Better
Pollination
I would like to know
whether any of your seed varieties have genetic modifiers. There are so many
seeds available now that have been altered chemically and it is a worrisome
issue for many of us.
No, none of our seeds
are genetically modified. Our seeds are from the current crop and are not
treated with pesticides either.
Return to Library - Back
to Home Page |
