Q I wonder what to do about the caterpillars that are munching on the baptisia, false indigo in my garden.

Right now I’mpruning them out, but there’s not going to be much to prune before long.

AThis late in the season, caterpillar feeding probably is not doing that much damage to your baptisia but you can use a BT product - Bacillus thuringiensis.

The larger the caterpillar, the harder they are to kill, so handpicking the big ones is a good idea. Spray the foliage, and any emerging caterpillars will ingest the BT and it will kill them, without damaging other insects.

Q When is the best time to prune fig trees? I pruned my trees this spring and they have grown at least 7 feet tall and take up a lot of sun space in my yard. Can I prune after I harvest the fruit now? They usually have fruit again in late summer.

A The best time to prune a fig tree is in late February to early March - after all winter weather has passed. Figs bear on the new growth and therefore are pruned before putting on new growth. Figs can get much taller than 7 feet, so if you really want to limit its size, you will have to prune it pretty severely to allow for the new growth.

Q I am not a gardener, but the ferns we buy every year are gorgeous at the end of summer. Is it possible to keep them alive by putting them in our crawl space over the winter? What would I need to do if that is the way to keep them alive for the following year?

A Tender ferns like Boston ferns can be overwintered in your crawl space quite easily. Be sure to move them prior to a killing frost. They should have a little water in the container, but you don’t want to put them under the house totally saturated or you might get some mildew. Leave them under the house until spring. They will not look great come spring, but give them a haircut to remove the old, damaged foliage, repot and water, and they should bounce back.

Q I have started moss under a tree where grass won’t grow. I also made my own “milkshake” with buttermilk to cover some rocks and a statue, etc. Other than the dog being attracted to the smell, it is all good.

I would like to know if it would help the moss spread faster to sprinkle it with Miracle Gro. I don’t want to waste my product if it wouldn’t help the moss.

A A light spraying with a diluted mix of liquid fertilizer would be fine, but don’t overdo it or you will burn the moss.

If you have compost, you can also mix some of that in water and use it. This is called compost tea. The main thing moss needs is to be kept moist. The rate of growth varies by moss species. Try to keep traffic to a minimum while you are establishing it.

Q Have you ever seen a tomato producing its own sprouts? I have a small tomato that has tomato seedlings sprouting out of the fruit itself, and there are several more about to poke out. You can see them in the photo.

A It’s a rare occurrence to happen with sprouting outside the fruit. If it happens at all it usually will occur with germinated seeds within the tomato. This is called vivipary and occurs in many fleshy berries and in corn when kernels are rewetted.

Usually the gel surrounding the seeds will inhibit the seeds from germinating because it contains a hormone, abscisic acid.

For gardeners who want to save seeds and grow transplants, usually once the seeds in a ripe tomato are mature they are processed by soaking in water, allowing the gel to be removed, and then letting the seed sink to the bottom. This is usually a smelly process best done outside. The seed is strained out, rinsed, dried and then it is ready to plant. Long maturation times and the right weather will allow this to happen in the fruit.

Janet Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 or email her at

[email protected]

HomeStyle, Pages 37 on 09/07/2013