IN THE GARDEN

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette potato bug illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette potato bug illustration.

Q I have a Japanese tulip tree. It is several years old, and I have two bushes from the root and have cut all the other shoots off. Would it be better to cut the smaller shoot off and let the larger shoot grow stronger?

photo

Special to the Democrat-Gazette

Humans like to eat ripe mulberries, too, if they can get to them before birds gobble them all.

A It depends how far away the two shoots are. Many tulip magnolia trees have multiple trunks, but you need to make sure they are far enough apart that they won't rub against each other and cause permanent damage. If you prefer a single-trunk tree, keep the sprouts pruned out, as new ones will appear annually.

Q Can you give any ideas about how to prevent potato bugs? I have grown potatoes for about three years but cannot rid my garden of them. The potato plant itself still produces but they have "mowed" the top/green part of my patch down quickly.

A If you get Colorado potato beetles annually, you can spray early with BT -- Bacillus thuringiensis. This is only effective for the larval stage; it will not control adult beetles. The larvae eat the coated leaves and BT acts as a stomach poison, without hurting beneficial insects. Products containing carbaryl (a trade name is Sevin) are effective against adults and larvae, but be careful when applying these products as they are deadly to bees, too.

Q I bought three crape myrtles a few years ago, red, white and purple. After a couple of years, the red quit blooming. I replaced it after two nonblooming years. I moved it instead of destroying it, but I want to know if there is any way to get it to bloom again?

A Crape myrtles bloom on new growth. The only thing that would keep a crape myrtle from blooming is lack of sunlight. The more sunlight they receive, the more they bloom. Winter damage in 2014 and 2015 caused some delay in blooming, but eventually they did have flowers, just not as many.

Q My Bradford trees have fire blight. Is there any cure?

A There is not really a cure for fire blight. Some years the disease pressure is worse than others. The only times sprays are the least bit effective is while the trees are blooming. Streptomycin (one brand name is Agri-Strep) sprayed every three to five days while the tree is blooming can give you a little preventive coverage. After bloom, if you see disease symptoms, sprays are worthless. Your only recourse is to prune the tree, cutting 6 to 8 inches beneath where you see symptoms. Sterilize pruning tools in between cuts to prevent mechanical spreading of the disease.

Q I have a 12-year-old rhododendron that has just finished blooming. It is 10 feet tall and very leggy with nearly 4 feet of bare limbs at the bottom. Do I dare try to prune? How would you recommend I do that?

A Rhododendrons are not the most forgiving plants, nor do they rebound quickly since they often just finish blooming when the weather starts to heat up. Try to thin selectively one-third of the older growth, pruning above a bud or set of leaves lower on the stem. Remove one-third of the branches this year, one-third next year and one-third the following year. Follow up with a dose of azalea/camellia fertilizer and keep them watered. Over time, they should be able to thicken a bit.

Q Do you have any tips about propagating a granddaddy graybeard (I do know that is not the official name).

A Chionanthus virginicus is known by various common names, including old man's beard and Grancy graybeard. This small native tree has beautiful white, fringed blooms in the spring that are followed by small fruits on female trees in late summer to early fall. They are notoriously difficult to propagate from cuttings, and seeds can take two years to germinate. You can try layering a low-growing limb in the ground, or simply buy some new trees.

Q Please help us identify this tree [the reader emailed photos]. Over the weekend, cedar waxwing birds were having a feast on the berries, which resembled a small raspberry or blackberry. We searched through the latest edition of Trees of Arkansas and could not find a suitable match.

A The plant in question is a mulberry tree. The fruit when ripe is edible for human consumption, too, but you will have a hard time beating the birds to it. Once birds start feasting, they often send some messy missiles on patio furniture and the like.

Janet B. 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 on 05/21/2016

Upcoming Events