Frequently Asked
Gardening Questions
Common Questions About:
* Gardening in general
* Flowers
* Vegetables
* Lawns
* Soils
* Pests
and Diseases and Armyworms
* Trees
and Shrubs
* Inside the
House or Greenhouse
* The
Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
Questions About Gardening in General
What Zone am I in?
Most of Western Massachusetts is in USDA Hardiness Zone 5. Some
areas of Berkshire County are in Zone 4.
Do pine bark, sawdust or wood chips
have any nutrient value when used as a mulch?
These materials do release nutrients to the soil as they
decay but can cause a temporary nitrogen deficiency. To
prevent this, add a nitrogen fertilizer to your bark, sawdust and
wood chips.
When should peonies be divided and
transplanted? How deep should they be planted?
Transplant peonies from mid-September to
mid-October. If you transplant them in the spring, you may
damage the feeding roots that peonies produce in the spring.
Plant the tubers 2 to 3 inches below the surface.
Why do my zucchini, melon and cucumber
plants collapse in the summer heat? Is it lack of water?
It is probably caused by squash vine borer. Look for a
small hole in the stem near its base. You will probably
notice wet sawdust oozing from the stem. Split the stem
longitudinally with a sharp knife and remove the borer (a white
grub with a dark head). Then pile moist soil over the
damaged stem and you may be able to save the crop. You can
also try covering the young plants with a floating row cover
until the plants blossom.
Could you tell me the difference between
Annuals, Biennials, and Perennials?
Annuals complete their lifecyle in one growing
season, from seed to flower to seed production, and death.
Examples: cosmos, zinnias, marigolds.
Biennials have a two-year lifecycle: seed
germinates in summer and small plant overwinters; next season it
reaches maturity, flowers, produces seed and dies. May complete
in one year if started early enough. Examples: sweet
william, money plant.
Perennials are woody-types such as trees and
shrubs, either evergreen or deciduous, remain year after year.
Herbaecous-types die back to ground in winter but produce
new growth the following season. Plant may be long-lived
ie, peonies-or short-lived such as delphinium. Examples:
phlox, bleeding heart, oriental poppy.
When is the best time to fertilizer Spring
Bulbs?
Feeding Spring Bulbs annually just before blooming
with a slow-acting, general purpose fertilizer will bring best
results.
Can you discuss Powdery Mildew on Phlox?
To discourage powdery mildew, plant two to three
feet apart and thin clumps to four to five stocks.
Weekly sprayings with a solution of 1 tbsp. baking
soda to one gallon of water has been shown effective if started
before the problem is detected.
Why do my squash plants have flowers but no fruit?
Squash plants typically produce mostly male flowers first, which
are on slender stems with no swelling at the base of the flower.
Female flowers are produced later. They have
swellings at the base of the flower which develop into the squash
fruit. Also, cool and rainy weather may delay pollination;
bees don't like to work in the rain. Remedy: Wait!
Why do my tomatoes have these brown areas on the
bottom of the fruit?
Blossom-end rot may be the reason. A calcium deficiency in
the fruit is the cause. Calcium may be deficient in the
soil, or other factors may be creating plant stress, inhibiting
uptake and movement of calcium in the plant. Stress factors
contributing to this condition include cold, wet soil, or too dry
soil, root damage from cultivating too close, or excessive
nitrogen fertilizer. Remedy: make sure soil is
well-drained; water deeply in dry spells and mulch to preserve
moisture once the plants are growing strongly and soil is warm.
Avoid excessive nitrogen when fertilizing, and have soil
tested to see if lime is needed. Add gypsum if soil test
indicates pH is satisfactory but Calcium is deficient.
Why are my pepper plants dropping their blossoms?
Peppers are temperature-sensitive plants which will drop
their flowers if day temperatures are above 90 degrees, or night
temperatures are above 83 degrees or in the 40-degree range.
Best night temperatures for fruit set are 60 to 68 degrees.
Remedy: Late planting, when soil is well warmed up, to avoid
exposure to cold temperatures.
Q. I think I have grubs in my lawn.What can I do about it? When should I apply grub controls?
Q. There are lots of beetles flying over my lawn. Whats happening?
A.First, make sure you have grubs.Here are the symptoms:
* Grass is brown in patches, especially during hot or dry weather
* Lawn feels soft or spongy when you walk on it
* Chunks of grass can easily be pulled up by hand
* Small sections of grass can easily be rolled back
* Raccoons, opossums, skunks, crows or moles are frequently digging into your lawn.
* You see lots of beetles flying over your lawn. This is what the grubs become when they grow up.
To confirm the extent of the problem and to identify the grubs, cut our a 4-inch by 4-inch patch of turf and look for grubs underneath it. Then, put the cut out piece upside down on a hard surface and hit it with the back of a trowel. If there are grubs in the turf, they will come out where you can see them. You can replace the turf afterwards.
There are three types of white grub that are common in our area. It is important to know what kind of grub you have so you can apply the correct controls. They are the Japanese beetle, the European chafer, and oriental beetles. Identify grubs by looking at the tail end (anal slit or Raster pattern). In front of slit the spines' pattern gives the ID. The Japanese beetle has 5 white tufts along the body, curved slit and 2 rows where the spines point in a V pattern. The European Chafers are a dull brown, and their slit does not contour. Has 2 rows of spines (like a zipper). These appear mainly in the Shrewsbury area.
If you do have grubs, timing of control treatments is important, especially if you choose to use chemical controls. Grubs overwinter deep under the lawn and cannot be effectively treated until they crawl back up to the root zone, around April. At that time, they are quite large and difficult to kill, although some chemical controls may be effective. You will have better success treating the second generation, which appears in June, July or August depending on the weather. You can treat this generation while the grubs are still small and weak.
Apply chemical grub control during cool weather (less than 80 degrees and low humidity) and water in well or do it when rain is predicted. In 2002, if oriental beetles and/or European chafers are the primary species in your location, you should try to get product down by the end of the third week of July (19 July) if at all possible. However, it is absolutely essential to water the product in. If we do not get much rain, it is probably better to delay the application a little bit until there is adequate rainfall, but try and have the product in place no later than 26 July.
If the primary grub species is the Japanese beetle, your target dates for application should be about two weeks later . Consult a garden center for specific product recommendations, and read the label carefully.
If you do not want to use chemical controls, there are biological controls available. You can apply nematodes at a rate of 1-2 billion/acre. Do this annually for European Chafer/Japanese Beetles/Oriental Beetles at the same time that chemical controls would be applied, when grubs are small. These carry disease to the insects. Heterohohditis bacteriophora is the only effective nematode. It enters the grubs' alimentary track and is very specific. You must water area after application.. Nematodes land on grass and water assists nematodes in moving down into the soil where the grubs are.
Milky spore is often recommended as the best non-chemical option, but it is mostly effective against Japanese beetle grubs, and results with it in Western Massachusetts have been variable. Our climate seems to reduce its effectiveness.
Grub-damaged areas of lawn should be re-seeded in the fall. It is not necessary to remove the old turf first.
For identification of grubs, go to:
http://www.umassturf.org/pestid/whitegrubrasters.htm
For timing of grub controls, check:
http://www.umassturf.org/updates/pestupdate.htm
When
should I fertilize my lawn?
If you choose to fertilize your lawn just once a year, the
best time to do that is late August through early September. This
helps prevent winter stress in cell walls. Use 3-1-3 NPK.
If you choose to apply fertilizer twice a year the second application should be late April through early May. Use 3-1-2 NPK.
If you do three applications a year, the third should be applied in mid to late November. This is late season, but the lawn is not yet dormant. The grass is still green, but not growing. Use 3-1-2 NPK.
If you do a fourth application that should be in late May through early June. This is to prepare for summer. Use 3-1-3 NPK.
(3-1-3 Represents the proportions for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium)
When is the best time to water my lawn? And, how much water does it need?
Water is necessary for good plant growth, but too much water floods the air pores in the soil depriving the roots of oxygen. The roots will then rot. Disease-causing fungi reproduce by spores that, like seeds, need water to germinate. Dry leaf blades reduce disease by reducing spore germination and infection by fungi. Water infrequently but deeply, to a depth of 6". Water early in the day, so turfgrass will dry quickly.
3.Which
type of grass is best for New England?
The best grass seed to use here in New England is a mixture
of cool season grasses. The mixture includes Kentucky Blue Grass,
Fine Fescues, Tall Fescues, and Perennial Ryegrass. The best time
to plant is August when it is cooler, there is more moisture, and
weed seeds are not germinating. The exception for the
homeowners lawn would be if it is mostly shady, then a Fine
Fescues mix would be a better choice. Look for seed that contains
endophytes. It will provide resistance to the leaf feeding
insects, which are chinch bugs, sod webworms, and pillbugs.
Endophytes are a beneficial fungus in turfgrass. They do not
travel from plant to plant, but should not be used where animals
are grazing.
How
do I take a soil sample for testing?
1. Dig a hole 6-8 inches deep (3-4 inches deep for
lawns) and set the soil aside
2. Using a clean trowel, take a thin vertical slice from the side
of the hole and place in a clean container
3. Take at least 5 samples from the test area and mix them well
in a clean container
4. Place 1/2 cup of this mixed soil in a small plastic bag, close
tightly and label the outside of the bag
Avoid taking soil which has recently been limed or
fertilized.
I
have been adding coffee grounds to the soil around my flowers for
several years now, if I continue will it hurt the flowers?
Coffee grounds are a natural fertilizer, sometimes called a form
of OM (organic matter) and provide low levels of nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium (2-0.3-0.3). You can use coffee grounds
both as a one-inch mulch and in compost over a long period of
time without harming the flowers if you add either lime or wood
ashes to the soil to counteract the acidic nature of the coffee
grounds.
Can
I add orange and banana peels, apple cores and other organic
table scraps directly to the soil in my garden?
If you add table scraps directly to the soil eventually they will
decompose and become organic matter which will benefit your soil.
However, while this process is taking place, it will drain
the Nitrogen from the soil that your flowers and vegetables need
in regular amounts all summer to grow leaves, stay green and grow
at their proper rate. It would be better to compost your
table scraps and then add them to your garden to prevent
continued Nitrogen loss.
Questions about Pests and Diseases
What can I do
about armyworms?
Armyworm problems on lawns and hayfields are
widespread throughout Massachusetts. The problem this year may be
related to introductions of adult moths on the series of
thunderstorms we had in late May after the earlier long dry
spell.
Armyworms are moth larvae that are usually thought of as pests of
grasses including lawns in the Midwest and southern states. They
are called army worms because they 'march' in large groups over
an area, feeding in large masses then moving to the next grassy
area to continue feeding. They may march during the day but are
thought to do most of their feeding at night. The female moths
lay as many as 2000 eggs in lawns at a time. After 6-10 days of
incubation, the eggs hatch into small caterpillars that feed on
leaf blades. The larval stage lasts 3-4 weeks, when the larvae
pupate in cocoons in the soil. Armyworms are thought not to over
winter north of Tennessee and the second generation should not be
a great problem as the adult moths will become more widely
dispersed than the first introduced concentrated generation.
The best "control" option is to cut fields to avoid
damage. However Armyworms will often move out of a cut field, and
may cause damage to adjacent crops. There are also some natural
parasites. Chemical controls for grass are limited, and only
likely to be effective if the larvae are small 1/2" to
3//4". When larvae get beyond 1 1/2" most of the
feeding damage has already occurred. For more information on
chemical controls visit The University Of Massachusetts
Extension Service or Rutgers Armyworm Page
What can I do about moles?
Mole-Med is sold for mole treatment. It's the one
tested by the universities and supposedly works. The home made
version contains 6 ounces of castor oil, 2 tablespoons of
dishwashing liquid (one known for its degreasing capabilities)
and one gallon water. This is the concentrate. Add one ounce of
this to one gallon of water. Water the area to be treated and
then apply. Treats 300 square feet of lawn.
What is the cottony stuff infesting my
hemlocks?
This could be signs of a
relative newcomer to the Northeast called hemlock wooly
adelgid. This aphid-like insect has been spreading locally
and can kill hemlocks if not treated. Apply dormant oil
according to container instructions in early spring before buds
swell. Really bad infestations can be treated systemically
by a certified arborist.
Why did my tomato plants start turning brown and
wilting on one side?
Most likely your tomato plants were infected with verticillium
wilt, a very common fungus that attacks the tomato family.
Scrupulous fall cleanup of infected plants is very important as
the spores will overwinter in fallen leaves. Rotation of
crops within the garden and use of verticillium-resistant hybrids
will help eliminate recurrence.
Something is making tiny holes in my cabbage and
brussels sprout plants.
Flea beetles are the most likely culprits. They are
very small (hence the name) jumping beetles that chew many
tiny holes in members of the cabbage family. Most of the
damage is done in early spring when the plants are small.
Floating row cover material is useful as a barrier until the
plants grow large enough to withstand the chewing. A spray
of pyrethrum is also helpful.
Parts of my healthy-looking squash plants suddenly
wilted and died. What caused that?
A sudden wilting of squash-type vines is often caused by the
larvae of the squash vine borer moth which bores into fleshy
squash stems effectively killing that part of the vine.
Floating row cover is a good barrier method for early
control. This needs to be removed for pollinators once
blooms open. For chemical controls, check with your local
garden center.
Questions about trees and shrubs
The leaves on my rhododendrons look dead, what should
I do?
This was a tough winter on rhododendrons. Many plants
have suffered some die-back due to lack of moisture. Continue to
monitor affected plants and see if the branches recover. Once it
is certain they are dead, prune and dispose of dead twigs or
branches being careful to check for adventitious bud formation in
the transition zone between the dead and healthy portions of the
plant. Long-term management involves maintenance of 2-3 inches of
composted pine bark or other organic mulch over as much of the
root zone as possible. Also, water the rhododendrons once a week
if there is no rainfall during the spring and summer and during
dry autumns. Apply a soaking type of irrigation that wets the
ground to a depth of 12-18 inches.
Why haven't my lilacs bloomed?
First of all, what is the age of the
lilacs? Newly planted
specimens or older growth shrubs? If it's a new shrub, it may simply be too
young or if older it
may need some pruning. Pruning should only be done in
late spring when the shrub is done blooming.
(This is the same for forsythias or
other spring blooming shrubs.) Lilacs prefer full sun
and will
also benefit from the addition of lime.
Questions about plants in the house or greenhouse
My amaryllis has little black flies flying out of its
soil. What are these creatures and what should I do about
them?
They are either the Fungus Gnat or Shore Fly. Try changing
the soil using a sanitized media. By all means, avoid
overwatering.
The leaves are falling off my rubber tree from the
bottom-up. What's happening here?
This is due to root-rot which is caused by over-watering. Slow
down on the water!
My plant has cotton-like spots on the underside of
leaves. What is causing this condition, and what should I do
about it?
Mealybugs are the culprits. First try using a strong stream of
water to wash off as many as possible. Then, if needed, apply
pesticide and soil systemics. Make pesticide applications
at 7 to 10 day intervals. Systemics 2 to 3 week intervals.
Questions about the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
How can I become a Master Gardener?
To become a Master Gardener, you must attend an
intensive, multi-session training program and carry out 60 hours
of volunteer activities. The next training program will begin in
January, 2007. If you are
interested in getting an application, please send an e-mail with
your name and address to classes@wmassmastergardeners.org