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Greg Quinn's thought for the day: I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older, then it dawned on me ...they were cramming for their finals.

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Dear Greg, 1) I have a Christmas Cactus that is about 10 yrs. old. Somtimes it blooms in Jan/Feb but not fully. What should I do to make it bloom around the holidays and to completely bloom? 2) I planted a lilac bush 4 years ago. The first year it bloomed, the second a few blossoms but a frost killed them (Warwick NY). It has not bloomed since and we have not trimmed it. What should we do? Thank you,Gary

Dear Gary, 1)"Christmas" cactus come in many different species which bloom at different times. It sounds like you have a Jan/Feb cactus. You should give it full sun between May and September and feed it with a 15-30-15. 2)Your lilac needs FULL sun, 5-10-5 fertilizer, and a handful of wood ash from the fire place once a year. Continue your no-pruning routine.

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Dear Greg, I really miss your Saturday morning shoe on WLNA. I often got up early & got great advice on my questions and others that were called in. So I was delighted to learn about your e-mail Q&A. Thanks for being available, and for all you past help. My question: I have a small fig tree that has survived a couple of winters (I wrap it up with leaves and paper and plastic), but last winter everything died again but the root system, so another sapling sprouted. This has happened a few times. At this rate I'll never get a mature tree that will bear fruit. (Over 6-7 years I've gotten only one small fig!) How can I better protect it over the winter so that it will pick up where it left off growing this year instead of starting over again? Thanks, Tony

Hi Tony, Thanks for the kind words. I really miss doing that show too. The problem is the plastic. NEVER use plastic because the buds need to breath. Oak leaves and Burlap will be enough. Good luck.

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hi greg... you just crack me up. your witty, albeit educational, informative answers always put a smile on my face. and, you look every bit of your twenty years.... okay, my questions: you mentioned a number of times one can cut back their butterfly bush up to 50% in the spring. well, i did not cut mine back last year, and this year it grew well over 8 feet with many glorious blooms. i just cut the bush back last week, and i cut it back to about 1 foot. PLEASE tell me i didn't just kill my plant. will it grow back???? my second question concerns my lilac trees. i was under the impression that the maximum height of my bushes would be about 6 feet tall. well these beauties must love their southern exposure because they too are surpassing 8 feet. ALL of your lilac responses state NOT to trim off the top. i have to cut my babies back a couple feet cause they are growing right into my cables and electrical wires. what's going to happen to them if i trim them from the TOP???? since i'm going to have to trim them back, when is the best time to do so? and finally, you mentioned in one of your replies to feed azaleas 5-10-5 fertilizer. i thought these type of plants like acidic fertilizer. was i mistaken...... again. thanks, korkie

Hi Korkie, Thanks for the compliments. I have a lot of fun doing it. You're supposed to ask first then cut second. But you knew that, didn't you? You probably didn't kill it. It may, however, take a year or so to come back. Feed it now and again in April with 5-10-5. You can lower the height of your lilacs by cutting the oldest thickest stems at the ground right after bloom. They are the tallest ones. Remove no more than 33% of the total number each year. Azaleas like an acid environment but with the acid rain we have in this area, 5-10-5 will work just fine.

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greg, about a week or so ago, you were discussing how to care for mums on the morning show. i must have been in the middle of a 'senior moment' because i can't remember much about the talk. i know you said to trim them back three times next year. please tell me when and how much again. also, do i cut the mums back this fall, or just let them die back on their own? muchas gracias, korkie

Korkie, Cut your mums back this fall after all the foliage turns brown. Nest year, prune the mums 3 times on the 15th of May, June and July by 50% each time. De nada.

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Hello Mr. Quinn, I usually hear you on the radio but i never have the time to call the station and hopefully get through. So here goes my question. I have a pointsetia plant from last year and I know I should place it in a very dark spot. My question is when should it be put into the darkness and for how many hours a day? You may have answered this question last year but I don't recall hearing it. Have a great time at the station and I'll be hearing you on WHUD. And could you tell Mike that he needs to get some NEW jokes. I have been listening for years and he keeps using the same worn out and not so funny jokes. Please break it to him gently.

If you call me Mr. Quinn, I have to put on a tie! I start my poinsettia in the 12 hours light / 12 hours dark cycle on September 1st for 60 days.

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Hi Greg...you've a great web site and love to hear you answer questions on Ed and Mike's show...It's so nice having a gardner like you in our back yard...So...I've pulled up my glad bulbs in Sept. and put them out to dry...I read that the old bulb had to be removed before they were stored away..I tried this and it was very hard to do. I'm afraid of damaging the bulb. Is it necessary to do this or can i leave it as is.? Also..we have bought bulbs for the spring but have not planted them...will it be alright to save them and plant them in the spring or do they absolutely have to go into the ground now. Can i plant Irises now or should i plant them in the spring...Thank you. Helen in Cold Spring

Hi Helen, Thanks! 1)It's not absolutely necessary to pull off the old Glad bulb. 2)Bulbs have to go through a stratification (cool down) process. If you can't get them in the ground, you could keep them in a brown paper bag in the bottom of your fridge till spring. Same with the Iris rhizomes.

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Dear Greg, I had a blue spruce planted in late September. A few days ago in especially high winds the tree was knocked down. It appears that the roots were torn and damaged. I have replanted the tree but am wondering if there is anything more specific or effective that I can do to keep the tree alive. Thank you for any advice that you can give me. Paul

Dear Paul, A tree that went in the ground in September has not had much rooting time yet. It should be fine. You should stake it well to insure it doesn't fall down again for a couple of years.

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I have a question about an old Very Healthy Aloe Plant. I have thinned it out and replanted pieces several times. The original is flowering. There are two stalks of Orange colored flowers. Should I do anything with the stalks or just leave them?

Don't argue with success! It sounds like you're doing all the right things.

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Dear Greg, How late in the year can I plant grass for a new lawn? How early in the spring can I plant it? How do I keep the birds from eating the seed? Thanks, Ellen Briarcliff Manor

Dear Ellen, You've just missed the best time to put in a new lawn. The next best time will be the end of April. Spread salt hay over the seeds and it'll camouflage them from the birds.

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Hi Greg - We had a beautiful day lily in the garden this summer. We saved the seeds from the pods and want to know how to grow them for next year? How to store them, when to plant them, will new flowers grow from these seeds??? Thank you Angie DiPrinzio Cortlandt Manor

Hi Angie, Day Lilies are not actually lilies but rather hemerocalis. The seed pods must be from non-sterile plants which can only be determined from the breeder. They must have dried ON the plant and then put through a minimum of 60 days cooling period of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. You can then plant them up in pots or flats in March and if they sprout, put them in the ground in May. Good luck!

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My husband got some of the red little balls, I believe they are the seeds to the holly berry tree, he put them on the ground last year, but they have not grown anything yet, my question is: Will these little redballs grow anything? Thank you. Yolanda

Hi Yolanda, The red berries are actually the seed pods and if not sterile, will produce holly plants. They must dry naturally on the bush and then go through stratification (a cooling down period) of 40 degrees for at least 90 days. Then plant them indoors in sterile soil mix at 65 degrees and bright, 8 hours of light.

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Greg, We have hedges in the front of our house. I believe they are called 'privets'. They have always been on the 'thin' side and after this year's drought look even worse. What can I do to make them healthier?? Should they be cut shorter (they are about 4 feet tall) and if so how far back and at what time of year? Also, what is the best time of year to plant new privets?? Thanks very much..............Ron Salvatore

Ron, Your privets are probably thin because they are in the shade. The must be in full sun and pruned so that they are wider on the bottom than on the top. They can be cut back severely to as much as 18 inches tall in April to rejuvenate them. That's also a good time to plant new ones.

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Dear Greg, Thank you for all the advise. I should have no excuses this spring and summer. I wanted to ask you if the following is correct. I saw on a TV garden show that you can propagate roses by taking a cutting, putting it in a plastic zip lock bag, in moist sand. They said in three weeks it would have roots and can be planted. they even said it can be done with leaves on the stem or from a dormant peice. This sounds too easy. Looking forward to you response. Ernestine ( is there a limit how many times someone can write? This is #3)

Dear Ernistine, What you've heard is true but I usually use an upside down mayonnaise jar. The first three questions are free. After that you must write the questions on a twenty dollar bill and send them to me (just kidding).

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Dear Greg, My Mom was given a miniature rose last winter. I planted in front of my house where it faces the south and stays fairly warm during the winter (as warm as it can be here in the North East). I am wondering what I can do to prepare it for the winter. I would hate to lose it, I lost Mom in June and it would be so nice to see her rose bloom year after year. Thanks

Without knowing the species of the rose I can only give you general information. Most roses are hardy in this part of the country but not all. In December, heap a little wood chip mulch around the base of the plant. In April, you can prune it back and fertilize it with a good rose food according to label directions.

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I have a cliimatis that is five years old and has been growing on a post with a bird feeder. It has grown to about six feet tall and about four feet wide. The post broke and it is laying on the ground . We just built a new trelis but don't know if we can trim the climatis back so next year it can start to grow up the new trelis. The top still has leaves and flowers but near the ground it looks like it is dead. Can we trim it back without hurting the plant?

Your Clematis can be pruned back by as much as 50% in early April. You may want to support it over the winter so it doesn't break.

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Hi Greg - Like everyone else, we love listening to you in the a.m.! We have a question regarding day lilies. We harvested the seeds from the pods at the end of the summer and are wondering if we can grow new plants from the seeds? When should we plant them? Also, our 6 year old peach tree develops peaches about the size of small plums. They never seem to ripen and eventually fall off or are eaten by squirrels. What can we do? Thanx Angie

Hi Angie, Your peach tree probably suffered (not surprisingly) from the drought this year. Next year make sure it has ample water and feed it now and start again in April with a 5-10-5 according to label directions. You should also apply Ortho Home Orchard Spray according to label direction to kill off the fungi and insects that may cause the problem. I think I answered you daylilly question earlier.

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goodday greg, i want to buy a living evergreen for my christmas tree this year. however, i'm not sure how to care for it until i can plant it in the spring; or, can i plant it at the end of the holiday season? if so, should i dig the hole now, before the ground freezes over? final question: what type of tree do you recommend? thanks for you assistance. korkie

G'day Korkie, By all means, dig the hole now. You'll need dynamite after it freezes. Also prepare the hole which should be twice the size of the ball with large amounts of compost now. If possible, store the excavated soil in large containers (garbage cans?) in your garage so it doesn't totally freeze. It just will be easier to handle when you plant the tree after the holidays. Plant the tree at the exact depth it was growing in the ball. Before you bring the tree indoors, spray it with an anti-dessicant to help reduce it's dehydration and lastly, be sure to water it well (at least 15 gallons) when you put it in the hole. Enjoy

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Received seeds from California and two small trees have survived for over one year. Started them in pots indoors and planted them outdoors last spring. They are doing fine so far. I have covered the roots with mulch and surrounded them with extra large plastic flower pots (upended) with the bottoms cut out to protect them from the winds. They are about 15inches tall. I have reached this point in the past only to lose them over the winter. I did not protect them from the wind in the past. Can you suggest anything else that I can do to give them a chance to survive our winters and do I have to protect them each winter. Enjoy listening to you on Ed & Mike's show. Thanks for your help. Cathy Possenti Lake Peekskill

Hi Cathy, The only thing you didn't tell me was the kind of tree we're talking about. They simply may not be hardy in this zone. If that's the case, all the care in the world won't keep it alive outside.