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We have a large rhododendron and 2 azalea bushes we would like to move from their present location. When would be a good time of year to move them. We would lilke to do it as soon as possible but don't want to damage to plants. Thanks, Kathy
Hi Kathy, Actually, the best time is in the early spring around the first of April. Any time after that and you risk running into hot weather. If you must transplant them later, try to plan on a cloudy / rainy few days and be sure to water heavily for a couple of weeks.
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I'm hoping you can help me. We found a pink lady slipper orchid in a wooded area of our back yard (Mahopac, NY). Unfortunately, we need to move the plant as it is located in an area where we will be building a garage. My question is: How do I move it without damaging it and can it be located to another area in our yard which has fertile (high composted soil with pine mulch), acidic soil with filtered light (area currently grows ferns, hosta, oak trees, mountain laurels, and bleeding hearts)? I appreciate any advice you can offer. Best regards, Liz Granata
Hi Liz, Take a large root / soil mass when you dig it up. This is a wild plant so try to transplant it into an area that has as close as possible to the conditions in which it is going including sun, soil type, etc. The area you described sounds like a good bet.
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Good afternoon, I have 2 arborvitae that I planted about 2 years ago and thought they were doing fine until I looked at the side that does not face my house (northern exposure) a week ago and noticed that a lot of the leaves are brown and brittle and crumble if touched. Is this from winter/snow/wind damage? If so, should I trim them off now or wait? What should I do this winter to prevent any further damage. Thanks for your help. Bob
Hi Bob, If this damage is on the inside of the plant, then it's normal. If it is the tips, it could be any one or all of the conditions you mentioned. You can shear it any time through June. Most arborvitae are hardy in the winter in this part of the world so once it's rooted in (a year or more) you should have any problem.
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Greg: What can I feed my box wood hedges to spruce them up? Thanks, Wayne
Hi Wayne, Box will thrive on a 10-6-4 granular or Miracid according to label directions.
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Hi there, What is the best way to get rid of Poison Ivy??? Area is approx 25x25. No concern for surrounding vegetation since the Ivy has taken control with wild abandonment. However, it is creeping up the Willow trees which is not good. Thank you for your help. We are listening to you while riding to work, enjoy your humor. Peggy Lockwood Cortlandt Manor
Hi Peggy, Thanks for the compliment. First, cut the vines on the trees at the base. No need to remove them unless you want to. Then spray the Poison Ivy with Roundup every 2 weeks until you no longer see the little red / green leaflets coming up.
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Greg, Can you please tell me if we have poison oak in the lower Hudson Valley area? If yes, does it only grow as a bush?
There is poison oak in this area but it grows on a vine. Thank you.
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Dear Greg, I really enjoy listening to you on the radio! You are very helpful to a lot of people! My question is a simple, yet complicated one! I have been trying to plant grass for my parents for the past 5 years. Each year, I buy the grass, follow all directions, use fertilizer...the whole shabang..but I never get grass that stays, even with more fertilizer as per the directions. The area is mostly shaded, perhaps that is my problem. Would some kind of moss be better? We need green! Can you suggest any ideas? I don't want to rototill again! Please help! Sincerely, Aleksandra Neuman
Hi Aleksandra, Thanks for the kind words. You're right. The shade is the problem. Moss will probably work if the soil is acid, poor quality and very shady or you can try any of the numerous shade tolerant ground covers such as Vinca vine, pachysandra, Bishop's weed, etc. Check seed catalogs for a wide selection.
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how do I transplant wild bleeding hearts is there a certain time of the season for best results. where is the best location to put them sun shade or what?
They can be transplanted through June. Be sure to water them well for a couple of weeks after transplanting. Bleeding hearts do well in the sun and can tolerate some shade.
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greg i have what i think is a scottish broom. they are bent over from all the snow this winter. can i trim them back? i would also like to know if i can take clippings and transplant them to another area. i love listening to you on whud. thank you, betty
Hi Betty, Thanks for the compliment. Your Scottish broom can be pruned back in the early spring around the first of April. You can take a few cuttings and try to root them with rooting hormone in August.
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Hello Greg!
This question will take the form of " a friend of mine...." ... :: laughs:: but truly, it is from a friend of mine in California... below is her email to me... an I thought.. who better to address such a question than the gardening expert Greg Quinn!
Tam.. Got a ? for ya..my loving husband with the tractor in the backyard accidentally backed into an 18 ft pine tree..knocked it completely down, took the roots completely out of the ground..they are all in tact with the tree..we dug the hole bigger, placed planting mixture in the hole..and put the tree back in..placing a dirt mound around it..along with top soil..also, placing a ring around the tree for watering..is there anything else you can think of we didnt do?? Every year for our anniversary we have planted trees..this one was the first during the first year we lived here..6 years ago..would explain why its 18ft tall..its always been a healthy, tree..I am just hoping and PRAYING it survives!! Any ideas...would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Love you xoxo Dar
Thanks in advance for your help Greg! Tammy
Hi Tammy and Dar, First of all be sure to stake the tree in at least three different directions to keep the new roots from tearing every time the wind blows. The well to catch water is good but be sure not to plant it deeper that it was growing. This will affect the microclimate around the roots. Water it well and feed it with Super Phosphate. Good luck. Love you xoxo Greg
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Hi Greg, I have listened to the frustration of gardeners over the years complain about deer damage. I've wanted to call in my own remedy that I've been using for over 10 years. I live in the woods, deer territory. They used to love to stop by my pond for a drink and enjoy my investment in plants. They rarely come anymore, but detour around my property. This is my personal inexpensive proven recipe. I use an empty plastic gallon container, milk container is fine, but a large mouth container is easier to put ingredients in. I crack open 5-6 raw eggs, 1 tablespoon of any cheap cologne/perfume, 1 tablespoon of any liquid soap. Shake it all up and toss it around the gardens. It is not necessary to have it on the plants, it's the odor that keeps the deer away. I sometimes add 1 tablespoon of cayene or any HOT sauce to keep stubborn foolish deer away. I apply this solution, (a few gallons) around my property about every 2-3 months depending on how often it rains. If I see or hear deer in the woods, I also keep an old cheese grater and a bar of perfumed soap( Irish Spring, Dial, Zest, ect..) that I grate around the yard when I don't have time to make my gallons of repellent. I have even used bottles of spray cologne that I buy in the "Dollar" store, spray it in the air, watch their tails rise up and dash off. It's all so amazing but has worked for us for years. Our gardens are proof. Actually this winter, I didn't apply anything at all (too much snow) and the deer came and nearly wiped out my azaleas and rhodes!! Payback! That hasn't happened in many years and I don't expect to get that lazy again! I have passed this recipe on to others serious about their deer problem. Another request: Any thought to a local plant/seed swap on your website? Not that you're not busy enough! Thanks,
Peg
Hi Peg, Thanks for the recipe. You guessed it. I'm really busy. Maybe there is some way to do this with volunteers. I'm always open to suggestions.
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Hi Greg, I enjoy listening to you Thursday mornings. My question is, do you have to cut the dead floweres off a regular lilac bush and a french one for it to bloom the next year. Thank you so much Bobbi
Hi Bobbi, Thanks. I enjoy being listened to. No, but the more you cut off the more flowers it will have next year. If you cut off none, it will still bloom.
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Dear Greg, I tried to send email from the WHUD website and I don't know if it sent. My question is about the care and feeding of flowering bulbs. We have daffodils, tiger lillies, iris, and tulips that are giving mixed results in blossoming. We have not fed or tended them. My wife has heard that plants go bad. Is this our cause? Do they need to be dug and separated? Some of these are near the road, how does the salty winter run off affect blossoming?
Thank you, Tom and Susan Arnold
Hi Tom & Susan, If they are very crowded, they may need to be divided. Salt can and does affect most plants. Fertilization will benefit all spring flowering plants. Plants like children will thrive with love and care.
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A maple tree on my lawn is in distress, broken branches and skimpy growth. It is in the lower edge of my septic fields and when we put in the septic system years ago the roots must have been disturbed. I'd like to give it one more chance to flourish before we give up and take it down. A dose of food might do it good. What tree fertilizer do you recommend for a 40' maple tree and should I bore into the root base or just bore holes around the perimeter so many feet out to do this right? thanks, Pat Galfano
Hi Pat, It sounds like there may be a lot more going on here than a simple feeding will fix. I would call in an arborist to look at this old guy and give you his expert opinion. Most times their first consultation will be free.
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We need to replace some older overgrown shrubs on the west side of our home. Will rhododendrons do well with the afternoon sun? Martha Hasbrouck Newburgh NY
Hi Martha, Most rhodies, especially the hybrids will do great with afternoon sun and adequate water.
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Hi, I have read that pruning Azaleas will help them blossom better. If this is true, how and when does one do this? The article claimed that Clematis should be cut right to the bottom in late Fall. I did this with one and left the other one alone. The latter blossomed quickly and beautifully while the one pruned is still struggling to grow leaves. Please explain. Looking forward to your response.
Hi, I give my azaelas a haircut with the first moth following bloom and I prefer to prune my clematis by 50% in the fall.
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Hello First, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy listening to you every Thursday am. I received a weeping cherry tree for a gift from my children a few weeks ago. The problem is, I'm pretty sure that the tree they were sold is dead. It seems that the tree was about to bloom, and then didn't, possibly due to a change in the weather. The limbs have small buds that did not open, but it seems that there are new "shoots" starting on the main trunk. I can't return the tree. If I plant it - can I prune it? Do you think it might come back next spring? How would you recommend caring for it. Please let me know. Thanks Janet Cardone
Hi Janet, Thanks for the compliment. Just because the buds fell off doesn't necessarily mean that the tree is dead. Often buds will drop when the plant is moved. I would plant it, make sure it has good water (1" per week) throughout the first season and fertilize it with a 5-10-5. It should be back in bloom next spring and for many years after. Good luck
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Hi Greg, I have 3 azalea plants in front of my house that are rather anemic. They are approx. 3 yrs old and have not grown much during that time. They get good afternoon sun, and I've been feeding them with Miracid several times per year over the past 3 yrs. I have not done much else to the soil. I do water them when it is doesn't rain for extended periods. I did not prune them back in April. Is there anything I can do now to get them healthier for next year? Thanks. Eric
Hi Eric, First check the pH of the soil in that area. It should be around 6.5. Make sure it gets about 1" of water per week, feed it with a 5-10-5 or good azalea food and only prune it immediately bloom. Do all this and they should be in great shape by next year.
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Hi Greg, Having a problem with 2 of my Arborvitae shrubs , they were doing fine, now I notice that the inside of them are turning brown. I gave them some 5 10 5 fertilizer. Would you please be so kind as to help me with this problem and let me know what you recommend that I do. Thank You Dave Weinstein PS. Enjoy listing to you on WHUD radio
Hi Dave, Thanks for the compliments. It's normal for arborvitae to be brown on the inside where they don't get sun. No problem.
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HI GREGG, I,LIKE SO MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE EAGERLY WAIT FOR THE LATE SUMMER HARVEST OF MY OWN GROWNE VEGETABLES.....FOR THE MOST PART EVERYTHING IS A SUCCESS EXCEPT FOR THE CORN..THE STALKS GROW WELL AND THERE IS MUCH SILK VISIBLE DURING THE GROWTH PERIOD,BUT THE EARS DO NOT DEVELOP INTO MUCH..I DO TURN THE SOIL AND ADD MANURE.....I HAVE ALSO TRIED DIFFERENT SPECIES... ANY IDEAS...THANX...FRED O.
Hi Fred, Corn must be planted in blocks of at least 4 rows instead of just a row or two because it is pollinated by the wind rather than insects. I would avoid using uncomposted manure-too much nitrogen- and I would also use a 5-10-5 fertilizer.
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Hi Greg, For the past few years the leaves of my bush beans have been eaten before they come up out of the ground. Just a stem emerges. When they do come up with leaves the leaves get eaten up by insects. What can be done about these two problems?
There are several insects that will munch on bean leaves. Among them, Japanese beetles and Bean beetles. Try the organic insecticide, Rotenone according to label directions when you begin to see the problem.
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Hello Greg, I REALLY miss your Sat. radio program!!!!!! I'm forced to listen to Ralph Snodsmith, on the other end of the dial. I hope someone gets smart and puts you back on. You're a w e a l t h of information with lots of common sense and humor. Could you tell me a little bit more about the Phalaenopsis Orchid. It seems to last a long time, but how can I ensure that it will survive, what should I feed it? Thank you... have a great summer, the morrell lady.
Hi, Thanks, as always for the kind words. I really miss my old show as well. One day, perhaps, if enough folks request it............. The Phalaenopsis or moth orchid is one of the hardiest of the hybrid orchids. The blooms can last several months and it can come back into bloom every 7-12 months. I water mine with non-chlorinated water and I feed them with a good water soluble orchid food at half rate each time I water them. Did you know that the blooms of some orchids imitate their pollinators, hence the moth orchid, and the phalaenopsis becomes fragrant after dark to attract the moths of the night time jungle?
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Hi Greg, My azaleas as you know have just stopped blooming. Can I do some trimming now or when would be the best time without having to lose the blooms next spring? Thanks for your help! Diane
Hi Diane You can give you azaleas a haircut up to one month after they finish blooming.
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What is the best way to get rid of onion grass without killing my lawn ?
Weed-be-gone should do the trick!
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Dear Greg, My new dog keeps digging up my garden. Is there anything I can put down that will keep him out, and not harm him or my plants? Teresa Castaldo
Hi Teresa, I have had good results with "Ropel."
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does pumpkins need rich soil to grow from don
Hi Don, Pumpkins will do great in rich soil.
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Greg, I have a full-size Austrian Pine which has gone completely brown three years in a row now. Each time I thought that the tree was dead, however, new growth started to grow out of the ends of each branch in the late spring and all of the dead needles eventually fell off. Is this process normal or is the tree distressed in some way. My concern is that eventually the tree will turn brown and not come back again as it has done three years in a row now. I fertilize the tree every year with either fertilizer spikes for evergreens or with Holly-tone. Please help. Thank you very much, Rob
Hi Rob, Wow. I have to admit I'm stumped (no pun). If this is the tree I'm thinking of I don't know what's going on. I would call in an arborist to look at it first hand and tell you what's going on.
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Hey Greg, I have two questions. Why did my pumpkins have all male flowers last year? Have grown pumpkins succesfully for a few years but last year, not one female flower to be found on any of the vines. Also, would it be possible for you to add some kind of a search to your site? It takes so long to load each page and then scroll through for the items that interest me. Mary
Hi Mary,
On occasion many squash produce male and female flowers at separate times. It's believed this anomaly is related to climate. One trick when this happens is to pick and freeze several male flowers in wax paper and then when the females appear, thaw out the males and shake them into the female flowers and stand back and watch the pumpkins grow. I wish we had the financial resources and time to develop a search engine for the questions. It would be great and help everyone. I do this as a non-remunerated free service for my friends and listeners and have neither the time or the money but if there were any tech savvy volunteers out there.....
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Dear Greg, I have a rose bush that is just coming into bloom. It is on a trecel on the side of the house but I recently discovered that the majority of its leaves were eaten by something. Both the leaves and the actual buds themselves have holes in them. What is causing this and what can I do to stop it/protect next years bloom. With thanks, Chris, Yorktown, NY
Hi Chris, Roses, while the queen of the garden are tough in that many critters and diseases love them. I use on of the combination disease / insect rose sprays on the market according to label directions and have had good luck with them.
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