Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
Jill and Rick Van Duyvendyk answer all your gardening questions in Garden Talk on 650 CKOM and 980 CJME every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Here are some questions and answers from the March 22 show:
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These questions and answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: What can I do to get healthy hollyhocks this year?
A: Make sure that you give them consistent moisture. If there is not enough water they will get big bracts and flower buds, but they won’t open up.
The other thing to watch is aphids. Plant some companion plants like marigolds near the base or some other plants that might attract the aphids can help. Have some Endall or Safer soap on hand and spray when they’re in an early stage. Putting ladybugs on the plants helps, too.
Q: Should fertilize my asparagus once the ground thaws?
A: Generally you want to fertilize once early in spring and then leave it alone. You can use just an all-purpose fertilizer. Try something that’s evenly balanced like a 10-10-10, 20-20-20 or 14-14-14.
You don’t want to do too much with your asparagus or you will get lots of ferns and you won’t get lots of spears.
Lightly fertilize it then work some compost around the plants or even add some H-Start and water that in. Alfalfa tea or pellets work, too.
Q: How do I get rid of canola flea beetle in our garden?
A: It’s really tough. The the only way to really control them is using a crop cover so you can put it on and take it off easily. Crop covers let the sunlight through.
They attack your garden once the canola comes up. Plant the leafy plants that attract that bug, like alyssum and bok choy, later in the season. Pick them up as a bedding plant.
Q: How do I plant pothos stems that have sprouted?
A: Fill a pot with some potting mix and lay paper clips or hairpins on the top of the soil and poke the ends through that have the roots to hold them down.
Make sure that just the root part is in the soil and put multiple ones in a pot. In a six-inch pot, put four or five spaced evenly to make it nice and full.
Pothos does not grow straight up, it hangs down. If you have longer stems, you can wind them around the top of the soil and pin them down, and they will develop roots out of the nodes.
As the stems have been growing in water, they mostly have water roots, so keep the soil quite moist when you’re starting off and slow down on the watering a little bit once the hair roots start developing.
You can start fertilizing it with a general house plant food every time you water. If you want to get some root growth growing, you could use a 10-52-10 fertilizer but just one application. You can use H-Start as well, which is like a probiotic for your plants and increases root production.
Q: How I can I fix a spider plant which has leaf tips that dry up?
A: If it’s too dry before you water it, you’ll get that tipping on it. You can trim the dried tips off with a pair of scissors if you want. Try and make them into a point so it looks a little bit more natural.
Consistent watering is key, and add a pebble tray for some humidity, especially in the winter. The other thing is to fill up your watering can and let it sit so the chlorine or anything in that water is going to evaporate. Or you can use rainwater.
Q: Why do my strawberries stop producing after looking promising?
A: Strawberries like lots of sun, and add some nutrients. Adding aged starch mixed into the soil can increase your sugar production. Strawberries also love compost, so mix some compost with the aged starch.
It could be a lack of pollination, and if you plant your strawberries too deep the plant will struggle. Plant so that the crown is just above the soil and the roots are the only thing that’s in the ground, and maybe mound them up if they are in a raised bed.
Q: What house plant can I have in basement suite with little to no light?
A: A ZZ plant would be great for you. It’s a unique plant, and only requires low light. It comes in a bright green colour or you can get a Black Raven ZZ witha darker leaf. A snake plant and a sansevieria (mother-in-law’s tongue) would do great for you as well.
There are lots of great options for grow lights that just plug into a USB. They can be like decorative and some look like a table lamp. And with lights you can grow almost anything in a basement suite.
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