Flowers: Q & A

Aug 10 2008 Carolyn Spray

Gardening

Q I am going on holiday for a week - how can I keep large conservatory plants watered?

A Place plants on capillary matting. Put mat ends in containers of water and this will keep plants refreshed. The plants will suck up the water through the holes in the bottom of the pots.

Q I planted out rows of cabbages but next morning they had all gone. Was it slugs?

A It was probably pigeons. Cover them with a fleece in future.

Q My tomato plants have lots of flowers and green leaves but only a few tomatoes. Why?

ATomato flowers need humidity to pollinate. In dry weather wet the floor about midday to create this.

Q The leaves on my cucumber plants have gone dusty yellow and small. What could this be?

A Cucumbers are prone to red spider mite. They can just be seen with the naked eye. Increase humidity and spray with insecticide.

Q I planted my hanging baskets with basket compost but the plants have gone yellow and stopped growing.

A Many plants in a hanging basket need continuous feeding. Apply liquid fertiliser at every watering.

Q I sprayed geraniums with a selective lawn weed killer by mistake and they died. Will the soil be poisoned?

A Hormone weed killers act through the leaves so the soil will be fine.

Q I cut down a variegated poplar and tried to kill the stump with SBK but little trees are coming up through the lawn. What can I do?

A SBK needs to be applied to leaves - Root Out is best for stump killing. You could use SBK on the shoots.