Lack Of Pollenation Could Have Doomed Pumpkins
Neil Sperry
DEAR NEIL: Our pumpkins are getting soft as they go from flowers to developing the fruit. We broke one open and found worms inside. What can we use in the future?
My guess would be that your pumpkins never were pollenated. At least, that would be the most likely cause if the fruit shriveled and died away just a few days after flowering. Normally that would not give enough time for larvae to develop inside the fruit, so I'm not sure what else might have been involved.
DEAR NEIL: I have a complex situation that basically involves erosion on a slope and weed invasion. I have terraced the slope and stopped the erosion, but I can't keep the grass and other weeds away and my mulch has broken down and almost disappeared. What options do I have? Should I remove the plants and put rocks over the entire area?
Wow! That's a question you ought to ask of a Master Certified Nursery Professional. Take several photos in with you. This type of question requires that someone see the site. In general terms, however, I would think that a dense groundcover could be your answer. Use a glyphosate weedkiller such as Round Up to eliminate the existing grass. That will eliminate the existing vegetation without contaminating the soil.
If you prefer, you could use the same spray around your existing shrubs so long as you screen them from the drift. You'll actually have better results if you wait until spring to apply the glyphosate.
DEAR NEIL: How can I increase my banana plants? My clumps have many trunks.
Dig and divide them in late winter, a few weeks before the new growth begins for the spring. Use a sharpshooter spade for most of the work.
DEAR NEIL: My pecans have a blackish-gray mold going down the centers of the fruit. Is it harmful to eat?
It certainly doesn't sound very appealing. My vote would be not to use any of them. Follow the Texas A&M spray program for the trees next year to avoid this problem.
DEAR NEIL: My pecans have a mildew-looking fungus on their shucks. The kernels are dried up to nothing. Is there any spray that could have avoided this problem? If so, when should it be applied?
You're probably talking about a collection of issues, especially if you have not sprayed the trees regularly. Powdery mildew causes a white, flour-like dusting on the shucks. Pecan scab causes them to turn black and fall prematurely. Hickory shuckworms tunnel through the shucks and cut off the water and nutrients to the developing kernels. Search the Internet for the Texas A&M Homeowner Fruit and Nut Spray Schedule. Print it and follow its guidelines.
DEAR NEIL: My magnolia tree's limbs are rubbing our house. I want to prune the branches, but I don't want to cut them off clear to the trunk as it would leave too big a gap. Can I cut limbs back partially, and, if so, when should I do it?
You can trim magnolias at any time you need to. So long as don't leave stub ends on the branches you cut, you should be able to cut them back partially.
It really sounds like you might have your tree too close to your house. I have a Little Gem southern magnolia about 5 feet from our house. I have trimmed its limbs up and over the roof. Perhaps you'll eventually be able to do the same.
DEAR NEIL: Is it better to tie up palm leaves and cover them when cold winter weather comes through? We have two, and the bigger one is 12 feet tall. I'm not sure I can cover one that tall.
Consider covering tender plants, palms included, with the lightweight white frost cloth. Local independent retail garden centers stock it. That will lessen the impact of the wind and it will gain you several degrees of protection.
DEAR NEIL: How much cold can sago palms tolerate?
They are winter-hardy into the high 20s. Below that, you're likely to lose them. Of course, they're always suited to containers, at least until they outgrow available space indoors.
DEAR NEIL: We brought loads of soil when we moved into our house several years ago. The existing soil consisted exclusively of stone. We have a Little Gem magnolia that was a little less than 2 feet tall. Now, three years later, it's 10 feet tall. Still, we had only 5 flowers this year. What can we do to get more flowers next year?
Be more patient. Flowering trees, magnolias included, seldom bloom for their first 5 or 6 years (or longer). The facts that your tree has grown that well and that it at least offered to bloom a few times are both remarkable. Give it time and you'll be handsomely rewarded. You're doing great.
DEAR NEIL: Our dogs have trampled our St. Augustine out of existence. Now bermuda has taken over. What can I do to eliminate the bermuda so that I can get St. Augustine to fill back in?
In a short answer, keep the dogs off the area. St. Augustine is the dominant grass of the two so if you keep the dogs away, the St. Augustine will take over for you. Plug it into the bermuda next spring. Checkerboard your plugs on 18-inch centers and they'll cover the first summer.
DEAR NEIL: What is the best product to eliminate grassburs (sticker burs) from my lawn? They have taken over.
Apply a preemergent weedkiller such as Team or Dimension in early March and again in early June. These are granules. Apply them with your fertilizer spreader, then water the ground lightly to help them form a layer across the soil's surface. These are safe on any type of lawngrass, and they can be applied beneath trees and shrubs. Do not use weed-and-feed herbicides as they risk too much risk to your trees.
DEAR NEIL: Our sago palms have a scale insect that eventually kills the plants. I've tried Sevin and Malathion but with no good results. What would be better?
Try a systemic insecticide such as acephate (Orthene) spray. Remember that the scale insects will remain in place even after they have been killed. If they're dry and flaky two or three weeks after you spray them you will have killed them.
Have a question you'd like Neil to consider? Mail it to him in care of this newspaper or e-mail him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com. Neil regrets that he cannot reply to questions individually.
My guess would be that your pumpkins never were pollenated. At least, that would be the most likely cause if the fruit shriveled and died away just a few days after flowering. Normally that would not give enough time for larvae to develop inside the fruit, so I'm not sure what else might have been involved.
DEAR NEIL: I have a complex situation that basically involves erosion on a slope and weed invasion. I have terraced the slope and stopped the erosion, but I can't keep the grass and other weeds away and my mulch has broken down and almost disappeared. What options do I have? Should I remove the plants and put rocks over the entire area?
Wow! That's a question you ought to ask of a Master Certified Nursery Professional. Take several photos in with you. This type of question requires that someone see the site. In general terms, however, I would think that a dense groundcover could be your answer. Use a glyphosate weedkiller such as Round Up to eliminate the existing grass. That will eliminate the existing vegetation without contaminating the soil.
If you prefer, you could use the same spray around your existing shrubs so long as you screen them from the drift. You'll actually have better results if you wait until spring to apply the glyphosate.
DEAR NEIL: How can I increase my banana plants? My clumps have many trunks.
Dig and divide them in late winter, a few weeks before the new growth begins for the spring. Use a sharpshooter spade for most of the work.
DEAR NEIL: My pecans have a blackish-gray mold going down the centers of the fruit. Is it harmful to eat?
It certainly doesn't sound very appealing. My vote would be not to use any of them. Follow the Texas A&M spray program for the trees next year to avoid this problem.
DEAR NEIL: My pecans have a mildew-looking fungus on their shucks. The kernels are dried up to nothing. Is there any spray that could have avoided this problem? If so, when should it be applied?
You're probably talking about a collection of issues, especially if you have not sprayed the trees regularly. Powdery mildew causes a white, flour-like dusting on the shucks. Pecan scab causes them to turn black and fall prematurely. Hickory shuckworms tunnel through the shucks and cut off the water and nutrients to the developing kernels. Search the Internet for the Texas A&M Homeowner Fruit and Nut Spray Schedule. Print it and follow its guidelines.
DEAR NEIL: My magnolia tree's limbs are rubbing our house. I want to prune the branches, but I don't want to cut them off clear to the trunk as it would leave too big a gap. Can I cut limbs back partially, and, if so, when should I do it?
You can trim magnolias at any time you need to. So long as don't leave stub ends on the branches you cut, you should be able to cut them back partially.
It really sounds like you might have your tree too close to your house. I have a Little Gem southern magnolia about 5 feet from our house. I have trimmed its limbs up and over the roof. Perhaps you'll eventually be able to do the same.
DEAR NEIL: Is it better to tie up palm leaves and cover them when cold winter weather comes through? We have two, and the bigger one is 12 feet tall. I'm not sure I can cover one that tall.
Consider covering tender plants, palms included, with the lightweight white frost cloth. Local independent retail garden centers stock it. That will lessen the impact of the wind and it will gain you several degrees of protection.
DEAR NEIL: How much cold can sago palms tolerate?
They are winter-hardy into the high 20s. Below that, you're likely to lose them. Of course, they're always suited to containers, at least until they outgrow available space indoors.
DEAR NEIL: We brought loads of soil when we moved into our house several years ago. The existing soil consisted exclusively of stone. We have a Little Gem magnolia that was a little less than 2 feet tall. Now, three years later, it's 10 feet tall. Still, we had only 5 flowers this year. What can we do to get more flowers next year?
Be more patient. Flowering trees, magnolias included, seldom bloom for their first 5 or 6 years (or longer). The facts that your tree has grown that well and that it at least offered to bloom a few times are both remarkable. Give it time and you'll be handsomely rewarded. You're doing great.
DEAR NEIL: Our dogs have trampled our St. Augustine out of existence. Now bermuda has taken over. What can I do to eliminate the bermuda so that I can get St. Augustine to fill back in?
In a short answer, keep the dogs off the area. St. Augustine is the dominant grass of the two so if you keep the dogs away, the St. Augustine will take over for you. Plug it into the bermuda next spring. Checkerboard your plugs on 18-inch centers and they'll cover the first summer.
DEAR NEIL: What is the best product to eliminate grassburs (sticker burs) from my lawn? They have taken over.
Apply a preemergent weedkiller such as Team or Dimension in early March and again in early June. These are granules. Apply them with your fertilizer spreader, then water the ground lightly to help them form a layer across the soil's surface. These are safe on any type of lawngrass, and they can be applied beneath trees and shrubs. Do not use weed-and-feed herbicides as they risk too much risk to your trees.
DEAR NEIL: Our sago palms have a scale insect that eventually kills the plants. I've tried Sevin and Malathion but with no good results. What would be better?
Try a systemic insecticide such as acephate (Orthene) spray. Remember that the scale insects will remain in place even after they have been killed. If they're dry and flaky two or three weeks after you spray them you will have killed them.
Have a question you'd like Neil to consider? Mail it to him in care of this newspaper or e-mail him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com. Neil regrets that he cannot reply to questions individually.
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