You asked a pro—he answered. Citytv’s gardening specialist Frank Ferragine has solutions for our readers’ green-thumb conundrums. Have a question that you don’t see below? Don’t worry; Frank will take more questions each month. Submit yours today.
Hi Frank!
We have a septic in front of our house, and are not supposed to plant trees or bushes within 10 metres of it; due to the possibility that their roots may damage the septic system. What kind of trees or bushes would you recommend to plant around that general area? Are there trees or bushes with small or limited root growth?
Thanks! Lesley
Hi Lesley,
My home also has a septic system. The key to planting around or close to them is to search for trees and shrubs that have less aggressive root systems. Some examples include ornamental flowering pears, crabapples, and dogwoods. Most flowering shrubs like spirea and weigela would also work. Remember that ornamental ground covers such as ajuga (bugleweed) and vinca minor (periwinkle) can be used directly over septic systems if you are trying to stay away from traditional lawn-type grasses.
My only other concern is to pay attention to drainage as some locations surrounding a septic can be bog like and planting around them may require you to improve drainage or mound up plantings.
Thanks Lesley!!
Frankie
Hello Frank:
What do you do after a lot of rain and your rose leaves have mould? I don't like to use chemicals; do you have an alternative?
Cat Rooney,
Midwest Gardener
Cat Rooney – love your name!
The key to reducing mould in a garden is to improve air flow. This can often be done by paying attention to spacing. When planting, position your roses in a way that wind will move easily around them. Improved air flow will dry wet areas quickly after watering and rainfall and this will reduce the incidents of disease.
A great non-chemical product is one by Safers called Defendar. This is a fungicide that is safe to use. My favourite multi-purpose Insecticide / Fungicide and Miticide to use around the rose garden is Safers 3 in 1, also a non-chemical product. Look for them at your local garden centre.
Good luck, Cat!!!
Frankie
Hi Frankie,
I found these bugs, along with slugs, that are eating my vegetable patch leafs and strawberry fruits. The problem is, I don’t know the name of the bug. It is grey in colour, has many legs, oval-shaped, loves humid and dark places like slugs, and curls up in a ball when shown to sunlight. I found a solution that works in getting rid of slugs, but since I don’t know what these little creatures are, I don’t know how to get rid of them. I hope you can help.
Sandra from Mississauga
Hi Sandra,
Sounds like you have millipedes, centipedes, or a distant relative to them. Unlike slugs they really don’t cause a whole lot of damage. They are unsightly and the best way to rid your garden of them is to clean up areas they like to make their home in. This includes any cool, dark, wet location—a wood pile is one of their favourites.
You can create traps such as a rolled newspaper bundle in the garden overnight and then empty the newspaper in the morning into a bucket of dish soap or bleach. My best suggestion for your slug problem is to try to do your watering in the morning as this will reduce both slug and millipede/centipede populations dramatically.
Frankie
Dear Frankie,
We are having a lima bean growing competition at work. We have 78 days to grow the “healthiest” plant. I was hoping you would have some tips to help us succeed. Thanks so much!
Jason P, Murray
Hi Jason,
Let’s assume you planted your lima beans in a well-drained soil that is rich in great compost or manure. Here are my keys to healthy lima beans:
Sunlight—They need at least 6 hours of direct light a day.
Water—Deep watering is ideal. Allow your bean plants to dry slightly before watering and remember to water in the mornings to reduce disease.
Fertilize—Immediately after watering your lima beans fertilize weekly mixing 20-20-20 water soluble at half strength. This is to help push you over the top.
Next season look into the use of inoculation of seed at time of planting!!
Good luck!!
Frankie
Hi Frankie,
I successfully made several new plants from cuttings I took from a kalanchoe house plant I bought last fall. I took the cuttings after the plant stopped blooming. They’ve grown very lush in their pots on my south-facing balcony but there’s not a single bloom. I wonder if I should nip the tops off but am unsure if this is the right thing to do. Please give me some guidance.
Joyce in Thornhill
Hi Joyce,
Kalanchoe in their native home are a spring-blooming plant. Getting them to flower out of season is not impossible but can prove difficult. Give them a cool, shady spot, and at the same time give them a rest from both water and fertilizer for at least a month. Next, re-pot, place near a sunny window, and increase watering and fertilizer. This is known as a “plunge period” where plants go into dormancy thus tricking them into thinking they are in the spring season.
Frankie
Hi Frank,
I have a persimmon tree (orange fruit tree) in my sun room and every year it brings fruit. Two years ago it brought a dozen persimmons, last year only two, and this year an abundance of fifty. Unfortunately, one by one they fell off and now we only have half a dozen of them. I don’t understand why the tree grows and is very healthy but the persimmons don’t seem to grow, yet are still on this healthy tree. What do you suppose the problem is? Thank you for your help.
Raffaela Apruzzese
Hi Raffaela,
This is a totally natural process and is really your persimmon tree’s way of defending itself by allowing only enough fruit to grow without straining the main plant. This is known as the process of abscission (fruit drop) or post-bloom drop. During this time nearly 90 percent of the flowers and young fruitlets fall to the ground. This natural process removes weak or defective flowers and fruit and ensures only the best fruits remain!!
I hope this helps!!
Frankie
Watch for Frank Ferragine’s Q&A column in The Epoch Times on the first Thursday of every month, and catch Frank on "Frankie Flowers," a weekly edition of “CityOnline” airing every Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET on Citytv Toronto and CP24 for more great gardening tips.
Submit your questions today to AskFrank@epochtimes.com, or by fax to 416-298-1299, Attention: Frank Ferragine, or mail to Frank Ferragine c/o The Epoch Times, 103-201 Consumers Road, Toronto, Ontario M2J4G8
