Food and Nutrition
Garden
Home, Garden, and Yard
- Can I grow bitter melon, gourds, thai chili peppers, hmong cucumbers, peas, green peas, sugar snap peas, and lemon grass in Clinton? When should I plant them?
- How can you tell if a fertilizer is a "slow-release"? What are the best NPK ratios for this area?
- I am buying a home, and have no idea how to take card of a yard and plant a garden/flowers. Do you have or know of any classes to teach these things?
- I have a flame amur maple approx 5 feet high and has been planted since spring of '07. It has turned a very pale yellow color and has several branches where the leaves look like they have been burned. It is getting sufficient water. I've noticed that other flame maples stay green and I have read that it should. I don't know what is wrong with it. Help. It also did this last summer. I have applied some iron and it did green it up a little more but not much.
- I have a large weeping willow tree in my backyard that has started dripping sap as well as loosing leaves. It appears that some of the larger branches are dying as well. Is there anything I could do to bring the tree back to life?
- I have a relatively young peach tree which just split down the middle today, I'm assuming due to the weight of the peaches. I have cut off some of the branches and removed some peaches to help lighten the load. I called a nursery and they said in addition to doing that I should bring the branches back together and secure them together in attempt to save the remaining peaches. Then this fall I need to completely remove the partially broken branches. My questions for you are: Is this tree salvageable if I cut off 2/3 of its branches and will the peaches I've taken off ripen under any conditions?
- I have many Chanticleer pear's in my yard. Each year they swarm with Wasps during the day. There are not any nests in them. Is there anything I can do or spray to remove them? They have been swarming many of my Quakies as well. I have read online that it could be from aphids on the trees and the Wasps go after the sugary substance the aphids leave behind. I have noticed on my Quakies that there are small holes on some leaves which might mean aphids, but on the Chanticleer's there are not any holes on the leaves so I don't think aphids would be on those. Please help the wasps are out of control on these trees.
- I have red raspberries that produced very well this year. But now the old canes have turned yellow, brown and crispy. Is this normal or do I have a virus in them? Do I prune out old canes now or in the spring? And can I transplant starts to a new patch or should I buy new plants?
- I have thornless red raspberries that have been planted for three years. (I don't know the name of the variety.) The berries are very small - too small. Suggestions?
- I put in my entire yard in Fruit Heights in late July. I noticed my maple trees are losing leaves, and showing signs of distress. I put sod up to the tree trunks, but I'm wondering if I should cut the sod back, and put mulch in so the tree roots can breath. Good idea? I cut back on the watering as well, which could have been a problem for drainage. Any help?
- My apple tree is starting to blossom. I love the apples but they always get wormy. When is the best time to spray them and with what?
- Our golden delicious apple tree drops fruit through the entire season. What are we doing wrong? It is located in our garden area and gets plenty of water. Thank you for your help.
- This year a majority of our tomatoes have brown spots on the bottom. Some of them as soon as they are ripe they have mold growing on them. Are these safe to eat an can or what do I need to do. We have about 8 or 9 plants. They are not producing that well. It seems to be on all of are tomatoes except for the grape. What can we do to get this problem taken care of?
- Two questions; I have an dwarf Honey Crisp apple tree that is about 5 years old. Last year it had a dozen apples. I didn't disturb the fruit spurs when I picked the fruit. This year there were no blossoms on the tree. I didn't prune it at all. What can I do to help it produce every year? Second question; I have peach borers in the main branches of my nectarine tree. The tree seems healthy other than the borers. What can I do about them at this point? Will it help to dig them out? Will it help to spray? Will they winter over to next year?
- We have a scrub oak that has been growing between a pine and an aspen, which has made the oak very lop-sided. The aspen is gone now. How much purning can we do to the oak to try and even it's growth?
- We have creeping mountain sorrel in our lawn and can't get rid of it. Do you have any recommendations on products that might kill it, or any other ways to get rid of it?
- We planted apple trees last year. When do we spray for cottling moths?
- We want to plant a couple of trees in our front yard that don't get very big (about 10 to 15 feet high). Can you suggest any are not messy and don't send up runners? If you have literature on selecting trees, could you send me a link?
- When do I spray my apple tree so my apples dont have worms in them and with what pesticide do I spray them?
- When is it too late to prune back the tops of peach trees that have gotten too high?
Orchards
- An ornamental cherry tree that has been planted for 3 years suddenly dropped all of it's leaves. Leaves were green one day; gone the next. A neighbor verified some of the branches are dead (using a scratch test); others are still green. Tree has been watered by sprinkler, also deep watered with slow hose twice during the summer. The base of the tree does not seem to have any borer damage. Tree is in full sun. Any ideas?
- Can we grow the new Honey Crisp apple here?
- I would like to plant 2 plum trees and would like to make sure they have sufficient pollination. I would definately like a Italian Plum (Prune) and some other plum that is freestone and good fresh eating with a great flavor. I would like a Satsuma but have read that the european plum and the Japanese plum varieties are not compatible as far as pollination. Would the Santa Rosa be a good substitute for the Satsuma?