Question: After the bloom faded, pods formed on the top of some of my amaris plants. They seem to be full of seeds. Can they be used to start more plants?
Answer: Use a pod full of seeds like wafers to increase your amaryllis collection. Usually they grow plants like parents, but often you get amaryllis in a variety of colors. Use potting mix to fill a large shallow container to contain seeds. Scatter them over the top of the mix and cover very lightly. Keep it moist and the seeds should germinate in about two weeks. Grows in the filtered sun, continues to water and fertilizes it with liquid products every month. After more than 8 weeks of growth, seedlings are implanted in small containers, and can eventually be implanted in gardens or large containers. Plants need 2-3 years to produce their first flowers, so they need to be patient.
Q. I have a problem with the elderly Gardena bush. Last year, that didn’t work and this year there were no more sprouts. I have been able to control black fungi in the past, but it seems to have been handed over this year. What should I do?
A. Black mold is just a real problem symptom affecting your gardenia plant. The fungus lives in the excrement of insects on scales and white flys. We noted that an oil spray was applied and the fungus was helped, but it appears that the insects have escaped control. Switch the control to one of the whole body insecticides found in the Garden Center. For those who apply it to the soil under planting, this is a good way to put insecticides into the plant as directed on the label. Apply landscape fertilizer in March, May, and early October as Gardenias can be a high maintenance plant. It also maintains 2 inches thick mulch under the spread of the plant, moistening the soil. If yellow leaves continue to be a problem, apply treatment with Epsom salts as directed on the label for use with the plant.
Plant Doctor: How long does the Daily produce buds and when can plants be divided?
Q. Skunk Vines invaded my landscape planting. What is a good control?
A. Be prepared for a slightly stinky job. First, the vine must be cut off from the ground. You can then remove it from planting or shrink it. When a new shoot begins to occur, a brush killer containing Triclopyr is applied as one of at least one active ingredient. Products offered as brush killers or controls are available from the Garden Center for careful use, like labels. Select products that can be applied to living plants to treat only unnecessary growth from the cleaved skunk vine stems. You will need a repeat application, but you can defeat this grape.
Q. I remember the old Gerbera Days growing up in Florida gardens. Can I buy plants and seeds?
A. The plants found at the Garden Center are usually newer versions with cute colours and numerous petals that form flowers. Unfortunately, they do not seem to have the vitality of the old gardens. You can purchase gerbera seeds that you remember from some telecommunication companies. Start the seeds with a germination mix, lightly cover and moisten the seed container to keep it bright light. Once the seeds begin to grow in about two weeks, provide morning sun and bright shades in the afternoon. Keep it moist and give fertilizer to half the strength every other week with liquid products. In about two months, young plants can be implanted into small containers and grown large enough for flower gardens.
Q. The temperature is very hot. Is my tomato too hot to set fruit?
A. If the temperature is consistently above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, most large fruit tomato varieties will stop setting the fruit. They may continue to bloom, but don’t expect too many tomatoes to form on these slicer types. Often, small fruit varieties called cherry or grape tomatoes continue to set up some fruit, but not so many. When tomatoes stop producing, the temperature becomes moderate and healthy plants can grow until the fruit begins. However, most plants decrease in the summer due to pests, with new crops planted in mid-August or early September.
Q. I received a flowering orchid orchid for Mother’s Day. What kind of attention do I need to pay?
Maybe you’re in a garden in Central Florida
A. Enjoy this gift indoors for at least a few weeks as the flowering of what is also known as the Phalaenopsis Orchid. When the growing media begins to dry out, water it and moisten it. Once the flowers have finished blooming, move the outdoors to a shaded area, such as under a tree. Keep moist fertilizer every other week with liquid ornamental plant fertilizer or orchid products. You can expect your plants to become performers repeatedly, but new flowers aren’t like that for about a year.
Q. I have azaleas and I need to lower the acidity of the soil. What should I add to the soil?
A. Azaleas becomes like an acidic soil and grows optimally when the acidity of the soil is in the pH range of 4.5-5.5. When the soil pH exceeds 6.5, adjusting the acidity helps the plant grow. You can attempt to scatter soil or agricultural sulfur on the surface of the site and water the soil at a rate of 1 pound. Give it several months to react and then check the acidity again. Some soils resist changes in soil acidity and may have limited impact on many sulfur treatments. When azaleas are growing in these soils, use azalea fertilizer, which forms an acid in each feed. Consider using pine bark, pine needles, or pine bark fines as mulch to help reduce soil acidity. Pineburk fines can also be cultivated to sites that help reduce the sourness of the soil before planting
Tom Maccubbin is an honorary urban gardener at the University of Florida Cooperative Expansion Services. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, PO Box 2833, Orlando, Florida. 32802. email: tomac1996@aol.com.
