Q I have an old mulberry tree, and the fruit for the past few years looks like popcorn. I went to a local nursery, and they told me to try lime, but it didn't make a difference. Do you have any suggestions to try for next year?
A Without seeing the fruit, I am going to say that lime was not effective because the problem was not related to a nutritional or pH deficiency but rather a disease or an insect. There are two likely suspects. There is a disease commonly called "popcorn disease of mulberry." It is caused by the fungus Ciboria carunculoides. Individual parts of the fruit called carpels are replaced by a fungal organism, which enlarges and extends beyond healthy berries. The resulting fruits look a bit like popped corn.
Sanitation is your best method of control. Remove all the spent fruit from the tree and under it and destroy it. It wouldn't hurt to spray the tree this winter with dormant oil. Then see what happens next year. While fungicides are not normally recommended, there has been some success with a preventive spray of Bordeaux mix (a copper/lime fungicide) as the tree is leafing out.
Another possible culprit is a stink bug. These insects have a piercing-sucking type of mouthpart. To obtain the nutrients of the liquid part of the fruit, stink bugs use these mouthparts like a straw to pierce the fruit. The resulting damage can cause individual parts of the berry to turn white and be damaged.
Q I was recently given a waxed amaryllis. The directions said to put it anywhere and that it doesn't need any water or care, and that it will bloom. I can't imagine how. What directions would you give me for this?
A I saw the first one I've ever seen a few weeks ago. I had not noticed this trend, and I don't think it is a good one. Supposedly it is all the rage in Europe.
While it is true that everything needed to bloom is contained inside the bulb when you buy it, with amaryllis, most folks want to keep the bulbs for years. This waxing method prevents any roots from growing. The result is like a forced bulb -- after it blooms once, you throw it away. I have also heard that the waxing process may damage the bulb, because melted wax is hot.
This situation is new for me, but here is what I would do in your situation: If you want to keep the bulb, try to remove the wax without damaging the bulb even more. Pot the bulb after it blooms and wait to see what happens. Or enjoy the waxed bulb as is and throw it away after bloom.
Q We have an avocado plant that has become almost a small tree. We move it outside in late spring and back inside in late fall. Every year we think we are going to lose it when we move it inside, because it drops most of its leaves. We put it in a sunny window, and it barely survives the winter; then we move it outside and it leafs back out and continues to grow. Right now we are in the leaf-dropping stage. Is there anything we can do to prevent it from dropping all its leaves? It is also really tall and skinny. I would like it to bush out more. Can I prune it now and would that help or hurt?
A Avocados can grow quite tall and thin if you don't pinch out the top bud. The top bud has dominance, and the stem will continue to grow upright unless you pinch it out. Removing the top bud will direct energy into some of the buds farther down on the stem and encourage branching. I would suggest pruning it when you move it back outside, since it is already struggling indoors and needs all the leaves it still has.
I think you are waiting too late to take the plant inside in the fa ll. If you wait for a forecast of killing frost before moving the tree inside, you allow it to begin to harden off outside -- it gets used to the really cool nights. Then you bring it indoors, where we have relatively little, if any, humidity, lower light and a constant temperature. The shock causes all the leaves to drop. If you can move it inside when the outside and inside nighttime temperatures are about the same, the tree will make an easier transition.
Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 or email her at
jcarson@arkansasonline.com
HomeStyle on 12/26/2015