Q I received an early Valen-tine's present of a potted spring bulb garden. It has a variety of blooming spring bulbs and is so pretty. I would like to know what to do after they bloom. Do I plant them outside or wait until fall?
A My suggestion is to enjoy them as long as possible and then throw them away, but that is never a popular answer. After blooming, spring bulbs need a minimum of six weeks of healthy green growth with bright light. These bulbs have been forced in a greenhouse after a chilling period. They would not be happy with a hard freeze outdoors and would probably die back before the requisite six-week growth is achieved. If left inside, the bulbs would probably not get enough light, plus they are mass-planted so they are competing for nutrients. If you really want to give it a shot, lightly fertilize and put them in the sunniest window possible, then keep them watered and see how long the leaves stay healthy. When the foliage dies back, save the bulbs to plant next fall. You probably have the best shot with daffodils and crocuses; tulips would be the least successful. I love forced hyacinths indoors for the fragrance, and have already had several this season. They go to the compost bin after bloom. Forced bulbs last longer than cut flowers, so you already have had more enjoyment out of your gift than a vase of flowers would have provided; so it is not a huge loss to throw them away.
Q Two of my crape myrtles are turning black on the trunk and limbs. How do I treat this?
A I would be surprised if they are just now turning black, during winter. I imagine that they already had the sooty mold that you are seeing as they went dormant this fall. There are two possible culprits for the sooty buildup. One is that aphids attacked the leaves last summer and left behind their sweet honeydew residue, upon which sooty mold grows. The other possibility is the relatively new crape myrtle bark scale -- an invading insect. Take a close look at the stems. If there are white specks in among the black coating, this would be the scale insects. Scale insects require insecticidal control, while aphid damage would just need cleanup for now, since the culprits die in the winter. To clean the trunks, get a soft brush and use warm soapy water. If you do have scale, then after cleaning, saturate the trunk and the ground immediately below with a dormant oil. This should smother out any remaining scale. In March, apply a systemic insecticide such as Merit or Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub insecticide (imidacloprid). This should protect the plants from scale for the year.
Q Please help. We have a more than 35-year-old azalea that is in the shade and is gradually dying. It started dying in sections about a year or more ago. We cut out the dead part, it tries to put on new growth, and then it dies. Now the problem is spreading to another azalea beside it. Any suggestions?
A It does look pretty bad in the photo you sent. I would dig up the plant that is pretty much gone. Take a sample of the crown and roots plus a few branches to your local county extension office. They can send it to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service's disease diagnostic clinic for proper diagnosis. Then, hopefully, you can prevent any more spread to other plants.
Q We live about 25 miles north of Little Rock. Our muscadine vines are pruned and ready for spring growth. We've cleaned away the weeds under the vines. Is there anything we can spray or put down now or later to help control the weeds later on? I know Roundup will kill new weeds as they sprout, but will it hurt the muscadines as long as I don't spray after their new growth starts?
A I would recommend putting down a layer of cardboard and then mulch on top of that. That should help to keep the weeds at bay. Cardboard and newspaper allow water and oxygen through but help to keep weeds and grass down. Roundup could be used near the plants as long as you don't get it on any sprouts or foliage, but it only works when the weeds are actively growing. Preventing the weeds from getting started with a good layer of mulch is much preferred.
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 02/14/2015