In The Garden

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Red, White and Blue Taters illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Red, White and Blue Taters illustration.

Q Every year, I plant red potatoes in my garden and every year but this year they were red skinned and white inside. This year, they're purple skinned and purple inside. Can you tell me what caused this?

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Courtesy Janet B. Carson

Depending on the variety, a pomegranate can have small or large fruit and flowers.

A You must have accidentally bought blue seed potatoes or a bag (which I use) that has red, white and blue potato seed potatoes. I got a mix of red, white and blue when I harvested. Red potatoes won't convert to blue.

Q We have a Lady Banksia planted against the front of our house. It does not seem to flower much, but it puts out long, rapidly growing stems. In the past, I've pruned them. I'm wondering if my pruning or the growth itself is related to the limited flowering. I'd appreciate it very much if you could tell me how to care for our Lady Banksia.

A Rosa banksiae, commonly called Lady Banks rose, is a thornless climbing rose that only blooms once a year. Any pruning that you would like to do should be done as soon as flowering is over, and no more for the season. Treat it as you would an azalea bush -- one pruning per year and never after mid-June. Lady Banks sets its flower buds in the fall for next year. If you are constantly pruning it throughout the season, you are limiting new growth, which will reduce the amount of blooms it has next year. Thin out some of the older canes close to the ground to encourage young, vigorous growth and let it grow. This should help with flowering provided the plant is in full sun.

Q I have a bad infestation of mealy bugs. What can I spray to control them? Using a cotton ball with alcohol is not working; they like to jump.

A I don't think you have mealy bugs; I think you have woolly aphids. Woolly aphids look very similar to mealy bugs, congregating together and having a white, woolly covering. However, if you look closely, you can see them move. Mealy bugs are almost impossible to see move, since the mother forms the white waxy outer coating and the small babies are crawlers. I would spray with insecticidal soap and that should do the trick. They are both sucking insects, but aphids are typically easier to kill than mealy bugs. The woolly aphids also coat the stems and even leaves, while mealy bugs tend to congregate in the joints of houseplants. Here is a link to a blog post with pictures where I wrote about the difference: tinyurl.com/pscthgv.

Q What can cause grapes to suddenly wither on the vine? Also, my apples are small and the leaves are speckled yellow.

A The most common pest of grapes is black rot, which can cause grapes to wither and turn into what looks like raisins. There are usually brown spots on the leaves as well. There is a spray schedule for table grapes and apples to prevent diseases and insect pests. Here is the link for a small-fruit spray guide: tinyurl.com/q45mmb4.

It is a guide for commercial growers and home gardeners. Your apple probably has cedar apple rust; are the yellow spots circled in orange? If so, there is nothing you can do this season, since the plant already has the disease, but a spray schedule can prevent this.

Q Can you identify this plant for me? It is in full bloom and I want one.

A The plant in question is a pomegranate -- Punica granatum. This is the same plant that produces the edible pomegranate fruit, but some varieties are more ornamental than fruiting. Typically the double-flowered forms form few or small fruits, while the single-flowered forms tend to form large, edible fruits. Wonderful is a large fruited variety and the dwarf Nana is a compact fruiting form. It is a showy ornamental whether you grow it for fruit or not.

Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

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