Q We have a small raised bed where we grow onions, green beans and a few tomato plants each summer. When we pulled out the border of marigolds recently we discovered a fire ants nest. What is safe to use against fire ants in an area where you grow edible plants?
A If you are finished with the vegetable garden for the year you could use a fire ant killer, because there should be ample time between application and planting next spring for the poison to run off. If you are still gardening, try pouring boiling water on the mound. Be careful when using this, so you don't get hurt. There are also several baits that are growth regulators that can be applied on the perimeter of the vegetable garden, but these can take a while to work, so it is probably too late to use these this season. As temperatures cool off, fire ant activity slows down and they move deeper into the soil or protected areas to overwinter. When applying any insecticide always read and follow the label directions.
Q About 6 weeks ago I had an attack of hundreds of clematis blister beetles on my autumn clematis. They ate every green leaf before we killed them. Is this normal? The leaves are back now but don't think they will flower again this year.
A There are two species of blister beetles that commonly attack clematis -- the clematis blister beetle and the ebony blister beetle. Blister beetles get their common name because they can cause blisters when they come in contact with human skin. Blister beetles protect themselves from predators (including humans) by causing a caustic chemical called cantharidin to seep from their joints when alarmed. This chemical can cause blisters on human skin, so care should be taken when dealing with this insect. Adult female ebony blister beetles lay eggs from late summer until frost. Individuals may lay as many as 300 eggs in narrow cavities dug an inch into the soil, then they fill the cavities with the excavated soil. Eggs hatch in about a month and they often find a host plant and go to town on it. The clematis blister beetle, as the name implies, prefers clematis, but it will also feed on a number of wild plants, and the ebony blister beetle has been known to defoliate tomatoes, Swiss chard and Irish potatoes, along with clematis. When they hit, the damage can be pretty dramatic seemingly overnight, but the sooner you spot them, the easier they are to control. Even common Sevin (carbaryl) will control them. Rarely will an invasion kill a plant, but it can interfere with blooming.
Q Please help me identify this plant. My friend gave me a rooted cutting this spring and it was only 3 or 4 inches tall and now it is 6 feet tall and blooming. The flowers are like little powder puffs. Other friends want some but I can't even tell them what it is, much less how to root one. Can you help with both questions?
A The plant is a confederate rose, Hibiscus mutabilis. This plant is a fall-only blooming hardy hibiscus. The flowers mutate or change colors during the course of the day, opening either light pink and fading to white or dark pink depending on the variety. Before a killing frost (which will kill the plant back to the soil line), cut the stalks and cut them into 4-6 inch lengths. Then put them in a bucket of water in a protected area where they will not freeze. They should be rooted within a month. Then you can pot them up or leave them in the water (changing it periodically) until spring. Once the soil warms up, share with friends and plant more.
Q I bought this small fiddle-leaf fig in early spring of this year. It seems to be happy and has grown quite a bit. Some of the new leaves are quite large and I was wondering when to repot. I have done some reading but no one addresses this problem. Maybe it's not a problem. Thanks for your consideration and help.
A Repotting houseplants prior to the winter season is not ideal. They often struggle in the winter months indoors, since we have less humidity and lower light levels. I see from your picture that your plant is in a nice bright spot in the bathroom -- one of the best places for houseplants, since bathrooms and kitchens are the two most humid rooms in the house. For now, leave it be and enjoy. If it continues to grow, and you want it to keep getting larger, re-pot to a slightly larger container in the spring. Springtime tends to be a rebirth for many plants and they can often recover from the shock of transplanting better then.
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 10/29/2016