IN THE GARDEN

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Flower Illustration
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Flower Illustration

Q Is there a fertilizer that will help bulbs, jonquils mostly, make more blooms? I've tried 13-13-13 and the next season the stems seem too tall and weak to hold the blooms up and they fall over.

A How much sunlight do your spring bulbs get? Among hyacinths, decreasing flower size could be due to low fertility and fertilizer might help. But members of the daffodil family usually do well as long as they are getting at least six hours of sunlight a day (more would be better) and they are not too crowded. The best time to fertilize your bulbs is when you see the flower spike beginning to grow -- that way the nutrition is in the soil after bloom, when the bulbs need it to prepare for next season. A complete fertilizer, such as what you are using, should work well.

Q For the third year in a row we were swamped with Asian beetles. Hundreds in the house and porch. Are they beneficial or a nuisance? Should I vacuum them and release or just spray them as if they were spiders? They are wearing out their welcome.

AYou are not alone. We have had more complaints on the Asian lady beetles this year than ever before. During the growing season they are a beneficial insect, eating a lot of aphids and other sucking insects. As they are not native, they aren't winter hardy, so they start looking for a place to overwinter each fall -- becoming a nuisance in people's homes, attics, garages and mailboxes. When a few adults find a suitable spot, they release a chemical (pheromone) that attracts others to the same location, and pretty soon you have a whole lot of them in one place. So they are beneficial and a nuisance. Some people have started vacuuming them up and storing them in a large box for the winter and then re-releasing them in the spring. You don't want them in your house or anyplace you will have frequent contact with them, as they smell, sting a bit and can stain fabrics. Most people have forgotten about them from last fall, but as spring is on the horizon, they are coming out of hibernation, beginning to show themselves and move back outside.

Q I have been seeing a lot of white-flowering trees in the wooded areas where I live. What is the name? Also, many are blooming on the Martin Luther King bypass (U.S. 270) in Hot Springs.

A Depending on where you are in the state, there a number of white-blooming trees growing in the wild. Some we love and some we hate. The biggest problem tree in Arkansas -- which is predominantly what you are seeing on roadsides in Hot Springs -- is the callery pear. These are seedlings of the Bradford pear trees planted in town. These ornamental trees set a copious amount of seeds, which the birds love to eat. They drop the seeds in the woods; and seedlings are wiping out native vegetation in their path. They are growing statewide. The trees we love in the wild, in order of blooming, are white-flowering wild cherries, serviceberry and soon the fringe tree (Grancy Gray Beard) and then our flowering dogwoods.

Q The moss is winning and that is fine with me. Actually I love it; but there are weeds (not grass) in it that make it necessary to mow now and then. Is there a weed treatment that would not harm the moss?

A Hand weeding would be the safest bet, and then try to encourage the moss. I have read that moss is somewhat resistant to Round-Up but have never actually tried it. If you want to try, select a very small area of it to be your test strip. Make sure the moss is well watered and healthy. Spray and then wait at least two weeks to see what happens before branching out and spraying more.

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 03/31/2018

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