Non-motoring > Gardeners' Question Time Volume 1.	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: R.P.	Replies: 74

Thu 8 Sep 11 19:39   Gardeners' Question Time Volume 1. - R.P.

All your gardening questions in one place - so they're easier to refer back to. 172460 Last edited by: R.P. on Thu 8 Sep 11 at 19:53 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 14:46   Gardeners' Question Time - Clk Sec

I have a phracantha shrub in my back garden that has come under attack from the dreaded wooly aphid. Any advice on how best I can get rid of this white powdery mess will be much appreciated. Clk Sec Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 14:51   Gardeners' Question Time - Iffy

Wash it in a solution of mild soapy water? I think that's what proper gardeners do. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 14:57   Gardeners' Question Time - madf

Washing up liquid plus water plus spray = death. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 15:01   Gardeners' Question Time - Mapmaker

Beware, in using washing up liquid you are breaking the law, as you are using an unlicensed pesticide. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 15:04   Gardeners' Question Time - Iffy

OK, OK, if you want to kill it, do as I suggested. But best do it under cover of darkness, unless you want to go to prison. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 15:34   Gardeners' Question Time - Clk Sec

>> But best do it under cover of darkness, unless you want to go to prison. Perhaps I'd better play it safe and wait for halloween so that I can do the evil deed under cover of darkness whilst wearing a mask. Can't be too careful. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 15:47   Gardeners' Question Time - R.P.

"what you in for ?" "doin' weed" Oh. Anyway, good title may decant all the garden questions in here ! Reply to this message | Report message       1

Wed 7 Sep 11 15:47   Gardeners' Question Time - Dog

Mealy Bugs to you lot! www.ehow.com/how_4667014_bugs-aka-woolly-aphids-plants.html Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 16:19   Gardeners' Question Time - devonite

When articles mention using "soapy water" they mean soft-soap as in "Lux" flakes, if you use washing-up liquid, use it with care, and in very dilute solutions. Whatever you do, don`t use the Lemon variety, I "nuked" my peppers with that!! Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 16:39   Gardeners' Question Time - Iffy

...I "nuked" my peppers with that!!... Does that mean Fairly Liquid would kill weeds? Cheaper than weedkiller, and always to hand. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 16:52   Gardeners' Question Time - devonite

If my peppers were anything to go by I would say so! - but never tried it on weeds! - I like weeding, very therapeutic!! Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 16:55   Gardeners' Question Time - Runfer D'Hills

My back garden looks like Beirut at the height of the unpleasantness. The joys of a puppy... :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 16:58   Gardeners' Question Time - Zero

Aw! Its a digger is it? Bless its little cotton socks. Last edited by: Zero on Wed 7 Sep 11 at 16:58 Reply to this message | Report message       1

Wed 7 Sep 11 17:32   Gardeners' Question Time - Iffy

The posts on killer soap remind me of a story I did a few years ago. A contact of mine who managed a supermarket couldn't understand why he was losing loads of one brand of shampoo to shoplifters. Turned out the local druggies were smoking or sniffing it. I got some medical opinion for the story, which was there was nothing in the shampoo to give a high. The soap company was non-committal. No matter, I flogged the tale to the Mirror, so there was a handy boost to the finances that month. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 17:40   Gardeners' Question Time - devonite

Wasn`t this one by any chance? darklochnagar.blogspot.com/2011/07/beer-shampoo-stops-being-produced-after.html Contains "earthy" language!! Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 7 Sep 11 17:37   Gardeners' Question Time - Runfer D'Hills

Digger? I'm thinking of changing his name to "JCB" Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 13:26   Gardeners' Question Time - DeeW

Got bad news for you Humph - this is the first year Toby has not excavated ... yet. Four years of constant refilling and grassing :-( The excellent ideas offered here only worked for the first month although we did particularly enjoy the reaction the first time he burst a balloon buried in a favourite excavation. I do wonder if the digging was one of the reasons he was dumped outside a Toby Carvery - strange way to get rid of what must have been a very expensive puppy. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 13:29   Gardeners' Question Time - Zero

Good job Toby wasn't dumped outside the Hungry Horse, or the punch Tavern. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Thu 8 Sep 11 05:55   Gardeners' Question Time - CGNorwich

Guess you mean pyracantha which is prone to woolly aphid. If not too badly infected just brush it of with a stiff brush. Pyracantha normally tought as old boots so no lasting harm likely If you want to go down the chemical route the RHS site recommends Scotts Bug Clear Ultra or Bayer Provado Bug Killer. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 11:39   Gardeners' Question Time - Mike Hannon

Because of the drought earlier this year I've been pouring used washing up water (containing 'lemon' washing up liquid) on the window boxes all summer. Doesn't seem to have done any harm so far. On the subject of creeping things, what has happened to Mr Snail? Last edited by: Mike Hannon on Thu 8 Sep 11 at 11:40 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 12:32   Gardeners' Question Time - Pat

>>what has happened to Mr Snail?<< Could the mods enguire? I miss him because he was an early bird like me. Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 12:49   Gardeners' Question Time - VxFan

>> Could the mods enguire? I've sent him an email. Thought it would be quicker than by snail mail. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 13:26   Gardeners' Question Time - Clk Sec

>>what has happened to Mr Snail?<< I was asking of his whereabouts only yesterday in another thread as he hasn't been around for a while now. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 13:42   Gardeners' Question Time - Clk Sec

>>I've sent him an email Any chance you could do another for John (tooslow), DD? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 13:53   Gardeners' Question Time - devonite

Just go through the membership list and do a mass mail-merge, both here and "over there"!! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 14:12   Gardeners' Question Time - Iffy

...Just go through the membership list and do a mass mail-merge, both here and "over there"!!... And don't forget to send one to Honest John, perhaps he'd like to join us as well. Unless he's already here.... Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 18:07   Gardening help - sooty123

I'm growing some chillies at the moment, but seem to have a whitefly problem. Can't find on the plant where they are hatching from. Anyone got any tips? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 18:09   Gardening help - Iffy

I might have, but since my tips will probably kill the plant and land you in jail, I'll let the experts deal with this one. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 18:09   Gardening help - Bigtee

www.gardenersworld.com/ Plus you could write to Gardeners world to Monty Don and he'll answer all your questions. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 18:13   Gardening help - R.P.

Sooty, Going to move this into the Gardner's Question thread shortly...may as well have them all in one place ! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 18:15   Gardening help - sooty123

Thanks RP Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 18:17   Gardening help - devonite

Eggs laid on underside of leaves - not necessarily the ones of the plant they are feeding on! www.gardenforumhorticulture.co.uk/pestwatch/whitefly.htm Last edited by: devonite on Thu 8 Sep 11 at 18:18 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 19:36   Gardening help - corax

>> Anyone got any tips? Get yourself a garden sprayer if you haven't got one. Get a box a natural soap flakes from the supermarket. If you can't find this get the liquid version. But it must only contain natural product, as any detergents will harm the plants. Mix a tablespoon of soap flakes with a litre of water, or 2 tablespoons of liquid soap with a litre of water (I tried 1 tablespoon but it wasn't effective as the liquid soap is weaker then the flakes). Spray the plants, especially the underside of the leaves as this is where the critters reside. This should kill them stone dead on contact (the soap damages the insects membranes), and all without harmful chemicals - you're going to want to eat the chillies. You will have to repeat this in maybe a months time as the numbers increase again, as they reproduce horribly quickly, but it's the most effective control I've tried for my brassica's. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 8 Sep 11 19:52   Gardening help - sooty123

Thanks for that, they seem to breed like crazy. Only started in the past few weeks. Just as the next lot seem to be coming on, hopefully there as hot as the last lot! Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 9 Sep 11 10:25   Gardening help - Clk Sec

Re Gardeners' Question Time - Wooley Aphid... Thanks for the advice. As the shrub in question has been around for many years I don't think a spray of well diluted gentle soap will harm, and it will be less unpleasant to administer than the smelly pesticide that I used a couple of years ago. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 00:36   Me toms ! - Ted

Not being much of a gardener, I've been growing a few cherry toms, donated by a neighbour, for the past few years. This year, me and 'er thought we'd have proper go and bought some seeds earlier in the year. We started them off in the conservatory and then put the largest 6 plants into 2 gro-bags in a sunny spot. We fed them and kept 'em watered and they grew like mad. We now have good crop of around a hundred or so fruits, some plum and some like little halloween marrows with ' corrugated ' tops. The bigger ones are about 3 inches across. My concern is this, only one out of the entire crop has turned red. My cousin, who grows a lot of stuff, pruned a lot of the foliage off last weekend saying it was time to trick them into thinking it was Autumn and the leaves were falling. So, any tomato fetishists out there able to tell me what's going on with them and when they might ripen...if ever ! Or is it to be green tomato chutney for us ? The red one was enjoyed in a sandwich with home made bread and some mature cheddar. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 00:45   Me toms ! - rtj70

They say to ripen tomatoes you use a box and a banana. Or so I am told. With the bad weather on it's way ours are not in a box ripening. If they do. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 01:38   Me toms ! - devonite

yep i`ll vouch for the box method! - any Toms that are big enough, remove them and put them in a closed box, the more the merrier, but dont squash them! As they ripen Toms give off ethylene gas, which is the ripening catalyst, the closed box prevents it escaping and speeds the process up. The more that start to ripen, the faster they get! check every couple of days for any going bad = some do and turn ones next to them. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 01:38   Me toms ! - CGNorwich

Cutting back the foliage to is a good idea and best done a few weeks back!. It is warmth that ripens tomatoes not necessarily sunshine so if you remove the trusses and put them in a warm place - the shed or the kitchen and they will ripen. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 14:14   Me toms ! - Ted

Good advice from all, as usual. My cuzz told me about the banana trick but he said put them on a open grill thingy with banana chunks in a tray under them. I've done that with the ones that fell off when we pruned them. I'll do the closed box tomorrow. I assume large plastic box with a clip on lid will suit the purpose. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 16:07   Me toms ! - CGNorwich

To be honest Ted they will ripen whether you put them in a box or not as long as its warm with or without bits of banana. I normally just lay them in seed trays in the greenhouse or tie the vines together and hang them on a nail in the shed Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 14:16   Me toms ! - Ted

Whoops, so good I posted it twice ! Ted Last edited by: Ted on Sun 11 Sep 11 at 14:17 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 20:19   Me toms ! - devonite

wouldnt use plastic! breeds condensation and rot! Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 23:40   Me toms ! - Ted

Thanks D. I've harvested them and am waiting for SWM to take her share for chutney. I'll find a better box tomorrow. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 11 Sep 11 23:50   Me toms ! - Ted

By ze way...is there any nutritional value in the gro-bags ? We're going to get some winter flowering stuff to put where the toms were. Or do I just chuck it and buy fresh compost for the pots ? Ted Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 12 Sep 11 00:59   Me toms ! - devonite

There will probably still be a percentage of nutrition left, enough for less demanding things like flowers, but i would feed weekly and see how things go. If you can find a Comfrey plant, chop the leaves/ stalks off and stuff into a water butt, stir every other day until the leaves etc have broken down, (you`ll know this by the smell! ;-) and feed with that, its exactly the same as the pelleted Growmore that costs a fortune! Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 12 Sep 11 08:50   Me toms ! - Iffy

Pee in the bag a few times. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 12 Sep 11 09:34   Me toms ! - Dutchie

Pee in the bag a few times) Makes tomatoes grow I believe. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 12 Sep 11 12:38   Me toms ! - Ted

It'll only be a few years 'til I'm peeing in a bag all the time ! Ted Reply to this message | Report message       1

Mon 12 Sep 11 14:42   Me toms ! - madf

I pee on my compost heaps... (my bladder is weak and it's a long run to the loo). Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 13 Sep 11 17:06   greenfly - sooty123

Corax, just wondering I couldn't get any soap flakes so I just used 100% vegetable soap bar shavings and mixed it with water, just as good? How often should I spray the plant? Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 13 Sep 11 17:13   greenfly - Clk Sec

I've just bought some Planet Clean washing-up liquid and I'm going to give it a try tomorrow. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 13 Sep 11 17:22   greenfly - sooty123

Not the only one then, thing is they breed like er... flys! Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 13 Sep 11 17:44   greenfly - Clk Sec

I've landed in the wrong part of the thread, sooty. Mine's a woolly aphid problem. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 12:58   New turf or reseed? - legacylad

The 'lawn' in question is at the back of my house, adjoining a neighbouring property and accessed via 3 flights of stone steps, 24 in total. It extends the width of my property, 75ft, and is 30ft across. Up until 12 years ago it was sheep pasture. It is covered in moss and undulates like the Atlantic in a force 8! Being a contender for the worlds worst gardener my plan is to hire a powerful rotavator, churn everything up, level it with a rake, import several tons of top soil which I shall handball onto the site, tread down & reseed.Refurfing would be an easier option but far more expensive. Should I add a few tons of sand to help future drainage prior to reseeding/returfing? And I intend putting the house on the market in a few months and leaving bare soil will look as pleasant as the current mossy undulating mess. Any suggestions please? Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 13:23   New turf or reseed? - R.P.

We have between 1/2 and 3/4 of an acre of lawn. We costed turfing it and decided to re-seed it - this involved contractors and cost around 2.5k to level and seed - this included a first cut and several visits. The cost difference was remarkably little - I think the hard work was the leveling etc etc..The result is ok in a rural sense..! Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 13:34   New turf or reseed? - Dog

Had 2 acres of mud up on Bodmin Moor, called a farmer in who sprayed it (Roundup) rotavated it, seeded it and rolled it (not necessarily in that order) I used to cut a 10ft wide path all the way around the perimeter with my ride-on and let Mr Farmer cut the rest in June. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 15:42   New turf or reseed? - madf

My next door neighbour moved in three four years ago. His house has 1/3rd acre as his front lawn: flat and smooth (the old tennis lawn to our house 50 years ago) but full of moss and other undesirables. So he - being an ex farmer - decided to go to town. He removed ALL the topsoil. Inserted new land drains wit a mini digger putting in trenches - these are basically plastic tunnels with perforations to drain off water. Angled down the slope of course. He then put down a layer of sand and bought topsoil and NEW turf which he laid down. Then watered it during the summer. Next winter was very cold. Part of it died. Come spring, he reseeded the holes, lawn sanded it and cut it. To cut a very very long story short, it is still being treated for the odd weeds (fields at back .. dandelions, etc), the moss returns in winter and due to the slope it grows unevenly as the damper bits nearer the bottom grow more. On top of that, his lawnmower will not cut it when long and he suffered a heart attack so I cut it for him for two years. (!) It is still not perfect as it suffers through severe winters...and dogs play on it as do the foxes. It's a labour of love and £1000s and a real backbreaking job to keep semi decent. Mine is just full of moss: every three years I weed and feed it and replant the worst of the moss with grass seed. Not as nice as his but 10% of the effort and 1% of the cost. I tell this story to point out once you start you need to: be solvent dedicated and fit or hire someone who is to do it for you... Last edited by: madf on Fri 13 Apr 12 at 15:44 Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 16:25   New turf or reseed? - CGNorwich

Most gardeners i know are not unduly fussed about lawns being more concerned with the design of their garden and growing flowers or vegetables. There seems to be a particular sort of obsessive personality that need to turn a pleasant lawn into a manicured weed free emerald green sward. Its the same sort of person who goes in for "detailing" their cars. Odd really but each to his own I suppose Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 17:03   New turf or reseed? - Armel Coussine

Clover, moss, daisies and so on improve a decent-sized lawn. Any unevennesses from old molehills and so on favour the home team in the event of a croquet game, as do banks, very rough grass and even a kilter on the whole lawn... Only a very bijou garden needs a velvety grass-only sharp-edged trim job. We are lucky here as the edges shade off into random wilderness. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 17:05    Fritillaria Imperialis - Pat

I was wandering around a small Garden Nursery a few weeks ago when I spotted two Fritillaria Imperialis, both in pots and in full flower. I've always loved them and always wanted some but I know how temperamental they are to grow. I've googled what to do with them, read all my old gardening books and yet still they stand on the staging taking up much needed room. Does anyone have any experience of growing them? Do I plant them in a tub so I can bring them in each year, or do I find the right spot for them in the garden. My indecision is driving me mad so some direction would be appreciated....they cost me all of a fiver for the two of them, but I don't want to lose them. Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 17:24    Fritillaria Imperialis - CGNorwich

Crown Imperials are pretty easy to grow really as long as you have a free draining soil. You can grow them in pots but if you don't want the hassle plant them in the garden in a sheltered spot near the house. Bulbs want to be planted deeply - about a foot and they must have free draining soil. Some grit in the bottom of the whole will help no end. When they finish flowering and the leaves dry cut off the foliage. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 17:52    Fritillaria Imperialis - Pat

Thanks CG, I had a feeling you might know;) The flowers are just fading now, would you plant them know or wait until it's a bit warmer? Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 19:37    Fritillaria Imperialis - CGNorwich

I would wait until the soil warms up a bit. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 18:03    Fritillaria Imperialis - Duncan

>> Does anyone have any experience of growing them? >> >> Pat >> Plant them under a hedgerow, Pat. They will be fine there. Until someone nicks 'em! ;-) Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 18:14    Fritillaria Imperialis - Pat

Duncan, I live at the bottom of a lane that goes into a field in a sleepy little village.....no-one would do that;) Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 18:33    Fritillaria Imperialis - Duncan

Pat, could you show us where on Streetview? ;-) Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 18:38    Fritillaria Imperialis - Pat

I might look like I came down the river on a banana boat Duncan............:) Oooh, is that racist:) Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 18:44    Fritillaria Imperialis - Duncan

Oh, come on! It's all in the public domain! You know it makes sense! ;-) Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 18:50    Fritillaria Imperialis - Zero

I know where she lives...! I could tell you but I would have to kill you. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 18:52    Fritillaria Imperialis - Pat

So does ON, and DaveTDCi;) Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 13 Apr 12 18:52    Fritillaria Imperialis - Skip

"I know where she lives...! I could tell you but I would have to kill you. " If Pat didn't kill you first that is ! Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 14 Apr 12 06:57    Fritillaria Imperialis - Duncan

Have you planted them out yet, or are they still in the pot? Come on, the suspense is killing me! Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 14 Apr 12 07:31    Fritillaria Imperialis - Pat

They are still in the greenhouse...it is -1C here this morning so I'll keep them in for a few days yet, Duncan! There are two Cock pheasants in the garden at the moment clearing up the mess from under the bird feeders hanging in the Laburnam tree. I'm not sure they realise they should live in the field of oil seed rape over the hedge. Pat Reply to this message | Report message