Marianne’s Responses
Bottom watering indoor seeds
Posted by Steph Bantell | March 23, 2014I have just started my first seeds indoors and am trying bottom watering. I have 3 holes in the bottom of each container set in a pan of water just high enough to cover the holes. I have clear plastic loosely on top to keep heat and moisture on but it's too moist. The soil is soaked and my poor ...
Is it okay to use fire to kill off weeds in a perennial garden bed?
Posted by gary wolf | March 22, 2014I have a perennial flower bed that is overgrown with weeds. Can I light it on fire to burn off the weeds without hurting the flowers? Nothing is up yet as it is too early in New York zone 5.
Pruning tips for wisteria and best time to transplant rhododendron
Posted by burtche | March 22, 2014I have an old wisteria vine that had become very invasive. I pruned it back radically and I don't see any sign of life. Is it too soon to tell if it's still alive? I also have two large rhododendron trees. When is the best time to try to transplant them?
Growing fruit trees and bramble bushes in Missouri
Posted by Annetta Evans | March 22, 2014I live in southeast Missouri, I don't even know what zone it is as I am not much of a gardener. I bought a raspberry and a blackberry bush and need advice as to the best time to plant them. Also, how much sun is full sun, and can they get burned out if there is too much sun? I ...
Farms in Tacoma, WA that sell manure
Posted by Nancy Johnson | March 21, 2014Your recent column said it was time to mulch our perrenial beds with well-aged manure. Do you have the names of a few reliable distributors in the Tacoma area? Thanks, Nancy
How to prune large tree roses and rose root balls in containers
Posted by William Mutton | March 21, 2014I have two large tree roses in pots - Last year I began to see shoots sprouting up from the pots, which I pruned off. I live in NC, would it be better to transplant them into the ground rather another larger pot? They always winter over nicely within the pots, and they are in my rose garden already. The ...
“Burning off” old flowers
Posted by gary wolf | March 20, 2014Can I burn off old flowers without hurting what will come up this year? I live in NY, zone 5.
When to plant cool season crops in the Midwest
Posted by Lee Tolliver | March 19, 2014I live near St. Louis, MO. Is now a good time to plant broccoli, cabbage, and collards, and do I need to cover them if the temperature falls below 32 for less than two days?
How to cure damping off on tomato plants
Posted by Charles Allen | March 17, 2014My tomato plant stems are small and they sag over when they get a little height, and then they die.
When is the best time to plant gungo peas in Jamaica West Indies?
Posted by charlotte barnett | March 17, 2014When is the best time to plant gungo peas in Jamaica West Indies?
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