Posts Tagged ‘pruning’
Wax Scale – Control
Q: Down deep on my boxwood stems I have found white-looking things that are very rounded in shape. When I pull them off their underside is blood red. I can squash them between my fingers and they crunch a bit....
Japanese Maple – Long Shoots
Q: My Japanese maple hasn’t grown at all in two years since planted. Now in September, it has sent out these two long shoots. What is happening? What can I do to promote even growth? A: There are literally hundreds...
Crapemyrtle – Pruning versus Pollarding
Q: I know you don’t like “crape murder” but when I was in Europe I saw many trees that had been severely pruned for many years. They said it was called “pollarding” and was good for the trees. What gives?...
Knock Out Rose – Pruning in Winter
Q: How low can I prune a Knockout rose in winter? A: Much depends on how high you want them to be in summer. I like mine 36 inches tall, so I prune to 18 inches in January, February or...
Mountain Laurel – Fertilizing
Q: We have lived in Ellijay, on mountainous river property for approximately 12 years. The land is covered with mountain laurel and rhododendron. The mountain laurel looks scraggy, leggy and not well kept. I have lightly pruned, but admit I...
Mockorange (English Dogwood)
Q: I have a bush in my yard that produces dogwood-tree type flowers in the spring. The elderly lady who propagated it years ago told me that it is an English dogwood. I’d like to know about pruning and fertilizing,...
Peach – Pruning
Q: What does the open center system of pruning consist of? We have a peach tree that is 3-7 years old and need to know how to best prune it. A: The “open center” method of pruning a peach tree...
Crapemyrtle Pruned – How Did He Do?
Q: I bought a house last summer that has three well established crapemyrtle trees behind the pool. When we first looked at the house, the plants were already cut back all the way to the knots. I pruned mine over...
Fig – Repeatedly Dies In Winter
Q: We have a Brown Turkey fig tree. The first year, it produced some figs but they didn’t get fully ripe before the first cold spell and the plant seemed to completely die so we cut it back almost to...
Japanese Maple – Delayed Freeze Damage
Q: I have a 20 ft. Japanese Maple in the front yard. After the late freeze of Easter 2007, all the leaves turned brown and fell off and were replaced with new red leaves. In the last week I have...
Japanese Maple – Sun Shade
Q: Several of my Japanese maples have appeared to have survived the cold snap, but then, all of a sudden the leaves wilt then fall off. Do you know of any reasons for the sickness? Can I expect them to...
Leyland Cypress – Branches Dying
Q: Three out of my twenty seven Leyland cypress’s are dead and most of the others have branches turning brown. Is there chemical that will stop this? A: This is a common situation during and after a drought. Leyland cypress...
Pine – Brain Canker
Q: Please explain what might cause this. It looks as though the pine cone never fell off the tree but instead grew downward and sprouted new limbs. Is this normal? A: My forester friend Bill Blum says it looks like...
Rose (Tree Form, Standard) – Pruning
Q: I have two lovely rose trees in pots that did very well this summer. They are five feet tall and two feet wide. As cold weather arrives, should I cut them back? Should I bring them inside for the...
Hydrangea – No Leaves in Winter
Q: Last summer my established hydrangeas didn’t really bloom. I assumed this was because of the drought and the shrubs were just conserving energy and would bounce back next spring. I did not prune the shrubs last summer or fall...
Boxwood – Pruning Damage
Q: My question is about my boxwoods that are at the front of my house. First they were used as a landing mat for my boys climbing down the drainpipes. It took me a few days to realize why the...
Maple – Friction Wound
Q: I found this beautiful 20′ tall red maple at a nursery that was going out of business and got a great deal on it. However on the car ride home it inadvertently rubbed on the trailer resulting in this...
Grape Vines – Pruning ‘Concord’
Q: Please tell me how to prune my ‘Concord’ grape vines. I read that you have to remove most of the plant. A: It’s a whole different process from muscadine pruning, in which you prune new growth back to permanent...
