Question:
I want to transplant my blooming Christmas Catcus into another pot, but I'm scared to touch it. Can I move a blooming plant to another pot without shocking it?Answer:
- It's okay to transplant a Christmas Cactus and most other plants while they are in bloom. This is when an evergreen plant is technically dormant, as it's not actively growing. There is no reason why you have to wait until it finishes flowering. I'd transplant it carefully as not to damage the flowers.
- Christmas Cactus is also known as the Zygocactus or crab cactus because of their segmented leaves. Along with Cyclamen, they are a great red and white alternative to poinsettia during the holiday season. Zygocactus and Cyclamen are not sensitive to warm rooms, as is a Poinsettia so the foliage doesn't discolor quickly and has a long blooming period.
Question:
This spring, we removed two invasive, thirteen-year-old Willow trees. I had expected that the roots would eventually die back but was I surprised when tree shoots sprouted up over twenty feet from the original tree, in planters and the middle of the lawn. I'm slowly digging out the roots in the planter areas, but the lawn presents a dilemma. Is there something I can use to treat the sources, so they die and dissolve in the lawn? I've been spot treating the non-lawn areas with RoundUp.Answer:
- Like the Energizer bunny, tree roots from many invasive or not plants keep going, going and going. Eliminating the tree does not end the problem; instead, the roots are stimulated to form new plants.
- The rogue shoots appear well beyond the canopy of the main tree. Elms, Poplars, Liquidambars, some fruit trees, and roses are notorious for suckering.
- I'm not aware of any product that will decompose the existing tree roots. Tree stump removal products take care of the core roots but are ineffective on the ones far away.
- So, you are faced with a war of attrition with two battlegrounds, one in the landscape areas and the second is the lawn.
- In the non-turf areas, you'll need to spot treat the shoots as they appear. You're not going to see many new shoots during the winter months. Any non-selective herbicide such as RoundUp will work except in the lawn.
- The battle will last for several more growing seasons. In turf, I'd spot treat with any of the broadleaf herbicides for Dandelion control. There is any number of 'Ready to Use' or aerosol products. Still, it could be more economical to buy the herbicide in the concentrated form and apply it in a dedicated tank sprayer. Also, keep in mind that you should spray a couple of days before the grass is mowed to give you the maximum surface area for the herbicide to be effective.
- The suckering has slow should slow down significantly now but increases starting in mid-February the longer days.