Question:
Alert: Water, Water Water --- it hasn't rained in weeks, and there are no storms on the horizon. All container plants need to be watered and you should manually set your irrigation system to run one cycle. Lawns and other shallow-rooted plants could use the water. ---------- I have a four-year-old lime tree that's planted in the ground and hasn't grown an inch. Two years ago, the limes were just about the right size. Today, they are tiny, and the leaves are covered with black stuff. What am I doing wrong?Answer:
- Your lime is suffering from several different problems that are not related.
- First, The black stuff on the leaves is called Black Sooty Mold. Aphids, especially in the spring or Scale, are the primary culprit and other sucking insects. They feed on the new growth, passing the plant juices through their bodies. This clear sticky substance then drops onto the foliage below, where the black mold grows on it. You prevent the black mold by controlling the bugs with Horticultural Oil during the year.
- In March, start feeding the lime monthly through October with Citrus food. The flush of new growth will mask or hide the discolored leaves.
- The Black Mold will not disappear on its own.
- Your second problem is your plant is planted too deep in the ground; hence it hasn't grown. The top of the first root should be at or just above the soil surface. When planted too deep, plants struggle and eventually die from root rot.
- I would dig the plant up in late March and replant it. You protect the exposed roots by mulching the area when the temperatures warms-up
- And lastly, the small, dry fruit is from irregular watering and fertilizer. After replanting, place a six-inch-high watering basin around the plant.
- It should extend from the trunk to the drip line. You would fill this basin to the brim several times when you water once the rainy season concludes water weekly when the temperatures are over ninety degrees water twice a week
- . You'll see a vast improvement in your lime by the fall. I'd also take a few digital pictures so you can track the changes throughout the year.
Question:
I'm going to be adding on to my home in the upcoming months, and I have a twelve-year-old ornamental plum tree that's in the way. I thought of transplanting it to my front yard for shade since the house faces due west. The tree is about twenty feet tall with a ten-foot canopy. When is the best month to move this tree?Answer:
- Now through April is the ideal time to move big trees, but it can be done year-round.
- However, this is not a project you can do yourself successfully. The root ball is too big and heavy for a homeowner to move.
- You'll have to hire a tree moving specialist or a landscape company that preferably uses a large tree spade. The tree spade is attached to a tractor that digs it up and transfers it to its new location. It can be an expensive task, so I'd get several bids.
- Another option would be to look at the cost of planting a 36" to or 48" boxed tree as an alternative.