black residue on Meyer lemon bush

QuestionSorry John, I put the question in your rating. My follow up question is that when I told you my lemon bush was big, I forgot to tell you its approximate volume which is 8ftx8ftx8ft. What is the best way to t

Black spots on camillia

QuestionRecently I have noticed black spots on one of my camellia bushes in front of my house. Comparing it to the bush on the other side of the porch the leaves have a yellow hue and there are black spots on

hollow tree disease?

QuestionI am a court reporter and took a deposition of a tree removal man and he said the word (phonetic) insivianvaculosis to mean a hollow tree. he doesnt know how to spell it or even if he was pronouncing i

Black Spot on Water Oak Tree

QuestionHi Jim, my mother has three 40 foot Water Oaks in her back yard. She lives in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Recently, in the last 4-6 months one tree has developed a black spot in the fork of the lowest major bra

black clumps of stuff on my plum tree branches

QuestionI have a plum tree that has numerous clumps of black stuff on the branches, I live in the lake sunapee region of nh. the tree is about 8 years old and has never had this before. someone l

Japanese Red Maple Tree

QuestionMy tree has white dome shape spots on the branches. I have been very careful to scrape some of them off, I noticed that the white dome shapes are red under the white dome and looks like blood when you

lemon tree under attack

QuestionI have two lemon trees that keep losing their leaves. Have searched for pests but apparently they hide out in daytime hours. Did find a cocoon of some sort on one of the trunks and removed and de

Massangeanna Cane has mold in the dirt

QuestionI just purchased a Massangeanna in Dec 2006. However it has been by the living room window on those cold Ohio nights I decided to move it. The thing is I have noticed mold on the top surface of the soil. Wha

White substance on clay pots.

QuestionHow on earth do I get rid of the white moldy looking substance on the outside of all my clay pots. I have 18 plants in clay pots and 12 in plastic pots, only the clay ones have this substance. &n

Mother in law or snake plant

QuestionAfter a year in water and leave that have turned yellow, can proper care turn the leaves green again? AnswerHi Hanna, The Latin name for genus of the mother-in-law or snake plant is _Sempervivium_, which i

Sugar supplements!

QuestionMy second question in connection with your recent post re sugar watering and rses: What is your opinion of the practice of feeding microbes in garden soil by sprinkling table sugar down? I cannot seem to

Snake plant bugs

QuestionI have a huge beautiful snake plant that has recently become infested with little black bugs, that look alot like gnats. What can I do to get rid of them without hurting my plant. Thanks in advance. T

Sweet Soil

QuestionThanks for your detailed reply, Doc. I have a followup. If sugar dehydrates things in the soil, I get the impression that sugar would be a negative thing. If you want to control weeds with salt, and y

sago palm got the ick?

Questionwell I got a sago plam for x-mas its is a bonsai style pot.I noticed the the center of each leaf is turning yellow it seems to be spending to the ends of each leaf. I dont know anything about this plan

Apparant Growth Buds On Live Oak

QuestionWhat food do you recommend and how often should I feed/water the tree during the spring/summer? ------------------------------------------- The text above is a follow-up to ... -----Question----- I have a l

meye lemon

Questionmy meyer lemon tree has sap on the leaves and little brown spots..it is dying slowly what can I do? AnswerHi Ed, Most likely, the small brown spots are scale insects. They appear oval to round in sha

dwarf nectarine gummosis

QuestionIf I do tree surgery as suggested in that site, how much healthy bark should I leave? I ask because the trunk is only about an inch in diameter and if I cut away 1.5 inches around each side of the cut, Ill r

spider plants

QuestionDear John, I own two spider plants that I am having some trouble with. They are green & growing but are incredibly droopy and sad-looking. They are hanging above the window to get lots of natural sunlight,

hydrogen peroxide as plant disinfectant

QuestionIs it safe to use on plants? I have a nectarine with gummosis and Im wondering if I can apply h2o2 to kill the fungus. Or will it hurt the tree? AnswerGummosis is a symptom of another underlying fungal infe

Frozen trees

QuestionWe live in the Phoenix outlying areas where an unusual cold snap came through this winter. It got down to 17 degrees where we live. We had planted 50 gallon Shamel Ash and Evergreen Elm trees in