Q: We planted Kentucky Wonder pole beans in April. They are climbing up the support poles nicely but they have been blooming for over two weeks with no sign of beans! Judi Murphy, e-mail
A: Bean flower drop is related to fertilization but not in a way you might think. The bloom drop is common when the flowers are exposed to temperatures above 90 degrees for several days. Flowers exposed to sunshine in the afternoon are more likely to drop than those shaded by leaves. Although over-fertilizing can lead to flower drop, under-fertilizing leads to thinner leaf cover and less shade for flowers. If you see that many flowers are exposed to a lot of sunshine, fertilize with houseplant food to get more leaves and wait for temperatures to drop a bit.
Q: We have several lanky dogwoods which are putting out small suckers below the true limbs at the second floor of our home. Can I remove them? Short of finding a monkey with pruning skills, how do I do it? Marston Brown, Marietta
A: I once looked for a monkey with pruning skills but, failing that, I tried to train a cat to grasp pruners between her front paws. That was unsuccessful and it irritated the cat greatly. You'll just have to buy a pole pruner and do the work yourself. Removing small branches along the trunk won't hurt the tree.
Q: I’m learning about growing fruit and I see that in England they are grown against walls in a fan shape. Is there a reason we don’t do this in the Southeast? Anthony Wasno, e-mail
A: Training fruit trees to grow in a narrow space is called espaliering. One big reason this practice is common in European home gardens is their space is more limited than ours. There’s no reason it can’t be done here. All you need is a south- or west-facing wall, stiff wire and fence staples. Semi-dwarf trees are best for espaliering. You’ll learn a lot about pruning as you shape the tree. You can train them to grow in a fan, candelabra, or serpentine shape. I have details at xrl.us/espalier
Q: Since I work in a restaurant, I have fish scraps, which I once heard were great for the garden. Is this true? Rae Holloway, e-mail
A: Fish have been used as fertilizer since ancient times. Save the fish scraps in a bucket and take them home to bury beside garden plants. They’ll get valuable nitrogen, phosphorus and potash plus calcium and micronutrients. Be aware that dogs and raccoons may try to dig up your fishy treasure. Try to bury it at least six inches deep. Post hole diggers work well for this.
Q: I took your advice and examined the base of my declining maple tree and found a big root pressing against the base. Should I remove the root or let it be? Elizabeth Hurd, e-mail
A: Much depends on how big the root is. When a root closely circles a tree trunk rather than growing outward, it is called a “girdling root”. As it grows larger and the trunk expands, pressure against the tree base limits water and nutrients going to the leaves. I see this frequently, especially on maple trees that were grown in containers. If less than one-fourth of the trunk is damaged, remove the root now. Wait until winter to remove larger roots. Details at xrl.us/girdling.
Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on AM 750 and 95.5 FM News-Talk WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook Fan Page at xrl.us/wrfacebook for more garden tips.
