Q: I purchased a small dogwood during the Dogwood Festival five years ago. The tree is quite healthy and has tripled in size. But it has never bloomed, not even put out a single bud. Sara Molnar, email
A: "Making" a plant bloom is usually a fruitless task. Plants bloom to attract pollinators and thereby produce the seeds that lead to their species' survival. While the lack of specific nutrients will inhibit blooming, if your dogwood looks healthy it probably does not suffer nutritionally. My mantra in this situation is "If your plant is happy, it will eventually bloom." Mulch under your dogwood and make sure it gets enough sunlight. That will make it happy enough to eventually make flowers.
Q: My UGA soil test report wants me to apply 15-0-15 for spring green-up and 34-0-0 in summer. I can't find either one for sale. Walt Sams, email
A: I visited a local big-box store and a prominent garden center last week to count the number of fertilizers available. There were 36 different analyses, but none of them were 15-0-15 or 34-0-0. When you're presented with this conundrum, the best you can do is to approximate the numbers. I found 10-0-6 fertilizer and some 35-0-5. Using 10-0-6, you could apply 1 1/2 times the recommended amount of 15-0-15 and have approximately the correct nutrients. The 35-0-5 is close enough to your 34-0-0 to use the same amount specified in your soil test report. I have a list of the fertilizer analyses I found and a handy calculator you can use to determine what other ratios might fit your needs at bit.ly/UGAfert.
Q: You mentioned on radio an ant bait using jelly, peanut butter, and boric acid. I would like to try it. Dave Muench, email
A: You can make your own ant bait by mixing four tablespoons of peanut butter, six tablespoons of jelly (or honey) and three-fourths teaspoon of boric acid powder. Place small amounts in areas visited by ants but not accessible to children or pets. You can make a small feeding station by putting bait in a plastic orange drugstore pill bottle with a small hole bored into its lid. It's important to use the specified amount of boric acid. We want the ants to live long enough to go back to their nest and share the poison with their friends.
Q: My husband and I love to have fresh herbs. But when I buy fresh basil plants in the grocery they do not create enough new leaves to enjoy for any length of time. Can you plant enough seeds, or plants, in pots on a deck to last throughout the summer? Judy Vail, email
A: If you buy seedling basil plants from a nursery or grocery and plant outdoors in mid-April, you'll be picking fresh leaves by mid-May. It's a good idea to buy and plant basil every three weeks. Basil planted from seed (less expensive, of course) won't be ready for picking until June. Try a purple-leaf or curly-leaf variety for visual interest. Basil is usually sold in four-inch plastic pots. Look for a pot in which several seeds have been planted and that sports more than one basil seedling. When they are small, it is easy to divide the small plants and get several for the price of one.
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