Q: My Christmas cactus had many buds, but lots of them fell off without opening up. What am I doing wrong?Mary Cannata, email
A: In my experience, there are three things that could cause Christmas cactus bud drop. If the plant is moved from a sunny window to a dimmer spot, the plant won't receive the energy it needs to fully develop its flowers. If the plant is subjected to drafts from cold air moving down the window pane or from a nearby furnace vent, bud drop is common. If the Christmas cactus is newly arrived from a nursery, there may simply be too many buds for the plant to completely support them all. It drops buds to match the new environment. I am reasonably sure one of these three explanations fits your situation.
Q: Is there a safe distance out from the base of a pine tree to cut extending roots?George Burford, email
A: I am sure there is one but I can't tell you how to determine it. Much depends on the height of the tree, the lean of the trunk, the distribution of limbs around the tree, and the type of soil the tree is growing in. Only a trained tree professional can give you good advice. Find one at www.georgiaarborist.org.
Q: Last year I had a bumper crop of acorns on my oak trees. This year I haven't seen a single one. Was there a crop failure? My squirrels would like to know.Noel Smith, Blairsville
A: That's funny … I got a different question a few days ago: "A bumper crop of large acorns have landed in my lawn. Why are there so many?"
The size of an acorn crop depends mostly on the environmental conditions of the current and previous year. If you have a lot of acorns, there was good rainfall, moderate temperatures and plenty of sunshine in the past. If your acorns are sparse, things were not so pleasant for the oak. Tell your squirrels to stick around and see what happens next year.
Q: I'd like to plant several Rainier cherry trees just to see what happens. I LOVE them.John Miller, Tucker
A: So, I see you are a gambler! Sweet cherry trees have a tough time bearing fruit in metro Atlanta. Temperature swings in winter usually cause them to flower out of season. The resulting cold damage leaves few flowers to develop into cherries. The trees themselves may survive for several years but you may only get enough cherries for one pie in that time. If you think peaches are prone to disease and insect damage, cherries are even worse! Leaf spot, fruit rot, trunk canker and Japanese beetles can do tremendous damage. If you decide to go ahead with your project, remember that ‘Rainier’ cherries require another cherry variety blooming nearby at the same time to provide pollen. Let me know how it goes!
