Q: The six thornless blackberries I planted last year are yielding beautiful, big fruit, but they also each put out a huge cane. Do I just let those go and train them on the wire or should they be cut back? — Jan Rice, email
A: The big blackberry cane eventually will generate branches that will bloom and bear fruit next summer. To keep the new branches handy for picking fruit, clip the new cane a foot below your wire. The ensuing new limbs can then be tied to the wire as they appear. Canes that bore blackberries this summer can be cut to the ground after harvest, since they will die this fall.
Q: I'm growing sweet basil indoors in a pot and I noticed that the stem was turning brown. Is there anything else I can do? — Maria Scott, email
A: It's very difficult to be successful raising basil indoors. The plant needs full sunshine to produce much flavor. In addition, low light leads to low vigor, so the plant succumbs to all manner of leaf and stem fungi. Gradually move your basil outdoors and see if its health improves.
Q: I have a plastic half-barrel with water lilies growing in it. On one of the floating leaves I found a skinny black worm, thin as a hair. What is it? — Megan Hurd, Decatur
A: It's probably a harmless horsehair worm. Despite their diminutive size, these creatures are bad news for larger insects like crickets, cockroaches, and beetles. They eat an insect's innards and emerge well-fed and ready to court a horsehair worm of the opposite sex. They are harmless to humans.
Q: I saw online a recipe for homemade weed killer made from vinegar, salt and dishwashing liquid. I sprayed this on weeds in my Bermuda lawn. Have I killed the Bermuda grass too? — Charlotte Smith, email
A: You probably haven't killed the grass. Bermuda grass is a tough plant to kill and the mixture you mention is generally considered useless for weed control. Vinegar might kill tender new weeds but not those that have been growing for a few weeks. Salt would kill most plants but would make the ground unplantable for a year; dish soap probably wouldn't make much difference to a plant either way. I have a list of effective commercial organic weedkillers at bit.ly/organicweed.
Q: My water oak has welts and blisters on the front and back of leaves and new foliage that appears shriveled. What is it? — Ila Burdette, Hogansville
A: Your tree has oak leaf blister. Most of the infected leaves will fall from the tree. This disease is favored by cool, wet springs; in dry years it isn't a problem. Despite the leaf drop, trees are rarely permanently affected. Get out your leaf rake and clean up as needed!
Q: Is there anything that will keep the neighborhood cats out of my raised beds? — Muriel Cash, email
A: I think a well-aimed motion-activated sprinkler would send the cats skedaddling. Look online for the ConTech Scarecrow or the Havahart Spray Away. The cats will be deterred by the blast of water these gadgets emit.
