Horticulture Guy

Q. I bury kitchen vegetable waste and garden waste to enhance the soil.  I have wild morning glory all over my property.  What portion of the morning glory vines can be burried without encouraging new morning glory growth? Thanks

A. The wild morning glory (Field bindweed) will likely regenerate from all parts of the plant.  I would not take the chance and would exclude them from your “strip composting” (this is a term used for what you are doing).  If the plant did not flower yet and is not carrying seeds you may be able to cut back the stems and allow them to completely dry out before incorporating them.  I would test the drying process in a small area before doing it on a large scale though.  Sometimes you are better off safe than sorry.

-- HG

Q. Two years ago our cherry tree bore sweet, wonderful cherries, but then I started to see little hole in the cherries. As I was pitting a bowl to freeze, I noticed little worms. Ugh! Last year we were away most of the summer, so I never even examined them, and we let the birds have their fill. Now that a new season is here, I’m looking forward to cherries again. Is there anything I can do to prevent the worms? Will they come back every year? Deborah Anderson - Bonney Lake, WA

A.  It sounds to me like that you are describing cherry fruit fly maggots.  The dark flies (about 1/5 of an inch) have a white stripe across their abdomen.   They lay their eggs under the skin of the fruit in a mode very similar to apple maggot flies.  The cherry fruit flies can be distinguished a white band on their abdomen.   In answer to your question “will they come back” - my magic eight-ball says: “Signs point to Yes”.   Once the flies find your cherries it is likely that they will return each year.  This is especially true if you have not been taking measures to control them.  The size of each generation can depend on the local populations of predatory insects.  The flies are active this time of the year so now is the time (May-June depending on the year) to control them.  The braconid wasps are parasitic wasps that control many fruit flies including the cherry fruit fly you are dealing with.  Many types of insecticidal sprays can kill of the predators as easily as the prey.  The Washington State University extension lists a product called Bull’s Eye Bioinsecticide as a control. This is a product that contains Spinosad, which is biological in origin and is purported to have low toxicity (there still is some toxicity) to non-target organisms including beneficial insects. On smaller trees it is sometimes possible to exclude the flies by covering the tree with a spun polyester cover during the vulnerable stage. But this is often impractical.

-- HG

Q. We love having early spring bulbs but they don’t always stay where we plant them. I suppose it’s squirrels that dig them up and re-bury them. My question is, when we find bulbs that have been moved they are blooming. When can we dig them up and move them back to where they should be? If we wait until late fall, the usual planting time for spring bulbs, we’ll forget where they were and where they should go. It’s a puzzle! Katie Padwick - Gig Harbor, WA

A.  It is a good thing that squirrels forget where they store their caches!  We owe to that fact the spread of oak trees and your spring bulbs.  The best time to transplant spring flowering (fall planted) bulbs is between the time the foliage completely yellows and withers and typical fall planting time.  This is the period when bulb growers also harvest the bulbs.  This allows time for cleaning, processing and transportation to the consumer.  Although we are lucky enough to be close to a large bulb-growing region like Skagit Valley (see http://www.tulips.com/ for more info) the vast majority of tulips sold in the US are imported from Holland (see http://www.bulb.com/ for more info on bulbs from Holland). This can be done because when the foliage completely yellows and withers the bulb has extracted all the energy it can from the foliage.  This is similar to what deciduous trees (and to a limited exten evergreens) do in the fall when the leaves “change”.  This early stage is probably best for you unless you are industrious enough to mark the location of the errant bulbs for later transplanting. 

-- HG

Q. Mr. Punzi, My pink azaleas are blossoming, but for two years now the white ones don’t bloom. And for years they did. What’s wrong? Thanks, Phil Whittenberg - Lakewood, WA

A.  There are many situations that can occur that will prevent azaleas from blooming.  The problem can arise from their culture (which you are responsible for) or from their response to the environment.  The most common cultural problem, which is responsible for loss of blooms, is inappropriate pruning.  Azaleas like all Rhododendrons initiate flowers within a month after blooming.  For most varieties this means that next years flowers will be initiated and set by the end of June.  Any pruning after this point (including shearing) means loss of flowers. Also “pruning” by deer provides the same results. Also excessive fertilizer (especially Nitrogen) during the flower bud initiating period has been attributed to inhibition of flower bud formation in favor of leaf bud formation.  Since you have mentioned that the white azaleas have been blooming for years you should consider if you changed your routine for these plants.  Also since your pink azaleas are blooming you should consider what may be different for the two plants.  How close are they in the yard?  Environmental conditions may be different for the two plants.  For instance if the azaleas are in different parts of the yard one plant may be getting less light than the other.  If over time canopy trees nearby create more shade the white plants may have simply have not received enough light energy to form blooms the last two years.  Or perhaps they are receiving less moisture due to tree canopy (affecting rain water dispersal) or the irrigation pattern of you watering method. I would do a simple soil test since too little nutrients could also be a factor.  Also there are things that can happen to the buds even if they do form.  Late frosts, or fungal diseases can blast flower buds before they open.  Both these could affect one cultivar and not another due to their genetic propensities. Use the process of elimination and you should be able to narrow down the possibilities and take corrective action if appropriate. 

-- HG

Q. Hi Peter, I have two Asian pear trees. One is a Shinseiki and the other is a Hosui. Both have been in the ground in full sun for going on 5 years. They are 8-9′ tall now and healthy but the Hosui has never set more than a few fruit although it blooms profusely. The Shinseiki is loaded every year. I’ve read the Hosui is the best-flavored Asian pear and the Shinseiki is a good pollinator. What’s wrong with the Hosui? Is there something I can do to get better fruit set? Thanks, Henry Raynor - Puyallup, WA
                                                                                                        
A.  Hello Henry. Nice to hear from one of my “regulars”.  Pollination in fruit trees can be one of the most confounding of concepts for home orchardists.  This is because fruit trees are not always self-pollinating.  On our most common orchard trees (peaches, pears, cherries, apples et. al) the flowers are “complete” which means that both the male and female parts are on one flower. In a self-pollinating tree the pollen with fertilize any flower on the same tree.  Self-infertile trees on the other hand have a built in mechanism that blocks pollen from the same tree from germinating and thereby fertilizing themselves. This is likely an evolutionary strategy to promote out-crossing.  Out-crossing often promotes more vigorous offspring.  There are also shades of gray in between the two extremes and these are usually called “partially self-pollinating”.  When trees are self-infertile they require another cultivar be planted nearby to provide pollen for fertilization. This is because cultivars (from: cultivated varieties) are actually clones.  Therefore self-infertile varieties cannot pollinate each other even if they are physically two separate trees since they are genetically identical.  When selecting two varieties to compliment each other the pollen must be compatible and they must also have overlapping bloom period.  So you were on the right track planting two different cultivars but they are not helping each other to pollinate.  The Shinseiki Asian pear is considered nearly completely self-pollinating whereas Hosui is only partially self-pollinating.  I referenced what is called a pollination chart and found that these two varieties are not listed as pollinators for each other.  This explains why your self-pollinating variety is more fruitful than you partially self-pollinating variety.  The cultivars Chojuro, Yoinashi, Shinko and Korean Giant are all good pollinators for both the trees you have. Adding one of them should bring balance to your orchard. 

-- HG