Cabin fever seems to be keeping gardens on your mind.
Q I planted two varieties of blueberries. They produced so many berries last summer that the branches are still bent over. Should I stake them? Also, Japanese beetles love them. Is Sevin a safe spray? -- Dan Licata
Autumn joy sedum tolerates heat well.
(Adrian Higgins -- The Washington Post)
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AMy guess is that you have varieties of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). The keys to keeping your shrubs from becoming too leggy are enough sunlight and proper pruning. Because they were heavy with fruit last summer, they probably had sufficient sun, so pruning should help your plants grow more upright. Thin out dense crowded growth in the center of shrub. Shorten or remove stems that droop to the ground. Prune in late February before spring growth begins.
Blueberries will produce on one-year-old wood. Fruiting stems usually bear for about four years. Cut old, non-bearing branches to the ground as strong, younger stems develop. Remove thin, spindly branches and dead stems. The stronger (thicker) young stems are the ones that will produce fruit faster. Head back the long stems, leaving four to six buds on each. This will increase the size of your blueberries.
Try a combination of methods to control Japanese beetles. Insecticides such as carbaryl (Sevin), pyrethrin, rotenone and neem are not very effective, because those labeled for food crops have little residual value. Since Japanese beetles emerge from the soil over a period of six weeks in summer, you need many applications. To supplement the spray, hand pick and discard the bugs. Japanese beetle grubs can also be attacked in the lawn with milky spore, a disease that kills them over several years, or beneficial nematodes, microscopic worms selected to specifically kill grubs. Look for these products at your garden center or online at www.GardensAlive.com.
I removed a row of 40-foot-tall white pines. I had the stumps ground and intend to replace them with a row of skip laurel shrubs. How far apart should they be planted? Do you have any other recommendations? -- Mike Dellapa
Skip laurel (Prunus laurocerasus "'Schipkaensis"), a broadleaf evergreen shrub, is considered to be one of the hardiest cherry laurels. It grows six to 10 feet tall and wide and takes pruning well. Plant four feet apart to shear into a hedge, or plant five to six feet apart to have to only touch-up prune and keep growth in check. Fall and spring are good times for planting. Plant the top of the root ball higher than ground level by as much as 25 percent, in about a third compost, two-thirds native soil. Poor drainage is the worst condition for this plant.
I have a 20-year-old tree about eight to 10 feet from my chimney and house. Is there danger of roots cracking my chimney or foundation? -- Melanie Weiss
Foundations that are solid and dry won't be affected by trees because roots always grow in the direction of moist, light textured soil. Strong root systems can compromise the foundation of your house or chimney only if you have a crack in the foundation or another breach in your wall that allows water to enter.
I have a Verte fig tree. Last year, the tree was full of figs but had only two ripe ones. Is that unusual? -- Jeanne Malone
