Q.
I planted a ficus tree between my walkway and house a year ago. I heard this tree can cause a lot of damage to houses and pipes. Is this true? – Ed Joel Jr. North Lauderdale
A.
Get rid of the ficus as soon as possible. Roots from this tree can puncture pools, plumbing, paving and even building slabs.
Q.
What’s wrong with my ground cover? It’s dying. When do gardenia
and hibiscus bloom in South Florida? My potted gardenia has a white substance that disappears when I spray with soapy water. The new buds turned brown and fell off when I returned from a recent trip. What should I do? – Alice Levine, Boca Raton
A.
Your ground cover is liriope. It’s extremely sensitive to too much water, mulch against the leaves and too deep planting. Water only as needed in the summer months and about twice a week in the dry season from October to May. Pull mulch back about 1 to 2 inches from ALL plantings so the leaves and stems can breathe. Plant liriope slightly above grade to minimize potential for root rot. Hibiscus
bloom year-round and gardenias from April to August. Gardenias bloom heavily in April/May and then a scattering of flowers afterward. Your plant has thrips and mealybug. Move the plant off the patio to a shady area and apply Cygon according to label directions. Repeat treatment in 10 days. Apply in the early morning before 10 a.m. Pour the Cygon solution over the plant with a watering can if the plant is not too large.
Q.
Where can I buy Bauhinia galpinii – the red orchid shrub/vine? – Patricia Durnin, Deerfield Beach
A.
This plant is currently out of production locally. I checked with a number of nurseries and no one had it. Quail Roost Nursery in Miami grows this plant, but that is a wholesale nursery. Ask your local retail nursery to order the plant from Quail Roost.
Q.
I bought a sunrise cactus, and it bloomed for a long time. I would like to know more about the plant. When will it bloom again? How do I water it? The plant is growing well on my patio. – Adeline Gronowski, Deerfield Beach
A.
This is also known as Easter cactus, a plant from southern Brazil that blooms in March-April. Fertilize lightly once a month with a liquid fertilizer such as Peters 20-20-20. Do not fertilize around blooming time. Keep it on the dry side, watering when the soil becomes dry to the touch. These cactus grow like orchids, up in tree branches, so a filtered light is ideal. Avoid direct sunlight because the leaves can get scorched. Avoid artificial light sources and porch and street lights so it can rebloom in the spring.
Q.
What is destroying the leaves on my dendrobium orchid? – Dottie Slater, Margate
A.
Your orchid had fungal leaf spot. Water in the morning only. Avoid misting, and keep it outside. I naturalize my orchids by tieing them into the tree with string that will decay, or with nylon stockings. The orchids root to the tree within a year and are nice to see in bloom.
Q.
My frangipani is losing leaves and has rusty spots. What can I do? – Leonard Kessler Delray Beach
A.
Frangipani is subject to leaf drop from rust, but this normally occurs at the end of the growing season in October. Spray the tree with copper fungicide and repeat treatment in 10 days. Follow label directions exactly. Copper can stain, so use it early before the wind comes up. Water in the morning only. Frangipani prefers dry conditions.
Q.
Would passion vine growing over Bermuda roof tiles hurt the roof? They would be an improvement over the mildewed tiles. – Tom Malloy, Lighthouse Point
A.
I am leery of any vine growing over a roof. The passion vine is fast growing and could get under the tiles. The vines could cause the wood beneath the tiles to rot through, admitting excess moisture and providing a haven for insects like carpenter ants.
Q.
What is wrong with my sago palm? The leaves are discolored in certain areas. – Bunny Kantra, Boca Raton
A.
Your sago palm has scale. Spray with Cygon or Orthene and repeat treatment in 10 days. Follow label directions exactly.
Q.
My 10-year-old lemon tree is suffering from loss of foliage, particularly on one side. I fertilize twice a year and sprayed with Malathion when I noticed the leaves getting sparse. It receives some water from the sprinkler system but not a lot. – Jim Melvin, Boca Raton
A.
I saw no evidence of insects on the leaf samples you sent, so it may be one or a combination of reasons that caused the tree to decline. Your tree could have been girdled with a weed trimmer, which will kill the tree slowly over time. Plant a ground cover such as liriope around the tree trunk to act as a buffer between the weed trimmer and the trunk. The tree may have been planted too deep. Tree trunks should show a widened flare where they enter the ground if they are planted at the right depth. Trees planted too deep will have trunks that enter the ground vertically like a telephone pole. Dig carefully with a trowel to the flare on the trunk. Remove excess soil from over the root system to about 3 feet from the trunk until it looks like a dished plate with the tree in the center. This will allow the roots to breathe and the tree to recover if it is not too far gone. Because one side of the tree had sparse foliage it could indicate girdling roots. If the roots were potbound when purchased, they will wrap in a spiral around the original root ball. As the trunk expands, it contacts the spiraling roots and cannot grow more. This can stress one side of the tree and cause leaf and fruit drop. The girdling root has to be carefully dug out and cut off. Citrus also suffer from root rot in a lawn setting with regular irrigation. Put half heads on the sprinklers to throw water away from the tree. Trees with root rot have splitting, poor tasting fruit, poor foliage, branch dieback and splitting bark borers. They eventually die.
