Does Zoysia grass grow in our area, or anywhere in Minnesota for that matter?
No, this is a poor grass for our area to plant. It is slow in greening up in the spring and begins to turn brown early in August. This is a grass that can be grown in Zone 6 or even into Texas, where the growing season is longer.
Soon there will be advertising out claiming that this grass grows well in Minnesota. Beware: Don’t buy or even think about growing this type of grass in the Midwest. E-mail me for the different types of grass which can be grown in the Midwest.
When deciding to purchase grass seed, always make note of the labels — containers should indicate whether the seed is intended for sunny or shady areas.
Rabbits are eating the bushes near my house. What can I do to eliminate this problem?
The best thing to do during this heavy snow cover is to put several pans of feed near the bushes. One of the pans may contain shelled corn, while another pan could have rabbit pellets. All of the animals out there are hungry; this is the reason they are eating on your bushes.
Why are my violets not blooming, even though they like quite healthy?
Make sure when you water these plants, that the water is room temperature. Also, don’t use any fertilizer if they are newly planted. Was this plant planted too deep in the first place? Are there any signs of mealy bugs, aphids, or spider mites showing on these plants? If so, spray the plants with orthenex, always following the directions on how to mix this solution. In addition, make sure the plant is out of a draft. Move it to a different area of your home and leave it at the new location for at least a week at a time.
If any plants have been transplanted recently, it will take awhile for violets to begin to bloom. Just as when planting a young tree in your yard, the root system will take at least three years to develop before one sees much growth upward in height.
My apples had a lot of tunnels throughout them. What is happening here?
Those who didn’t regularly spray the apple tree with the fungicide Captan may have had this problem. After every rain the trees need to be resprayed. Alternately, many of you fellow gardeners out there have used my “organic milk jug” idea successfully.
One can use either one-gallon milk or orange juice jugs, or half-gallon jugs, with a hole cut out near the top. Fill the jug half-way with 1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar solution; to this add 1 cup of white sugar and half of a banana peeling. For a large tree you will need at least 3 one-gallon jugs. A small tree might take a couple half-gallon jugs.
I didn’t have many butterflies in my garden last year; where were they?
It is possible that those who sprayed too much may have killed some of the butterflies. Spray only when necessary. If you need assistance, call a Master Gardener in your area. By the way, butterflies seem to like bright colors — red, yellow, orange, etc.
Keep feeding the pheasants and wild turkeys as well as the deer with all of the snow we have.
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Hank Wessels is a Master Gardener in Watonwan County. He welcomes questions and comments from readers. He may be reached at 601 1st St. SW, Madelia, MN 56062, hwdw@madtelco.net or (507) 642-8479.
