Facebook Questions and Answers for the 31st August 2012

Hello Facebook fans, thanks for your questions this week, here are Carly's replies:

John Hutchinson

I read in a magazine that Garlic Juice is great for keeping roses healthy, have you any experience and where can I buy it please?

Hi John, I've not used garlic spray myself so can't comment on the effectiveness! However I have used the crushed cloves as a cat deterrent which worked well. Garlic has long been known for its antiseptic properties so may well be effective against fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and black spot if applied regularly. It's also reported garlic will kill aphids, a major pest of roses but again I couldn't say how effective this is - at home I just blast mine off with a hose or use an organic spray. As it's a cheap remedy it could be worth a try - simply crush some garlic cloves with water (make it quite potent) and leave to stew for a few hours before straining and using. I've not heard of this remedy being available to buy from shops and can imagine it's probably cheaper to make your own! We'd love to hear how you get on with this remedy John, good luck.

Angela Lynam

I need some advice on what plants I can plant in our garden, it gets water logged and has loads of slugs and snails in it?

Hi Angela, if you're looking for slug-resistant plants its best to go for those with prickly, hairy or tough leaves or those with strongly aromatic foliage. Unfortunately trying to find plants with these characteristics which will also tolerate waterlogged soil is quite difficult! It may be best to use plants suitable for waterlogged soil and treat the slugs either with slug pellets or through picking them off by hand, using beer traps and fruit skins etc.

For waterlogged soil in a semi-shaded or full shade spot you could try ferns such as Athyrium niponicum (Painted Fern), Blechnum, Dryopteris goldieana (Goldie's Fern), Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern) or Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive Fern). The tough leaves of these ferns are unlikely to be favoured by slugs. Another good group of plants are grasses, which slugs seldom eat. For waterlogged soil choose those which originate from waterside areas such as Carex elata (Bowles' golden sedge), Carex pendula (Weeping Sedge) and Schoenoplectus lacustris subsp. tabernaemontani 'Zebrinus' (Club-rush). If your soil gets damp but isn't completely under water for long periods you could try grasses such as Acorus, Deschampsia, Miscanthus and Molinia.

Euphorbia palustris (Marsh Spurge) likes a consistently moist soil and has a poisonous sap so is generally left alone by slugs. Other plants which aren't slug-resistant but do enjoy a very moist soil include Astilbe, Iris ensata (Japanese Water Iris), Iris laevigata (another water Iris), Zantedeschia (Arum Lily), Primula vialii or Primula denticulata. Remember that the more mature and better established a plant is then the more resistant to slug attack it will be. With this in mind, it is well worth planting perennials from a 2 litre pot size as these will be better equipped to outgrow any damage that is sustained. I hope this gives you a few ideas Angela. Best of luck.

Hugh Smith

I planted tomatoes some months ago and mine are just over a foot high. There are no fruits on them no trusses or anything? Are they likely to fruit this year?

Hi Hugh, if you started your tomatoes from seed and they are still quite young then you may not start to see fruit for a few weeks yet (my tomatoes have taken four months to crop). Tomatoes are generally quite prolific plants so I would have thought you'll see some flowering soon, although don't expect fruit to start ripening until October. Tomato plants need plenty of light and water so check your plants aren't too shaded and that the soil is kept moist. If you can, keep them in the warmest and brightest position possible to encourage fast growth, and good ripening should you get any fruit. They'll need frost protection from October onwards. Take care not to feed your plants too much, particularly with a fertiliser high in nitrogen which just encourages leaf growth. You can start to fertilise them after flowering has begun using a special tomato food which is high in potassium to encourage good fruit set. It's also worth mentioning that they won't do well in small containers and like some space to spread their roots. I hope this gives you some tips and you get some fruit before the season is over! Best of luck.

Christina Goozee

I have a Cotinus "Smoke Bush" grown in a container for well over 10 years but apart from a very few straggly flowers it has never produced the beautiful cotton tufts. It is in a tub about 15" square and I feed it & water well, not much needed this year. What else do I need to do to get the full bloom?

Hi Christina, Cotinus or Smoke Bush are naturally large shrubs so the lack of flowering may be a sign it is pot bound. It could also be pruning that's causing the lack of flowers. Cotinus plants flower on old wood so if you prune growth regularly you could be removing the flowering wood by accident - they're best pruned minimally.

I would check the root ball of the plant - if it's very pot bound then try pruning about one third of the thickest roots out. Repot it into fresh compost and finish by pruning the top growth back by a third to account for the root loss. The fresh compost may also help nutrient retention as old compost loses its structure after many years and becomes less useful to the plant, becoming less freedraining too. Otherwise feed and water it regularly as you are already. I hope this helps Christina, good luck!

Barbara Kates

Is it too early to plant tulips?

Hi Barbara, it is a little bit early to plant tulips. Aside from the risk of them sprouting too early (temperatures are still quite warm) tulips are less at risk of the disease 'tulip fire' if planted later on in October or November. Just store them somewhere cool, dry and well ventilated until you're ready to plant them. I hope this helps!