Quick Questions
Can I overwinter my tuberose?
Sherida Burgess, by email In a heated conservatory Polianthes tuberosa remains evergreen but, as I mentioned last month, the simplest way to overwinter is to stop watering and put the pot somewhere frostfree. If you’ve fed regularly with a tomato fertiliser, the tubers might be sufficiently large to flower again the following year. One problem, however, is that the tuber may break up into several offsets, which need to be grown on to flowering size for two or three years. Many gardeners simply buy fresh tubers each year.
Why did my redcurrants have very li le fruit?
Wendy German, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire Soft fruit bushes flower early so protect with horticultural fleece during chilly spring nights. Use ne ing to prevent damage from bullfinches in winter. Prune out old, less fruitful branches in winter, cu ing to a vigorous shoot to open up the bush and create a framework of six to eight main branches and shorten all sideshoots to one or two buds. Apply sulphate of potash at 15gm per sq m in late winter and Growmore at 65gm per sq m in spring.
Why haven’t my citrus trees flowered?
Bernice Noad, by email It can often take two or three years for citrus to start flowering. Insufficient light, lack of feeding or low temperatures can all delay flowering and may also cause yellowing of the foliage, as can overwatering. Feed with a proprietary liquid citrus feed during the growing season. Over winter keep just on the dry side, but in maximum light and not too warm at a temperature of about 15C (60F).