Heirloom tomatoes scarce

Last fall I tried one of the heirloom tomatoes but the plant only produced a few but good fruits. Is this normal?

Next time better grow several of this older tomato variety as heirloom selections are often inconsistent producers. As you noted they usually have that great tomato taste but not as as much fruit as you might like. The plants are also more susceptible to diseases and insects appear to prefer these varieties. Dry weather can help reduce disease problems so plant them well before and after the rainy season. Also, avoid waterings that keep the foliage moist overnight.

Something is killing my lawn even though I have used an insecticide and fungicide and given it good care. What has produced all the brown spots?

Pests are changing and sometimes even though we appear to be doing everything right, our treatments are not effective. An email picture of your devastated St. Augustine lawn suggests you have a pesticide-resistant chinch bug infestation. In many neighborhoods these insects have become tolerant of the commonly used insecticides.

Regretfully a new lawn is in your future, at least in the severely affected areas. After the turf has been installed and growing for a few weeks, apply an insecticide. This time select a product the chinch bugs have not become resistant to, which includes either Arena or Dylox. Arena can be found at some independent garden centers and pest control stores and Dylox in the Bayer Advanced 24 Hour Grub Killer Plus granules at most garden centers. Follow the label when using the product selected.

A number of bare spots have been left in my roadside bahia lawn after the removal of debris from Hurricane Irma. When can I reseed these areas?

Few warm-season grasses grow from seed during the cooler weather but a quick cure for the brown spots could be a sowing of ryegrass. This is sort of a miracle turf as all you have to do is toss out the seeds, rake it in a little, water it and watch it grow.

Ryegrass is a temporary lawn, giving the desired green growth until warmer March or April weather. When the rye declines, rake it out and loosen the soil to sow the permanent bahiagrass seed. Bahia does need more care (watering, fertilizing and mowing) to have a good lawn again.

I am growing collards, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and peas. How often should I fertilize these plantings?

Monthly feedings are needed by all but the peas. This later crop is a legume that with the help of soil bacteria removes nitrogen from the air for plant growth. Peas still need the remaining major and minor nutrients so a feeding with a low nitrogen fertilizer at planting and once during early growth is suggested. Other crops should receive a general garden fertilizer monthly or consider use of a slow-release product that may only be needed once to produce the harvests.

I brought home a new Christmas cactus and the flowers became dry and the buds dropped. Did I keep it too moist?

Christmas, Holiday and Thanksgiving cactus, which are all related, don’t like too moist a soil at this time of the year. They also don’t like a change in their location. The move from the grower to the garden center to your home could be all that’s needed to start the flower decline. Growers often treat their plants to prevent the flower loss but it can still occur.

Regretfully this Christmas you have to be content with a nice new plant with a lot of potential for next year. Find your cactus a spot in a bright location or filtered sun, moisten when the surface soil begins to dry and fertilize monthly March through September to have a plant in bloom next year.

I would like to move a small bottlebrush tree planted about a year ago. When is the best time and are there any tricks?

Use the cooler weather ahead to give your tree a new location. Plants are not making much growth or using lots of water. It is also a less stressful time for you to do the digging. Your tree can be dug with about the same size root ball it had at planting. The main trick is to thoroughly moisten the soil a day before the move. Then carefully dig an intact root ball.

After the bottlebrush is relocated, keep the soil moist. Form a berm of soil at the edge of the root ball and fill the basin created with water at least once a day for a week or two. Then reduce watering to every two to three days. Apply the first fertilizer application when growth starts in spring.

I have an edible fig tree that is losing all its leaves. What could the problem be?

Don’t worry, your fig tree is going through the normal leaf loss for late fall and winter. Most are completely bare at this time. Figs take a rest to mature their vegetative buds that begin growth during warm spring days. The leaf loss also helps the trees shed foliage that is often infected with a rust fungus. Now is the time to remove and compost the fallen leaves. Also, replenish the mulch layer covering the root system.