Cherry tree has owner weeping
“Into any garden, no matter how artificial or how tame, some wild things will find their way.” —H. R. Sass
Q: We have a 20-foot high weeping cherry tree that has thrived in full sun in our front yard since we bought the house over 12 years ago, and it has regularly blossomed pink every April. This year it has been suffering from something eating all the leaves, a few sickly blossoms tried to appear in April, but we had thought maybe the spring frosts had hurt it. Now, I see tiny black dot bugs and webs under the leaves, but almost all the leaves have already been chewed. It looks like the branches do have new growth. What can we do to save it? We have only a third acre of land in between houses so any spray must be safe for other gardens/homes. —Karen, Mystic, Conn.
A: You would be best served by hiring a professional tree company.
Because of the tricky spring weather, we have had a lot of flowering fruit trees miss their blooms in southern New England. In the second week of March, we had extensive growth spurts and many trees lost their buds subsequently. When plants get one disease, they are prone to other pathogens. Many trees now have winter moth as well as aphids. Your tree company should spray for fungi and insects. Powders will be more likely to be spread by the wind than sprays. Trees can be given injections now instead of some sprays.
Q: I have some attractive winter ferns that died back in the spring. They are in the rock crevices and in the trees. I would like to transplant some or acquire more. A friend wants to cut out some from tree crotches. They look
similar to Boston ferns but more like the licorice fern. —Judy, St. Helens, Oregon
A: There is a natural hybrid between Polypodium glycyrrhiza, the licorice fern, and P. californium, that has some characteristics of the Boston type ferns. Polypodium calirhiza has been naturalized in Oregon and northern California. You could try layering some leaf cuttings in sand. Your friend can carefully cut out the ferns with some bark attached. Be sure to repair the extraction with tree seal. You might plant them alongside a rock. I can see you are between a rock and a hard place. This might require a few attempts in the early fall.
Q: There are many ants that are crawling up to my bird feeders on poles. Is there a spray that I can use to get rid of them? —Ronnie, Putnam, Conn.
A: Ants are predators of other insects. They carry off their eggs to their nests. A caller to my radio show suggested fly paper wrapped around the pole. You can also buy feeders with ant and bee protectors at the box stores. You may be doing more harm to your garden by killing the little bugs. Ants do not harm plants or drink much nectar.
Q: We have some chipmunks making small holes under our trees. Can we use moth flakes? —Mary, Waterford, Conn.
A: Moth flakes have a strong odor that might drive them away to greener pastures. You could remove them with Havahart traps. You could lure them with the Chipmunk song but peanut butter and graham cracker works just fine. Be sure to trap them in the shade and do not leave them in the traps for more than two hours. You do not want to kill them.
Mort White is a gardening expert who submits a weekly column for The Call. For the best solutions for your lawn, tree and shrub problems, call the experts at SeaScape, 800294-5296 or visit www.seascapeinc.com.