Answers to all your gardening questions
Q: My cat is taking a lot of fleas indoors. What can I spray to take care of this problem? —Steve, Harrisburg, Penn.
A: Vets use pyrethrin-based insecticides on collars to keep fleas away. Some folks will spray their floor beds with these chemicals. I use it on my trousers for ticks when I golf. I also spray my border flower garden to kill fleas and ticks. Do use more than the recommended dosage on the labels.
Q: I have lettuce and tomato plants growing in a planter inside a stump. The lettuce has bolted. Can I cut it back and put the leaves into soft soil and try to reroot? —Bob, Waterbury, Conn.
A: I would be surprised if you got growth again. You have time to plant lettuce seeds in a cool place to get a second crop. A second or third crop is more likely in the fall from seed.
Q: Earlier this year, while tilling in some of last years leaves into my garden, I included some grass clippings from my newly cut lawn. After I did this, I realized that I had used a crabgrass preventer/fertilizer on the lawn. How long should I wait to make sure that the effects of the lawn application don't show up in the vegetable that I'd like to plant there? —Wayne, Oakridge, N.C.
A: Clean compost is excellent for gardens. Weed killers are growth retarders in the soil. It should not take longer than one year to dissipate the growth inhibitors.
Q: I have worms that are about an inch long that are eating my petunias. What can I use to kill them? —Pete, East Lyme, Conn.
A: There are organic compounds like pyrethrin that will deter them. A non-organic spray with malathion will kill them. Follow directions on the packages. You will need to repeat (no pun) in about ten days to get rid of these inch worms.
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” —Warren Buffett