It’s garden question-and-answer time. Remember, you may e-mail
questions to ga*******@*ps.net or mail them in care of this
newspaper. For a faster, personal response, please include a
self-addressed, stamped envelope.
It’s garden question-and-answer time. Remember, you may e-mail questions to ga*******@*ps.net or mail them in care of this newspaper. For a faster, personal response, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Q:
I have four hydrangeas that didn’t bloom this past summer. What did I do wrong? When do I prune and how much? The hydrangeas are beautiful and green, but no flowers.
– S.A., Gilroy.
A:
Hydrangeas bloom on new shoots that develop on old wood. So, if your plant was heavily pruned or if last winter’s weather killed back the stems, the plants probably spent this year growing stems and leaves instead of producing flowers. If you remember, last winter was especially harsh with several weeks straight of freezing temperatures at night. So even if you didn’t prune heavily, your hydrangeas may have suffered dieback. Try cutting back the stems to about half their length this winter to encourage new stem growth. You can do your pruning anytime between now and early February. Your hydrangeas should bloom next summer, so long as our winter this year isn’t quite as harsh as last.
Q:
I would like to know what I must do to remove the smell of wine from barrels I have just purchased before I plant my trees in them. Or, is it even necessary to try to remove the wine smell before planting?
– J.F., Gilroy.
A:
You don’t have to do anything to your wine barrels before planting. Even if they still smell like wine, these barrels are burned out before they’re sold. The only residue left may be a bit of charcoal. I’ve used half wine barrels for years and have never had a problem with wine residue harming plants.
One thing you may need to do is to drill extra drainage holes in the bottom. And this is no easy task. You’ll need a heavy duty drill and large drill bit – probably about a three-quarter inch bit. You should drill a minimum of three drainage holes, but five would be OK, too.
Q:
I found this strange white stuff growing all through my bark mulch. It had tentacles stretching several feet. What is it, and will it kill my plants?
– P.J., Morgan Hill.
A:
There is nothing to fear. What you’ve discovered in your mulch is a harmless fungus called mycorrhizae, and the white tentacles are known as mycelium. The good news is that this is great stuff. This fungus forms a symbolic relationship with plant roots, which means both the plants and the fungus derive some benefit from each other. Don’t try to get rid of it – just be glad it’s there.
