It’s the last of the month, which means garden questions and
answers again! You may e-mail me questions at: ga********@jp*.net.
Or you can mail me questions in care of this newspaper. For a
faster, personal response, please include a self-addressed, stamped
envelope.
It’s the last of the month, which means garden questions and answers again! You may e-mail me questions at: ga********@jp*.net. Or you can mail me questions in care of this newspaper. For a faster, personal response, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Q. I have read your commentary for many years, but I can’t recall you covering oxalis. This weed has taken over my flower beds. Spraying only kills the top growth. Once I plant the beds, spraying isn’t even an option. If you can help, I would appreciate it. – R.S., Gilroy.
I’m not sure what you’ve been spraying with, but contact weed killer containing glyphosate will do the trick. Common brand names include Roundup and Finale. Both are systemic herbicides, meaning they kill by inhibiting enzymatic action in the cells, preventing food production. Essentially, the weed starves and dies.
Even better, once the glyphosphate is absorbed by the top growth, it spreads to everything else including the roots. If your oxalis is really established, it may take a couple sprayings. Try to spray during clear, dry weather for best results. It should also be noted, that you can spray these contact killers even after you’ve planted. Simply hold a portion of cardboard between the area to be sprayed and desirable plants. This will prevent any possibility of spray drift and you can kill weeds that sit right next to desirable plants.
Q. I have a beautiful gingko tree in my backyard, planted by previous owners. My problem is that it makes some kind of fruit. They are a mess and also have a bad odor. I was wondering if it could be sprayed like the flowering plum tree. Can you help me? – J.F., Gilroy.
There is indeed a spray that will work so long as you spray your gingko at the right time. It’s called different names, but if you ask for “Olive-Stop” at your nursery, they’ll know what to get you. Again, the important thing is to spray just when the tree is in blossom. You want to prevent the tree from setting fruit. This same spray can be used on olives and things like liquidambars (to prevent them from forming those awful, thorny seed pods). Good luck.
Q. Can you tell me how far to space standard (non-swarf) fruit trees? We are in the process of planning a few trees, and I can’t seem to find the information on how far apart they should be planted. – W.K., Hollister, via e-mail.
Most standard fruit trees should be planted on 20-foot centers. Standard apples require a little more space at around 30-foot centers. Semi-dwarf fruit trees should be planted between 10 and 15 feet apart, while genetic dwarfs can be planted as close as six feet away from each other. It should be noted that not all fruit trees are available as genetic dwarfs. In fact, most are only available as standards or semi-dwarfs. Peaches and nectarines are types available as genetic dwarfs. Also popular are so-called “3-in-1” fruit trees. These are great space-savers where three different varieties of, for example, apples are grafted onto the same tree.
