Crystal mentioned it's not a good idea to plant anything this weekend. I live in a condo and do potted plants on my patio. Is it a bad weekend to plant my potted arrangements too? (I'm a beginner at all this)Thanks!

Good Morning

For the past 3 years we have done an out of ground no dig garden with our kids. I was amazed to see the interest they had in planting the seedlings, watching them grow, plant and harvest. It was nice to see our kids enjoy something that did not offer immediate gratification.

This being said, we are novices and in the past 2 years we have had issues with our tomatoes. I've heard that PH is important... What is the trick to big round juicy tomatoes.

Thanks

Excellent show. I would love to hear a weekly gardening calendar by Crystal Hoff.

Quoting robin:

Do stinkbugs have a predator in their environmant of origin? Can we import the predator?

Yes, there are parasitic wasps and two viruses that are effective biological controls used in Japan and China - their environment of origin. Researchers are studying the possiblity of introducing these non native biological control organisms into the U.S.

Quoting robin:

When should I prune my Hydrangias and not lose the following year's blooms?

Robin, I am assuming you are referring to the large lacecap hydrangeas with the blue or pink flowers that bloom in July or August. There are quite a few different kinds of hydrangeas each with different pruning guidelines, so I will speak to the lacecaps as they are most common. The flowers for the lacecaps form on the previous seasons growth. You can prune in spring to remove deadwood and shape, but any severe pruning at that time will result in the loss of flowers for that year. If you need to give it a good 'haircut' in order to get it back in bounds, then prune right after it flowers in August. Also, be aware that some varieties of lacecap hydrangeas can be sensitive to extremely cold winters and sometimes, the flower buds will freeze and die resulting in fewer or no flowers in some years.

Quoting Lisa:

I have a blue spruce tree that has over the past several years really thinned out. It is about 40 ft. tall and used to be so thick you couldn't see in to the trunk. Now it has entire branches that are bare and you can readily see the trunk through the branches. The needles don't change color but simply fall off leaving the branch bare and dead. I have not seen any bugs or fungal/mold growths on it. It gets plenty of water and is in sun except for late afternoon. What could be wrong with it and is there anything that can be done to prevent further branch loss?

Lisa, It is difficult to diagnose problems without seeing the tree and getting more information. I can direct you to the Penn State Plant Disease Clinic. You can google their website. They will diagnose samples sent to them. Or you can contact a reputable nursery or arborist who should be able to assist you. Crystal

Quoting Judy:

Our lawn is being taken over by clover. What is an appropriate way to eliminate the clover without destroying the good grass.

Judy,

Provided you are not adverse to using chemical herbicides, the best time to eliminate clover and other perennial broadleaf weeds from your lawn is in the fall when the clover is putting its energy into its roots to survive the winter. Appropriate selective (in this case for broadleaf plants) herbicides applied in the fall should put a dent in your clover population. Then if eliminated, you can reseed with grass seed in the following spring.

Crystal