Published in the March 2-15, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Kathy Knapp
Kathy Knapp
Do you know your plants are under attack but wonder what’s getting them? Do you remember that powdery white stuff you saw on leaves last year and want to keep it from coming back? Curious what has been eating all the new leaves on that tree you really love?
Your garden is full of mysteries, some more pleasing than others. The Ask a Master Gardener column will help solve the garden mysteries that have been puzzling you.
The list of questions can go on and on, but never fear. The Santa Clara County master gardeners are here to help.
Write us with your gardening questions and we will do our best to give you research-based, tried-and-true answers.
Here is a list of questions that will help us diagnose the problem:
What kind of plant is it? How old is the plant? Is it planted in the ground or in a pot? What has the weather been like lately? (Hot, cold, damp, rainy, warm days and cool nights?) How much water is applied, and how? (Sprinkler, drip, hand watering, overhead watering, flooding?) Was fertilizer given and when? (Did you know that, applied during a heat spell, fertilizer can burn leaves?) How much sunlight does the plant get? What does the problem look like? How long ago did the symptoms appear? Was it a sudden or gradual decline? What parts of the plant are affected?
Is the base of the plant healthy?
Now it’s time to send us your questions.
We look forward to helping out you and your plants. Email me at [email protected].
