MiamiHerald.com: Plant Clinic http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/index.html MiamiHerald.com: Plant Clinic http://media.miamiherald.com/images/logos/rss_sitelogo.gif http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/index.html 140 25 News, sports and entertainment from MiamiHerald.com en-us Copyright 2009 MiamiHerald.com Plant Clinic 60 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:33:51 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's PubSys miamifeedback@miamiherald.com Take care when pruning a tree http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1341965.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1341965.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:00 EST Q: What is the right way to prune a tree? Can all trees be pruned? M.L., Sweetwater How to avoid problems in the vegetable garden http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1333064.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1333064.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:00 EST Q: Each year I have a lot of disease problems in my vegetable garden. What am I doing wrong? Is there any thing I can do other than using sprays? Fishtail palm's seedpods come naturally http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1318706.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1318706.html Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:00 EST Q: Our fishtail palm is dying. There are many seedpods, which seemed to sprout overnight. E.W., E.W., North Miami Learning art of grafting http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1308281.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1308281.html Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:00 EDT Q: When is the best time to graft mangoes? Please note that I have no grafting experience! M.T., Homestead Topiary shows damage; ghost ants hard to control http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1294958.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1294958.html Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:00 EDT Q: What is the proper fertilizer for topiaries? The tips of the branches appear to dry out. L.F., Whiteflies remain a problem in the ficus hedges http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1285726.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1285726.html Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:00 EDT Q: My ficus hedge is dropping a lot of yellow leaves and I see small whitish flies flying around my plants. What can I do? A.P., Miami Weird critter eating frangipani; now's time to plant veggies http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1274470.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1274470.html Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:00 EDT Q: I've lived here since 1926 and never saw such a critter before. My frangipani is being eaten by huge caterpillars with bright yellow stripes. They have a small tail, too. Mango tree's branches dying off http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1263108.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1263108.html Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:00 EDT Q: For a year I've been struggling with a mango tree. Someone said I was watering the tree too much. I stopped the watering, but the branches are still dying off. Lethal yellowing unlikely in royal's death http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1251720.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1251720.html Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:00 EDT Q: I heard on a radio show that royal palms can get lethal yellowing. Is that what killed my palm? M.L., South Miami Plantain trees' yellowing is a sign of dried-out roots http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1239856.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1239856.html Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:00 EDT Q: I planted two Hawaiian plantain trees several months ago. The plants have not grown and the leaves have turned yellowish. I have tried fertilizing them several times but there has been no visible improvement. How to use seedlings to reproduce spectacular amaryllis http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1228360.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1228360.html Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:00 EDT Q: We have a particularly spectacular amaryllis from which I took a couple of seed pods this year and recently planted the seeds. I now have a small forest of seedlings that are about one to two inches tall. What next? Best to pick sugar apple before it's ripe http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1217581.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1217581.html Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:00 EDT Q: I have had a sugar apple tree for three or four years. How can you tell when the fruit are ripe? Any fertilization tips for this fruit tree? Plenty of mango varieties to choose from http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1207577.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1207577.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:00 EDT Q: What mango varieties would you recommend if you could only plant two or three? Caterpillar loves to eat our pentas http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1196920.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1196920.html Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:00 EDT Q: A huge (2 1/2 to 3-inch) brown caterpillar was chewing up our white pentas and then it disappeared. The caterpillar had a huge eyespot and a ''tail.'' Care and feeding of a new lawn http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1186948.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1186948.html Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:00 EDT Q: I sodded my yard three weeks ago with floratam grass. What is its care? Death and destruction in the garden http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1176471.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1176471.html Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:00 EDT Q: I have lost several queen palms to ganoderma butt rot. Can you give more information on this disease? S.Z., Tree is really an invasive (and banned) weed http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1166055.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1166055.html Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:00 EDT Q: I have a tree in my front yard that no one seems to be able to identify. I'm sure it's quite common given that I see it in other yards in my neighborhood. Combatting nematodes among the vegetables http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1155674.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1155674.html Sun, 26 Jul 2009 01:00 EDT Q: I think I have nematodes in my vegetable garden. Last year my plants did poorly and were stunted. The roots were knobby. Is there anything I can do this year? What causes inside of mango to rot? http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1146331.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1146331.html Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:01 EDT Q: My mango tree produces nice fruit, but some are rotten inside. The seeds are rotten too. What causes this? A: This is a disorder called ''jelly seed'' or ''soft nose.'' It is the premature ripening of the fruit's flesh. This is aggravated by high nitrogen fertilization. Harvest fruits at the mature-green stage if your tree is prone to this problem. The degree of severity may vary from one season to another. To help prevent this disorder, use a fertilizer with higher potassium level than nitrogen... Bugs with glowing lights are version of a click beetle http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1136174.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1136174.html Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:01 EDT Q: I found these long, brown bugs that have two glowing lights near their heads that are walking around at night. What are they? A: The insects you found are a species of click beetle and the adults produce light called bioluminescence. Few insects other than fireflies have this ability. They are called click beetles because when they are placed on their back, they snap together to right themselves, which produces a clicking sound. Thorn bugs infest lysiloma tree http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1113341.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1113341.html Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:01 EDT Q: I found more than a dozen tiny insects in my lysiloma tree. They are about half the size of my fingernail and have a pale green body. Then I used a magnifying lens and saw three tall spikes sticking up vertically from their body. Determining jackfruit's ripeness; combatting sooty mold http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1069723.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/1069723.html Sun, 31 May 2009 03:01 EDT Q: How can you tell when jackfruit are ready to be picked? A: Harvest jackfruit when it starts to have a strong odor. It will continue to ripen off the tree. It's ripe when it's slightly soft when pressed or sometimes when the bumps on its skin become more rounded. Live oaks will snap back from cold snap http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/445885.html http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/adrian-hunsberger/story/445885.html Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:01 EDT Q: I have a live oak in South Dade that only grows half the leaves. The leaves at the end of the branches are disappearing rapidly, have small brown spots and are eaten around the edges.