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Garden Question & Answer Time

© Keith Muraoka

Q. My fuchsias seemed to do well this past summer. Suddenly, the leaves had tiny pits in the surfaces. What caused this?

A. Your fuchsias probably were infected with mites. The fuchsia mite is a problem that crops up every so often, particularly in the Northern California area. These are tiny insects that often cause stippling -- damage involving a yellow stippling of the leaves. Misting your fuchsias during summer heat will help discourage reinfestation. However, since you already saw evidence of the damge, your only option was to spray.The most effective product is a chemical insecticide called kelthane. If the infestation is severe, you'll need to make a second spraying seven to 10 days after the first.

Q. My grapes were just beginning to ripen when I noticed clumps beginning to shrivel. What caused this?

A. Ah, blame in on those pesty mites again! Dust with sulphur or spray with a wettable sulphur. Early this coming spring, spray with lime sulphur before leaves open. Be sure to follow instructions on the label precisely.

Q. I planted two large wine barrels with trailing petunias this past spring. They looked great early in the summer, but then turned ugly. What did I do wrong?

A. Keep the mites away from them! Nah, just kidding. Petunias, as well as geraniums, get attacked by bud worms in much of California. Plants will suddenly quit blooming because the bud worms are eating all the buds and flowers. Spray with Bt, also known as Bacillus thuringiensis to kill worms or caterpillars. At the same time, leggy or stretched-out petunias respond very well to being cut back to about six inches and then given a complete fertilizer during mid to late summer. Within a few weeks time, you should have a second blooming season from your petunias that will probably last until frost hits.

In fact, our long growing season in much of California, helps many summer annuals bloom though much of fall. Try cutting back bedding plants when they appear spent instead of pulling them out. Whenever I buy my fall/winter bedding plants, I always cut back to the ground things like petunias and impatiens rather than pulling them out. If I'm lucky, I'll get another bloom out of them or, even better, they'll come back anew in the spring.

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