Time Again for Garden Question and Answers

Q. I know I've read about this subject before in your column, but can you please remind me again about the usefulness of spreading wood ashes in the garden?

A. Wood ashes are a good source of potassium for plants. Unfortunately, they will also increase soil pH. That means for most of us in California that already have soil in the 5.8 to 6.5 pH range, do not apply wood ashes to the garden! Wood ashes are likely to make the soil too alkaline, tying up micronutrients like zinc and manganese that are needed for good plant growth. If you have friends or relatives in the eastern or northwestern U.S., where soils are acidic, tell them that wood ashes are fine. They can even promote nitrogen loss from ammonium-based fertilizers, such as sulphate of ammonia. Also, even the type of wood you burn influences the quality and quantity of ash. Hardwoods produce three times as much ash as softwoods and contain five times the nutrients.

Q. My brother recently brought home a Venus fly trap. He's busy "feeding" the plant dead flies, but the trap that encloses the dead fly eventually dies. What is he dong wrong?

A. Venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipula) is a novelty plant usually used as a houseplant. However, being a novelty, they rarely live very long. They are a carnivorous member of the sundew family. In the wild, this plant digests insects that have the misfortune of landing or walking on the tops of its leaves. Sensitive trigger hairs ont he leaf causes the plant to fold quickly at the midrib, trapping prey and "eating" it. Unfortunately, despite its name, flies are so big they are very difficult for the plant to digest and the leaf often dies. Your brother can try to keep the plant alive by stop feeding it flies. He can also add an acidic mix of leaf mold or peat moss and coarse sand to the soil. Set the pot in a shallow saucer of preferably rain water, so the soil always stays moist.

Q. I've had a cactus/yuccsa or flax-like shrub in my garden for 10 or 12 years. This past year was the first time it bloomed. It had this huge stalk that came right out of the middle of the plant, which is only 2 feet high with slender, long blades of leaves. It's blooming much like a century plant, but I know this isn't a century plant. This one is much smaller, with skinnier, softer foiliage. Do you have any idea what this plant is and why is hasn't bloomed before?

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