91热爆

Q 鈥� I remove all the male flowers from my courgette plants. Is this right?

Matt 鈥� There鈥檚 no harm in leaving them in there and you don鈥檛 need to remove them.

Bob 鈥� You do need to do this with cucumbers though to stop them becoming bitter

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Q 鈥� We have a thriving onion club in Paxton but we are suffering from White Rot.听 What can we do to stop this?

Bob 鈥� There is no cure.听 You need to start with clean seed, clean potting compost and grow in tubs.听

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Q 鈥� After seeds have germinated and been potted on when is the optimum time for feeding?

Anne 鈥� I don鈥檛 normally feed my seedlings, the act of potting them on is enough. However, if you鈥檙e not moving them on and they get pot-bound then I would feed.

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Q 鈥� Why has my rhubarb gone to seed in early April?

Anne 鈥� I think it鈥檚 down to the variety.听 I have a 鈥楾imperley Early鈥� that did well at my parents but has never flowered at mine.听 It could be something in the climate.

Bob 鈥� It might be that the plants didn鈥檛 do well last year so want to do better this year.听 Chop them down as low as you can and then give them a good feed.

Matt 鈥� The combination of dry and cold could have stressed the plants

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Q 鈥� Does mist-spraying fruit trees when they鈥檙e in blossom protect from frost?

Bob 鈥� My vines, Kiwi and Mulberry have all been hit badly with frost this year.听 If it鈥檚 a light frost then spraying can help. Do it before the sun comes up if you can.听 Vapours around the tree can help too.

Matt 鈥� A thin layer of fleece can really help

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Q 鈥� I have over 350 square yards (293 square metres) of cobbles that are riddled with weeds.听 What natural methods can you recommend?

Matt 鈥� You could try dry mortar mix to fill in the gaps

Anne 鈥� My husband sprays with glyphosate.听 You could put a flock of chickens on it.

Bob 鈥� I use large pieces of old carpet over the winter and that keeps it weed free in spring.听 Then I pour boiling water over it in small increments over the year.

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Q 鈥� Our four-year-old Forsythia is large and healthy but it refuses to flower.听 What can I do?

Matt 鈥� I would prune in April.听 It flowers on one-year-old wood.听 Make sure it is well watered and fed with sulphate of potash.听

Anne 鈥� I wouldn鈥檛 prune until it starts flowering and then prune about a third of it and prune it hard!

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Q 鈥� Pelargonium and Geranium cuttings: when is the best time to hormone rooting compound?

Anne 鈥� People don鈥檛 use it any more

Bob 鈥� Don鈥檛 pot your Pelargonium and Geranium cuttings the day you take them.听 Let the cut end dry and close over then it roots better.

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Q 鈥� In the wild most plants thrive without human attention, so why do we make such a fuss?

Anne 鈥� Because we鈥檙e trying to grow plants not necessarily in their perfect environment

Bob 鈥� I鈥檇 dispute this 鈥� next time you鈥檙e out in the wild look much closer! There are pests and diseases everywhere!