How to prevent raspberries from drying out and more gardening questions answered
Question: I understand that both Japanese barberry and Japanese invasive honeysuckle are shown to help in the spread of ticks and Lyme disease. My husband and I have been thinking of planting a native northern bush honeysuckle. Does this plant have the same incidence of spreading ticks and Lyme disease?
Answer: Both Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera) rapidly reproduce, creating dense stands of these invasive plants. Deer do not eat these plants, allowing them to continue to spread and crowd out nearby plants. This dense covering creates an ideal microclimate for the ticks, allowing them to remain active for longer periods of time each day. Research found the ticks inhabiting those areas had a higher incidence of carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. So it is not so much the plants as it is the way these plants grow and spread and create the tick-friendly environment. Sorry for the long answer to your question. Adding northern bush honeysuckle (Diervilla) to your landscape does not pose a threat like barberry and honeysuckle. It is a wonderful native plant with summer flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators, produces seeds for songbirds, and is shade-tolerant.
Q: My raspberry plants seem to be growing and spreading but as the fruit begins to develop, it dries out. What’s happening, and is there anything I can do to prevent this problem?
A: Proper watering, weed management and pruning can help reduce the risk of dry fruit. Hotter and drier weather the past few years has taken its toll on many of our plants. Mulching the soil with leaves or other organic matter helps keep the roots cooler and moist. Proper pruning removes older and crowded canes, allowing more air circulation and light penetration for better fruit production. Proper pruning is also a good way to reduce the risk and manage small infections of diseases like anthracnose and spur blight. These diseases cause discoloration and cankers on the stem and can result in dry, crumbly fruit. Prune out cankered stems at least 4 to 6 inches below the canker, dispose of the diseased canes, and disinfect your tools with a 70% alcohol solution at least 30 seconds between cuts.
Q: Every year the leaves of my beets are riddled with small holes. What is causing this, and how do I prevent the damage?
A: Flea beetles are likely the culprit. They feed on members of the cabbage family, beets, potatoes and eggplants early in the season. Remove weeds that serve as a food source for this pest and clear plant debris that can serve as a protected winter home. Plant susceptible vegetables as late as possible when soil and air are warmer, encouraging more vigorous growth better able to tolerate the flea beetle damage. Consider covering susceptible plants with floating row covers at planting. These spun fabrics allow air, light and water through, trap heat, and protect seeds and seedlings from birds and the leaf-damaging flea beetles. Remove the cover when plants that need pollination to fruit begin to flower.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How to prevent raspberries from drying out and more gardening questions answered
