GARDENING FAQ'S

Sorry to hear that your Mandevilla is not growing well. Leaves turning yellow on your Mandevilla usually is caused by the following…

1. Too much water, in which case you would take some mulch away if it is mulched, water less often, scratch the soil surface to encourage air to be taken up by the roots.
2. Not enough water, in which case you would check the soil every other day and water very, very thorough, slow watering is best, the plant should receive at least 3 gallons of water with each irrigation.
3. Spider mites, in which case you would spray with horticultural oil or Eight. Look for fine webs on the backs of the leaves, the spider mites are very small but can be seen if you look very close.

You can bring us a sample of leaves and we’ll be glad to look for you.
Your success is very important to us. I hope this helps.
– Scott

Hi! What a winter!  We’re all in the same boat….ripping out and trimming back winter damaged plant material and from what you mentioned in your email your hydrangeas have experienced a double whammy.  It appears that the normal growth you would have experienced in spring also got nipped in a late spring frost.  If you haven’t noticed any new growth on the naked branches by now you could cut back the 2’ tall stems. It would be helpful to fertilize the plant with organic Hollytone to encourage additional growth.  It’s unlikely you will see any blooms this summer, but will hopefully be rewarded next year!

Let me know if Graf’s can help you with any other gardening needs.

– Lisa

We’ve been seeing quite a bit of the beige spotting this year on burgundy leaf Japanese maples.  It is a fungus, brought about by the damp, humid weather we’ve been having.  It is relatively harmless and will not kill the tree.  In severe circumstances, it may cause heavily affected leaves to fall off.  You can spray with a copper fungicide (we carry Bonide brand)to keep the clean foliage clean and the spotted leaves from getting worse.  I’m afraid it will not make any affected leaves look better.

Please clean up any of the fallen leaves in the autumn and dispose of them, but not in a compost pile.  You may want to also consider removing a few of the inside branches to improve airflow through the tree which will help the foliage dry faster and allow more sunlight to penetrate.

Please let me know if there are any other concerns we can help with.

-Lisa

I am sorry to hear that your Weeping Cherry is not growing well. I really do not have enough information to tell you what is happening to your tree. Could it be getting too dry? Too wet? If you bring in a sample of leaves that are turning brown I might be able to tell if it is disease-causing the problem. Be sure to bring leaves that are not all the way brown. Look for small holes in the branches to rule out borer insects. Look on the underside of the leaves for fine spider webs to rule out spider mites. For sure you should fertilize the tree to make it stronger and force it to grow out and fight off whatever is causing the problem naturally.

Hope this helps. Your success is very important to us. Please do not hesitate to stop in with samples and I will try to help more.

-Scott

We would recommend a soil-less potting mix such as Black Gold All-Purpose. It is an excellent mix for container gardening and houseplants. It is very lightweight, has a minute amount of slow time releasing fertilizer, and is made up of nutrient-rich ingredients such as peat moss. We carry it in many sizes to fit everyone’s needs.

Please let me know if you have any more questions- we are happy to help.

-Karlie