Question: I have an old farm with 200-year-old apple trees and some have been infected with fire blight. I am planting some new apple trees and want to know how to plant them so the fire blight doesn’t infect the new ones. Is there a distance recommendation or specifics about how the disease is spread […]
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Question: I have a lawn question. My front yard, approx. a 1/4 acre, creates a “bowl”, we have a drainage pipe that drains the bulk of rain runoff into the woods but half of the “bowl” is still always saturated to the point we can’t mow it and it gets sun almost all day. Is […]
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Question: I’m seeing yellow spots on my Lil’ Ditty Witherod Viburnum and the leaves are starting to curl. I cannot see any insects though a nearby different variety Viburnum has visible aphid activity & curling leaves. Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional I’m sorry to hear about the viburnum issues. The visible aphid activity […]
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Question: I’m considering planting some trees or shrubs as a privacy screen at the edge of my property. I’m concerned about root systems and encroachment upon our septic system which is on that side of the house. Do you have any general recommendations about how far apart any trees that we plant need to be […]
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Question: Should a new Shadbush be pruned to a single trunk or how many branches should be encouraged? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional Pruning needs depend on what type you have–some species can be trained into a tree shape by pruning to a single trunk, if that’s the look you are shooting for, […]
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Question: Will plants in a gravel garden thrive in my hardiness zone – 6a? I love the idea of a gravel garden but want to make sure its suitable for Maine natives plants. If yes, can you suggest some Maine native plants that would thrive in a gravel garden? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach […]
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Question: I am a new gardener. I started all my garden plants indoors this year, from seed (about 3-400) and recently, a silvery white fungus or mold is appearing on the soil and spreading to the soil of all my starts. At times it looks like silver threads and other times just a lite silver […]
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Question: I have a question about how to care for seedlings while waiting for the weather to get warmer so I can plant outside. I have some butternut squash seedlings that aren’t ready to plant outside yet because of weather, but are showing their true leaves and are 6-8” tall. I have some smaller Moonflower […]
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Question: I’d like to plant something native that might give some color by that is a privacy barrier and will thrive with little care. What do you suggest? Also while much of my yard can be quite soggy this area seems to drain fairly well. Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional So, the parameters […]
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Question: I’m looking for information on whether Red Currant plants are allowed in Cumberland County? If only certain types, how can I identify if I have one that is allowed. If not allowed, what is correct removal/disposal? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional I had to do a bit of research on this one […]
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