大象传媒

Eric Robson hosts a correspondence edition of the horticultural panel programme from Barnsdale Gardens. Matt Biggs, Bob Flowerdew and Pippa Greenwood are joined by Nick Hamilton to answer questions sent in by post, online and through social media.

Produced by Howard Shannon
Assistant Producer: Darby Dorras

A Somethin' Else production for 大象传媒 Radio 4

This week's questions and answers:

Q. Is it safe to feed delicate seedlings with the tank water, which when being discharged can contain rust from the tank? Does iron rust have an adverse effect on the plants?

A. Too much iron in the soil could be a problem for seedlings, but it shouldn't cause too much harm to established plants. Try to avoid using it on containers as the contaminant can build up and become more of an issue.

Q. Am I better having vertical or horizontal growing containers for Strawberries?

A. Choose vertical pots if you are short of space. Traditional strawberry pots with holes in the sides are too small. If you do choose a pot, add a pipe of grit with holes to the middle and water through that. Buckets make good containers because they can be suspended and keep the plant away from pests.

Q. For at least 10 years I have grown Runner Beans in tubs with a wigwam of canes on a very sunny south facing patio. Early on the yield was excellent but has declined over the years with 90 % of the flowers falling off without setting this year. Can you help?

A. The problem is usually a shortage of water. Perhaps the compost isn't retaining the moisture. The canes could possibly carry a disease. The variety shouldn't have any effect.

Q. I have inherited some Blueberry bushes and I am not sure what to do with them. How should they be pruned and re-potted?

A. Blueberries can be left for many years without being cut back. If you do prune, take out the old growth and leave the young shoots. Look out for scale by going along the stem and simply rubbing it off. You need to use ericaceous, lime-free compost. They ideally need a cubic metre per Blueberry, but most people don't have that much room. They need a lot of water but beware of water-logging.

Q. At the end of the garden a mixed hedge separates the garden from a field. Blackthorn shoots keep appearing in the grass. I assume these are runners from the hedge. I am reluctant to paint them with glyphosate for fear of damaging the bushes in the hedge. Is there any other way of removing these runners or would it be safe to use glyphosate gel?

A. They could be runners or separate plants that have sprouted from the Blackthorn stones. Dig a trench close to the hedge, severing all of the sucker roots to ensure they aren't connected to the main hedge. You could tease the runners out from the grass and the lawn will recover quite quickly.

Show less