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by
STEVE BENDERNOVEMBER 2019 / SOUTHERNLIVING.COM
30
TORCHED FERN
› When I was teaching
elementary school, I had
a huge maidenhair fern in
my classroom. The plant
got tons of indirect light.
Then I retired and brought
it home. The next day, it
looked like someone had
taken a torch to it. Do you
know why? —DEBBIE
» I sure hope you weren’t
teaching horti-torture! I
might have to speak to the
principal. The reaction of
your maidenhair fern was
due to the abrupt change in
growing conditions. Find a
bright window at home that
supplies indirect light. Keep
the soil evenly moist, and
mist the foliage daily during
the winter to increase the
humidity. It should adjust
to its new home in a few
weeks. Class dismissed!HOW MUCH MULCH?
› I have a fairly thick layer of
pine straw mulch under my
shrubs. Should I remove the
old straw and replace it?
—MARILYN
» No, I would let it stay. As
it decomposes, it will add
organic matter to the soil. If
you put new straw on top,
make sure the resulting
mulch isn’t more than 3
inches thick.CARPENTER ANT CRACKDOWN
› My neighbor had an oak
tree that fell over in a storm
last winter. Ants had eaten
out the inside of the trunk.
How can I prevent the same
fate from befalling my trees?
—KATHLEEN
» Carpenter ants were
the culprits. They don’t eat
wood, like termites do, but
hollow out chambers fortheir nests. They usually
gain entrance to the tree
from a hole or crack in
the bark near the ground.
Extensive damage like what
happened to your neigh-
bor’s tree is rare. Look for
sawdust at the bases of
trunks and trails of black
or brown ants entering and
exiting. If you spot either,
place some Terro Outdoor
Liquid Ant Baits stations
around the infested trees.APHID REMEDY
› We found aphids all over
the leaves of our indoor
plants. Is there something
we can use to kill them
that’s safe to apply inside?
—NEAL AND SHARON
» Indeed, there is! Liquid
dishwashing detergent—add
several drops to a quart-
size spray bottle filled with
water. Shake it up, and then
spray the aphids to kill them
right away.CHRISTMAS CACTUS CARE
› A while back, you wrote
about what to do with a
Christmas cactus after it
finishes blooming, but I
failed to write down the
suggestions. Can you repeat
them for me? —MARY
» Are you this lax in other
areas vital to society? I
grant you one last chance.
When the Christmas cactus
is done flowering, keep it
indoors in bright light until
after your last spring frost.Then take it outside, and
place it in the shade. Water
once a week, making sure
that excess water doesn’t
sit at the bottom of the pot.
Feed with Miracle-Gro once
a month from spring to fall.
Be sure when it’s outside
that the area is dark at night
(i.e., no security lights). If it
isn’t dark, flower buds will
not form. Bring the plant
back inside before the first
fall frost. åAsk the Grump! No question goes unanswered on his Facebook page: facebook.com/slgrumpygardener.
OUR GARDEN EXPERT ALLEVIATES YOUR GROWING PAINS
GRUMPY’S
GRIPE OF
THE MONTH
Many of you want to
plant a ‘Meyer’ lemon
tree despite the fact that
they are winter-hardy
only to about 20 degrees.
Sure, it does sound quite
sophisticated to grow
lemons in pots on the
patio for your afternoon
cocktails. But eventually,
the tree will get too big
to move indoors for the
winter. People ask me,
“Can’t I plant it out in the
yard?” No, it won’t take
extended cold. So either
add a sunroom onto your
house, move to South
Florida, or buy lemons
like the rest of us.“Philip, we
don’t burn our
ferns in Miss
Debbie’s
class.”