Gardening Advice
I have written over 1000 articles and answered questions up on the net now - pretty much something for everyone. :-) I really like helping gardeners solve problems - and I like "paying back" information for all those who have helped me (and continue to help me) over the years.
So I've put together three systems for you to get information, to get a question answered.
Here's how you get your question answered...
Option One Do A Free Search
Do a search. There are well over 1000 articles and answers posted on my sites now and the odds are that your question is already answered.Over 75% of questions I get asked are already answered.
Option Number Two: Free Newsletter
Sign up for the newsletter. Subscribers simply return newsletters to get to my inbox and ask questions this way.
But because of the high volume of questions, I simply can't get to all subscriber questions. So there are no guarantees that your question will be answered even though I to answer as many as I can from the hundreds that are emailed every week.
Option Number Three - Ask It Here
Got a Question?
If you have a question this is a good place to ask it.
Please understand that I get hundreds of questions every week from readers and I simply can't answer them all. I do my best and print quite a few in my free newsletter
Do give me as many details as possible and upload a picture if it helps.
And do put your email address into the box if you want to get your answer. I don't use it for anything else and it isn't stored anywhere.
What Other Visitors Have Asked
Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...
vegetable gardens and grubs
can you treat organically for grubs and plant a veggie garden at the same time?
Doug says that if you want to use a predator nematode for grub control ...
Tulips being bitten off and dragged into holes in garden My tulip leaves and flowering stems are being chewed off. At first I figured rabbits or deer, but I've noticed some of the leaves sticking out of holes ...
Rabbits and Coffee Grounds
Would coffee grounds deter rabbits? - hope so.
Doug says all the hoping in the world won't make it so (unfortunately). Coffee grounds do not deter ...
bad bad robins my question is this, ive started seeds in a starter tray for my veggie garden.ive been having problems with mud and seeds being missing. i caught the ...
spreading diatomaceous earth
How do you spread it? By hand? with a seed spreader?
Doug says that most products of this material come with a salt-shaker kind of applicator. I just ...
A year without tomatoes? For the past two years, my husband has grown an amazing, plentiful tomato garden against the south-facing wall of our house. He is now preparing the soil ...
"Spud" tool While reading your most recent newsletter on Must Have Garden Tools, I wondered what a "spud" tool is that you use for weeding. I googled it and got something ...
Severe Non-ending String Algae Problem Everytime it rains water is running off into the pond which is only 10 months old. We have had string algae problems real bad ever since the pond was built ...
Newsprint --- ink toxic? I noticed use of newspaper and cardboards. I'm concerned that the inks and chemicals used in these products will leach out into the soil and into the ...
noxious weeds beneath pine trees
Hi Doug,
I look forward to your newsletter each week and hope you can help me. I live in Southwestern Ontario. Along the back of my property are 4 pine ...
Forcing Iris and Lilies to Get Early Start on Spring I have sucessfully wintered over water lilies and iris for several years. But, when I put them out into the pond in the spring, it seems to take a long ...
Compost Tea I have been corresponding with a man in PA who has started a compost tea company. It is not the tea bag type but comes in a liquid concentrate that is ...
Climbing Rose Pruning I live in southern Wisconsin, and was given a 1 year old Joseph's Coat climbing rose bush as a gift the spring before last. The card with care instructions ...
How to get rid of Ivy?
How do I get rid of Ivy? Is there a spray like roundup? Roundup doesn't seem to be that efficient.
Doug says you don't say how much you're trying ...
better tasting tomatoes
What do I need to put in the soil ? My tomatoes were pretty last year but kind of bitter.
Doug says the deal with tomatoes is to grow them stress-free....
jasmine plant i bought a jasmine plant last year and planted it in my garden - as we have had some snow this year it seems to be frostbitten or not doing too well. should ...
Potted tulips - Too much water? On Valentine's day my boyfriend bought me a pot of tulips and I didn't water it for like two days and then I gave it some water and now the tulip wouldn'...
how to kill yucca
How do you kill this stuff? I have dug it up, put rocks on it, you name it. It comes back no matter what.
Doug says start digging, keep digging....
How much coffee grounds is too much? I have coffee shop nearby that collects grounds to give to the gardener. Always debating what to do when i bring home big bag: put as mulch (how thick ...
Clematis Wilting Last year I planted my first clematis. The buds progressed and bloomed, new buds formed, and the plant was looking very healthy. Then the buds and leaves ...
Value of mushroom compost I agree with you about the lack of nutrients in mushroom compost. I do believ also that non-organic MC is probably mosre harmful to the soil than not using ...
Lancalot the Earwig lives in my shower curtain rod so at first when i saw the earwig's head poke out of the crack near the tile inside my shower curtain rod, i freaked the freak out. freaked out, ewwww!...
when to empty compost container
Doug,
Hopefully this is easy and quick for you. I just read about your kitchen compost containers. It doesn't seem that you collect too much at once....
Corn gluten and weeds Hi Doug. I've read with great interest your information on corn gluten. Our lawn gets worse every year. It was neglected before we bought our house ...
Neutered Tulips No sooner than my tulips began to develop flowers, some animal ate them to the gound, leaves and all. This spring, the tulips produced on leaves and no ...
Garden pond Leaking I have a molded garden pond that had a leak. To save money, because I loved the shape of the pond, I had been using a pond liner that was given to me....
Lawns and rolling Sorry if this is going over old ground (ho ho). We've just bought a new build house. The builder has put turf down on what was an old garden. It's quite ...
main stem to a geranium
Does the main stem to a geranium have a flower?
Doug says the flowers on a geranium are indeed produced on both the main stem as well as side-shoots....
Dogwood Tree root sprouts
I have new growth coming from the root system upward, should I cut this off?
Doug says that yes, this should be removed.
Rose Tree My home is almost 200 years old. In the front yard I have a "rose tree". It actually has a tree trunk and is about 6 - 7 feet tall. The tree looks to be ...
Dicksonia-- tree fern
Hi doug,
I want to plant three Dicksonia in a grouping in a shaded area of my garden in parksville, British Columbia. Will they over winter here in my ...
manure and compost tea Doug, I had previously asked this by replying to your newsletter, but wanted to ask in the proper place. We are moving to a new home which has no garden ...
tulip reblooming
if you cut the tulip off will more grow the same spring or do you have to wait a year for more to come
Doug says you only get one bloom per year and ...
Compost tea for indoor seedlings I am starting over 100 daylily seeds from the Lily Auction. When the majority have germinated I would like to give them something like compost tea, but ...
Allectus Grub Control - Organic? A lawn care company is trying to convince me that Allectus, which they apply for grub prevention and control, is organic. I suspect that it is just another ...
First Garden Design Step
Hello Doug,
I bought my wonderful house two years ago. The previous owners were avid gardeners themselves, so they have a half acre garden in the yard,...
powdery mildew
How do i eradicate and prevent powdery mildew on blackeyed susan?
Doug says you might want to start by reading the article on powdery mildew right ...
Coneflower seed
I have searched everywhere and I can't find seeds for echinacea. All the online sites sell plants only. Is there a source out there for the seeds?
Doug ...
virginia creeper planting date
Can i plant virginia creeper in January?
Doug says if the plant is dormant and if the ground isn't frozen and if you can buy one, you can plant it.
cactus misting
Should you mist cactus in the winter time?
Doug says you don't mist cactus at any time.
Damage to Red Maple My condo has planted several red maple trees, these were planted about 5 years ago, some are doing great but there are two that you can see that have been ...
Canada's Law Re: Weed Killers Per Your Newsletter I have searched every way I could think of to find the info you wrote on Home Depot discontinuing the sale of weed and feed killers as a new Canada law ...
pesticide free veg garden I had a garden about 10 years ago and had so many bugs slugs and whiteflies I gave up. We had to put so much spray on the garden I was afraid to eat the ...
Trees in Containers I am planning on buying several different dwarf fruit trees to plant in containers. I’d like to know how important it is to plant in light-colored pots ...
How Long for Tulip Leaves to Turn Yellow I have a small balcony and am planting Tulips for the first time in a 30" long * 9" wide * 9" deep windowbox. Being a small balcony with limited space,...
Black Aphids In a Greenhouse Our gardening club planted about 500 coneflowers in small pots that we are tending in a greenhouse. We intend to sell them in the Spring to raise money....
Flowers that go well with Tulips Hello, I am brand new to the gardening world and am moving into our first house soon. I want to border our West wall with tulips and another flower... I ...
