Your Garden Questions Answered South Australia
Presenter: Kim Syrus
Episode: 24 (13th October 2007)
This week Kim tackled some more gardening question from the Garden Gurus Club Members.
The first question came from Prospect where Steve is the proud owner of a weeping mulberry tree. The problem was that it hasn’t been pruned for a number of years and now looks very much like Medusas hair.
Pruning back the overgrown weeping mulberry will produce fresh growth and an even shape later in spring. Take off around a third to a half of the plant starting with the long canes at the top.
You will need to seriously reduce the number of weeping canes. Select and prune these off at the top, or crown, of the plant and cut back the remaining canes by two thirds. When cutting these canes, trim to an outward facing bud. That way, the new shoot will grow out and cascade down. Maintain a balanced shape and finish by tidying up the crown and trimming off any thin growth.
A number of Club Members enquired about rose suckers.
A sucker is simply growth from the rootstock. You’ll often notice these as shoots emerging from the ground near the plant. The best way to remove them is to dig down and find where they’re attached. Don’t cut…instead grab and rip the sucker off.
When you see a sucker get rid of it as soon as you can, that way all the roots energy goes to your rose and not to these.
Growing lawn under trees can seem like an endless battle. Bob of Grange has planted about everything but, the tree roots are winning. The kikuyu is struggling, and this piece of couch looks terribly sick.
But, unfortunately there comes a time when you just have to give up and try something different. Try looking at laying some pavers around the base of the tree, put in a seat and maybe a couple of pots and use the natural canopy for a shady spot to sit this summer.
Episode: 24 (13th October 2007)
This week Kim tackled some more gardening question from the Garden Gurus Club Members.
The first question came from Prospect where Steve is the proud owner of a weeping mulberry tree. The problem was that it hasn’t been pruned for a number of years and now looks very much like Medusas hair.
Pruning back the overgrown weeping mulberry will produce fresh growth and an even shape later in spring. Take off around a third to a half of the plant starting with the long canes at the top.
You will need to seriously reduce the number of weeping canes. Select and prune these off at the top, or crown, of the plant and cut back the remaining canes by two thirds. When cutting these canes, trim to an outward facing bud. That way, the new shoot will grow out and cascade down. Maintain a balanced shape and finish by tidying up the crown and trimming off any thin growth.
A number of Club Members enquired about rose suckers.
A sucker is simply growth from the rootstock. You’ll often notice these as shoots emerging from the ground near the plant. The best way to remove them is to dig down and find where they’re attached. Don’t cut…instead grab and rip the sucker off.
When you see a sucker get rid of it as soon as you can, that way all the roots energy goes to your rose and not to these.
Growing lawn under trees can seem like an endless battle. Bob of Grange has planted about everything but, the tree roots are winning. The kikuyu is struggling, and this piece of couch looks terribly sick.
But, unfortunately there comes a time when you just have to give up and try something different. Try looking at laying some pavers around the base of the tree, put in a seat and maybe a couple of pots and use the natural canopy for a shady spot to sit this summer.
AS SEEN ON 
