Ask and Answer Flower Questions Archive - Jan 2008

By Cindy: When can I plant Daffodils

Answer By Webmaster: Fall is the ideal time to plant the Daffodils. You can plant anytime the ground cools off until it freezes in early winter.

By Linda: Are hydrangea-shooting star harmful to cats

Answer By Webmaster: Yes, Hydrangea shooting star is poisonous to cats. If they are ingested, pets should be taken to your vet immediately.

By Tabitha: How do i keep a calla lily alive its in plant form and brown and moppy the leaves are yellow and brown how do i bring it to life

Answer By Webmaster: Calla lily need a rest period after flowering. We should let the leaves die back and plants rest for 2 to 3 months. Then again resume watering to encourage new growth.

By Cindy: When can I plant Daffodils

Answer By Webmaster: Fall is the ideal time to plant the Daffodils. You can plant anytime the ground cools off until it freezes in early winter.

By Paresh: Which is the king of flowers?

Answer By Webmaster: Rose is the King of flowers.

By A Visitor: Write about Black spot disease in Roses

Answer By Webmaster: Black spot is a common and serious rose disease often reaching epidemic proportions in a season. The disease is caused by the fungus, Diplocarpon rosae. It is most severe after long wet, warm periods in the spring. Symptoms occur on rose leaves as circular, black spots surrounded by a yellow area. Infected leaves often drop from the plant. Infection continues throughout the summer months. The immature wood of first year canes develops raised, purple-red irregular blotches. Plants become stunted and produce fewer, paler flowers. By mid-summer severely infected plants may have lost all of their leaves.

Prevention and Treatment: The spread of black spot can be reduced and future infections minimized by following these cultural practices:

Plant resistant varieties: Roses that have some degree of resistance to black spot and powdery mildew.

Maintain good sanitation: Sanitation practices are critical in reducing future disease development. In the fall remove all old leaves on the ground, and any mulch that has been contaminated with infected leaves.

Remove and destroy infected canes: Canes affected by black spot have dark or reddish areas (lesions). Severely infected plants should be pruned back in the fall or early spring to within 1 to 2 inches of the bud union, according to variety and cultivar. During the growing season, remove infected leaves as they appear.

Keep leaves dry: It is best not to syringe plants with water, and do not use overhead irrigation. Promote rapid drying of leaves by planting roses in the full sun, and spacing new plantings far enough apart to allow for good air circulation.

By Ashok: My greenhouse roses soil in Ethiopia is containing more mangnese than required can it make effect on growth and other nutrient uptake?

Answer By Webmaster: As you said that there is excess of Manganese, then it is clear that the soil has less amount of Iron.

Excess of Manganese can cause Manganese Toxicity. So, the soil must be given more amount of Iron, which supresses the excess of Manganese. Thus, we can make the soil sufficient of both the micronutrients.

By A Visitor: Notes on Frangipani rust and its control

Answer By Webmaster: Frangipani rust is most noticeable in late summer and early autumn. Small yellow pustules appear on the underside of leaves. The pustules rupture and spread spores which pass the disease to other plants nearby. The upper sides of the leaves are brown and discoloured. Severe infections may cause the leaves to drop prematurely.

How to control: Chemical: researchin the United States has shown that Plantvax, with the active ingredient oxycarboxin, controls frangipani rust and stops defoliation as well. However, oxycarboxin is not registered for this disease at present although it is registered for rust in ornamentals in Queensland and Western Australia. Plantvax is distributed by IHD Pty Ltd and is not readily available for home gardeners. For details of cost and availability contact the head office on (03) 9791 3222.

Researchers found that fungicides such as Mancozeb and sulfur which are available for home garden use to control rust and other fungal problems in ornamentals were not as effective as oxycarboxin. You could try using a general fungicide to slow the development of the disease (such as Yates Spray Insecticide and Pesticide, which contains sulfur and Mancozeb), and as a winter cleanup.

Physical: disposing of all fallen leaves in winter and spraying the tree and the area under the tree with a fungicide may slow the reappearance of frangipani rust next season. Frangipanis are normally deciduous, so they will soon lose their leaves and the problem will not reappear until humid periods of next year.

Biological: a foliar spray of friendly fungi (Verticillium lecanii) has also been an effective control in research carried out at the University of Florida. This product is not yet available in Australia.

b>By A Visitor: Care for the Heathers

Answer By Webmaster: Light requirements: Heather need sun and open air circulation. A southern or southeastern exposure is best. A full day of sun is ideal.

Location requirements: Heather need a site with good air movement or circulation.

Heather care tips: Heathers need thorough, deep watering 2 to 3 times per week, or when the soil feels dry to the depth of your first knuckle. They should not be allowed to completely dry out, nor should they have "wet feet." Because overwatering is detrimental to the health of heather.

During times of heavy rainfall, remove mulch temporarily to allow the site to drain and dry sufficiently.

Once established, heathers are quite drought-resistant and will survive quite well during periods of hot, dry weather. However, remember to provide some supplemental water during long periods of dry weather.

Winter protection for Heathers: As it is winter now, Young plants, or those in very exposed areas, can suffer from a combination of drying winter winds and sub-zero temperatures. To protect against these conditions, mulch around the plants to protect root zones and growth below the ground; or place evergreen boughs over the plants in a tent-like manner to act as a wind and sun break for the foliage above the ground. Pine needles, straw, or other light material can also be used to completely cover the plants after the ground is frozen.

By Niemann: What is the botanical name of White Christmas Bell Heather Flowers

Answer By Webmaster: The botanical name of White Christmas Bell Heather Flowers - Erica cinerea.

By Douglas: Do Hyacinth Bulbs cause an allergic reaction

Answer By Webmaster: Yes, It is seen that Hyacinth bulbs show reactions and show allergy to some people.

By A Visitor: Information on Lilies and Allergies

Answer By Webmaster: Poisonous flowers: Lilies are wide spreading flowering plants spread to many regions, Europe, Asia, Japan, India, Philippines, and the U.S. Red or Tiger lily, Easter lily, and Japanese lily are some of the types. Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Narcissus are some of the poisonous flowers.

By Christy:Which flowers is the most rare?

Answer to the Webmaster: The Largest, Rarest Flower in the World, The Parrot flower of Thailand are some of the rarest flowers in the world.

By Christy: Do flowers need lights? why and why not

Answer to the Webmaster: Plants need light falling on the leaves to make food by photosynthesis; in the dark they die. Therefore plants seek the light.

By Christy:What parts of a flower is the most important?

Answer By Webmaster: The stamens and carpels, the reproductive organs, are the most important parts of a flower. The stamens are the male, pollen-producing organs. A stamen typically consists of an anther attached to a filament (stalk). The anther produces many microscopic pollen grains. The male sex cell, a sperm, develops within each pollen grain.

The carpels are the female ovule-producing organs. A carpel typically consists of an ovary, style, and stigma. The stigma is the tip of the carpel upon which pollen grains land and germinate. The style is a stalk that connects the stigma and ovary. After the pollen grain has germinated, its pollen tube grows down the style into the ovary. The ovary typically contains one or more ovules, structures which develop into seeds upon fertilization by the sperm. As the ovules develop into seeds, the ovary develops into a fruit, whose characteristics depend on the species.

By Christy:How do different flowers have different colors and smells?

Answer to the Webmaster: The smells in flowers come from special oils that are produced in the petals as the plant grows. When this oil evaporates, which it does very easily, it gives off a fragrance which we can smell.

Various combinations of chemicals in the oils of different flowers result in a variety of fragrances. Some are pleasant, sweet smells, like those of roses, lilacs, and lilies, while others are quite unpleasant. The pelican flower of South America, for example, smells like rotten meat.

Flowers get their red, purple, orange, pink, or yellow colors from the pigments, or coloring matter, in the sap of their cells.

By Christy:Why are flowers so important?

Answer to the Webmaster: It is very hard to imagine the world without flowers. They have very important work to do. In fact, of the more than 310,000 plant species on earth, 250,000 have flowers.

Plants produce the fundamental food energy that all animals use. Without plants, no animals could survive.

The flowers are important as they produce seeds and fruits, which help in the production of plants. Thus,they help as the food for the animals, which are inturn used as food by the human beings.

By Christy: How many kinds of flowers are there?

Answer to the Webmaster: At least a billion , with more being created every minute.

By Christy: How come Flowers can't live in cold places?

Answer By Webmaster: For plants to grow and be healthy they need six things. They need light, nutrients, water, the right temperature, space to grow and gases in the air. Plants get all of these things from their environment. If there is devoid of any six above things, their existence is doubtful.

By A Visitor: Write about Black spots on leaves

Answer By Webmaster: Black spots is a fungal infection on the leaves. Black spot disease is called as Tar disease.

If there is heavy infestation, then we see heavy leafdrop.

By Carolyn: Write about Exotic Pagoda

Answer By Webmaster: By your description, I came to a conclusion that, probably you are talking about Clerodendrum japonicum "Pagoda Flower".

The flowers are bright orange and produced on huge 14- to 18-inch terminal panicles. The seedlings (5ft tall!) just starts to flower.

By A Visitor: Can paperwhites be replanted and will they bloom again?

Answer By Webmaster: Paperwhites are easy to be cultivated but cannot be reproduced.

Paperwhites are exceptionally fragrant flowers. that can be cultivated in pots or dishes containing either pebbles and water. or soil. They are one of the easiest bulbs to grow indoors. since they do not require any precooling. Each stem produces a perky cluster of pure white flowers. When the sprouts emerge. move the pots to a sunny location.

Indoor forcing or replanting is unnatural and stressful on the bulbs and they do not grow very well afterwards as a result. Once the blooms fade, discard your paperwhites and buy new bulbs next year.

By Erica: Why did georgia choose the cherokee rose to be there state flower

Answer By Webmaster: The Cherokee rose is also commonly known as the camellia rose.

Whereas, In many of the States of the US states some flower indigenous to the soil of the State has been chosen as an emblem of its sovereignty; , but The Cherokee Rose, having its origin among the aborigines of the northern portion of the State of Georgia, is indigenous to its soil, and grows with equal luxuriance in every county of the State.

The House of Representatives of Georgia, the Senate concurring, resolved, That, at the suggestion and request of the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs, the Cherokee Rose be declared to be the floral emblem of the State of Georgia.

By A Visitor:General Structure of a Flower

Answer By Webmaster: Most of the flowers have a general flower structure. But in some flowering plants the flowers have modified flower structures, which depend upon their habitat.

Flowers are responsible for reproduction, production of seeds that can grow into new plants. The many parts of the flower are designed for reproduction. Flowers begin as buds, with sepals surrounding them for protection. The sepals are forced apart to reveal the petals as the flower starts to bloom. The petals surround the pistol and stamen of the flower that interact for reproduction.

In the center of the flower is the pistil, the female part that contains the ovary, which houses the egg cells, called ovules. Stamens, the male parts of the flower, surround the pistil. Each stamen has a stalk, called the filament, that holds up the anther where pollen is produced. When the pollen is ripe it is released from the anther into the air so it can come into contact with the pistil. The pollen fertilizes the ovules in the ovary and seeds begin to form. Flowers? beautiful petals are designed to attract pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. Some petals even have markings that point in the direction of the nectar the bees have come to collect.

By Peggy: Can paper whites be forced and grown inside with pebbles and water?

Answer By Webmaster: Yes, paperwhites can be grown inside with pebbles and water.

The Bulbs of paperwhite flowers don?t need fertilizer to flower in the first year. They store their own food. In fact most of a bulb?s bulk is nothing but food storage. That?s why soil isn?t necessary to grow them.

Paperwhites needs pebbles, to wrap their roots around. Many people see nursery-grown paperwhites in soil and assume this is the best medium for home-growing too. It isn?t professional growers use different growing techniques and must also consider ease of shipping.

By A Visitor: What is narcissus

Answer By Webmaster: Narcissus is one of the most popular flowers in the world and the most popular flower in Germany.

A spring-flowering bulb, Narcissus is the name of a genus which includes flower bulbs like Daffodils, Jonquils, Paperwhites and so forth. Narcissi (plural form of Narcissus) are easily grown from bulbs. The word Narcissus is derived from the Greek word narke, meaning numbness or stupor. Some attribute the naming of the flower to its narcotic fragrance while others debate that it is associated with the poisonous nature of the Narcissus bulbs.

By Katie: What is the life expectancy of the flower Amaryllis

Answer By Webmaster: The life expectency of the flower Amaryllis is around a week.

By Sandy: What happens to two orchid plants which turned brown

Answer By Webmaster: Once the Orchids have all fallen off and the stem turns brown, you can remove them as they will not grow more flowers on them. The stem that is still green, leave it alone for now or until it begins to turn brown.

By A Visitor: What is the reason for a flower that blooms during night is white in colour?

Answer By Webmaster: In my opinion, the flowers that bloom during night are white. Flowers attract them during their flight these flowers bloom during the night time. Moreover they do not waste energy on attractive colors as these will be invisible, but have heavenly fragrance.

By A Visitor: Write about Cyclamen

Answer By Webmaster: Cyclamen are a genus of plants containing 20 species, which are part of the family of Primulaceae, the Primrose family. In the wild, their distribution is centred on the Mediterranean, being natives of parts of Europe, western Asia and parts of North Africa.

By John: Is Christmas Cactus flower Poisonous

Answer By Webmaster: Christmas cactus are not listed in poisonous references, but I still wouldn?t take a chance with any of them. Most poisonings are reported in livestock, which are larger than humans and therefore it takes more amount of the plant to kill them. But keep the plants out of the child?s reach to be on the safe side.

By A Visitor: What is the A Root with Healing properties

Answer By Webmaster: Probably you are talking about the root called Ginseng.

Ginseng root is a slow growing root which can be found in the woodlands of Eastern Asia and Eastern North America.

The use of ginseng has a real advantage over conventional antibiotics. The reason for this is because of a nutrient called an adaptogen which is found in ginseng. This agent is thought to work on the body's immune system, giving it more vigor and resistance to disease. Anything that increases natural resistance would, of course, produce general effects and act as a panacea.

By Ambreen:What about the flower chameli?

Answer By Webmaster: The meaning of the flower Chameli is Flower. The origin of the name chameli is Indian (sanskrit)

By Dakotah: What is the national flower of cuba

Answer By Webmaster: The butterfly is the National Flower of Cuba.

The butterfly is also known as amber cane and its scientific name is Hedychium Coronarium Koenig, from the family of te Zigniberaceas (alpinaceas). Its name comes from its similitude with the lepidopterous insect. It is not originally from Cuba.

By a Visitor: Water requirements of marigold flowers

Answer By Webmaster: Water the marigold plants sufficiently during their growth. But do not overwater, because they wilt by overwatering.

By Tishee:What is the most beautiful flower in the world?

Answer By Webmaster: The Rose is considered as the most beautiful flower in the world. But there are also flowers which are beautiful such as Orchids.

Infact, The individual flower of a Phalaenopsis orchid is perhaps the most beautiful flower in the world. Everything in the flower is outstanding. The soft contour lines, the pastel colors and shades, even the amazing details around their reproductive structures is spectacular.

By Glen: Propagation of Anthurium and their Division

Answer By Webmaster: Anthurium Plants are propagated vegetatively by cutting the thick main stem into 3-4 cm long discs.

How to divide the Anthuriums:

If the stem is very thick, the discs can be cut vertically. Each bit should have minimum two lateral buds. Cut-pieces are treated with a fungicide solution and planted on a medium of clean river sand. Cuttings will take 1-2 months for sprouting. Suckers from flowering plants can also be separated as and when available and planted in the medium.

By Steve:In Denver, What is best time to plant the bulbs.?

Answer By Webmaster: September is the best time to plant bulbs in Denver.

By Harriet: What is the national flower for portugal?

Answer By Webmaster: Lavender flower is the National flower for portugal.

By Gino: How to make rose plant have more large cluster flower in tropical season

Answer By Webmaster: Fertilize your roses, Provide a balanced diet to your roses. Mulching during the summer will eliminate weeds among Rose plants. Mulches should be applied 2 or 3 weeks before the Roses come into bloom.

By A Visitor: What is the color of the whole Chamomile plant

Answer By Webmaster: The whole plant is downy and greyishgreen in colour.

By Maria: Name the flower, which dies to touch and lives again when you move away

Answer By Webmaster: That common or garden flower, the touch-me-not (mimosa pudica), is one of the most efficacious in healing a range of disorders, particularly gynecological ones. It has been in use in India for advent of modern medicine, is gradually disappearing from people`s knowledge. There are many more such plants which have been a source of healing and are no longer used fro their medicinal purposes.

By Brigid: How do you hasten the opening of the bloom of oriental lillies (as cut flowers)

Answer By Webmaster: Oriental lilies usually have large flowers which are fragrant, and often used for weddings.

Oriental Lilies are superb as a cut flower. A single stalk in a vase, with its 6 to 8 flowers or more, is beautiful in its own right.

The flowers last for a long time. Cut the stalk after the first flower starts to open but while the others remain in bud.

Place in water for a day and the next day recut the stem and put in a vase. Cut the stem and renew water daily, and slowly each of the buds will open.

By Jerry:Do paper whites reproduce

Answer By Webmaster: Paperwhites are easy to be cultivated but cannot be reproduced.

Paperwhites are exceptionally fragrant flowers. that can be cultivated in pots or dishes containing either pebbles and water. or soil. They are one of the easiest bulbs to grow indoors. since they do not require any precooling. Each stem produces a perky cluster of pure white flowers. When the sprouts emerge. move the pots to a sunny location.

By Jose:What are the different parts of chamomile and its color

Answer By Webmaster: Botanical name of Chamomile is Anthemis nobilis (LINN.)

The true or Common Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) is a low-growing plant, creeping or trailing, its tufts of leaves and flowers a foot high. The root is perennial, jointed and fibrous, the stems, hairy and freely branching, are covered with leaves which are divided into thread-like segments, the fineness of which gives the whole plant a feathery appearance. The blooms appear in the later days of summer, from the end of July to September, and are borne solitary on long, erect stalks, drooping when in bud. With their outer fringe of white ray-florets and yellow centres, they are remarkably like the daisy. There are some eighteen white rays arranged round a conical centre, botanically known as the receptacle, on which the yellow, tubular florets are placed- the centre of the daisy is, however, considerably flatter than that of the Chamomile.

The whole plant is downy and greyishgreen in colour. It prefers dry commons and sandy soil, and is found wild in Cornwall, Surrey, and many other parts of England.

The fruit is small and dry, and as it forms, the hill of the receptacle gets more and more conical.

By Rhonda:What is the white fuzzy growth covering on Christmas Cactus

Answer By Webmaster: White/tan fuzzy growth covering your Christmas Cactus might be Polyps.

By Lenna :When growing paperwhites in rocks and water, is feeding necessary?

Answer By Webmaster: The Bulbs of paperwhite flowers don?t need fertilizer to flower in the first year. They store their own food. In fact most of a bulb?s bulk is nothing but food storage. That?s why soil isn?t necessary to grow them. Paperwhites needs pebbles, to wrap their roots around. Many people see nursery-grown paperwhites in soil and assume this is the best medium for home-growing too. It isn?t professional growers use different growing techniques and must also consider ease of shipping.

By A Visitor:What happens if nitrogen becomes excess in organic matter

Answer By Webmaster: If the added organic material contains more nitrogen in proportion to the carbon, then nitrogen is released into the soil from the decomposing organic material.

On the other hand, if the organic material has a less amount of nitrogen in relation to the carbon then the microorganisms will utilize the soil nitrogen for further decomposition and the soil nitrogen will be immobilized and will not be available.

By A Visitor: How much light is needed by Anthurium

Answer By Webmaster: Anthuriums as a general rule prefer medium to bright light, a humid environment and good nutrition to bloom and thrive. Lacking these may develop leaf burn and root rot if overwatered.

It is necessary to keep them away from direct sunlight, which will burn the leaves. Over-fertilization, may also be the reason for leaf burn in Anthuriums.

Humidity is the main reason,which should be maintianed about 80%. To attain that anthuriums should be misted at least twice a day or placed near a humidifier.

All the problems are due to lack of humidity, direct sunlight.

By KevinWhy do cut flowers need artifical preservatives and what ones are best?

Answer By Webmaster: Artificial preservatives will increase the life of cut flowers and should always be used. (Adding aspirin, wine, or pennies to cut flowers WILL NOT help to keep them fresh longer. Do not attempt a home brew concoction.)

For the Cutflowers a floral preservative is used. It is a complex mixture of sucrose (sugar); acidifier, an inhibitor of microorganisms; and a respiratory inhibitor. Sucrose serves as a source of energy to make up for the loss of the functioning leaves and insures continued development and longevity of the flower.

In the market, there are many number of floral preservatives. It is very difficult to identify them. But it is adviced to use the branded companies, as they can be more reliable.

By Scarlett: When should we plant hydrangea plants

Answer By Webmaster: If you could plan your transplanting Hydrangeas for later into fall or early spring when the plant is not in active growth you will have much less risk of transplant shock for the plant.

By Velma: Are poinsettia leaves poisoness to pets if they chew on them?

Answer By Webmaster: According to the American Society of Florists poinsettias are not toxic and do not pose a health threat to children or pets.

This truth has been even proved by The consensus of government agencies, health centers, veterinary groups, and plant and flower organizations.

By A Visitor: What is the color of the whole Chamomile plant

Answer By Webmaster: The whole plant is downy and greyishgreen in colour.

By Sondra Howel: Where can I order a book with pictures of various floral designs?

By Webmaster: Mastering the Art of Floral Design by Paula Pryke's is the best book it gives good information and pictures of various floral designs. You can buy them at Amazon. Mastering the Art of Floral Design by Paula Pryke's is the best book it gives good information and pictures of various floral designs.You can also look at these books also The Complete Book of Floral Design and Wedding Bouquets: Over 300 Designs for Every Bride.