Eggplants don't like hot weather. Keep your plants healthy, though, and they will produce as the weather cools in fall.
Mint flourishes in our hot, sunny summers.
Eggplants don't like hot weather. Keep your plants healthy, though, and they will produce as the weather cools in fall.
Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers' questions each week. To send a question, email Gill at gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.
This is the first time we have planted eggplants. The plants have grown quite large and have leaned over, and they don't seem to be able to stand back up. In addition, they flower a good bit but have never produced an eggplant. What do you think is wrong? We also have not had any luck with red or yellow bell peppers we planted. They each produced a single pepper, and it was green. — Carolyn
If the eggplant bushes cannot stand on their own, you will need to stake them. This is not unusual. A stake about 3 feet tall driven into the ground about 10 to 12 inches should support them nicely. If needed, use a strip of cloth to tie them to the stakes.
Lack of production on large-fruited eggplant varieties is common when temperatures are hot. Keep the plants in good shape and they should produce prolifically as the weather cools in fall.
I find the long, narrow Japanese types of eggplant (Ichiban, Tycoon and others) produce more reliably in mid- to late-summer heat.
Red and yellow bell peppers are just ripe green bell peppers. They start out green (and this is the stage when most bell peppers are harvested), but if you leave them on the plant long enough, they will ripen and change color (red, orange or yellow depending on the variety).
Bell peppers also do not like the heat and tend to drop their flower buds during the hottest summer weather. We try to get them into the ground in mid- to late-March or early April so they will have a chance to produce a nice crop before the heat.
Like the eggplants, the pepper plants should be kept healthy, and they will produce prolifically when the weather cools down.
My crape myrtles are not blooming very much. Is there a special fertilizer that I should use? The crape myrtles are about 10 feet tall, and I planted them last year in winter. The trees get lots of sun and the drainage is good in the area they are planted. — Renee Lester
The number of blooms produced by crape myrtle trees is most dependent on the type of crape myrtle (some varieties bloom more heavily than others), the age of the tree and the growing conditions.
When evaluating how much your crape myrtles are blooming compared with other trees in area landscapes, do make sure you are fair about it. You would only want to compare your trees to other young trees planted last year, not to older trees that have been in the ground for several years.
Young trees like yours do not produce big flower displays like older trees do. Yours should bloom more every year. Abundant new growth ensures the best flower display. Fertilize your trees in February with a general-purpose fertilizer or tree fertilizer following label directions.
I'm interested in seeing if I can grow a cherry tree from a cherry pit. The cherry pit was dry and had a little a bud coming out of it. How can I take care of it? Also, I did the same with papaya seeds. I let them dry, planted them and now it seems that they are growing. How do I care for them? — Howard
I’d not waste time on the cherry pit. Fruiting cherries do not thrive this far south as they need more winter cold than our climate provides.
Papayas, on the other hand, do produce here. Plant each small plant in its own pot and grow them in a sunny area until they are about a foot or 2 feet tall. Then plant them in a sunny location in your yard.
They will get to be about 5 feet wide and 10 feet tall, so make sure they have enough room. Planted this late, it is unlikely they will produce ripe fruit this year. But, if the winter is kind and does not kill them, they will resprout after winter and grow next summer.
Next year, they should bloom early enough and set fruit so that it will ripen before winter next year.
Mint flourishes in our hot, sunny summers.
HARVEST HERBS: Remember to harvest herbs such as mints, basil, rosemary, lemon balm and Mexican tarragon regularly to keep the plants shapely and under control. Some herbs such as thyme, sage and lavender tolerate heat and rain poorly and may not be doing well now as a result.
A LITTLE OFF THE TOP: A long growing season and rapid growth often lead to overgrown beds this time of year. Feel free to trim bedding plants and tropicals to keep them under control. Stake or otherwise support plants that need it.
ICK FACTOR: Webworms, caterpillars that form tents of webbing at the ends of the branches of various trees (especially pecans), look bad but rarely do much damage. If control is needed, spray with a product containing BT (Dipel, Thuricide), spinosad (various brands) or other labeled insecticides. Make sure the caterpillars are still present in the webs before you spray.
NOT TOO MUCH, NOT TOO LITTLE: Overall, the summer has been relatively dry, but rainier weather is bound to occur. Don't irrigate unless the weather and soil are dry enough to warrant it. Irrigating when not needed often creates problems, such as root rot. Pay attention to irrigation — don’t water excessively, but don’t allow your landscape to get too dry either. One or two rain gauges placed where you can easily see them will help tremendously when determining if irrigation is needed.
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Dan Gill is a retired consumer horticulture specialist with the LSU AgCenter. He hosts the “Garden Show” on WWL-AM Saturdays at 9 a.m. Email gardening questions to gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.
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