Q: I’ve heard that it is...
Q: I’ve heard that it is a good idea to spray or mist house plants every day because of the dry air that plants are exposed to in the average house. Is that so?--C.A., Montebello A: You can best maintain proper humidity around house plants by placing each one on a tray filled with pebbles and water. That will maintain a better level of humidity than that provided by occasional misting.
Q: What causes the rinds of oranges that are still on the tree to discolor? --W.B., Brea A: Several diseases can cause the skins of oranges to brown. An example is brown rot. You can prevent it--and other fungus diseases--by spraying a three- to four-foot area of the soil’s surface with Bordeaux mixture (which contains copper) before the fall rainy season starts.
Q: I was explaining to a visitor that many of our shrubs needed fertilizer to get rid of their yellow leaves, but he said the problem was iron deficiency. Who is right?--T.C., Woodland Hills A: The symptoms of iron deficiency are quite apparent. Plants need iron to make chlorophyll. Initially, the leaves of an iron-hungry plant turn yellow in the areas between the leaf veins. Later, the entire leaf yellows, and many turn white. Plants suffering from iron deficiency also get weak and spindly. The condition occurs most often in soils that are high in lime but can also occur if iron is present in the soil but unavailable to the plants. It is caused by over-irrigation or poor drainage, too.
The problem is best handled by furnishing soluble iron to the plants. Use either chelated iron or ferrous sulfate. Much of the iron applied to soil may still remain unavailable to the plants, however, so always apply, at the very least, the amount recommended on the package label.
Questions will be answered only if a self-addressed stamped envelope is enclosed. Write to Garden Q & A, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Allow at least six weeks for a reply. Specimens sent for determination of trouble should be enclosed in an envelope. Boxes will not be not accepted.
