Reasons for Flat-Tasting Melons
QUESTION: Last year, our muskmelons had a flat taste. We grew them near cucumbers, and we wonder if the cucumbers crossed over and gave the melons a bad flavor.
ANSWER: Cucumbers cannot cross with muskmelons, watermelons, or squash. There is no way for the bitterness of cucumbers to get into the melons. Flat, tasteless melons can be due to a lack of magnesium or boron in the soil. It has been found that such fruits can be sweetened by giving them a dose of Epsom salts and borax. For home garden use, use about 6 1/2 tablespoons of Epsom salts and 3 1/2 tablespoons of household borax, all added to five gallons of water. Spray the plants when the vines start to run and again when the fruits are between one and two inches in diameter. Weather can also affect flavor. Rainy, cold days cause flat, tasteless melons.
Bark Mulch Can Help Enhance Tree Growth
Q: As we drive by homes we often see trees ringed with a bark mulch of some sort. Is this a good thing to do?
A: Yes, it’s good business for various reasons: 1--Grass around a tree is highly competitive with tree roots. Killing the grass removes this competition. 2--The bark mulch makes an environment more favorable to root growth. 3--It also prevents “bang bang” disease--lawn mowers banging against the bark. 4--The mulch is attractive. 5--It helps retain soil moisture, keeps weeds out and creates a friendly environment for soil organisms. Make the mulch mound at least 2 or 3 feet in diameter and not over 6 inches thick. The practice of building up a mound 12-inches high is not prudent because these materials, in the decay process, liberate toxic materials which can injure the bark. Leave a depression around the trunk so the bark will not come in contact with the mulch.
New Double-Flowering Geranium Worth a Try
Q: I read about a new geranium variety called Floribunda, described as double and having stocky stems. Have they been around long, and are they worth growing?”
A: Your garden center probably has the new Floribunda geraniums. These are double-flowering and are available for the first time this year. We are growing them in hanging baskets, window boxes and patio planters, all for the first time. They make a stocky plant, are heat tolerant and aren’t as messy as some geraniums. By all means try some. They take the same care as regular geraniums, and in a hanging basket, you can use about three small plants per 10-inch container.
Hitting Tree With Bat Won’t Produce Nuts
Q: We have a walnut tree, which produces hardly any nuts. Someone said that if you pound on the trunk with a ball bat, it will cause the trees to bear nuts. True?
A: False. This is an old wives’ tale. Nut trees fail to bear nuts because of bad weather, lack of pollination, age of trees, etc. All the beating in the world won’t force a tree to bear nuts. By the same token, driving nails into the trunk of a tree will not make it fruit or bear nuts.
The Abrahams cannot answer questions individually. Those of general interest will be addressed in this column. Write to Doc and Katy Abraham, Los Angeles Times, P.O. Box 579, Naples, N.Y. 14512.
