Ed Hume Answers Your Gardening Questions Ed Hume cannot answer all of the garden questions he receives, but questions of general interest will be answered here every month.  Email your questions to HumeSeeds@aol.com.  Please note: we do not accept attachments. Before submitting a question, be sure to check the index of previous questions and answers or search our site using key words.  Many questions have already been answered here on the site. Other June Links Companion Planting Discouraging Moles (and other small animals)  Seed Planting Chart Soil pH for Vegetables  Ed's Favorite Gardening Books Taking Cuttings Wide Row Vegetable Gardening   June Projects   June 2000 Q&A June 1999 Q&A June1998 Q&A    June 1997 Q&A   June 1996 Q&A Dividing Gladiolas I have a large number of Glads that need to be separated. Is there a machine I could rent that allows the removal of bulbs, or a method to use, that would prevent the damage to the corms that using a shovel causes? I have a whole bunch that need to be moved, along with their babies which are the size of a pea on up. Commercial growers use a tractor and plow. In the home garden a garden fork or manure fork is usually used to dig glad bulbs. My glads are already up and we have leaves above the ground, which would indicate that it is too late to separate them now. Hope you are thinking of doing this next autumn or in the late winter. Zucchini Fruits Withering I have some zuchini plants that are growing very well but the fruit is growing to about 4 inches and then just turns yellow and dies. I thought that it might be that I wasn't watering enough but I am watering it every day. Do you have any suggestions? The first flowers on a Zucchini are female and try to produce fruit, but are not pollinated, so once the male flowers begin they will cross-pollinize and you will get fruit. You can help them along by taking a small paint brush or feather and going from flower to flower, that will spread the pollen, and the squash should develop properly. Aphid Control Update Aphids have infested my beloved roses.  What do I do about these nasty pests? Rose DeFence is a product containing Neem oil, from the Neem tree. It is a natural insecticide, fungicide and miteicide. Apply according to label instructions. Kiwi Not Flowering About 3 years ago I purchased two Kiwi vines from a reputable nursury, one male and one female. Unfortunately I can't provide you with the exact name/type of Kiwi vines. The female has been flowering every spring and it's part of its leaves turn white. However, the problem I am encountering is that the male vine has not produced any flowers to date. The male vine is very vigorous, but has not produced any flowers. That's not unusual, Kiwi's sometime do not produce fruit for 4 to 5 years. Root pruning may encourage the male to flower, or feeding with 0-10-10 in June, July and August (once a month) may encourage bloom. Return to Library - Back to Home Page