Don’t let your tree get “jammed” up by this pest

Peach jelly is great for a snack, but not when its oozing out of your tree! Mike McGrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, will discuss the pest that causes this not-so-peachy problem. Plus your fabulous phone calls!

Question of the Week:

“I have a four year old peach tree with a heavy presence of a jelly like substance on the branches and around the base. Cause? Cure?”

— “C. R.” in West Chester, PA

Protect your Peach Trees »

Highlights from show:

Lemon Tree Pruning

Randy in Glen Mills PA got a Meyer Lemon tree in a pot 7 or 8 years ago. It has rewarded Randy with many lemons this year, but he thinks he accidentally pruned it properly last year and wants to know how he should do it this year now that it’s bared so much fruit. Mike commends Randy on a job well done and he says he did a great job. Mike says that he should just stay the course and give it a gentle pruning in the spring and “expect great things”!

Compost Worms

Dani in Chicago is vermicomposting and has been amending her garden with compost that generations of her worms are producing. They love their worms! This year they are going to be living in a temporary situation while their new house is being built. What should she do with her worms while the house is being built? As long as Dani can keep the worm bin inside in her temporary place the only difficulty she’ll have is she can’t mix in the worm castings with outdoor compost. Mike has been mixing the worm castings in with the outdoor compost and it has all the benefits of both.

Growing Pear Trees

Michael in Carney’s Point, NJ recently had a ladder accident. He shifted the ladder while he was on it and got a little banged up. Mike says anytime you are up on the ladder and you need to move it you get down first and then shift . Michael and his family love to forage pears from his neighbors tree. He would like to grow their own tree with these pears. Mike says that pears might not come true from seed. If you start from seed your first fruits will come three to five years later then if you start with a tree. Mike suggests looking for a European type pear that is self fruiting. If he goes online to a supplier they could probably identify the variety and buy professionally started trees. Mike always like’s to get two trees just incase one is a poor choice. If Michael really wants to do he could try to start one of the pear seeds, but he recommends professionally grown trees.

Bare Apple Trees

Terri in Duboise PA has apple trees that in the 30 years of life they’ve had she’s only gotten maybe 50 apples. Terri says her neighbor has trees as well and between the both of them they can’t get any real fruit. Her husband is threatening to chop down the tree at this point. What should she do? Mike asks his basic questions and Terri says that the tree does not produce little apples even though they get blossoms in the spring. She bought the trees from the county extension agency. Mike says that the late freezes she gets is the answer to her conundrum. Even though she bought the trees from county extension it seems they aren’t the right variety for her micro- climate. The blossom’s are getting frozen in the spring and then little apples can’t form.