Question:
I mulched leaves with the lawnmower last fall and spread them on the plant beds in winter. Now it's time to dig up the garden.
Should I rake off all the leaf bits or dig them into the soil? I also spread them around the rose beds, but I'm assuming this is OK?
- Nikki Stubbs, Port Coquitlam
Answer:
Digging shredded leaves into the soil is fine. You can have problems if leaves are spread on vegetable beds in winter and left as a mulch in spring because slugs like to lay eggs under the leaves and in spring they all hatch.
But your roses will appreciate the leafy mulch. Just watch out for slugs.
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Question:
I would like to germinate camellia seeds. Should I soak or perhaps nick them?
- Marg Sewell, email
Answer:
I hope the seed is from your own trees or neighbourhood trees where you can plant it fairly soon after picking it. Germination is much better from fresh camellia seed.
You're right about nicking it and soaking. Immerse the seed for about 12 hours. Once the seed is soaked, it shouldn't be allowed to dry out again.
The seed should have enough potting mix above it to cover it well, and it's really helpful to add a centimetre of grit above that. You need the grit because camellia seeds germinate very slowly and a topping of grit deters moss and bryopytes from taking over the surface.
Because the seed should be kept moist, it can be kept outside as much as possible.
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Question:
I bought some enoki mushrooms and trimmed off the bottom part because it had some dirt attached. If I plant this in the ground or pot, will it grow some more edible mushrooms?
K., Coquitlam
Answer:
Your enoki mushroom pieces are very unlikely to grow more mushrooms. Mushrooms grow from an extensive network of very fine underground roots known as "mycelium."
When mushrooms are cut for sale, the cut is above ground and doesn't include the mycelium.
The mushrooms do release spores from the gills under the cap. Given the right circumstances, the spores could produce baby mushrooms. But this is unlikely when a mushroom is transplanted into strange soil. It's very likely that specialized soil fungi need to be present in the soil to produce the right circumstances.
There are Internet listings from companies selling mushroom logs where mycelium is already present and ready to grow.
