Q. Something is eating my geranium leaves. They leave perfect round holes of various sizes in the leaves. I can’t see anything. Is there anything I can do to kill whatever is causing this?
When my son was about 5 years old, he was fascinated with scissors and had wreaked havoc on anything he could reach. Drapes, towels, clothes – nothing was safe. One afternoon, I was out in the garden, tending my roses, and noticed all of these perfect little circles cut out of the leaves. I was about ready to go inside to confiscate the hole punch when my husband informed me that, for once, our son wasn’t to blame. Those little holes were the work of leaf-cutter bees.
Leaf-cutter bees are solitary creatures that use leaf fragments to build their nests inside little cavities left by burrowing insects or inside hollow stems. They are a native species and are extremely beneficial since they are significant pollinators of cherry and almond flowers. They also pollinate native plants, which benefits the environment and increases biodiversity. Needless to say, I don’t recommend killing them.
If you find that their activities are bothersome, you can cover the affected plants with cheesecloth or netting. Applying some balanced fertilizer will encourage new growth to replace the damaged leaves.
Q. Hi, I am not a gardener but, recently, seem to have a green thumb. What started as a 15″ fiddle leaf plant is now about 10 ft tall. Is it possible to trim it down and get the top somehow to root and make a larger but not as tall plant?
Your fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is very impressive! These plants often succumb to overwatering. They also require quite a bit of light, so they will often become “leggy” (long, overgrown, bare stems with leaves only on the tip). Although your plant is tall, it’s not leggy and has plenty of leaves along the entire length of the stem.
You certainly can take a cutting and root it using rooting hormone and either coir, peat moss, or seed-starting mix. Make sure the planting media is kept moist, but not soggy, and place the container where it will get gentle bottom heat. I prefer to keep cuttings on top of the refrigerator since, in addition to providing heat, is out of reach of my cats (who like to nap on top of seed trays).
Pruning can also induce side-branching below the cut site, so simply taking the cutting may give you a plant that is fuller and not quite as tall.
Los Angeles County
mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
Orange County
ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/
Riverside County
anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-955-0170; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/
San Bernardino County
mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu