The Best Pointers For Potted Plants, According To The Grumpy Gardener

About This Episode

The Grumpy Gardener answers a reader’s question about a bush infested with bugs. Plus, Grumpy’s tip of the week about potted plants.

Question Of The Week

"The bushes in the yard of my 89-year-old mother are covered with bugs. Yikes. They're as big as houseflies and leave white stuff all over the looms. Is there something I can spray them with or should I just move my mom into a home?" - Anthony

Grumpy's Answer: Move her into a home? You're kinda quick on the trigger there bud, I mean. Cut the plant down before you move your mom. Okay, Anthony. Her shrubs are probably infested with these sucking insects called Leaf Hoppers. They're not hard to get rid of, all you need to do is spray them according to the label directions, with Neem oil, and that should take care of it. Tell your poor mother I said, "You're welcome." And then fix her remote so she can watch Lawrence Welk.

Tip Of The Week

When you buy plants from a garden center that are right now in pots, but you're planning on putting them into the ground. It could be a four-inch pot, it could be a two-gallon pot, doesn't make any difference. One tip is that before you plant them, when you get them home, be sure that you water them while they're in the pot and water them thoroughly so that water is running out through the drain hole.And, the reason you'll want to do that is because all of their roots are confined into that pot, and if the roots dry out, the plant dies. So, if you, if you just taken them straight out of the pot, put 'em in the ground, and then you water the dirt around them, you think maybe you've watered all the roots, but it could well be that only the dirt around the root ball is wet, but the root ball itself is dry. And, you'll find out very quickly. So, always water the plant well before you put it in the ground. Then, after you plant, water it again from the top so you wet the dirt around it. And that way, you'll make sure that your plants get off to a good start.

About Ask Grumpy

Ask Grumpy is a podcast featuring Steve Bender, also known as Southern Living’s Grumpy Gardener. For more than 20 years, Grumpy has been sharing advice on what to grow, when to plant, and how to manage just about anything in your garden. Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor. Be sure to follow Ask Grumpy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode.