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Q -ÌýÌý We have a 12-year-old Daphne bholuaÌý'Jacqueline Postill’, it has very large suckers growing away from the plant. How can I control it?

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Bunny – It will have been grafted on to a root stock of Daphne odora. That is a much taller plant.

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Pippa – It may have been mislabelled, I would go back to the nursery and ask them.

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Q – I bought a Eucryphia 'Nymansay'Ìýand it hasn’t flowered in 10 years. Can the panel tell me why?

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Chris – The leaves look like Quercus ilex leaves. It likes acidic soil, organic matter rich, relatively free-draining. They do not like cold winds, the buds of the flowers will go crisp and fall off. It needs plenty of sunshine.

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Bunny – Mine took five years to flower.

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Q – Is seaweed mulch good for all plant groups over the winter? Should it be dug in or taken away for compost?

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Pippa – In some areas there are rules about how much seaweed you can remove from the shore. Sometimes the salt level can cause issues with plants, but most are fine. You could get a pile, wash off a high percentage of the salt. It can attract flies in the summer.

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Chris – You can make a drench for your plants. It can help to combat box blight.

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Bunny – It is full of calcium so make sure you do not put it on any plants that are lime intolerant.

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Q – Can you advise the best seedless grape variety for Warsash?

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Bunny – I like a modern variety called ‘Regent’.

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Chris – I suggest ‘Black Hamburg’, they are small with seeds but have the best flavour.Ìý

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Q – Our apple tree seems to have a disease; the apples this year were red but covered with black spots. The bark on the tree has started to come off too, what is the cause?

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Pippa – I thought it might be Sooty Blotch Fungus, which has been common this year, but it actually a fungal infection called Venturia. It is very common in damp years. You cannot do much to treat it but it attacks the stems so cut out any khaki patches forming. Clear up any fallen leaves as they can be attacked do.

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Q – What can the team recommend to get rid of a thick carpet of chickweed (Stellaria media) from a vegetable patch?

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ÌýBunny – I would lift it out rather than hoeing it off. Remove it all as early as possible, put it in a bucket of water. You could try using a coarse bark mulch over the top.

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Q – Some of my roses are not planted deeply enough, when should I dig up and re-plant?

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Bunny – you want the graft to be around 2 inches (5cm) below the soil. Roses take about 2 years to establish.

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Q – I have planted two climbing roses; they have grown a lot of foliage but only two buds. I cut it down to 8 inches (20cm) above the ground and got more foliage but still no buds.

What is wrong?

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Pippa – I would leave it alone and let it establish further.

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Bunny – You can curl the shoots round and down to help them grow more buds.

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Chris – Be careful not to confuse the pruning of a climber with a bush rose such as ‘Floribunda’ and ‘Hybrid tea’.

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Q – I have a grapefruit plant in a pot; sometimes the pith of the grapefruit is very thick. Is this because of a lack of water?

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Bunny – It is to do with moisture but you don’t want to soak them. It needs to be kept in the warm and sunshine.

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Pippa – I would a special citrus food or liquid tomato food on it.Ìý