Wait until crinum's foliage dies to prune it

By Audrey Post
MS. GROW-IT-ALL

Q: My crinum lilies are looking a little ratty. Most have finished blooming. Can I cut the browning foliage back or will it hurt the plant’s performance next year?

A: It’s the time of year when lots of summer-blooming perennials start to look a little rough. While it’s OK to cut back some spent plants, you should leave your crinum lilies alone. As long as foliage still has some green, photosynthesis is still happening and the plant is storing food for the winter and for next year. If you cut off those less-than-perfect strappy leaves, the size and bloom could be affected next year. Just like daffodils, you want to let crinums die back naturally.

If the foliage has turned completely brown and crumbles when you touch it, it’s finished. Go ahead and pull it out. You won’t even need to cut it.

If your plant isn’t quite to that stage yet and its appearance really disturbs you, set a big pot in front of it full of fall mums. Or you could divert the eye with a stunning display of fall color in another part of the yard. Area nurseries are full of fall bloomers and end-of-season summer perennials.

Q: I have a very large grapefruit tree, at least 10 feet tall, that until two years ago was kept in a pot. It has lots of thorny branches. Is this typical of grapefruit? I have a Satsuma tree that will get some thorny limbs and my neighbor told me to cut them off. The Satsuma has finally begun to bear after five years. The grapefruit has not flowered or set fruit. I live in Killearn Acres and the tree is in full sun with afternoon shade. It faces east. Should I cut off the thorny branches? How old do grapefruit trees have to be to set fruit?

A: Some citrus trees have thorns, some don’t. Many of the more modern hybrids have been bred not to have thorns, but I’ve never known of thorns to make any difference in whether a citrus tree bears. Two of my citrus trees have thorns; the rest don’t. They all bear.

Do you know what variety your grapefruit tree is? Some are slower to bear, and your tree might not be ready yet, especially since it was in a pot a long time. It could be putting its energy into getting its roots established.

I know of a grapefruit tree in Killearn that is loaded right now with ripening fruit, but it’s at least 30 feet tall and has been there for years.

I suggest you get the soil around the tree tested to see whether it’s deficient in any major or minor elements, and fertilize next February.

Footnote on Leyland cypress canker: After reading last week's column on Leyland cypress canker, Stan Rosenthal, Leon County's extension agent for forestry, noted that foliage blight can present similar symptoms to canker. "The difference has more to do with the pattern of the browning of the foliage," he said, "but both can be avoided by not over-planting any one variety."