Brian Kidd solves your gardening problems

Question: My Daphne Jacqueline Postill is in bloom. There are some lovely shoots arising from the base. Can I take cuttings from these? – WP, Fareham.

Answer: You can take cuttings now if you have a plant propagator. But I would recommend you do this in July because they will root well in the summer. The secret of success is to ensure the medium is half compost and half potting sand which is mixed well.

Question: My lawn was ruined by earthworms. How can I get them out of the lawn and not kill them? PF, Fareham.

Answer: Don’t kill them because they’re important to soil. This long term solution may take a couple of years to be effective. Using a fertiliser spreader, use just a quarter of an ounce of iron sulphate to each square yard when rain is forecast. Do this once in March. The iron acts as an acid and the worms prefer alkaline conditions, so they will slither into soil which has not been treated.

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