Twig: ladybirds and lacewings good bugs that control bad ones

Where can I buy ladybird larvae and lacewing eggs? I saw a segment on television but couldn’t find the details.

Greenbo planters need no screws or brackets, and have in-built draining trays.

Where can I buy ladybird larvae and lacewing eggs? I saw a segment on television but couldn’t find the details. I’d prefer a local supplier. - Lyn Alcock, Gold Coast

Beneficial insects such as these are basically good bugs to control bad bugs. They’re widely used in agriculture and commercial greenhouses but can also be useful in home gardens. Bugs For Bugs (bugsforbugs.com.au) is a leading supplier, based in Queensland and shipping Australia-wide.

Usually my potted bougainvilleas growing on my balcony brick wall have a riot of flowers, but not now. How can I encourage flowering? - Pamela Wilson, Brisbane

Bougainvilleas love hot sun, so if shade has increased from nearby trees growing, that will affect them. Prune back stems, just behind the spent flowers, straight after flowering. This light clipping promotes multiple new shoots of short, compact growth, which bear the next crop of flowers. Use a flower-promoting liquid fertiliser, high in potassium and phosphorus, such as Bloom Booster or Thrive Flower and Fruit.

How high will my Caribbean sea grape grow here in Brisbane? Will it fruit by itself? - Chris Hogan, Brisbane

Coccoloba uvifera comes from coastal areas in tropical America and is suited to Brisbane. It’s likely to reach 3m to 5m but can be pruned as shrub or hedge. There are separate male and female trees, and you need both to get fruit on the female tree. One male can pollinate several female plants. The grape-like bunches of fruit are eaten fresh, cooked or fermented, but they have large seeds and little flesh.

My six-year-old Wollemi pine is nearly 3m tall in a pot 50cm wide. To discourage it from growing taller, can I prune off 1m from the top and try growing that as a cutting? I don’t want to lose the tree. - Jan Gray, Perth

You can prune these trees to maintain a compact shape. They’ll even tolerate heavy pruning, removing up to two-thirds, but you’ll get multiple shoots from the cut trunk, losing the classic tree form of having one central leader. Do this in winter and apply slow-release fertiliser to encourage regrowth. Cuttings are tricky but try putting tip cuttings dipped in rooting hormone into pots of river sand. Cuttings from lateral branches produce horizontal growth; cuttings from upright branches produce vertical growth. They can take six months to strike.

Send your questions to: [e-mail] or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. Web: helenyoung.com.au. The best question for March wins two large Greenbo planters, for fences, balustrades or balcony railings. Needing no screws or brackets, they sit securely and have built-in draining trays. Worth $90 from www.greenbo.com.au.

A fun way to interest children in growing vegetables — and possibly even eating them — is the Yates Junior Landcare Challenge, Winter Vegie Growing Journey.

Moving away from growing the biggest or best to a more experiential approach, the program encourages participants to share their successes and setbacks with photographs and stories. Registration is open until April 5 to Australian residents under 17, as individuals, families, schools or youth groups.

They receive a free packet of seeds (carrot, lettuce, radish, cauliflower, red onions and spinach are on offer) and access to expert advice, tips and games. Prizes include garden goodies, cameras and iPad minis.

www.juniorlandcarechallenge.com.au