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Asparagus spikes will fern out with patience

Question: I recently purchased an asparagus fern, which now, after a few weeks of tender loving care, has decided to go bonkers. It is sending up spikes of growth with little or no "leaves" on it. Should these be trimmed or left alone and see how they end up?

A. If these "spikes" look like a spear of asparagus, then that is normal and why it is called an asparagus fern. These spikes will "fern out" just like an asparagus spear and will be all bushy again. Just be patient and observe.

Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.

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