Neil Sperry's Mailbag

DEAR NEIL: Approximately five years ago we planted what we were told was a dwarf magnolia near the corner of our house. Now it is so tall it is above the roof line. I don't want to cut it down, but it's getting way too tall. Can it be topped?

No tree should ever be topped, most especially a magnolia. Perhaps you can remove lower limbs to allow the tree to form its leaf canopy over the roof.

Otherwise, talk to a nurseryman about digging it for you. If you really don't want it perhaps they would have a place for your tree.


DEAR NEIL: We have about 35 dogwoods on our property in East Texas. They're always so pretty, but this year the plants have looked terrible. Their leaves had dark brown spots and then they turned crisp and fell. What caused this and what can we do?

This sounds like a fungal leaf spot such as anthracnose. It's been a serious problem even for quality shrubs like Nellie R. Stevens, dwarf burford and dwarf yaupon hollies. Hopefully your dogwoods will be back strong next spring. No spray is justified this late in the season.


DEAR NEIL: I have an 18-inch diameter red oak that has lost most of its leaves prematurely this season. An arborist told me he thought it was due to last year's drought followed by this year's rain. Has this been a common problem? Does he sound like he's on the right track? Should I be watering it more?

There is no way to evaluate this without seeing the tree. It could be anything from borers to oak wilt to weed killer damage. Probably the best thing to do would be to get a second on-site opinion. Look for an arborist with many years' experience in your area. Your local nurseryman can advise you.


DEAR NEIL: I have some 6-year-old yaupon bushes that have lost many of their leaves the past several months. I don't see insects. What would cause it, and will they be alright come spring?

All of this spring's and summer's rains and high humidities left hollies, particularly yaupons, with a leaf spot disease that caused much of their foliage to drop. It's a problem we've seen in many parts of the state, most especially where humidities are traditionally high anyway. Tidy the plants up with any necessary minor pruning this fall, then apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer early next spring to promote good regrowth. They should be fine by then. We saw a similar thing in summer 2004 and the plants all came back fine. In retrospect, a fungicidal spray during the summer might have helped some. It should be no big issue overall.


DEAR NEIL: How can we eliminate briars on five acres under oak trees? They come back.

Keep them mowed down for a year or two. They won't tolerate it very long.

When we moved to the country 30 years ago I had 11 acres of chest-deep briars. Almost all of them died after the first time across them with a shredder/mower. Within a couple of years and until currently about all I have is seedlings. I've never used a weedkiller on them as the results aren't very good. I do hand-dig any persistent plants since they have such large tubers. In the whole scheme of things they won't be a long-term or major problem.


DEAR NEIL: What kind of invasive native vine looks like wisteria but never blooms? It has grown in under our shingles and is causing a real problem.

We just moved into this house a few months ago. More importantly, how can I kill it? Round Up and brush killers haven 't touched it.

That sounds like our native trumpetvine. It does everything you described and a lot more. Regardless of what specific vine it is, you'll want to use a broadleafed weedkiller containing 2, 4-d. You'll have to apply it to active, really vigorous shoots for it to give good results. Spring applications will probably be better.


DEAR NEIL: What can I do to keep squirrels from eating my pecans before I can get them?

That's the oldest question in the pecan grower's handbook, yet there still is no good answer. You can put sheet metal collars in place temporarily around the trunks in late summer and fall. They'll need to be 30 to 36 inches high and you'll have to be sure there are no squirrels in the trees already. You can't have the trees touching other trees, and you can't have power lines running into their canopies. Humane traps might work, but there always seem to be plenty of additional squirrels. Don't harm the squirrels.

You probably have plenty of pecans for everyone.


DEAR NEIL: How soon can we harvest persimmons from our tree? We enjoy them, but the birds are getting them first.

Persimmons are one fruit that you don't want to harvest early. Their "pucker power" is immense until they have ripened. That's generally after the first killing freeze. Buy a tree net from the nursery or hardware store and drape it loosely over the tree. They're lightweight, inexpensive and reusable year-after-year.


DEAR NEIL: My elephant ear plants have developed large, yellow blooms that look like those on a calla lily. Is that normal? What should I do with them?

Elephant ears and their cousins caladiums are members of the arum plant family. Your comparison to calla lilies is right on target. Philodendrons, Chinese evergreens and peace lilies are also in that family. Elephant ears don't flower as often as some of the other members but it isn't unheard of.


DEAR NEIL: Is there a way to eliminate multiple sprouts that keep coming up under a live oak?

Not really, short of digging. Those are root sprouts, not seedlings. That means that they're coming up from the roots of the mother tree, and that precludes your applying a weedkiller to them for fear of hurting mama.

About all you can do, boring as it is, is to sever them with a sharpshooter spade when the soil is very moist.

Have a question you'd like Neil to consider? Mail it to him in care of this newspaper or e-mail him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com. Neil regrets that he cannot reply to questions individually.

Neil Sperry
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