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Complete Forecast for  Aug 28 2008

TOP JOBS

DEAR NEIL: Several areas of our bermudagrass lawn died out where contractors washed out their concrete wheelbarrows. How can we encourage the grass to regrow?

Bermuda will almost assuredly come back vigorously.

What they put into the soil was extremely alkaline, but it normally wouldn't kill bermudagrass unless it caked over it. Be sure all the concrete is gone, then fertilize and water the grass deeply.

DEAR NEIL: Why would a 12-year-old red oak be missing bark all the way around two of its major limbs? Do I need an arborist?

The most likely cause would be squirrel damage. They have to sharpen their teeth all the time, and it's not uncommon for them to peel bark away in the process. You may be able to capture and relocate them via humane traps.

It normally disfigures trees for a short while, but they usually come bounding back.

DEAR NEIL: Due to our watering restrictions, I'm wondering how often I must water a bermuda lawn to keep it alive and healthy. Are any other treatments advised?

Bermuda is incredibly tolerant of abuse. If you are allowed to water it deeply every 10 to 14 days you can at least keep it alive.

It won't be very green in-between, but it will survive. No other treatments are advised.

Keep mowing at the recommended height. Letting grass grow tall does not improve its odds of survival. Wait until September to fertilize it again.

"Gardener's Mailbag'' runs each Thursday on the Garden Page. Address garden questions to Neil Sperry, c/o Tyler Morning Telegraph, P.O. Box 2030, Tyler, Texas 75701.

DEAR NEIL: I have citrus trees in pots. They bloomed well in the spring and set fruit profusely. However, about a month ago, most of the walnut-sized fruit dropped off. Do I need to be using some special fertilizer?

That doesn't sound like a nutrient deficiency at all. In fact, it sounds like the trees probably got too dry a few days before the fruit aborted.

Next year, you might try thinning the fruit so that the plants don't have such heavy loads. Keep them thoroughly moist at all times as the young fruit develops.

DEAR NEIL: How can I tell the difference between johnsongrass and dallisgrass, and how can I eliminate them from a lawn with both St. Augustine and bermuda turf?

Dallisgrass forms dark green, dinner-plate-sized clumps. It produces seed heads that bear some resemblance to an old fashioned, cross-arm telephone pole. Small green disks of seeds have black, peppery specks on their surfaces. Johnsgrass, by comparison, is lighter green and much taller (to 3 to 6 feet if not mowed). Johnsongrass is usually not a problem in lawns that are mowed regularly. Dallisgrass, by comparison, is all-pervasive.

You can use MSMA to eliminate it, but only in bermudagrass turf. June and July are the prime times for that spray. You will have to dig it by hand from St. Augustine lawns.

DEAR NEIL: How can I eliminate squash bugs without having to do a lot of spraying all over my garden? Once my squash plants die, the bugs move over to the cucumbers. Is there something I can do ahead of time?

There is no preventive. Use Sevin dust around the plants' crowns to control the juvenile bugs. Once they're mature, your best bet is to remove them mechanically. Either hand-pick and destroy them or prop a wooden shingle or small board on a stick beneath the plant. The squash bugs will congregate beneath the shingle in the hottest part of the day. Merely kick the prop out and you'll be able to "squash the squash bugs" where they hide.

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.

DEAR NEIL: I've read about how you can change the colors of your hydrangea by using unusual fertilizers. However, I can't get my plant to bloom at all. What might I have done wrong?

Greenhouse growers refer to those as "blind" shoots in their hydrangeas, and they're devastating for the sales value of that plant. If they receive much cold in the winter, the plants will freeze back rather drastically. That, more than anything, will cause failure to bloom. Hydrangeas that have frozen back respond with very vigorous new leaf and stem growth, at the very great expense of their reproductive floral bracts. Your best bet in future years would be to protect the plant just a bit when it's going to be cold.

DEAR NEIL: About 10 years ago my husband brought East Texas cane into our landscape. It has grown very vigorously, in fact, invasively. Now it's coming up in many places where I don't want it. I've tried Round Up sprays at full strength after we cut it back, but, two months later, it comes back. We want to build a new concrete drive, but I'm afraid the cane will come up through every crack in the concrete. Help!

Assuming you have the true cane (one-inch-wide leaves), you should be able to eliminate it with one of the glyphosates such as Round Up. Spray when the growth is 3 to 4 feet tall, not right after you cut it. Be sure the spray coats the leaves, and protect desirable plants nearby from any drift that might hit their leaves. Do not use the material at full strength unless it's a ready-to-use formulation. Using a weedkiller at a very strong ratio sometimes can burn foliage without actually killing the entire plant as you have wished. You can also dig cane out with a steel-handled sharpshooter spade. If you decide to do that, wait until the soil is well saturated following a rain.

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.