Dear Neil: We have a 10-year-old pecan tree. My husband has placed a metal piece around its trunk to keep squirrels from climbing it, and he's secured it with wire and twine. It is cutting into the bark. Bark on the tree looks like it is all going to fall off. Can it be saved?
A: First, we need to note that all pecans shed big pieces of bark at some point in their lives. Merely dropping bark is not a sign of a serious problem -- so long as there is new bark forming beneath it. However, you can kill a tree with either a wire or twine tied tightly around it. As the trunk gets larger, it grows around the binding, eventually cutting through the phloem tissue (just inside the bark) that carries manufactured sugars from the leaves down to the roots. If that's what you're seeing, get all of the bindings out of the way immediately.
Dear Neil: When should we plant St. Augustine? Will it grow well in sandy soil? What type of fertilizer should we use?
A: St. Augustine sod should be planted between mid-April and mid-September. The ending date varies: earlier in northern parts of the state and later in South Texas. It needs adequate time to become well-rooted prior to the onset of winter. It will do quite well in sandy soil. Mow it at 2 1/2 inches, and mow as soon as it grows tall enough to need it. Fertilize it after you mow it the second time using a 4-1-2 ratio lawn food at half the recommended rate.
Dear Neil: I have Indian hawthorns that were planted this past spring. They have developed browned, scorched leaves. A garden shop told me it was blight. I've sprayed them with a fungicide. Will they put out new leaves?
A: Let's be sure it's Entomosporium fungal leaf spot before we worry about spraying any more. That serious disease doesn't usually attack young plants. It causes maroon spots all over the leaves, much like measles on a human. If the leaves are browned around their edges, that's moisture stress. They've gotten too dry between waterings. Only time will tell whether they'll bounce back if it was drought. The problem with Indian hawthorns is that they don't really wilt. Their leaves turn a dull, gray-green when they're passing the point of no return.
Dear Neil: My daughter and I garden, and we have probably 15 watermelons. However, in the past couple of weeks, a black area has developed where the flower was. It varies from nickel to silver-dollar size. What advice can you give us for next year?
A: That sounds like blossom-end rot. It's a physiological problem caused by the plants' getting too dry between waterings. Mulch next year's plants, and keep the soil moist at all times. This is the same problem that will also show up on the far end of summer squash fruit, and, notably, on tomato fruit, and it's almost always associated with drought.
Dear Neil: I planted lantanas in bloom last spring, and that was the last flowering they did. What can I do to change it?
A: Lantanas bloom on their new growth. They need full sun, ongoing moisture and good nutrition (nitrogen to promote new growth) to grow and bloom to full potential. It really sounds like they might have gotten too little sunlight or that they might have stalled out in their growth. In the future, you might try shearing them after a big round of blooms, then fertilizing them with a high-nitrogen plant food to stimulate new growth. Although they're drought-tolerant, they'll bloom better with irrigation.
Dear Neil: I have two rose bushes that the former owner of our house planted in really odd places. When can I move them? One is a floribunda, and it's quite tall. Should I prune it?
A: Roses should be pruned in early or mid-February, before new growth begins. Cut bush types back by 50 percent, making each cut immediately above a bud facing away from the center of the plant. You also transplant them at that same time. Hold the soil in place around their roots. Transplant immediately after you finish flowering.
Dear Neil: I have hydrangeas that were supposed to bloom all summer, but they're now in their second year, and they only bloom in late spring. What gives?
A: If you've ever visited the Pacific Northwest in the summer, you've seen hydrangeas in full and glorious bloom, seemingly for months. That's because their daytime highs there are in the 70s and low 80s, and the hydrangeas don't suffer any of the summer stresses they have here in Texas.
* If you'd like Neil Sperry's help with a plant question, drop him a note in care of The Eagle, P.O. Box 3000, Bryan, Texas 77805. Or e-mail him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com.
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