Q&A – Ask Neil: December 5, 2024
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A note about Q5 from last week…
Buddy W. from Georgetown sent us this photo from one of his 12 Mexican petunias (ruellias) planted this year. He said all had bloomed well, but three had developed this issue with an insect, disease, or whatever. He wondered if I had any thoughts. I guessed mealybugs, but two of our e-gardens friends came to our rescue with a more accurate response.
Thanks to Alexander Mohn from Barton Springs Nursery in Austin who wrote, “We had had a similar problem here and came to the realization that what was causing it was the eriophyid mite Acalitus ruelliae, based on the host and the patterning of the white patches. When you look closely, you’ll see that the white spots are overgrowths of plant tissue.”
My fellow Ohio State University Buckeye, Mary Kay Pope of Backbone Valley Nursery in Marble Falls concurred, writing, “We see this often in Central Texas. It is caused by the Eriophyid mite. I hope this helps:
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/monroeco/2022/08/30/what-is-this-gall-mites/”
That blog from South Florida has some very good information, Buddy.
Please forgive me when I do the Happy Dance seeing that people from my industry (1) are reading e-gardens and (2) are gracious enough to take time to write. Thank you both!
QUESTION 1
WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY BERMUDA?
Question: I fertilized my bermuda lawn in early October. Since then I have kept mowing it once a week. Last week suddenly this pattern developed. What’s the problem, and what can I do to fix it and to be sure it doesn’t show up again? Cia Liao, Little Elm.
Answer: Since you posted your photo and question on Thursday, you may have heard me warning people of this on the radio this past weekend. This type of unusual herringbone pattern in bermuda lawns happens when the grass is exposed to light frosts (temperatures near, but still above 32F). It’s of absolutely no concern. Once your lawn is exposed to the first hard freeze all the grass will turn brown. There is nothing to worry about and there is no call to action.
QUESTION 2
CAN WE RETRAIN OUR ROSES SO THEY WILL BLOOM NORMALLY?
Question: After the big freeze a few years ago our roses came back with different colors and blooms. I think they came back below their grafts. This year two of them have sent out 6-ft. branches and no buds. Is there a way to retrain the long shoots so they will bloom? I’ve attached a photo of the long shoots and a second photo of the original blooms, yellow with pink edges. I can see new red blooms that started to appear on the same bush. Kristin D., Pittsburg TX.
Answer: The long shoots are definitely the rootstocks, and they never will behave the way you want them to. They’re probably spring bloomers that will only flower on growth made the prior year. The other two types are probably what you had originally and if they continue to grow and prosper, they could develop back into good plants. I’ve tried to rotate your photos to see if I could tell anything about where the buds were on the plants, but I just can’t see. You may decide that it’s time to start over with fresh, vigorous plants come springtime.
QUESTION 3
DO I NEED TO COVER THE BIRD DAMAGE WITH PRUNING PAINT?
Question: Birds have pecked away at the healing collar on the live oak in my front yard. Do I need to cover the damage with pruning paint? Amy H., Keller.
Answer: Probably not. The holes don’t look recent. I would expect that the tree will continue to heal across the wound. If the woodpecker does return, however, you could apply a product called Tree Tanglefoot directly to that area to discourage its activity. It’s a sticky material that birds dislike very much. You could also have a certified arborist look at the tree more closely. I worry more about any decay that might be setting in within the old wound. Hopefully there is none.
QUESTION 4
CAN WE MULCH OVER A THIN LAYER OF DECOMPOSED GRANITE?
Question: We want to change our landscape beds before installing native trees, shrubs and perennials next spring. We have beds with a thin layer of decomposed granite. Can we mulch over the beds now, or should we remove the granite first? We’re trying to save labor. Lee R., Cooke County.
Answer: You probably don’t want a bunch of decomposed granite in your planting mix. I would pull back as much granite as you can before you do your amending and tilling. Use a sharpened hoe and the labor shouldn’t be excessive.
QUESTION 5
CAN I CUT THESE BRANCHES ON MY FIG OFF WITHOUT HARMING THE PLANT?
Question: I believe we have a Brown Turkey fig. It died to the ground in the great cold spell of February 2021. I cut it to the ground and it has regrown vigorously. However, the trunks are pushing hard on the fence. Can I cut them down without doing damage to the plant? Don R., Waco.
Answer: Ouch! That’s a lotta fig trunks in a narrow little bed. Yes, you definitely can remove trunks as needed. Getting access to them will be your biggest challenge. You’ll want to use some kind of long-handled pruning saw with a narrow blade. Try to cut them flush with the main trunk so you don’t get a flurry of new shoots coming up from just below each cut.
QUESTION 6
CAN LIRIOPE BE TRANSPLANTED NOW?
Question: I have a bed of liriope that has done very well. As one of our oaks has grown, grass has thinned in another part of our yard. Can I dig and divide from the one bed and transplant liriope into the new bed? Is this a good time? Andrew S., Huntsville.
Answer: Probably the only time I would not recommend doing it would be in the spring when it’s sending up its new growth. As far south as you are, this should be a very good time. Dig clumps that are fist-sized and space them 8 or 10 inches apart into well-prepared garden soil on a checkerboard spacing. If the clumps fall apart in the digging trim the leaves back by half. Water thoroughly immediately after you get them planted. If the bed is very large, work on small areas at a time.