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October Questions &Answers Compiled by David Rodriguez County Extension Agent-Horticulture Bexar County

Extension educational programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

Special thanks to Forrest W. Appleton and volunteers of the "Master Gardener Hotline" in support of the weekly gardening questions and answers.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, I read in many places where it says to do a soft pinch to produce a fuller plant. What do they mean "soft pinch?"
Answer:
Jason, pinching is a practice of removing the growing tip of branches by using your fingernails, shears, or any other means. By pinching off the growing tip, new growth is forced from dormant buds that are below the tip. While I am not familiar with the term 'soft pinch', I would assume that it is referring to the softness of the material being pinched since once this material is hardened off (matured) it is no longer easily pinched.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, we have a three year-old bald cypress. My question is why does it turn yellowish to brown once summer comes along? It looks healthy and has grown to about 12 feet in height, but every year it turns yellow to brown. I've tried fertilizing it and hasn't done any good. My neighbor has one and his is light green. We bought them at the same time.
Answer:
Steven, I suspect that this tree was grown from seed of an East Texas Bald Cypress (or some where the soil is acid) and isn't acclimating to your alkaline soil. It is probably not going to get any better.

Question:
David, I have a ficus plant and the leaves are sticky. Leaves fall off the plant every day. What is the problem?
Answer:
Henry, your ficus has sucking insects, most likely aphids or mealy bugs, which are sucking sap out of the plant and the sticky stuff on the top of the leaves is their excrement (called honeydew). Kill the bugs and you will take care of the problem. Your favorite nursery can recommend products.

Question:
David, we have had an esperanza plant for several months now and while it is growing like crazy, and looks very healthy, it has not put out any flowers. What do we need to do?
Answer:
Al, take two deep breaths, an aspirin and have patience. This has not been a good year for blossoms - too much rain, too little sunshine. Have faith, it will bloom!

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, I have some wonderful okra plants this year. How can I save some seeds to plant again next year? Is this possible?
Answer:
James, just leave a few pods on the plant until they turn brown. Cut them off and store them in a dry area such as the garage. They will split open and you can remove the seed and plant them next spring.

Question:
David, this question is a neighborhood question as we all are experiencing the same thing. We all have Bermuda grass, I have a fairly large back yard, (34 pallets of sod). After all of this rain, when we mow, especially my back yard, the grass is pretty much brown with some green peeking through. I have put down winterizer fertilizer last fall and again fertilized this spring. Is our problem too much rain or we lacking nutrients?
Answer:
Chris, the problem is that you are not mowing it frequently enough at the proper height. Bermuda should be mowed at 1 ½ to 2 inches and mowed frequently enough that you never cut off more than 1/3 of its height.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, my oak tree is dropping leaves like mad. All the neighbor trees look fine. The leaves are mottled but I don't think they look like oak wilt (according to descriptions).
Answer:
Sam, trees all over are dropping leaves like mad because of the cloudy wet weather which is ideal for all of the fungal leaf diseases to attack them. Not to worry, they will be okay.

Question:
Dave, how do we rid of our Crepe Myrtle black mold/fungus on leaves?
Answer:
Eric, you get rid of the insects that are causing it. Most likely they are aphids which are sucking insects. Their excrement (honeydew) falls on the upper surface of the leaves and the sooty mold forms on this. If you kill the aphids (most any insecticide will do the trick) the black will eventually wash off.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, I have a Texas Star Hibiscus that I bought last year and it did beautifully. I cut it back for the winter and this year is just took off and had many beautiful blooms. Then all the sudden, the new buds started turning brown and will not bloom. It is in a huge cast iron pot and we had kept it watered. Could you possibly tell me what might be the disease that my plant has?
Answer:
Greg, if the vegetation on the plant still looks good and just the flower buds are dying, the plant probably has been infested with a tiny insect called thrips. These insects get into the buds and prevent them opening. Spraying with a systemic insecticide containing Acephate will control them.

Question:
David, I noticed these weird little bugs feeding on my Jalapeño peppers in my garden. They looked kind of like pill bugs but they are grey in color. After I picked the pepper it is very mottled with yellow spots all over it. Could you provide a little more information on to how to be rid of these creatures and what they may be?
Answer:
These are stink bugs. Mash one with your finger and you will know why they are called that. They poke their nose into the pepper or other vegetable and suck the juices. This causes the yellow spots and hardened flesh. If you catch them while they are small you can knock them off with high pressure water spray. The adults are best controlled using one of the insecticidal dusts such as Sevin, thiodan, or permethrin.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, I have a bed of Asian ivy that has been overtaken by bermudagrass. What and when do I spray to kill the grass? I also have a weed spreading in my bermuda and carpet grass. It has a central root, is low and spreads from the root. It has tiny yellow flowers on it and little heart shaped leaves in groups of 4. The area I need to rid of it is under oak trees so I need something that won't kill the trees. What and when do I spray to kill it?
Answer:
You can spray the ground cover bed with one of the grass specific herbicides such as Over the Top, Poast, Fusilade II, Vantage, Ornamec, GrassBGon and others. This will control the Bermuda without harming the ground cover. The other weed is Oxalis. You need to spray it with one of the glyphosate herbicides. This will kill all of the green vegetation that you spray it on but will not harm the trees if it gets on the trunk bark. You can spray both at anytime while they are actively growing.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, I was sold a plumbago plant as shade tolerant and deer resistant. However, now I'm seeing that may not be correct. The plumbago is planted under a live oak tree on the west side of my home. Do you think it will survive and bloom?
Answer:
Blue plumbago is shade tolerant. It will not bloom as profusely as it would in full sun but it will thrive and bloom a lot. They are not one of the deer's favorite browse but they will nibble on it.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, what do I feed my Magnolia tree to enhance leaf growth? I have fed it regular plant fertilizer (organic) and have flowers but the leaves are a little sparse.
Answer:
You do not mention how long this tree has been planted. It normally takes magnolias 5 to 7 years to get acclimated to our soil (preferring to be located in East Texas or further East). During this time they are not going to look very good. Also, you need to know that organic fertilizer is fine as long as you put sufficient to do the job. It normally takes about three-to-five times the amount of organic fertilizer compared to most chemical fertilizers.

Question:
David, I have amaryllis planted around a large Bradford Pear tree. The amaryllis have multiplied and become very crowded. The large ones are about half way out of the ground. Some of the clumps have tree roots growing through them. My question is: Should they be divided? If so, when and how?
Answer:
Yes, they should be divided. The best time to do this is October or November. Just dig them out and reset them with the necks of the large bulbs left slightly above ground level.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, when is the right time to plant peach trees in the San Antonio area?
Answer:
Nurseries receive most of their fruit trees very early in the year and bare root. They either sell them bare root or pot them up into containers. This is the ideal time to plant them, while they are dormant and before they begin their new growth, and, also when there is the best selection to choose from.

Question:
David, are broccoli leaves good to eat?
Answer:
Yes, most people would have a hard time distinguishing between young broccoli leaves and collard greens. Harvest and prepare only the young, tender leaves as older, tougher leaves often develop a somewhat bitter taste.

Question:
David, some of my young broccoli plants are stunted, weak-looking, and covered by small, green bugs. What can be used to control these insects?
Answer:
Aphids, or plant lice, are sometimes a real problem on broccoli and other members of the cabbage family. They are easy to control with insecticides such as Malathion. Early control is necessary because aphids reproduce rapidly.