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September - 2008 Questions &Answers Compiled by David Rodriguez County Extension Agent-Horticulture Bexar County

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

Question:
My question is about pruning my Pride of Barbados. After the bloom falls, should the branch be pruned?
Answer:
When all of the blossoms have fallen off the bloom spike, cut it off the branch to which it was attached.

Question:
What kind of apple can best be grown in San Antonio?
Answer:
None of the apples do well here as they do not like the high alkaline soil and the lack of cold weather. If you decide to plant, I would recommend Dorsett Golden, Ein Shemer or Anna for their low chill requirement.

Question:
I have some chili pequín seeds from one of my plants. What is the best way to start them?
Answer:
If you have fresh seed, still in the red pepper pod, just squeeze them out into some good potting soil or in the ground where you want them to grow. Cover them about 1/4 inch deep and keep the soil moist but not saturated. They should soon germinate. If the seeds are dry, put them between layers of moist paper towel and place in a Ziploc bag in a warm shady place. Check them frequently (after several days). As soon as they start sprouting, plant them in good potting mix or in the ground, again about 1/4 inch deep.

Question:
I have a two year old Mandevilla vine in a container on my patio. The leaves have started turning yellow. I check the water level regularly and keep the soil moist. The vine gets the afternoon sun. It did great last year and bloomed until frost. What am I doing wrong?
Answer:
It will naturally have some leaves turn yellow and drop off. However, since I am sure that you have had to water it very frequently, it may need to be fertilized. I recommend that you use a slow release fertilizer in the amount recommended on the label for the size container you are using. This will release some fertilizer each time you water it. The fertilizer will need to be replenished about every 30 days.

Question:
I have a three inch plumeria plant with three leaves on it, in a four inch pot. I would like to know what kind of soil it needs, the size of pot and how much fertilizer to use also where should I keep it for the summer and winter.
Answer:
Transplant from a four inch to at least a one gallon container. You can use any good quality potting mix heavy with enriched compost. Fertilize with Osmocote slow release 14-14-14 analysis in accordance with the instructions on the label. The one gallon container should be fine until next spring. Plumerias grow and blossom best in full sun. Bring the plant into a protected location when the temperature goes down to 45° F or below. An unheated garage is ideal. It will lose its leaves and will need enough water to keep the plant from desiccating, maybe a cup a month. When the temperatures return to above 50° F and no frosts or freezes are predicted, you can re-pot it into a five gal container to reside there for several years.

Question:
Is it safe to use cedar sawdust and chips in the garden for mulch especially if we intend to go organic?
Answer:
These are fine as mulch to use on top of the soil. However, if you incorporate the sawdust and chips into the soil without allowing them to compost (rot) before hand, you will need to add some supplemental high nitrogen fertilizer like 19-5-9 into the soil at the same time. This will compensate for the nitrogen required to complete the decomposition process.

Question:
We planted a bed with Dallas Red lantanas in early spring this year in one of the medians in Encino Park. They have done extremely well. But, today I noticed something unusual. The west side of the bed is loaded with blooms, but there are none on the east side. Could this be from the hot afternoon sun or what else could cause this?
Answer:
Closely inspect the plant to see if you have an infestation of lace bugs. They are quite small (1/8 inch or less) and have transparent wings. They will be on the back side of the leaves along with many tiny black deposits (which is the excrement that they leave behind). A severe infestation will cause many leaves to be mottled with white specks on the upper surface where these sucking insects have taken all of the chlorophyll out. This is the most likely reason the plants are not blooming and they can be controlled with acephate.

Question:
I need to replace a dead Mexican fan palm. I believe I should start with something about five to six feet high. Is this a good time of year to plant the palm?
Answer:
This is an excellent time to plant the palm. The hotter, the better.

Question:
I have lots of blooms on my eggplant, but no eggplant. What am I doing wrong?
Answer:
It is not so much what you are doing wrong. Perhaps you didn't plant them early enough, but even if you had, your resulting harvest would have been for a very short period. While eggplant is very much a warm weather crop, it cannot stand cold and is very sensitive to too much heat. It should never be planted until the average daily temperature exceeds 65° F. It will stop producing fruit when the average daily temperature exceeds 85° F. As you know, it gets hot in the early mornings and stays hot all day. If the plants are healthy and you can keep them that way, you should get some fall eggplants to harvest.

Question:
I'm starting a raised bed next to the foundation of my house. It gets morning shade and afternoon sun. What perennials would be good for this area? Would Ixora be okay or is it better in a container?
Answer:
Ixora would not like the hot afternoon sun. Also, unless it has a frost/freeze free location, the Ixora would not survive the winter. If the bed gets full afternoon and evening sun, any of the full sun/partial shade perennials should do okay there. These perennials include lantana, autumn sage, blue plumbago, dusty miller, firebush, Mexican bush sage, Mexican marigold mint, rock rose, rosemary, shrimp plant, and others.

Question:
My home is located in the Texas Hill Country with lots of shade from live oak trees. I've been told that St. Augustine grass is the best choice when dealing with heavy shade. Do you agree or have another suggestion?
Answer:
St. Augustine grass is the most shade tolerant turf grass that can be grown in this area. However, that does not mean that it will grow in deep shade. If the oaks let quite a bit of sunlight down to ground level, it should do okay. However, you should also take into consideration that as they continue to grow, the shade will probably get denser and you may want to use some shade tolerant ground covers in areas of concern. Asian jasmine, Mondo grass, liriope, and English ivy are some such. You may also want to consider the use of other alternatives such as mulch or flag stone.

Question:
I have a fence line where I need to plant shrubs or trees. There is a four foot tin fence that I'd like to place along with the shrubs/trees so I don't have to look at the other side. But, I have goats and sheep. I will fence off whatever I plant with chain link. Please tell me what shrub/tree is fast growing and deer resistant. I know from my property that there are some things the goats and sheep do not eat. One shrub/tree that the goats and sheep don't eat has light green shiny leaves with thorns. I don't have a clue as to what it is, but the goats don't eat it. I figure whatever a deer might not like, neither will a goat.
Answer:
I hate to be the bearer of unwelcome news but you cannot judge a goat's taste by whether or not deer will eat a given plant. Secondly, I do not have a list of goat resistant plants nor can I find one on the Internet.

Question:
I was told that using newspaper as a weed barrier material can cause termites. Is this true?
Answer:
Termites are everywhere in our area but using newspaper as a mulch/weed barrier does not cause termites. You should not use any mulch directly against the foundation of your house, as termites are likely to feast on any organic mulch that you use. Also, you should periodically inspect the foundation for the formation of any termite mud tubes so that you can nip any infiltration in the bud.

Question:
When is the appropriate time to divide and transplant Lilly of the Nile?
Answer:
Agapanthus (Blue Lily of the Nile) can be divided in the spring, summer or fall but this should be done only if needed to improve bloom.

Question:
I have St. Augustinegrass planted in my back yard under Arizona ash trees. The trees provide lots of shade. However, the grass is thinning out and I don't see any runners. On the side of my yard where the grass is in full sun for about three hours, the grass is plush and thick. What is causing the St. Augustinegrass not to flourish as it should?
Answer:
I think the answer is in your question - "the trees provide lots of shade." None of the turfgrass that grows in the San Antonio area is capable of growing in dense shade, even St. Augustinegrass. Unless you can get more sunlight to the grass by thinning out the canopy of the Ash trees, it is only going to get worse.

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