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February - 2009 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:
Is it beneficial to put compost around plants, trees or grass this time of year?
Answer:
I would recommend an organic mulch other than compost around your plants or trees purely from an economic standpoint. Compost can be used as mulch, but the cheaper bark mulch or just shredded tree leaves will do the same job - preventing moisture loss through evaporation and preventing weed germination. Compost is best used when incorporated into the soil. When used as a top dressing on the turfgrass in the spring, it is recommended that you aerate the lawn with a plug pulling aerator at the same time. This allows the compost to go into the holes, enriching the soil and providing some limited nutrients at the same time.

Question:
I have several closet plants. The leaves turn brown, go limp on their tips and are not showing any signs of future blooms. Before I transplanted them a couple years ago, they did bloom. I love the plants and want to keep them healthy.
Answer:
The most common reason for tip desiccation (browning) is because of salt build up in the soil from over fertilization. Each time you water you should apply enough to cause drainage from the bottom of the pot. This will keep the salts flushed out of the soil. You may also be watering too often. The reason for lack of blossoms is most likely insufficient light. The Closet Plant (Spathiphyllum spp.) can survive in very low light but requires several hours daily of very bright light to induce blooms.

Question:
I have three Poinsettia plants that were given to me over the Christmas Holiday. I have detected a cheese-like odor in my living room where I have the plants. Would this odor be coming from the plants?
Answer:
That is a question that I cannot answer with any degree of certainty. I guess it could be possible but have never experienced such. Perhaps it could be mold growing in the medium that they are planted in. You could be over-watering them too.

Question:
I have an esperanza plant with a massive root system. Will it hurt the plant, if I cut the root system in half and relocate the two separate halves in my landscape?
Answer:
As long as both halves have upright stems with roots it should be fine. Now would be a good time to do it.

Question:
I want to plant cactus along a low fence to keep sheep away. Do I lay the cactus flat and cover them with soil or place them half way up vertically in the soil?
Answer:
I assume that you are talking about prickly pear (Opuntia spp.). Either planting technique as mentioned will work. However, I recommend that you stand them up and just bury enough of the pad to keep them standing. Water them when you do it and then forget them.

Question:
I have a 10 year old, 15' high Mexican fan palm. The trunk is 8" from the concrete house slab. Can these roots cause damage to the slab? How aggressive are these roots?
Answer:
Mexican fan palm have fibrous roots and are not going to cause any damage to your slab. In fact, if it is dry under there like it is supposed to be, the roots will not even grow under the slab.

Question:
Is there such a thing as a four-leaf clover? If so, would you describe it as a mutant, over fertilized plant, or something inherited? Also, what are the chances of finding one? What kind of plant would be the best place to start?
Answer:
Clover (Trifolium spp.) is a genus of some 240 species. These plants commonly have a three-palmate leaf which means that the 3 lobes/leaflets arise from a common point. While I have never personally witnessed one, surely the 4 leaf variants exist. It seems that they are most commonly found in fields of the Trifolium repens (Shamrock/White Clover). It is purported that the odds of finding one is one in ten thousand. So where would you look for one - in a field of clover, not to be confused with a common weed called Wood Sorrel (Oxalis corniculata).

Question:
Can I plant liriope now for edging and can we grow Hostas in South Central Texas?
Answer:
Yes you can plant liriope now. However, you should plant them in shade/partial shade. If you plant them in full sun, the tips will always be brown and burned. Hostas are not good plants for our area as they will be quickly consumed by slugs and snails.

Question:
I just put in some bareroot pecan and pear trees. How often should I be watering them to get them started? I want them to get off to a good start, but don't want to waste water in this time of exceptional drought.
Answer:
Hopefully you have put a 2 inch layer of good mulch in a 3 foot circle around the tree (but not up against the trunk). You will need to water the tree generously every week to 10 days for the next year.

Question:
Our Mexican olive trees are losing their leaves. They are turning brown and curling up. We water our lawn with a sprinkler system and the leaves are getting wet. Is this causing the problem, if not, what is and what can we do to save them. This is the second time we have tried.
Answer:
The only way that the spraying of the leaves with the irrigation water could cause that problem would be if it is highly saline. I would assume that you have, and are using, Edwards aquifer water and it is not saline. If they are recently planted trees and you are depending on the lawn irrigation system to provide them adequate water, this is the problem. Certainly with the current drought conditions, the trees need to be watered by hand held hose at (near) the trunk to keep the root ball moist until they can get established in your yard. You should have no grass growing within 3 feet of the trunk and you should have that area covered with a 2 inch layer of shredded hardwood mulch. Water them thoroughly and then do not water again until the soil in the original root ball feels dry when you stick your finger into it.

Question:
I just bought a 20 gal 2" diameter, Texas Southern Red Oak and had trouble with the roots as they were wrapped around the planter. I tried to unravel some of the roots but they were sort of brittle and would break. I decided to cut them off, but also had to expose the entire root ball, resulting in a bareroot transplant. Is there an easier way or would it had been easier to just cut off all the ones wrapped around and plant?
Answer:
You probably did the right thing. Unless you got a very good deal on the tree, I would have suggested taking it back to the seller. While your tree will most likely survive, its growth will have been stunted by what you have done and a smaller tree, without the girdling roots, would have grown at a more rapid pace.

Special Thanks to Forrest W. Appleton, the http://www.PLANTanswers.com "Answer Man" and all the Master Gardeners of the "Hotline" in support of the weekly gardening questions and answers.

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