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

Question:
David, we have two beautiful live oak trees that have been around for a long time. My children started collecting the acorns that have fallen in the yard. On cracking them open, they have found a live grub worm in almost every acorn. Are these harmful to the trees or the grass? Is this normal?
Answer:
Answer: It is normal that the larvae of acorn weevils will quickly infest acorns, usually after they have fallen to the ground. Those collected from the trees are much more likely not to have been infested. These ‘worms’ are not harmful to the trees or the grass.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, my broccoli leaves have round holes from bugs. Is there an organic way of getting rid of the bugs? I don’t see the bugs, but they’re really doing some damage. What kind would they be?
Answer:
The most common pest of broccoli is the cabbage looper caterpillar. You will find them on the back side of the leaves. Spraying with the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) will control them, if this is the culprit. If you don’t find the loopers, it is possible that the culprit is either snails or slugs. The only organic control that I am aware of is to sink a container of some kind where the top is level with the ground and fill it with beer. This technique draws the culprits to the beer in which they fall in and drown.

Question:
My friend planted a large patch of cabbage and got to about 3-4 inches tall and then it stopped growing. Could it be he has added to much phosphate? Could he decrease the phosphate by inter planting onions? He also uses horse manure as a fertilizer. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Answer: I would suspect that the cabbage is not getting sufficient nitrogen. When you say that your friend likes to use horse manure, is that fully composted horse manure? If not, and it is incorporated into the soil, its decomposition of the manure may be using all available nitrogen. If there is too much phosphate, the planting of onions is not going to cure that. I suggest that he try giving the plants some additional nitrogen.

Question:
David, someone recommended Coral Vine as a plant to use to cover a fence line that’s 300 feet long. Is this vine a good recommendation? How far apart do I space each vine and when do I plant it? What is the negative side to using this vine?
Answer:
I like Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus). It will freeze to the ground each winter but will return vigorously from its roots the following spring. I recommend that you plant it in the spring and space the plants about 20 feet apart. The only negative response that I find is that it does freeze in winter and the dead plant must be removed. This means that you will have a lot of debris to clean off the fence each year. However, since it clings by tendrils, it will be easy to remove.

Question:
Dave, I have St. Augustine grass in my yard along with crabgrass. How do I kill the crabgrass without harming the St. Augustine grass? Everything I see on the shelf, like MSMA Crabgrass Killer, says do not apply to St. Augustine grass. What kind of treatment can I use?
Answer:
Crabgrass is an annual grassy weed. The best preventative is a pre-emergent herbicide labeled for crabgrass. Apply in late February and again in June to keep the crabgrass seed from germinating.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, What is the best way to get rid of nutgrass in a Bermuda grass lawn and what time of year do we do this?
Answer:
The herbicide Manage is most effective in eliminating nutgrass. Another herbicide called Image works, but usually requires more applications. Each will be more effective if applied when the weed is vigorously growing in the spring.

Question:
David, I have a newly planted Live oak tree. As I was putting lights up for Christmas, I noticed the undersides of the leaves were covered with small, round, orange colored balls. I can’t tell if it’s a fungus or an insect nest. Each leaf consists of six or more colored balls attached to the bottom of the leaves. They are not yet on the Live oak tree that I planted about six feet away. After much internet research, I’m not able to narrow it down as to what it may be. Please, help!
Answer:
These growths are galls which are universal to Oaks and are most often found on the underside of the leaves but also appear on small twigs. They are spherical growths about the size of a small pea and are the result of a small wasp laying her egg in the leaf’s tissue causing this abnormal growth to occur. They are basically harmless, but they may cause the leaves to drop earlier than normal. For more information on galls see the Extension article at: http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/L-1299.html

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, I just put my Bougainvilleas in my green house. Do I repot them? It seems like I heard that at one time.
Answer:
Consider repotting the Bougainvilleas every two years or when you notice a diminished performance. Remove the root ball from the container, select a sturdy knife, and cut a one inch strip all the way around the ball. Toss the trimmed strip into the compost pile, replace the root ball in the container, and fill the container with new ‘Premium Potting Soil.’

Question:
David, I plan on using shredded cedar mulch on my raised beds. Since many of my raised beds are within one foot away from my house slab, should I worry about termites?
Answer:
As long as you keep the mulch away from the foundation and periodically check the foundation for signs of termite tubes there should be no need to worry.

Question:
David, I found an old piece of wire completely embedded in the trunk of my large Live Oak tree. Is this hurting the tree? It must have been an old fence line growing too close to the tree at one time.
Answer:
The wire will only hurt the tree if it completely encircles the trunk or a limb. If it’s only against one side, the tree will engulf it; and it won’t cut off the supply of manufactured foods to the root system. If it encircles the limb or trunk completely, you should carefully cut through it and pull as much out as possible. Be sure you don’t make a wound completely around the trunk or you might do more damage than the wire.

Question:
Mr. Rodriguez, we have a Yaupon holly tree that is over ten years old and it seems to be invested with termites. What do we do?
Answer:
Termites are uncommon in holly tree trunks. Possibly, you might have a carpenter ant infestation. Either way, they have invaded some of the dead tissues present in the trunk and probably haven’t done a lot of damage yet. Consider cleaning them out using a sharp chisel. Spray the trunk with spinosad insecticide, wait a couple of days and seal the wound with a pruning sealant.

Question:
David, how and when should I prune a Lady Banks Rose?
Answer:
There are two types of growth on this energetic thornless vine rose. One form is fairly normal, with arching branches and magnificent amounts of foliage. The other resembles fishing poles. Prune the normal growth as needed right after the spring bloom. Remove the “fishing poles” as they occur, to keep the plant from getting too tall. If you simply cut their tops off to encourage side branches, you will get more normal growth in return.