Question:
I have beautiful peaches on my June Gold tree but the seeds are all broken up. Can you tell me what caused this so I can try to avoid this next year?
Answer:
The symptoms you describe are the norm in 2010 rather than the exception. With the awesome growing conditions, the fruit is simply expanding so fast that the flesh is literally pulling the seed apart. So what you have is a physiological problem for which there is no control. This issue may or may not be a problem in 2011. Your best bet is keeping the tree healthy with good water, fertilizer, and weed control. Typically not all the fruit is affected.

Question:
I would like to grow Pride of Barbados from seed. How deep do I plant them?
Answer:
Plant them about 1/2 inch deep. It will help if you soak the seed for about 24 hour before you plant them.

Question:
What causes the galls on oak tree leaves and stems? Do they harm the trees?
Answer:
These are galls which are the result of one of a group of small flies which lay their eggs under the skin of a limb or leaf, and at the same time, inject a substance that causes the formation of this gall like structure around the egg. If you examine these galls closely, you will normally find a tiny hole where the insect has exited its protective structure. They are normally harmless, but unsightly. They can cause the premature drop of leaves from the tree.

Question:
I want to make use of my cedar trees instead of cutting them down. My thoughts are to plant some sort of climbing, flowering vine at the base and let it naturally attach or wrap to the cedar trunk. Any suggestions as to what flowering vines to utilize?
Answer:
You might consider Queen’s Crown/Coral Vine, Antigonon leptopus. This vine will be root hardy here, blooms early summer through first frost/freeze. It clings by tendrils, so it would certainly climb the cedars.

Question:
My red oak tree has yellow leaves. Does that mean it needs iron or what?
Answer:
If it has yellow leaves with green veins, it needs iron. If solid yellow, it may just need a high nitrogen fertilizer. If this is a fairly young tree, it is probably showing iron chlorosis because it was grown from an acorn off a tree that is growing in acidic soil. If so, you will never be able to correct the problem since your soil is alkaline. In that case, it is better to replace it with a Texas Red Oak, Quercus texana, which will prosper in alkaline soil.

Question:
I am growing beefsteak tomatoes. They are about the size of a child’s fist and turning brown starting at one side and not turning red at all. Am I missing an ingredient in my soil or have a bug?
Answer:
If those brown spots are on the bottom of the tomato, it is a condition called blossom end rot. This is a physiological condition caused by allowing the tomatoes to get too dry at some time.

Question:
Can I use grass clippings as mulch in my vegetable garden?
Answer:
Grass clippings can be used as mulch in the vegetable garden. However, there are a couple of caveats to that: bermuda grass (or other seeding grasses) should not be used, as the clippings, can introduce seed into your garden; and grass clippings used as mulch should be allowed to dry before you use them or they will form a mat that water will not penetrate.

Question:
I woke up this morning and all of the flowers had been chomped off my lantana plants. I understand they are deer resistant so what else might it have been?
Answer:
Lantana is deer resistant but not deer proof. Sometimes, in some neighborhoods, they will nibble on them and especially on the blossoms. I know that they will in local yards. I suspect that the deer did it.

Question:
Why are my crape myrtles shedding their bark?
Answer:
That is the nature of the crape myrtle. It exfoliates (sheds) its outer bark each year, displaying new, beautiful bark. Several trees that grow in this area do this including the Texas Persimmon, Sycamore, & the Texas Madrone.

Question:
I think we have a rabbit eating my wife’s cabbages. We come out in the morning & they have been eaten in the pattern of a line around the circumference of the head. The mouth marks seem to be a half inch wide, so we think it’s a rabbit. How do we get rid of them?
Answer:
There are many so called ‘repellents’ on the market that supposedly will keep rabbits from eating plants. However, I know nothing of their efficacy or whether they are labeled for use on vegetables. The best way would be to put a fence around the garden area (2 foot chicken wire or 2X4 welded wire).

Question:
I have a beautiful angel trumpet tree and it blooms a couple of times a year, but the flowers only last about 3-4 days than they fall off. How do I keep them from falling off? Is there something I need to use for the flowers to stay on the tree longer?
Answer:
That is the nature of the plant. Usually they have a lot of blossom buds that open making it seem that the blossoms are staying on longer but in reality they are new ones. There is nothing you can do to make the blossom last longer.

Question:
We have mountain laurels that have come up from seed growing one or two feet from the foundation of our house. Two or three are now about four feet tall. Is it ok to leave them that close to the house or could the roots damage the foundation as they grow?
Answer:
The mountain laurel roots are not going to harm your foundation. However, those are growing much too close to the house. They will fill in against the house and start to lean outward toward the sunlight. They should be at least 8 to 10 feet from the house to be able to grow naturally.

Question:
I just bought sod for my front yard in which I probably water too much. Now I am seeing brown, dead areas in the new turf. I don’t know if the problem is a fungus or not. I am very frustrated because I put this lawn in about a month ago. I don’t want to use chemicals if possible because some of the grass is doing well. Should I pull up the brown, dead areas and re-sod?
Answer:
This sounds like the lawn fungus “Brown Patch.” This is most likely the result of your over watering. Check the runners where you see the brown leaves. If they are still green, this is brown patch. This disease is not normally life threatening and over time will re-leaf. I know of no viable organic control for this other than cutting back on the water and excessive fertilizer (if you are applying any). Fungicides such as Fertilome F-Stop or Liquid Systemic Fungicide will impede its spread.

Question:
I have a poster called Trees of San Antonio Region and it list a tree called the Texas Ebony, Pithecellobium flexicaule. I was thinking of putting it near our outdoor deck for two reasons: it has flowers, and it’s an evergreen. When I started calling around to get prices, I’m not finding nurseries that sell this tree. Is this a good tree to plant here in San Antonio and if not what would you recommend?
Answer:
Probably the reason that you do not find this tree in the local nurseries is because it is not reliably cold hardy here. It is commonly grown in the Valley but would not be evergreen here most winters and could suffer freeze damage or death. For a list of recommended landscape plants for this area see
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/southcnt.html.

Question:
My tomato plants are full of beautiful big tomatoes, no insects or anything else. Plants are very healthy, but the tomatoes are still green after several weeks. I’ve taken some off and tried ripening them on the counter, no luck. I also placed some in a bag with some apples and they’re still green.
Answer:
Have faith and patience and they will ripen. However, they will not ripen off the vine until they are physiologically mature. When the bottom begins to show a little pink, you can remove them and they will ripen on the counter (or wherever).

Question:
Where can I take my family to pick fresh peaches?
Answer:
Consider visiting Marburger Orchard, 5 miles south of Fredericksburg off U. S. Highway 87. They are only an hour from San Antonio. The whole family will enjoy picking their own fresh peaches. For more information call them at 830 997-9433 or visit them online at: www.marburgerorchard.com.

Question:
I’ve heard there is a list of recommended plants for Texas called “Texas Superstars.” I’m planning a new home in the country. Where can I find this list?
Answer:
The “Texas Superstars” which has been subjected to and has “passed” statewide testing, are listed at this Aggie Horticulture web site: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/cemap/frame.html. This web site links to detailed information for each plant on the list.

Question:
My tropical hibiscus was doing well; but now the leaves are yellowing and the flower buds are dropping. What’s going on with my hibiscus?
Answer:
Even though it’s a tropical, hibiscus can be stressed by too much heat. In the extreme heat we’re having many trees use a leaf dropping “strategy” to survive drought. Likewise, bloom for many plants may be reduced because blooming takes a lot of water and energy. Even heat-loving plants such as hibiscus can start dropping flower buds. 85 to 95 degree F. is ideal for hibiscus. Once temperatures cool, your hibiscus should recover. Meanwhile, if your hibiscuses are in containers, move those containers to a spot where they do not sustain direct afternoon sun and heat.

Question:
Will grass clippings and leaves around garden plants stop the rain from watering the plant? The leaves are from last fall and have been shredded. The grass has been dried and I leave 6″ around the plant free from mulch.
Answer:
First of all, what rain? In the case of a small amount of rainfall, the mulch will probably soak it up rather than it penetrating to the soil. However, if you have substantial rainfall (1/2 inch or more) it should penetrate to the soil.