Question:
I purchased a Japanese Red Maple tree early August 2010 because its leaves were a velvety burgundy. I dug the hole 24” deep x 24” wide. Tree height was about 4.5 feet high. But now its leaves are drying up. Is this normal? I did add root stimulator to bottom of hole & it gets good watering once a week. I have not added mulch to base. It gets approx. 5 to 6 hrs. of sunlight, then shade rest of the afternoon. I have not added any fertilizer.
Answer:
How many Japanese Red Maples have you seen successfully growing in the San Antonio area? There are two major problems with them growing here; highly alkaline soil and the heat. See the list of recommended landscape trees for South Central Texas at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/southcnt.html. You will find plants for sale in the various nurseries/garden centers which do not do well here because customers moving into the area from other growing areas demand them. You would do well to stick with those in the list at the above web site.

Question:
When we moved here five years ago, I planted several trees in the front yard that would be tolerant to live oak wilt, including a Chinquapin oak and a Bur oak. The Bur oak is not doing as well, and now I read that it should only be planted over “deep soils.” I did mound some soil before I planted the tree, but it is certainly a “shallow soil” situation. Did I make a mistake that will prevent this tree from ever growing and developing? It has grown from five feet high to currently fifteen feet, but this year, it didn’t look as robust and did not add any height! Any suggestions?
Answer:
I doubt that the tree will ever have robust growth, although 10 feet in five years isn’t bad. I feel sure that this year’s lack of growth was directly associated with the previous year’s lack of rainfall and associated extremely hot summer. The only suggestions that I have is deep watering during periods of no, or little, rainfall and fertilizing in spring and fall with a high nitrogen fertilizer (19-5-9 or 18-6-12) at a rate of one pound per inch of trunk diameter. Scatter this fertilizer around the drip line and out several feet and water it in good.

Question:
We have a beautiful chile bush which produces hundreds of these small chilies which are green first, then black, then red. Are these edible? They are about the size of a pea or slightly smaller when they mature.
Answer:
I wouldn’t call the color change from green to black but rather to a dark, dull green. Google ‘chile pequin’ to see images of this plant. If they are the same as your pepper, it is a chili pequin and yes they are edible but very hot.

Question:
I recently harvested my sweet potato roots and they have little or no sweetness. Have they bred the sweetness out of it, like they have with so many things? Was it picked too early? I can’t remember the last sweet potato I had that I didn’t have to put Splenda on, except that it was grown on a farm by someone in my mother-in-law’s church! Is there a difference between a sweet potato and a yam? Are yams sweeter if there is a difference?
Answer:
Environmental growing conditions can cause a slight variation of the sugar content of sweet potatoes (as they can in most vegetables). Could it be that your taste has changed also? Many times we find that things do not taste as we remember them from the past. There is a definite difference between sweet potatoes and yams. Simply put, they belong to different botanical families and genera. You will not find yams sold commercially in the US.

Question:
When I mentioned to a friend how I loved the blooms of bougainvillea, he stated that they don’t have blooms, that some of the “leaves” have color. This is not the way I remember seeing the plant. Can he be confused with poinsettia? Please help settle this discussion.
Answer:
Your friend is wrong in saying that the Bougainvillea does not have blooms. However, the colorful parts of the plant that we love are not blossoms, but bracts, which are modified leaves that grow around the flower. The flower is the small white, trumpet shaped blossom in the middle of the bracts.

Question:
How can I change the roosting habits of White Wing Doves? I am tired of cleaning up their mess. I don’t want to kill them, but I need them to relocate their roost. I have tried loud horns, but no luck. Help me if you can.
Answer:
I have no real solution but possibly if you go out well after dark for several days and frighten them from the roost, they will probably find another spot to spend their nights. I don’t believe that they will return the same evening to the spot from where you frightened them. If these are young that hatched nearby, you may not be successful until they are ready to fly.

Question:
I just seeded my Bermuda lawn with perennial rye grass. It has been over a week now and I have seen no results. Am I a bit impatient as I have heard it can start growth in as little as 5 days? I didn’t do anything to prep the yard, I just used a seed spreader and that’s about it.
Answer:
Did you scalp your Bermuda before you over-seeded the rye? Did you water it in well after you spread the seed? The seed must be in contact with moist soil before it will germinate.

Question:
Is cape plumbago deer resistant?
Answer:
Blue Plumbago is not a favorite of the deer and they will usually ignore it. However, they are known to eat it in some neighborhoods. For a list of other deer resistant plants see http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/deerbest.html.

Question:
This week someone sent me a huge pot of double yellow begonias. Are they a houseplant or can I put them outside on a window ledge under a covered porch maybe? Someone gave me a double begonia 2 or 3 yrs ago when I was ill, but in the house it quickly died.
Answer:
These are a variety of tuberous begonias and they cannot survive a normal winter outside here. You can grow them in containers and bring them in during the winter. They need to be in a bright light but no direct sunshine whether they are inside or out.

Question:
I have a retaining wall that just finished building. I want to put grass seeds on the bare dirt. Is this an okay time or am I just wasting money?
Answer:
The only grass that you can plant by seed at this time of the year is a perennial rye grass selection, such as Greyhound or Panterra. This grass will germinate and be green all winter but will be killed by the summer heat in June.

Question:
I am looking for a product to kill bermuda grass. I have it growing in a flower bed and I would like to only eradicate the bermuda grass and leave the other plants unharmed. Is there any product that does that?
Answer:
I am amazed that this question continues to come up. There are many grass specific herbicides that you can use to eradicate grasses (including bermuda) without harming any broadleaf ornamental. They are sold by names such as Grass-B-Gon, Vantage, Ornamec, Fusillade II, Over-the-Top and others. They are sold at all nurseries/garden centers.

Question:
My question is on some of my relatives’ tomb stones. There is a brown lichen that is growing more every year. What would you recommend that will kill lichen and not leave a stain on granite? I think I have heard Copper sulfate will do it. What do you recommend?
Answer:
The copper sulfate will stain the grave markers. You should be able to kill the lichens with baking soda mixed with water. However, the lichens will soon grow back just because the environmental conditions there are favorable – low pollution and relatively high humidity. Mix the baking soda at a rate of approximately 6 ounces to a gallon of water and spray it on. It should kill, but not remove the lichens. They will need to be removed with a stiff bristle brush.

Question:
I found a pod with onions I bought that came from a farm somewhere southwest of San Antonio. It looks like a birds head with two long horns, about 2 inches, which curl and cross at the end. It is about 3 inches from head to end.
Answer:
It is most likely the seed pod from a weed called Devil’s Claw or Ram’s Horn, Proboscidea louisianica. This pod is favored by many craft makers.

Question:
Can the tubers found on the Four O’clock plant be cooked and eaten?
Answer:
They could be but I surely wouldn’t recommend it as the tubers are toxic. An Irish potato or a Sweet potato would be a better and safer option.

Question:
I need information on transplanting an Angel’s Trumpet plant. Currently, it is about 10′ tall; it is one year old and forked at ground level, right now it is full of blooms.
Answer:
Wait until the first frost or freeze and then cut the plant to the ground. After that you can move the root ball any time before it starts to put out new growth. Early February would probably be the best time. A root ball 12 inches across and 12 inches deep should be sufficient. If you would like to propagate some new plants, take tip cuttings from some of the branches about 8 inches long, stick them in moist, but not wet, potting mix and place the container in a protected location. They should be rooted by spring.