Question:
My daughter would like to plant a pomegranate tree. When is the right time to plant them in our area?
Answer:
Early spring would be the appropriate time to plant the pomegranate. Most of the nurseries will have them at that time.

Question:
How cold a climate can the Golden Dwarf Duranta plant take? Will they freeze? If they freeze, do they come back in the spring? Do I have to cover them in 35 degree weather?
Answer:
This plant will be fine here. As long as it is above freezing the plant will be evergreen. A frost or light freeze will defoliate it; a hard freeze will kill it to the ground but its roots will survive and it will come back.

Question:
For some reason my Alma fig tree started to put on figs now. Will they mature? Will it affect the new figs that come on later for harvest in July?
Answer:
No, those figs will not mature. Figs, by nature, go dormant and lose their leaves in the fall. Your tree should have already lost them. Those little figs will have no effect on next year’s crop.

Question:
Can corn gluten meal be applied to any type of grass? Is it too late now?
Answer:
Corn gluten meal may be applied to any turf grass as a pre-emergent herbicide and slow release fertilizer. However, now is not the time for either. It is most effective as a pre-emergent when applied in the early spring and early fall before the weed seed for those respective periods germinate.

Question:
I have several delicate plants: Pandora, Natal plum, etc) in the yard. I need to protect them from freezing winter weather and wrap them up when need be. When we get the typical swings in the weather and it warms up, should I un-wrap the plants? Does it harm the plants to leave them wrapped?
Answer:
The main problem with leaving them covered for any appreciable length of time (say more than a week) will be the lack of light. These are evergreen plants and they need the light for their survival.

Question:
How low a temperature can the Indian Carnation plant tolerate? I have one that I have had for about ten years. It’s 5 feet tall and has a spread of about 6 or 7 feet and it’s planted in a pot. It is too big to get into my green house.
Answer:
Any freezing temperature is going to damage the foliage of the Indian Carnation (Tabernaemontana divaricata). Prolonged exposure below about 30° F will probably kill it to the ground after which it may, or may not, come back from its roots. Maybe you could move it into your garage for short periods.

Question:
I wish to plant 3 nasty, thorny, ugly, deterrent shrubs/bushes in front of the 3 windows pertaining to my 3 children’s bedrooms. Unfortunately, this area is in bright shade against the NW side of our house. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Answer:
You can consider the Chinese Holly (Ilex cornuta) although I would not classify it as ugly. It comes in a regular size as well as a dwarf. The leaves are very prickly and it should grow well in the conditions you have.

Question:
I planted Surefire tomatoes in October. I have lots of green tomatoes, some quite large, but no red ones. Is that normal or should I be doing something else with them?
Answer:
Fall tomatoes should be planted from the beginning of July through late August. Tomatoes must have heat to turn red. If they are mature, you can pick them green and bring them into a warm area and let them ripen there. However, if you did not plant your tomatoes until October, I doubt if they are mature enough to ripen.

Question:
Can I put a Rosemary plant in the ground at this time?
Answer:
If it’s an upright Rosemary, it should be okay to go ahead and plant it at this time. However if it is a prostrate Rosemary, I would recommend that you wait until next spring to put it in the ground.

Question:
When is best time to prune the lower limbs on my Monterrey Oak tree?
Answer:
You should leave the lower limbs on the tree until they get to be at least one inch in diameter as the tree uses food produced by the leaves of these limbs to support its growth. They can be pruned at any time after that with December, January, June and July being the ideal months. Make sure that every wound is sealed promptly with a pruning sealant.

Question:
I started three Bur oak trees from seed last year and they are currently growing in 10 inch pots. One tree is 24 inches tall and void of leaves. The other two have had the main stem die back and are growing side shoots. Of these, one has dark live green leaves and the other has beautiful red leaves. Which of these should I encourage to continue to grow and which ones are lost causes?
Answer:
I would not give up on any of them. However, if you live on the north side of San Antonio in rocky, shallow soil the Bur Oak tree does not respond well. It prefers a deeper richer soil.