Saturday, November 29 2008 - 12:00 am
I hope you can assist with this problem concerning a large tree. I live in the McKinley Park area.
Saturday, October 18 2008 - 12:00 am
I gave up on my orchard because of codling moths. Three dormant sprayings does nothing noticeable. The only year I got significant Asian pears, apples and walnuts was when I nuked the trees with toxic chemicals repeatedly. I know I could put paper bags on the fruit and after two hours of that I'd have saved $15 worth of fruit, not quite minimum wage. Do you have any organic methods that work to suggest? I also have pistachio trees and almonds, which I assume are also victims of moths.
Saturday, October 11 2008 - 12:00 am
Saturday, September 13 2008 - 12:00 am
Five years ago, we built a redwood deck around a large sycamore tree. We left plenty of room for the trunk. But now the roots are pushing the deck up. Can I shave part of those roots down? It would only be 2 or 3 inches off of about 6 inches of root.
Saturday, August 30 2008 - 12:00 am
What is the best dwarf tangerine, seeded or seedless, for Yolo County, sun to part shade?
Saturday, August 23 2008 - 12:00 am
We planted a lot of iris around our yard 20 years ago, and the plants continue to bloom and expand. Should I be cutting off the stems and leaves each year? Do I need to dig up the rhizomes and separate them? Do they need fertilizer?
Saturday, August 2 2008 - 12:00 am
Our Japanese maple receives a lot of afternoon sun, since we had to remove a fruitless mulberry that shaded it. Since then, we've noticed some die-back at the tips of some of the upper branches.
Saturday, July 19 2008 - 12:00 am
Only about 10 of my 100 gladiolus plants produced nice blooms. The rest look like they've been burned. I planted 30 new bulbs this past spring, and they look awful, too. Is there a disease affecting glads this year?
Saturday, July 5 2008 - 12:00 am
Q: Last year, and again this year, our tomatoes have very few leaves and are producing very little fruit.
Saturday, June 28 2008 - 12:00 am
I have a gophers in my beautiful green lawn. Any solution to get rid of them?
Saturday, June 21 2008 - 12:00 am
1. Water early in the day to conserve water and minimize plant disease.
Saturday, May 31 2008 - 12:00 am
Q: Three years ago my tomato plants grew, gave me a few tomatoes, then started dying from the bottom of the plant to the top.
Saturday, May 10 2008 - 12:00 am
Last year, the skins on my tomatoes and I've grown tomatoes for 30 years were tough. They tasted good. What did I do wrong? I don't want tough tomatoes this year.
Saturday, May 3 2008 - 12:00 am
Last year, my Brandywine tomatoes had lots of blooms but no fruit. They looked healthy and got sunshine all day, but I got one tomato from four plants at the end of July.
Saturday, May 3 2008 - 12:00 am
Arthur M. Shapiro, professor of evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, responds to a recent "Garden Detective" column:
Saturday, April 26 2008 - 12:00 am
Colonial bentgrass is overtaking my lawn, and I've been told the only way to get rid of it is to kill the entire lawn and start over. Is this true?
Saturday, April 5 2008 - 12:00 am
When should lilacs be pruned? Should I thin out the bushes leaving only the main branches? The blooms are getting higher and higher.
Saturday, March 29 2008 - 12:00 am
I made the mistake of planting Swiss chard and rhubarb without noting the confusing double label that came with the plant. I didn't know which was which, so I have torn out the plants.
Saturday, March 15 2008 - 12:00 am
Is there a product that can be sprayed on mondo grass to kill weeds but not the mondo grass?
Saturday, March 8 2008 - 12:00 am
I have six hydrangeas planted on the north side of the house that were cut back severely by our lawn and garden service. They used to bloom profusely, but last year we had only two blooms. What can I do?
Saturday, February 23 2008 - 12:00 am
Q: I have a long row of mature cannas in my backyard, and they've become an incredibly invasive pest. I've tried herbicide with no luck. I cannot dig them out without destroying a retaining wall. Can you help?
Saturday, February 16 2008 - 12:00 am
My dwarf myrtle shrubs have grown to 36 inches tall. Some are very woody. Can I cut them down to 20 inches without killing them? Is now a good time?
Saturday, February 2 2008 - 12:00 am
Q: We have a salt-chlorinated pool and want to plant grass near it. Will the salt cause any problems?
Saturday, January 19 2008 - 12:00 am
Q: Should we stake and tie up oleander bushes? Our pink bush was drooping, so my husband had our gardener tie it up. In time, the branches were disfigured and had to be cut off. It seems to be weak and I don't know that binding it all up is doing it any good. Will it get stronger and grow up straight as all the others are doing?
Saturday, January 12 2008 - 12:00 am
Q: The birch trees in my front lawn were planted some 35 to 40 years ago. One of the trees (the largest, about 18 inches in diameter and closest to the house) has developed a fungus at its base.
Monday, January 7 2008 - 2:05 pm
Q: Our neighbor's "Aptos Blue" redwood isn't doing well. Many branches are dying and turning brown. Our trees are fine except for the one adjacent to the sick neighbor's tree.
Saturday, December 29 2007 - 12:00 am
How do I get rid of ants in my garden? I've been a little afraid to use ant stakes because of the sprinkler spraying it and the chemical getting into the ground where the garden is growing.
Saturday, December 15 2007 - 12:00 am
Q: Is it OK to prune an ornamental Japanese flowering cherry tree? A friend said not to because they are prone to infection and rot from pruning cuts. Also, this year our dwarf Satsuma mandarin had lots of growth but almost no fruit. Perhaps some of the branches are suckers or sprouts? How should we prune this tree to maximize fruit yield?