Garden Detective

We live about two blocks from the river and have a flock of wild turkeys that roam through our neighborhood.

I have a sage in the backyard, – I believe it's Cleveland sage – that is fairly covered in little bugs. Is this something I need to be concerned about and do anything about? Or is it OK to mostly leave the plant (and its occupants) alone?

I have a flame grapefruit that is 6 to 7 years old. It is a vigorous grower and produces a lot. However, the fruit, no matter when I have tried it, is not sweet, and in fact it is somewhat bitter.

I have a sago palm that is approximately 35 years old. It has been repotted several times and is quite large and healthy.

I'm in Lincoln and for the last two years have had a terrible time controlling wasps. I am using four different kinds of commercial bait-traps and have also tried different baits: soda, meat, molasses and water.

We live on 5 acres near Penryn in Placer County and are fortunate to have several varieties of native oaks on our property.

For many years, I have been growing tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and cucumbers in my backyard. Although the vegetables have been planted in the same area for many years, they still produce, except the cucumbers.

I planted raspberry bushes two years ago. They came in last summer beautifully lush and full of blossoms, but the blossoms never fully developed into fruit. The fruit appeared to start but then never fleshed out. They are along a fence line with sun most of the day, and they get watered regularly during the summer hot weather. I'm stumped on why the fruit isn't developing. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I have a lot of bermuda grass in my yard. Is there any way to get rid of the bermuda grass without killing the surrounding fescue?

I am having an issue with moths in my lawn. When I mow, moths are flying out of the lawn. What is happening? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? How do I deal with getting rid of them?

I have two questions. First, I am trying to find out the name of a flower commonly grown in Sacramento. This low-growing, mounding flower is a fluorescent pink with a yellow center.

I'm currently in Oroville in Butte County. I'd like to grow jicama for my own use and perhaps for the local farmers market, focusing on the production of smallish roots (under 8 inches across) for their greater sweetness and tender texture.

I bought a dwarf Meiwa kumquat tree from the local nursery last spring. During the spring and summer there were a few blossoms, but no fruit. I'm not worried about that because I've heard that the trees often do not fruit during the first year.

I live in Citrus Heights where we have lots of clay soil. Last year we tried two 8' x 4' raised boxes following instructions in the "Square Foot Gardening" book.

I read about growing tomatoes in a container, and I have several related questions. We live at about 4,000 feet in elevation, and have a short growing season and questionable areas of solid sun.

About two years ago I planted five "Aptos Blue" redwood trees in a row along the east side of my property. The trees are about 15 feet apart and all are doing well except one – the top half of the tree has died off completely.

Is the freeze now over for Sacramento County? May I start trimming plants and cleaning dead foliage?

I have planted nine oleanders along my back fence. They are on automatic sprinklers so are watered every day.

We want to build a raised platform garden, but are confused over conflicting advice. It's apparent that if built without some type of lining on the sides, moisture will leach out through the sides, causing excessive water loss from the enclosed soil.

Now that the freeze is over (for now?), should I cut off any dying areas of plants or wait until spring in hopes that the plants will survive?

Our 30-year-old plum tree produces plenty of good fruit. It is the lone fruit tree in my backyard.

Today: "Pressure's On!" basic introduction to pressure canning; 10 a.m.-noon; free; Sacramento County Cooperative Extension, 4145 Branch Center Road, Sacramento; (916) 875-6913.

I purchased 2 acres of land in Orangevale some four years ago. Next to the home is what appears to be a full-grown orange tree. Each of the past four years, the fruit has been spectacular – sweet and juicy.

We recently moved into a home in Old Land Park. Our home has a reddish plum tree in the front lawn that is very messy in the summer months.

My husband uses oak leaf mulch for general garden purposes. Is this bad for the soil? The plants are not doing well.

Every time I plant oregano, it develops little white flying bugs. I use a different pot, soil, location, but it still will get these little mites. You cannot see them until you move some stems, and then the whole plant bursts into flight. I love fresh oregano. What can I do? The other plants do not get this disease.

I am constantly finding mushrooms in my garden. Is there something I can put down to stop them? Also, in February I planted a pomegranate tree.

I hope you can assist with this problem concerning a large tree. I live in the McKinley Park area.

For the past few years, we have been bothered by flies that go around and around in circles in our covered entryway. We have sprayed and sprayed, using the strength strong enough to kill mosquitoes, and still they are here. What causes this, and what can we do to encourage them to do this dance someplace else?

At what time of the year do we need to prune our fruit trees? We have blueberry bushes and tangerine, apple, Asian pear and fig trees. We also have a tofu factory near us. Is it OK to use the ground soy bean waste as a fertilizer for our fruit trees?

We are overrun with voles out here in Lincoln. Any suggestions on how to get rid of these nasty creatures?

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.

Garden events

I've spotted nutgrass in our lawn. What's the best way to eradicate it?

I planted queen palms about a year and a half ago. Some are turning yellow. This happened last year when the weather turned cooler. Is it the weather? What can I do to keep them nice and green with cooler weather on the way?

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.

How do I get rid of oxalis growing in my creeping thyme ground cover? I've tried and tried to pull it out, but I am losing the battle.

What is the best dwarf tangerine, seeded or seedless, for Yolo County, sun to part shade?

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?

We're having problems with tree roots growing under the driveway and part of the garage. They've caused the driveway and part of the garage floor to crack and break. Should we cut them?

Seven years ago I purchased and planted a Bartlett pear tree. Since planting, it has produced only a few blossoms in one small area of the tree. The foliage looks great, but obviously the tree will never produce fruit unless it blossoms. Is this common with the Bartlett? What might I do for next year to encourage this tree to perform as was intended?

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.

Our four 45-year-old pomegranate trees produce quite well in spite of their age, but recently some of the fruit has been splitting open.