05-27-2010-Thursday - Wise County Messenger

ALL AROUND WISE, Decatur, Texas, Thursday, May 27, 2010
Outdoors
Rainy spring leads to weeds in bluebonnet patch
By NEIL SPERRY
Dear Neil: I have a patch
of bluebonnets that my late
husband and I started years
ago. They continue
to thrive and
spread a little
more each year.
But, the past
couple of years,
the weeds and
grass seem to be
overtaking them
(especially this
year). Is there
anything I can
use on them that
won’t harm the
bluebonnets
No weedkiller is that selective.
However, if your
main goal is to remove all
of the competing vegetation
entirely, you could apply a
glyphosate weedkiller once
the bluebonnet seeds have
dried and been dispersed
for next year. But, that’s
only if you want no grass
and no other plant growth
in that space. Bluebonnets
don’t fare well with competition,
especially from bermudagrass.
That’s why you
normally see them in shallow,
rocky soils in nature.
One thing of significance:
the past few months have
been comparatively wet
across Texas, and that has
encouraged strong growth
of weeds and grasses this
spring – more so than normal.
I wouldn’t be too concerned
yet.
Gardener’s
Mailbag
Dear Neil: I’ve attached
a photo of a mutation that
has occurred in my asparagus
bed. The asparagus is in
its third year, and it looks
like some odd type of cactus.
What can you tell me about
asparagus mutations
This is a process called
“fasciation.” It results when
a plant’s tissues develop
in only two planes, generally
in a very distorted way.
That’s what happens with
the common annual flower
cockscomb, and you’ll also
see it fairly commonly on
Texas mountain laurel, euonymus
and other plants.
While an interesting curiosity,
it’s usually not a good
thing. It’s not contagious,
but you do need to keep it
pruned out, so that the normal
asparagus growth can
proceed.
Dear Neil: In March, I
fed my St. Augustine with
a weed-and-feed
fertilizer. The grass
is slowly coming
back, but it’s been a
struggle. Other St.
Augustine lawns
nearby are looking
much better. I’m
blaming the weedkiller.
Do you have
any suggestions
It’s always tough
when someone compares
his or her
lawn to others nearby.
There are so many lawn
maintenance procedures
that people do differently.
It’s possible that you chose
the wrong product – that its
weedkiller active ingredient
was not intended for use
on St. Augustine. However,
it’s also possible that Take
All Root Rot caused some
of your damage. I have detailed
information about
TARR on my website, www.
neilsperry.com. Click on
the MAQ button, and go to
“Lawns.” Finally, for the record,
I am not an advocate
of weed-and-feed products. I
endorse both types of products
individually, but there
is too much chance of damage
when you try to use
them together.
Dear Neil: Is there a safe
and effective way of discouraging
grackles from taking
dips in our pool Someone
suggested hanging a CD in
the tree – that the bright reflection
would scare them.
Any other ideas
If you’re trying to scare
them away, the CDs are as
good an idea as any. You can
also hang fake rubber snakes
in the trees. (Your guests
will enjoy having those drop
out of the trees and into
the pool with them.) Tree
netting is good in preventing
them from getting into
the trees in the first place.
Talk to wildlife management
specialists with Texas
A&M and the Cooperative
Extension Service for more
specialized ideas.
Dear Neil: I’ve sent you
three photos of our summer
phlox bed. It’s 9 years old,
and it has always multiplied
well. This spring, the grass
was yellowed and slow to
green up, and now the phlox
looks the same way. I’ve applied
a fungicide. It seems to
have helped the grass, but
the phlox continues to struggle.
What can I do I don’t
want to lose it.
There are no insects or
diseases that are common
to both St. Augustine turf
and to summer phlox plants.
Each of the photos you sent
shows the problem to be in
one specific spot – St. Augustine
on the outside of the
edging, and summer phlox
on the inside. It really looks
like weedkiller damage that
is site specific to that one location.
It is not fungal. Keep
the soil moist at all times
(not wet, but certainly not
dry, to the point of the phlox
wilting). That would allow
higher concentrations of the
herbicide to accumulate,
much to the detriment of
the phlox. Check, too, that
the soil is amply deep on
both sides of this edging. It
looks like it could be rather
rocky. That could cause both
plants to have problems.
Dear Neil: What is the
best time of year to replace
shrubs that were killed last
winter Someone has told
me that spring is ideal.
Nurserymen sell, and
landscape contractors install,
new plants 12 months
a year. However, the very
best times are fall and early
winter, followed closely
by mid-winter through the
spring. Fall plantings give
the new plants months
to establish new roots before
the rigors of summer’s
heat. However, if you pledge
to keep the plants watered
carefully all the way
through the summer, spring
is the time when nurseries
have their best selections of
types. You may not find the
unusual varieties come fall.
Dear Neil: I cleared an
overgrown slope behind my
house recently, and I discovered
a number of volunteer
Japanese ligustrums.
They’re mixed in with tons
of other wild plants. Should
I care for the ligustrums
and encourage them, or will
I regret it later
Japanese ligustrums are
invasive to natural settings.
Their fruit is tasty to birds,
Continued on page 12
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