|
Q.
|
I love spring wildflowers.
Is it too late to plant them
in February?
|
|
A.
|
It is way too late to plant most
wildflower seeds. However, if you must have
bluebonnets there are transplants available
in local nurseries. Sometimes you can also
find larkspur which are also great fun in
the spring. Cosmos can also be planted
later for summer bloom.
|
|
|
Q.
|
My winter annuals like
my pansies are starting to
get aphids. However, they
still have blooms and I hate
to get rid of them. What
should I do? |
|
A.
|
As soon as it gets hot, get rid of them!
Throw them into the compost pile. Once
the weather is hot the cool season plants
become breeding grounds for insect infestations.
A few blooms are not worth it.
|
|
|
Q.
|
I can't believe how many
caterpillars there are hanging
down from all of my trees.
What should I spray on them
to kill them?
|
|
A.
|
Wait a minute! Caterpillars are
usually a temporary problem in the spring.
If they are on your well-adapted trees,
don't worry about it. Birds trying to feed
their new babies will take care of a lot of
them for you. See the Garden Problem Solver section of this book for more hints
on caterpillars.
|
|
|
Q.
|
The spring weather
seems pretty hot during the
day. Why do we wait to
plant certain annuals like
periwinkle and caladium?
|
|
A.
|
Although the air is warm during the
day, the soil has not yet warmed. Cooler
soils combined with moisture lead to rot
and disease on certain plants. For
caladium wait until late April to plant
the bulbs. For annual periwinkle transplants
wait until June.
|
|
|
Q.
|
My mountain laurel,
Texas redbud and Irises all
looked great last year. This
spring they barely bloomed?
What happened?
|
|
A.
|
Sometimes, spring conditions are just
right for the earliest flowering plants. Other
years, San Antonio winter conditions are
too dry or there is a late freeze. A freeze
coming right after a warm spell will often
destroy flower buds. It is also possible that a
late winter pruning removed flower buds.
|
|
|
Q.
|
My azaleas have started
turning yellow. What do I do?
|
|
A.
|
One of the most common gardening
complaints is yellowing plant foliage. This
affects everything from gardenias to beans,
and peas to photinias. The cause of this
yellow condition is iron chlorosis, or the
lack of sufficient iron that the plant can
use. The condition is endemic to this area
of Texas. The soils here contain huge
quantities of calcium carbonate (lime)
which cannot be easily neutralized. This
is why acid-loving plants like azalea and
hydrangia do poorly in our area.
What if you already planted an acid-loving
plant? Products that provide iron or acidify
the soil are temporary fixes in our soils.
In the long run it will be easier to replace
the plant with something better adapted
to our area.
|
