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topicquestion
Landscaping plant for Austin
September 01, 2011
Great site! Have gotten lots of ideas. We're about to start construction on a fairly major landscaping project: raised beds/privacy screen. We're at the top of a hill in the Hill Country just wes...
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Erosion at edge of driveway in Abilene TX
August 26, 2011
My lawn suffered a great loss of grass over the winter and the soil at the edge of the driveway is washing away with watering and the occasional rains that we have. I am trying to get the grass to gr...
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Watering Houseplants with Soapy Water
August 22, 2011
I accidentally watered my house plants with a container that had a some dishsoap in it. Will they be okay? One of the plants is a 20yr old cactus, with small roots.
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Drought affecting native trees from The Woodlands
August 18, 2011
I've been trying to grow native trees in my yard for the past 3 years and I'm starting to question whether the amount of time required to spend watering them during the long hot season in Texas is r...
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Difficulty of watering at drip line of trees from The Woodlands TX
August 18, 2011
I'm watering my couple dozen native mature trees to make sure they survive this drought and its aftermath..and I'm reading about how to water at the drip line. But..all of my trees' drip lines ext...
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Shade trees for Spring TX
August 17, 2011
Dear Mr.Pants, our west-facing backyard in Spring, Tx, is unbearable in this Summer's heat. Neither us nor the neighbors has any backyard trees established yet, as the subdivision is pretty new. C...
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Oak tree with browning leaves in Brenham TX
August 16, 2011
I have a large oak tree in my small back yard. I also have a sprinkler so the tree has been receiving some water. Nevertheless, some of the leaves are turning brown in patches. Would drip watering ...
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Cedar elm with brown leaves
August 12, 2011
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, We feel we may have limited time to save our beautiful Ceder Elm. We have many trees in our yard (Post Oaks and Cedar Elms) and have been told they are all between 50 - 75 year...
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Defining drip line on trees from Austin
August 08, 2011
When you say that trees should be watered at the "drip line," do you mean that literally? I assume that the drip line means at the outside edge of the leaves or branches. Does that mean that waterin...
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Dormancy in Pin Oaks without water in Del Rio, TX
August 02, 2011
Can Pin Oak trees go dormant without enough water? If so how long can they live that way? Can they be brought back to producing leaves? If yes, then what do I need to do besides giving them water. I d...
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It's so hot, even the Salvia greggii are sad, in Bulverde Texas
July 28, 2011
I have several Salvia greggii in large terra cotta pots. The leaves have developed a yellowish tint and are thinning. What is the best process to get them back to full green foilage?
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Shy blooming non-native Crape Myrtle, in Littlestown Pennsylvania
July 25, 2011
My Crape myrtle has been planted about three years, and reached a height of about 4'. It blooms late July and for the past two years, has only had one or two blooms on it. I have a lot of buds whic...
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Possible freeze damage in Wax Myrtle from last winter in Bastrop, TX
July 25, 2011
Our Wax Myrtle is about 7 yrs old and in good shape until this past winter when we had several very hard freezes. Now several of the large branches are dead and more are dying each month. We have not ...
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Why did mountain laurel turn brown and die?
July 20, 2011
I have (had) a lovely mountain laurel that I planted more than 25 years ago. Many times one or two branches would turn brown and I would trim them out. The shrub is about 10 feet tall and is many tr...
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Should Texas live oaks be mulched under drought conditions?
July 19, 2011
Should we mulch our live oaks in pastures for water retention?
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Cedar trees dying in CO
July 18, 2011
We have mature cedar trees at the home we bought in SW Colorado. The large ones have begun to die. Can too much water kill a cedar tree and is there anything I can do to keep them alive?
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Premature browning of bald cypress needles in summer
July 15, 2011
I have several 10m high taxodium distichum trees in the lawn, with drip irrigation twice a week, and same soil content, and on just one of them, several leaves have started turning brown, it seems to ...
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Watering Oak Trees in the Summer
July 15, 2011
Should you water oak trees in the summer? Some people say its not good for them. But many trees seem to be withering up and dying in this heat. Especially the black jack oaks. There are also post ...
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Possibility of hydrophobic soil in Austin, TX.
July 13, 2011
I believe I have an area in my garden with “hydrophobic soil”: no matter how much or how slowly I water, it just beads up and rolls off and the soil beneath remains cement dry and powdery. In my readi...
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Possumhaw losing leaves in Liberty Hill, TX.
July 11, 2011
I have two female possumhaw trees and one of them is losing its leaves. I planted both of them in February and they were doing very well, getting green and full. What's happening?
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What fertlilizer for live oaks under drought conditions?
July 01, 2011
In your June 7 answer about helping live oaks survive the drought, you state that additional fertilization may help as well. What kind of fertilizer to you recommend and how should it be applied? Th...
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Need help with my Mountain Laurel in Sugarland, TX
June 22, 2011
Texas Mountain Laurel - My plant's leaves are turning yellow and falling off. I don't know if this is caused from over watering or under watering. I have skipped days of watering to see if it will h...
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Suggestions for flowerbed in Mesquite TX
June 17, 2011
I live in Mesquite and am new to the area. I am trying to make the flowerbed in the front of my house look better. I've planted some yellow roses and red roses but would like some perennial that bloo...
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Watering newly planted woodland plants in VA
June 12, 2011
How frequently should newly planted, native plants, growing in wooded areas be watered? Is it better to not water at all than to use sprinklers in which case the water rarely saturates the leaf...
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Mountain Laurel having trouble in AZ
June 07, 2011
A Sophora secundflora (Texas mountain laurel) was planted to an Arizona north faced front yard last year in August under full sun. Starting early this year, I noticed its leaves turn to light green an...
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