Bring your crape myrtles back from the brink
Audrey Gillespie
The bad news is that many of our crape myrtles took a hit during the February freeze this winter. The good news is that most of them will recover completely.
Thanks to Texas Tree Surgeons for their generous help with this article. According to them, delayed budding and leafing out is not unexpected. If the trees were healthy before the freeze, they should recover completely, although there may be less new growth and fewer buds.
If no new growth is showing by the end of April, remove all dead wood down to the highest level of living tissue, even if it is at ground level. New shoots will grow back vigorously.
Q. Dear Neil: We bought a house recently and are stumped by a fungus gnat infestation. We have absolutely no houseplants, yet we have fungus gnats in the house and on the insides of the windows. We have had a pest control operator apply an organic remedy without results. Weâve had a plumber look for leaks and he found nothing. We donât know where to turn next. Do you have any suggestions?
A. At the risk of telling you things you already know, fungus gnats live in the green âmossyâ algal growths that develop where there is constant moisture. Iâm sure thatâs why you had the plumber look for leaks. As a horticulturist, Iâm trained to look for poorly draining pots, wet greenhouse floors and other similar surfaces. But in a structural pest kind of situation youâd need to stick with the certified pest control operator or an entomologist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service of Texas A&M. Itâs possible there could be seepage through the r
Neil Sperry: The best way to treat for dandelions
Jan. 1, 2021
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For controlling a dandelion overgrowth, a broadleafed weedkiller spray is less expensive than pre-emergents and just as effective.Courtesy photoShow MoreShow Less
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Fungus gnats live in the green ?“mossy?” algal growths that develop where there is constant moisture, such as slow-draining plant pots or plumbing leaks.Courtesy photoShow MoreShow Less
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Mexican petunia is gorgeous but really invasive.Courtesy photoShow MoreShow Less
Q: Our yard is inundated with dandelions. We applied a pre-emergent, but still we’re covered up. There are too many to dig. What should we do?
Neil Sperry: Mexican petunia beautiful but invasive wacotrib.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wacotrib.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.