I hate it that we’ve lost Arizona cypresses from our planting lists. They’re handsome trees, but they have become quite susceptible. Many of our other junipers have issues with Phomopsis
Q. Dear Neil: Fescue grass has totally invaded a 15-by-30-foot bed of mondograss in our landscape due to a lawn maintenance companyâs carelessness in overseeding the fescue. How can it be eliminated without harming the mondograss?
A. Thatâs going to be difficult. It really needs to rest on the shoulders of the lawn care company since theyâre the ones who committed the blunder. It may have to involve using a wick applicator to apply a glyphosate-only herbicide carefully to the tops of the leaves of the fescue. They would have to keep it off the mondograss in the process. If the fescue was overseeded this past spring it will not be very strong yet. Summerâs heat may help by killing much of it out. Again, to emphasize, this is the lawn care companyâs problem to solve.
Q. Dear Neil: This is JaMur zoysia planted in my yard in 2006. Itâs almost one-half acre in size and it has done well. I fertilized it two weeks ago with 5-20-15. Most of the yard did well with the feeding, but one section started this discoloring in brown circles. It has progressed very rapidly. What is it, and how can I stop it?.A.
A. This is a large patch, also called brown patch. You may recognize it from St. Augustine lawns, but itâs a problem in zoysias as well. It attacks the leaf blades at the bases of their sheaths. They will pull loose very easily. And, as you observed, it starts in circles, and until they grow together, the circles are very noticeable. It can do damage to zoysia, so you would want to apply the fungicide Azoxystrobin to slow its spread. Hopefully the grass will green back up soon. The fungus is more active in cool, wet weather, and we certainly had plenty of both in May. And, by the way, as to your choice of fertilizer ⦠was that based on a
Q. Dear Neil: If a large bottlebrush tree that froze to the ground at 9 degrees Fahrenheit in Houston in February is now sending out sprouts from the roots, will the tree grow back to normal size, or is it permanently damaged?
A. It will regrow to normal size if you have the patience. In fact, the cold probably did nothing to damage the roots, so you have a plant with a massive root system and very little top growth to support. Itâs going to be pushing a lot of nutrition and water up into the new growth. It may regrow very rapidly.