DNeil's ears: This one live oak has been bothering me since the frigid cold of February 2021. One fork has sparse leaves, which are also yellow. Should I remove that fork? Leave me alone? Or should I remove the entire tree?
If you want to save your tree, you will need to have an ISA certified arborist take a closer look at it. From the angle I can see, I'm very concerned. It appears that the left trunk is damaged. Removing that part will leave a large scar on the trunk where the cut was made. The tree is badly deformed, and what remains is crowded with other trees in the landscape. Despite your efforts, you're worried that your live oak tree will eventually split. In fact, the remaining parts also look yellow to me, so the whole tree may not be very healthy. If it were mine, I would have it removed unless a certified arborist could show me reasons to the contrary.
Dear Neil: Why are so many native red cedar trees dying locally? I've never seen anything like this before.
So am I. I have done quite a bit of research on this issue and will be publishing a longer report in my free Thursday newsletter, e-gardens, within the next two weeks. You can sign up through my website: https://neilsperry.com/e-gardens/. But for now, Dr. Kevin Ong of Texas A&M's Plant Disease Clinic said he suspects environmental trauma from the 2021 winter storm and the following two summers of heat and drought.
Steve Hauser, founder and owner of Arborilogical Services in Dallas, certified arborist, and one of this year's first Texas arborists, says his arborists believe this is cedar bark beetle damage. He told me that he feels that there is. They found tunnels just beneath the outer bark of dead and dying trees, and also found exit holes in the wood the size of pencil leads. Steve agrees that much of this is due to the stress placed on these trees by recent extreme weather events. His crew has seen more of it than ever in the past 12 months.
Dear Neil: What kind of care does this plant need? I bought it at a local supermarket a while ago. They don't know what it is and neither do I. Therefore, it cannot be investigated.
I think you did a good job with it because of its size and great colors. Dracaena Janet Craig Compacta. Both the Missouri Botanical Garden and North Carolina State University's excellent botanical websites feature it as a Dracaena he fragrance variety. I've long listed Ordinary Janet Craig as one of my favorite houseplants. Grows easily in indoor conditions of moderate light and “human” temperature and humidity. This is no different. I found it a bit difficult to use due to its dramatically upright nature and tightly compact leaves. But your plants look great.
All I can suggest is to plant it in a nice terracotta container with a matching saucer. Use loose, highly organic potting soil and place in its original location. They seem very happy with the location. You might want to grow two more of different heights together to add interest. It also helps to wash the leaves using two very soft sponges. Prepare a bucket of lukewarm water with a little soap. Squeeze them almost dry, then put a sponge in one hand and the other and pull under each leaf at the same time. Repeat with fresh water to remove soap residue.
Dear Neil: This weed/vine/grass is overtaking the bare spots on my St. Augustine lawn where chinch bugs killed the St. Augustine last summer. Glyphosate works well in areas with full glyphosate infestations, but I would be hesitant to spray it around St. Augustine. Because obviously I don't want to kill them. What works?
Well, maybe I'm missing something, but your photo certainly looks like regular old Bermuda grass that is very healthy. The leaf blades are curled, so it must have been pulled out in the heat a few minutes before the photo was taken. Do you really want to kill it? Assuming that you task a robot with filling in your lawn and your goal is to plant grass on bare land as quickly as possible, it could accomplish that task within a month or two. Then the next step is to have St. Augustine relocated to that space. It is the more dominant of the two grasses. If you can protect your Bermuda from chinch bugs in the summer, you can keep them out.
Dear Neil: I saved the seeds from my Leatherleaf Mahonia and planted them in 1 gallon seedling pots. Is that how they started? Do they materialize from seeds?
This is how seedlings are started at the nursery, so fine seedlings will emerge in no time. Yes, they do and will give you exactly the same genetics as the mother plant. This usually assumes that the species is talking about Mahonia bealei. You'll notice it the moment you start growing. They look like miniature versions of the mother plant. Please be patient. It grows slowly compared to many other plants grown from seed. They prefer morning sun and afternoon shade. Keep it moist and fertilize every few weeks with a diluted, water-soluble, high-nitrogen plant food. By the end of the next growing season, you will have plants large enough to plant in your garden.