Night crawlers do more good than harm

My lawns are a mess due to excessive night crawlers. Is there a method I could use to at least discourage them if not rid my lawn of these worms? I think they are night crawlers as they leave little hills of mud, causing my lawn to be bumpy. I understand that they are good for the soil, but too many cause an unsightly lawn. Do you have a suggestion to help with this problem? — Gloria Though they can be aggravating, night crawlers are really quite beneficial to the lawn. Think of ...

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Box elder bugs and how to get rid of them

This past year there were box elder bugs in my goldenrain tree. Can you tell me why they were there, and is there any way to prevent them? — Joel What you have is a relative of the box elder bug called a goldenrain tree bug (aren’t entomologists an imaginative group!) or a red shouldered bug. To most of us they look pretty much the same (though there are subtle differences) and they behave pretty much alike. Goldenrain tree bugs don’t hurt the tree really, they feed on ...

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Poplar tree can grow leaves in weird ways

I have a poplar tree in my backyard that is 1 1/2 years old. Over the past year and a half it has done a few funny things. Upon planting it, the leaves went yellow in the summer. I think we were over watering. Last summer (summer No. 2), we went easy on the watering and the tree grew very well with the exception of one strange thing, the new leaves that grew on the bottom branches were small to regular size (2–4 inches across), but the leaves that grew on the top new growth part of ...

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Better to save or get rid of old soil? A little of both

I have a couple of questions about my garden. First, how often should potting soil be changed out of outdoor planters and pots? I’ve been changing out soil every year, but just wondering if I’m wasting my money on soil. Second, I have some absolutely gorgeous Russian sage in my xeriscape. Unfortunately, each year it sprouts a lot of baby plants where I do not want them. Can I spray them with RoundUp, or will that kill the host plants also? What are my choices for controlling ...

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What to do when African violets grow

I have two African violets that I have had for many, many years. They are potted in lava pots and doing OK but are outgrowing the pots. Do you have some advice on what I should do? I’ve had them so long I would hate to see anything happen to them. — Dick and Barb If they’re still in a single plant, then you need to replant them into bigger pots. Don’t go too much bigger. Generally 2–3 inches bigger in diameter is what you should be looking for. If there are ...

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Winter drought can sometimes cause spruce trees to brown

I have four blue spruce that are about 25 years old, and one seems to be stressed. I water them several times a year and especially in late fall. One of my trees has browning needles that we noticed late last year. Now the tree has more leaves turning brown. My four trees grow in a straight line along our driveway. Could last year’s excessive heat cause the damage to this tree as the browning is occurring on the south side of the tree? Can you recommend something to stop this tree ...

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Can I use that Silt in my ditch?

We’re thinking of adding the silt from our irrigation ditch into our raised planters. Is this good to use? Should we add some compost to it? How much should we add, or will this even work? — Linda You have to be a little careful using that sediment. It can sometimes be very salty which is a bad thing. If you have piles of it from a past year and there’s a white crust on it, it’s probably better to pass on it. If you want to be sure, take a sample out to the CSU ...

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Plenty of varieties of lavender 
to consider

I want to have a lavender bed in our yard. The spot I’m thinking about is in front of a deck on the south side of our house. Will lavender tolerate the direct sun and heat in the summer? It gets great protection from the cold during the winter months. — Joan Lavender should do great where you’re thinking of putting it. Lavender thrives in hot, sunny locations. In fact, I see a lot more problems with lavender where it gets too much shade. It tends to get thin and leggy ...

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Extend life of tree by cutting dead limbs

I read about verticillium wilt in silver maple trees and think that’s what is happening with our tree. Can I safely cut off the limbs that are without leaves? When is a good time? — Della There are reports that cutting the dead (or mostly dead) limbs off of a maple infected with verticillium wilt can extend the life of the tree. Understand that doing this doesn’t cure the tree, it just delays the inevitable. I’m afraid that in almost all cases, your tree is going ...

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Key to killing webworm is getting to them early

How and when do I treat for webworm? I have had them in my ash trees the past two years. — Nick Webworms that feed on trees like your ash which appear in the late summer into fall are called fall webworms. These caterpillars hatch out in midsummer and begin to spin a loose silken web. The larvae congregate within the nest, feeding on the foliage. As they grow and require more food, they expand their nest. Fall webworm often leaves a brown skeletonized remnant of the leaf, making ...

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Digging it out can be best way to remove hated vines

Last spring, I planted silver lace vine at the end of our rose beds to form an arch. Now I want to kill it! It was way too much maintenance and tried to take over. How can I kill it and plant climbing rose bushes instead? — Sharon Most people have a love/hate relationship with their silver lace vine. As you’ve discovered, they are extremely vigorous and aggressive growers. That’s great if you’re looking to cover a large trellis or fence or as a large-scale ground ...

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Plant those tulip bulbs as quickly 
as possible

I purchased tulip bulbs but never got them planted. What can I do? Is it too late to maybe put them in planters? — Marilyn We’ve had a number of people ask this question lately. What you want to do is to get those bulbs planted as quickly as possible. Fall planted bulbs such as your tulips really should be planted in late September to early November. The reason for this is that in the weeks after they’re planted and before the ground freezes they’re doing some ...

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Yellowing needles on mugo pines are normal

Our mugo pines are about 5 years old. When the snow melted away from them many of the needles were yellowing. What can we do this winter to help them? — June Yellowing needles on mugo pine can be caused by a number of things, but most of the time, it’s a normal thing the plant does over the winter. Individual plants will vary a lot in how much they do or don’t yellow in the winter. This isn’t a cause for concern. The needles will green up once warmer weather ...

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Have a plan for planting, watering a new yard

I’m planning on putting a new yard in this spring. Can you tell me what zone we’re in? Also, when can I start planting? — Natalie You’re right to start thinking about your yard now. Spring catalogs are coming in, and people are getting excited about getting going in the yard. Every season we get lots of questions about what works well here, which zones are OK, and what needs extra care. Zones primarily refer to how cold an area gets in the winter. The higher the ...

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Some tips 
to keeping those used tulip bulbs

We received forced tulip bulbs for Christmas. How do I care for the bulbs after they are through blooming? — Irene To be honest, most people end up throwing them away once they’re done blooming. You don’t have to do that, of course, but if you want to keep them, there are several things you will need to do. Once the flowers are done, the foliage that remains is feeding the plant, forming the flower bud and building up the bulb for next year. It’s important that ...

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Cold winter weather can wilt plants, but it’s no reason to take action

I have three scotch broom plants that are about 4 years old, growing nicely. One is the Moonbeam variety which is so beautiful when it blooms. I’ve never trimmed them and didn’t think I should, but the snow has made them look pretty scraggly and bent over. Will they recover or should they be clipped back to some length? — Barb Lots of people are wondering what to do about some of their garden plants that have been bent over by the snow we got in December. My general ...

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Ways to get a head start on planting for warm season

Are there any tricks to starting plants indoors before transferring them to the garden? — Jim The first thing is to time starting your seedlings properly. It’s a common mistake for people to start too early. I know we’re sick of this cold winter weather and we’re all anxious to get started on spring, but if you start too early, your plants will be leggy, soft and succulent, unable to support themselves and you end up buying transplants from the greenhouse this ...

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Dwarf mistletoe can be damaging to your pinyon

My husband and I noticed some mistletoe-looking stuff on our pinyon. It’s very unattractive and did not inspire any kissing. I know it’s too dry here for regular mistletoe, but it has that same texture and is bronzy green. Is it harmful to our pinyon? — Bess It sounds to me like you have dwarf mistletoe in your pinyon. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that derives the nutrients and/or water it needs from a host plant. The seeds are ejected from the plant onto other plants ...

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Some tips for taking care of those Charlies in your house

I have two Royal Charlie houseplants but am not sure how to care for them. Do they need any special care? — Yolanda Charlies are fairly easy to take care of, but there are a couple of things to remember. First, they prefer bright, indirect light. The leaves can yellow and burn if they get too much direct sun. They can take sunlight early in the morning or late in the evening before sunset, or sunlight through a sheer curtain. Just make sure that they get enough light. If the light ...

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Browning of Alberta Spruce can be caused by a few things

I planted an Alberta Spruce (almost 3 feet tall) into a ceramic pot measuring approximately 2 1/2 feet high and twice the diameter of the plant’s root ball. It is planted in good soil and the pot has holes for drainage. Toward the end of summer, the needles turned brown beginning at the top of the plant. Since then, the entire plant has needles turning brown and falling off. The plant is located primarily in a shaded area of our patio, facing east and close to the house. Can you ...

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Tips to get rid of scale bugs for good on indoor trees

I have some indoor trees: an avocado, grapefruit and two tangerine trees, which were doing fine until suddenly weird growths started appearing on the leaves and stems. If I bend the leaf just right, they peel off and squish like an aphid or some other insect. They seem to be leaving some sugar residue on the leaves. I’m not sure what they are or what I can do to get rid of them. Appreciate any advice. — Bret It’s difficult to say without looking at a sample, but it ...

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Autumn purple ash takes time to establish itself, but worth wait

The autumn purple ash we purchased and planted this year is a little lopsided as far as the lateral limbs go. It has a nice arrangement of limbs at the top, but it only has three lower limbs that all go in the same direction. I was wondering what would happen if I pruned two of the lower branches. Would that even up the appearance of the tree? (Maybe I should take off all three?) Does the growth of the tree distribute branches in all directions or should I help it out by trimming the ...

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Ancient Agwam grapevine can be winter-hardy, spur-pruned

I have an ancient Agwam grapevine. It was a grown plant in the year 1927. My father got it from a local horticulturist. Can I put down a piece of vine underground to start another plant? We were told it is a wine grape and has a nice perfumey flavor when eaten. It doesn’t produce very full stems of grapes. Perhaps I am not feeding it right. Do grape vines have an age limit? — Lois It’s been awhile since I’ve heard about Agwam (or Agawam) grapes. This is a very old ...

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There are plants both short and tall that should survive the cold

I’m looking for a foundation plant for the northeast corner of the house. I would like to have a flowering plant or something that will lend some color to our landscape. We live in Cedaredge so it needs to tolerate colder temperatures as well. What would you recommend? — Alice There are dozens and dozens of different plants to choose from. The choice will mostly depend upon how tall you’d like the plant to grow. In shorter shrubs (4 feet or less), you could choose from ...

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African violets not as tough to take care of as you may think

I received an African violet as a gift and am terrified I’ll kill it (it already looks kind of wilted). Do you carry self-watering African violet pots? I read up about watering them from the bottom, and will probably keep it somewhere out of the direct sun, but don’t know much about babying them. Anything you can tell me will help. I have a phobia about them, knowing that they tend to be picky. — Jennifer Actually, you shouldn’t be that terrified of African ...

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Nut trees can thrive in valley

We are thinking of adding a few nut trees. We understand that walnuts, pecans and pistachios will grow here in the valley. Do you know if that is factual? Any information would be appreciated. — Nancy There are a number of nut trees that can be grown in western Colorado. Walnuts are probably the most common. We can grow both Black Walnut and English Walnut here. Black Walnuts are plenty cold hardy, but you’re better off to opt for a hardier variety of English Walnut. The old ...

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Fall has own timetable for watering, fertilizing

How late in the fall should I continue to water my lawn, and should I fertilize it now? — Lottie As fall comes on and weather starts to cool, you want to start stretching out your waterings. The schedule that worked during the blazing heat of July doesn’t work in the cooler weather of September and October. The way I do it is that I continue to use my sprinkler controller; I just suspend the program and then manually turn it on to run through my lawn zones. I don’t ...

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Leaving dahlia bulbs in ground late into season key for success

When should I dig my dahlia bulbs, and how can they be safely stored throughout the winter? — Ila The longer your dahlias are in the ground curing, the more fully developed the tubers will be and the better the likelihood of bringing them through the winter successfully. We usually will have a light frost this time of the year that starts to kill down the top of the plant followed by a hard freeze a few weeks later. Dahlias continue to grow and the roots continue to mature after ...

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New trees need water in winter

Last spring we planted a redbud tree in our front yard. Do we need to water it during dry winter months? At what temperature during the day should we water it, above 40 degrees? — Priscilla Yes, you should plan on watering your redbud through the winter. Redbud is one of three trees (birch and spruce are the other two) that we see with lots of winter drought damage on a consistent basis. It may be a bigger or smaller problem for your tree depending on your soil, the location of the ...

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Sometimes it’s tough to tell why tomatoes take their time

Having given up my garden this year, I still found a spot to plant one tomato. I planted it a little late (third or fourth week of May), but it’s a very hardy-looking and large plant. It’s been watered and fertilized (Miracle-Gro Tomato food) regularly, but it has only two teeny little green tomatoes on it. It seems that everyone else is harvesting bushel loads of tomatoes. What did I do wrong? — Rita Well, I don’t have a for sure answer for you, but I can offer ...

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What to do with an apricot sprout to prepare for coming winter?

I have been nursing an apricot sprout that came from my compost. I know it was from my neighbor’s wonderful, huge old tree. It almost died out over the winter, but came back this summer and is now about 8 inches tall and surviving. It is in good soil and compost in a six to eight inch diameter pot. What should I do with it for the coming winter? Should I plant pot and all in a warm, protected spot up by the house? Plant it in the ground where I will want it to grow? Thanks as always ...

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Hang in there: Plants can struggle when they’re young

I’m stumped. I have a house in Whitewater. I looked up recommended climbing roses for this area and CSU Extension indicated Altissimo and Don Juan. Excellent, two of my favorites. So I bought one of each. Both died back to the ground over the winter a couple years ago and now both have sprouted from the roots. Looks like the varietals survived, but I am not thrilled with climbers that start from scratch every year. The roses are root-watered with drip irrigation on the west/southwest ...

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Long grass can protect fruit trees

I have about 20 fruit trees of various ages with a weedy grass cover that usually gets mowed about three times in the summer. During this drought I am wondering what would be best for the trees: Let the grass grow long to cover the earth and roots, or mow it so that it does not draw so much water from the ground through transpiration? — Paul I think you are better off leaving the grass long. It acts as a mulch, cooling the soil and cutting down on evaporative loss of water from the ...

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The seven principles of xeriscaping

There’s been a lot of news and talk about the dry year we’re having and saving water. It seems like I’m hearing different recommendations from everyone and I’m getting confused and a bit frustrated! I hear about “zeroscaping” being a good way to save water but I don’t want a bunch of gravel and cactus in my yard! Besides, the yard is in and I’m at the age where I don’t want to start all over with a new one with all that work and money. ...

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You can maintain a beautiful yard and still save money on water

There’s been a lot of news and talk about the dry year we’re having and saving water. It seems like I’m hearing different recommendations from everyone, and I’m getting confused and a bit frustrated. I hear about “zeroscaping” being a good way to save water, but I don’t want a bunch of gravel and cactus in my yard. Besides, the yard is in and I’m at the age where I don’t want to start all over with a new one with all that work and ...

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Best way to settle a debate? Dig deep

Dennis, I need you to settle a disagreement between me and my husband. The little crabapple tree we planted last year is looking pretty sad with lots of yellow leaves, and now they’re starting to fall off. I say he’s watering it too much and he says it needs the water because it’s so hot and dry. Please help settle this! — Debbie There are times I think I needed a couple of classes in marriage counseling when I was going to school! Actually, debates such as yours ...

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Battling brown lawns

Help, our lawn looks awful! There are brown patches all over and they seem to be getting worse the past several weeks. What can we do? — Rebecca Well, Rebecca, you’re in good company, not that that’s any help. Every day, we get eight or 10 people coming into our store with the same problem. Probably what you have going on is a fungus attacking your lawn. There are certainly other possibilities out there, but right now that’s pretty much what’s ...

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Tomatoes grown in pot prone to blossom end rot

For the past several gardening seasons, I have had an unusually high incidence of blossom end rot on my tomato vines. I realize this is a physiological problem, but are there certain tomato hybrids that are more resistant to blossom end rot? I have been growing my tomato plants in large 24-inch diameter pots that require more frequent watering during the heat of summer. — Dennis I may be wrong here but I really don’t think that there are any truly “blossom end rot ...

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Learn tricks to growing artichokes in western Colorado

I plan to move to Grand Junction soon. I want to know if I will be able to grow artichokes there. — Robert Yes, artichokes do grow here, it just takes a few tricks to get them to work. Since they take a long time to mature, you want to start with larger plants in bigger pots. This will give you enough of a head start to get a crop before any early frosts hit this fall. Artichokes are wonderful, semi-perennial herbaceous plants in western Colorado. They can get pretty big, ...

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Warm, dry weather alters borer treatment

Please remind me of the spray and drench schedule for the peach, apricot, nectarine tree borer. — Pat Peach tree borer is the most common serious insect pest in fruit trees such as yours. This insect is a problem on members of the genus Prunus that set a “stone type” fruit. This includes peaches, plums, cherries, apricots and almonds. It also can affect their ornamental relatives such as cistena plum, pink flowering almond, purple leaf plums, European bird cherries, ...

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Dealing with sucker shoots challenging

I have jujube and plum trees that send runners 40–50 feet into my lawn. Can I use Roundup on the runners without killing the mother tree? Also, does Roundup work on foxtail and Bermuda grass? — Jan Controlling suckers in plants can be a difficult thing. glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is systemic so it will be transported to the mother plant. Spraying a handful of suckers once probably won’t kill or significantly damage the plant since the amount of ...

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Pond algae can be controlled with four steps

We have a small pond (about 100 gallons of water) in which we previously had goldfish and koi, but we have removed all the fish. We have a small circulating pump, but would like to put in some water plants, such as water lilies. In the past, algae has been a problem, and we are presently using chlorine tablets to keep the algae from growing. However, I understand that chlorine will kill the water plants. Is there a chemical or other product I can use to keep the algae from growing in warm ...

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Weed-feed products not favored

We acquired an apartment complex in Olathe this last fall. The lawn has been neglected and has a number of weeds, mostly dande-lions. Mature trees are in the lawn. Would a weed-and-feed be the best way to address this, or should I kill the weeds and fertilize separately? Also, are there any new organic ideas to get rid of bindweed in a vegetable garden? — Kim To be honest with you, I’m not all that big of a fan of weed-and-feed fertilizers. Weed-and-feeds are attractive ...

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Homegrown: Try junipers, small trees for privacy hedge

What is a fast growing privacy hedge that grows well in this area? — Mike The first decision to make is if you want the screen to be evergreen. Do you need screening year-round or just during the growing season? Most of the time, growing season is enough. Most folks are trying to create some privacy in the yard or simply screen out an ugly view while they’re outside. If this is the case, deciduous plants will fit the bill wonderfully. They’re faster growing (in ...

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Homegrown: It’s not easy being a bulb

We’ve lived in Grand Junction four summers having come here from a colder climate. Three falls ago, I planted literally hundreds of crocus, muscari, scilla, tulips, hyacinths and dwarf iris for my purple/blue flower garden. I added good soil and bone meal and lots of TLC. Each year has seen a substantial decrease. Last year I had one scilla, a few tulips and eight hyacinths and most of the dwarf iris. I have found evidences of bulbs on my patio. Am I providing a feast for some ...

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Problem spot? Check your soil before planting

I have a strip of dirt about 4 feet wide on the southeast side of my deck. Grass doesn’t do well there (I’ve replanted twice). The strip is shaded most of the day by plum and pecan trees, but gets two to three hours of blistering midday sun. Is there a perennial plant that I can fill in with that will take the shade and heat? — Jan I think there are quite a few things you could plant successfully there. I suspect that your problem isn’t so much to do with the sun ...

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Homegrown: Prepare for rose pruning in April

We moved to a house that has several different roses, but we’re not sure of the type. We were wondering if we should cut the stems down or just leave them alone with their leaves still on the stems? — Mish You’ll want to cut the stems down, but not quite yet. Roses are sort of stupid plants and if you prune them, they’ll respond by shooting out soft succulent growth too early in the spring that can often be damaged or killed by late frosts. The time to prune roses ...

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Homegrown: How much to compact new garden soil?

I am getting a delivery of Glade Park soil for raised vegetable garden beds. The contractor says in filling the beds he needs to walk on the Glade Park soil to compact it because it is so fluffy. I thought that you are not supposed to compact garden bed soil. Should I instead tamp it slightly, let it settle, or water it in and add more compost in the spring? Should I cover the natural soil base and line the bed sides with landscape cloth? — Beryl Actually, up to a point I’d ...

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Homegrown: Pre-emergent selection must meet garden needs

Can you recommend a pre-emergent for weed control for a vegetable garden? When is the best time to apply it? — Karen I have a couple of choices for pre-emergent you can use in a vegetable garden. There aren’t many because almost all of the chemical pre-emergent on the market are not labeled for use around edible plants, they’re strictly for ornamentals. There are some commercial products with a label for single crop vegetable plantings, but they’re generally not ...

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Hoemgrown: Grow an apple tree from seed

If I am growing an apple tree from seed, should I start it outside or inside in a pot? If inside in a pot, when should I put it outside? The first year, do I remove all of the apples, or just thin them out? — Mitchell For the seed to germinate, it needs to be exposed to cold temperatures for three or four months. If the apple was lying outside in the weather, it should be OK. If not, you should put the seeds in a plastic bag with some moist peat moss and place the bag in the ...

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