Home, Garden, and Yard
- I am considering a weeping willow for my back yard. I have not heard good things about them being planted in Salt Lake. What is your opinion, and would I be better going with a different species or will a willow be fine?
- I am going to overseed my west lawn. Do I need some type of covering (straw, peat, etc.) to help keep the seeds in place?
- I have a huge weeping willow in my front yard. My next door neighbor swears the root system has invaded her septic line. She had a globe will previously taken out that was about 10 feet from her main water line while my weeper is about 30. My own line is about 15 feet from the weeper. Is there any validation to her statement?
- I have a large mature cherry tree that over the past 3 weeks has had its leaves turn from green to yellow and now die off (July). I have not changed any watering patterns. The trunk "crotch" has debris, and small crawly wormy insects. How can I treat? Is it too late? It's a lovely tree, provides great shade and privacy.
- I have a large, old walnut tree in my front yard. The bark on the east/northeast side of the tree is separating from the trunk. Is this a sign of disease or other problems? And can I peel the bark off the tree or will that hurt the tree?
- I have a pine tree that is dying. It has two or three branches that are dead or dying. Is there any treatment that I can use to stop this?
- I have a sister that lives in South Jordan. She and her neighbor planted their gardens at the same time with the same type of soil. Her neighbors vegetables are thriving and my sisters are on the verge of death. What should she do and where can she have her soil tested?
- I have a stand of Gambel Oaks in my yard, I would like to leave the oaks, but fill in about 12 inches deep to level the area out. Will this damage the oaks? Is there any recommended ground cover to place in the area?
- I have an apricot tree that is so heavy laden with fruit that it broke a major branch yesterday leaving me with about a half bushel of partially ripened fruit. Can any of it be saved? What should I do?
- I have been told by a tree care company that my ash trees are infected with bores. They can be treated, and the trees should survive. Though my internet research I found ample information on emerald ash bore, however, that the research was largely on trees in Michigan. Would I have emerald ash bores, or do another type of bore exist in Utah? The tree care company suggested treatment in the spring, and another in the summer. Does that sound appropriate?
- I have built a terrace at the back of my garden and would like to start a grape arbor as a natural fence between my yard and my neighbor. What grapes would do well and how do I go about starting an arbor? What kind of fencing would I need?
- I have just moved into this new house and I have all these raspberry bushes. They have produced a crop of fruit and I went out and picked lots of berries. The berries themselves look very nice but they are a little small. When I brought them in the house I noticed a couple different kind of pests on them. A black little beetle looking bug and a little tiny bug that resembled the hair on the raspberry. I washed them off, cleaned them and ate them. Now I am all panicked that I will get sick. They tasted good but I have myself all freaked out not knowing if all the bugs got off. Will they hurt me? I want to make raspberry jam with all the berries I have. Is that safe?
- I have seen ads for canada green grass seed. It talks about it's resistance to drought, and the fact that is a very hearty grass. Do you have any info on this grass seed?
- I have small white worms in my turnips and radishes. How do I deal with this problem?
- I just bought a house and the yard is a mess. We have multiple varieties of grasses and weeds, dry spots, dead spots and rodent damage. I am a staunch do-it-yourselfer but the number of different problems to attack is overwhelming. Where is the best place to get educated or to get started? If I take a bunch of digital pictures of the various problems and plant types is there someplace I can take them to get good advice? Tru Green also came by and said we have grubs, but all they did was LOOK at the grass. I can pull up the dirt myself, but I don't know what to look for.
- I just moved to South Jordan and I have clumps of grass pok-a-dotting my lawn. Some say it is crab and others say Johnson. The clumps are hard and raised.
- I live in salt lake city, and have very hard rocky soil. I would like to plant a few varieties of trees for shade and decor (like to enjoy them in my own lifetime)I realize I'll need to excavate for good soil and root ball. Any suggestions?
- I live out on the western edge of South Jordan. The home I just bought has very sandy/rocky soil. The lawn is an inch to inch and one half depth. I have decided to add at least four inches of topsoil to my back yard this fall and re-seed. The front yard is still worth saving. I have three questions. What is the best Ph level for my soil in this area and what type of seed will work best in high sun location such as the one I live in and last should I consider some type of organic treatment to my front yard to strengthen it and promote growth?
- I love to golf. One of the reasons I love to golf is that I love the serenity of a golf course and especially the beautiful mature trees of all sorts. The Globe Willow in particular is my favorite because of its shape and size so I decided to purchase one and plant it in my backyard. I have read several articles that talk about these trees being very suceptible to disease and I wondered if it was as much of a problem here in Utah with such cold winters for half the year. I don't want to watch this tree suffer its whole life and end up taking it down. I live in the Cottonwood Heights area. Can you help with any advice?
- I mowed my lawn today (04/18/08) and noticed some dead "tracks" that I do not remember seeing when I mowed on Saturday (04/14/08). I thought that it might have been something from my lawn mower but it is a brand new Honda that I purchased 1 month ago. I have posted some pictures on my website and can be viewed at supersoygifts.com/grass.htm. Thanks for any info you can provide.
- I planted 5 flowering pear trees. The leaves are drying out and dying. What can I do to make sure the trees do not die from transplant shock?
- I planted a spanish fir in my yard just two weeks ago. It appears to be dying. How often should I be watering it? And how much water should I be giving it each time that I water?
- I planted my tomatos around the middle of May and now they are big and great looking except not one of the 12 plants has a blossom on it. Am I not patient enough or what can I do about this?
- I recently (spring 2009) planted a globe willow in Herriman, altitude 5300. I was told by an arborist that it should be okay as there are other successful globes in the foothills of the Quirrahs. It has now got leaves (May 2009) but they are getting yellow towards the mid to top and I suspect iron chlorosis. This is yellow, not the beautiful light green as usual.It gets good water and sun. It was planted with mixture of native clay, potting/planting soil and mulch including "mike" a good microorganism suggested for good plant rooting. Should I give it a dose of iron or let it be? Or us this normal? Help!
- I think I have Johnsongrass invading my back lawn. I has sprayed the usual Crabgrass/lawn grassy weed killer on it and it is still taking over my entire lawn. What can I do?