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Ask Neal - Recent Questions

We have landscaping pine trees around a pool in a backyard, and we have found a strange insect that is in a strange shell. It looks like dried pine needles (like a shell) and a worm peeps out and they carry this (shell) with them like a hermit crab carries their shell...I have pictures, it is too hard to explain....

These are bag worms. They can do extreme damage to evergreen trees and shrubs. To control them you need to spray with an insecticide in mid- to late May.

Neal, I don't have good luck with trees in my back yard. I have killed a willow, two redbuds , an apple tree and I have a dying dogwood. I need a tree in my yard that won't grow too big and is hardy. Any suggestions?

Take a soil test first and my next suggestion would be to go to treesaregood.com and look up their planting techniques for trees. This would give you some good information.

I have a red maple tree and one side seams to be dying. The leaves are wrinkling up and the large branches are starting to die from the top down.

This could be many things. Girdling roots and Verticullum wilt are the most likely culprits. I would suggest that you get an arborist to come out a take a look. You can find arborists for your are at treesaregood.com.

I have heard that Lime with help kill clover in your yard is this true? Is it to late now to put lime down?

Lime does not kill clover it does however make more nutrients available to plants if your pH is low which can improve grass growth and cause grass to take over. Lime can be applied at any time.

I have a tiny red/rust colored mite that crawls all over my back porch and it cover my window frames and can actually get in between the window in to the house and its driving me crazy. My exterminator nor my co-op can't help me,could you maybe Help!Thanks

I do not know exactly what these little mites are however they are a real nuisance. I have had them at my house in the past crawling all over the brick. They seem rather harmless. I would spray with a indoor outdoor insect control product like Bayer or Spectricide. If they are mites it will take multiple applications. Soapy water solutions may do as much good as any thing.

HI NEAL...WHEN SHOULD I PRUNE MY KNOCK OUT ROSES AND HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO PRUNE? THESE WERE PLANTED LAST YEAR.

End of March.

Hey Neal, I have several Leyland Cypress trees and all of them are showin a \?brown\? tinge of the outer part of the branch. Winter kill/burn? How do I treat?

Winter burn is probably issue and it will out grow it when the weather warms.

Hey Neal, is it better to seed or sod a new lawn? And when is the best time to do that.Thanks

It depends on the time of year really. In the fall best to seed. In the spring and summer best to sod. Water is very critical for the sod in the late spring and summer. This would apply for the cool season grasses. For Bermuda, I would recommend sodding in the late spring early summer. Seeding can work for bermuda, but it is very water and management critical in the late spring and summer.

I need to no how do I transplant Ponsettias and get them to live.

Take the poinsettia to a well lit cool area. A enclosed porch, garage or backroom, that does not get below freezing and keep soil moist. In late April transplant it outside in the landscape and let it start growing. Then pinch the buds back a couple of times over the summer. In late September bring it in and give it exactly 8 hours of sunlight and 16 hours of dark and it will start to color up for the holidays.

Will these freezing tempertures effect the ever multiplying fire ant?

That is an excellent question. I think from talking to some of the experts, it will slow them down some. It will not eliminate them. They have developed some great defenses to cold weather. They actually build very deep nests and during cold snaps they move to the basement. No one seems to no if there are magic number of days we need below freezing to destroy an hill of fire ants, but some effect will be felt.

Hello Neal. I am wondering where you found your felt brimmed hat? I have been looking for one just like it. You were wearing it during a child safety for the holiday season segment today. Thanks,

Mast General Store in Knoxville. They have one of the best selections of hats I have personally seen.

This is the first year my holly tree has not had berries. Can you give me a reason?

Well, certain varieties of holly will fluctuate in berry production. Sometime, lack of pollination is a problem. The bees that worked the flowers may not have found a male holly to get pollen from. The other thing that happened this past year was very low fruit set on many trees. The year before they produced a bumper crop and did bare hardly anything this past year. This common in stressed plants. The drought was so severe the plant put all it energy in producing seeds for the next generation, if it died. Eventhough the weather was great for it the next year, it could not or would expend energy in fruit, berry or nut production again.

How do I get rid of johnson grass in my garden plot?

If you have a grass plant that withstands normal mowing, it is not Johnson grass. You may have Dallasgrass, which we do not have a good control for. I would recommend good lawn maintenance with ferlization and overseeding.

I have 2 christmas cactus,one is abour 2yrs old,the other about 3.They have not ever bloomed,Might u tell me why???? They were cuttings from another plant.

They probably need to be put in a dark cool spot for about 3 weeks. This will force them into blooming.

How is the best way to preserve a living Christmas tree during the holidays? Using just plain water or is there a special solution?

You can buy preservatives to put in the water and that will help the most. Putting sprite and aspirins in the water does help some, but not a lot.

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