Yard maintenance is on the minds of many gardeners. That concern was reflected in the messages left in my telephone voice mail in recent days.
Q. I want to know if there is any kind of mulch that is guaranteed not to have termites. I hesitate to put any mulch around my yard that has wood chips in it because I had termites in my home about 10 years ago. B.N., Goode
A. Inorganic mulches are worth considering, though things like stone, gravel and rubber offer nothing for earthworms. Perhaps the best choice is pine needles, aka pine straw. There is no way that this fragrant, long-lasting mulch is going to support a colony of termites.
Q. I’m worried about my ash tree. Leaves are falling off, and there is green moss on the trunk. Can I do anything to save it? A.E., Lynchburg
A. The wet and cool weather we had this spring has been just right for anthracnose. This tree disease is not too harmful, and new leaves will soon replace the diseased leaves. It is like the common cold, and no lasting effects are expected. The green moss is not going to hurt your tree.
Q. I have a question about my red tips. They’ve grown to about 10 feet tall, but they’ve gotten very leggy. I would like to know, No. 1, when to trim them back, and No. 2, how far. N.S., Lynchburg
A. To correct the red tips’ leggy growth, you may need to cut them down to a low height of about 2 feet. This kind of radical trim job will force out plenty of new shoots near the ground and give you a thick mass of foliage by summer’s end. The March-April-May timeframe is preferred for this kind of pruning.
Q. I have a question about holly bushes. We put bushes in here at our office probably about 11 years ago, and they have been trimmed to the point where there are leaves on the outside and the inside is bare. Is it too late to trim them about a foot from the ground? They’re now about 4.5-feet tall. Or is it too late in the season to do that? Should we wait until next year or not even do it? S.S., Altavista
A. You can trim them down to a foot now and expect good results. Spring is the best time for this sort of rejuvenation pruning. Your hollies will look like new bushes by the end of summer as a result of your efforts.
Q. A recent article on composting recommended against putting citrus rinds in compost piles. Can you tell me why? D.G., Lynchburg
A. Citrus rinds decompose slowly due to their waxy nature. Other than that, there is no problem.
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