Color Free Easter

Moisture stress may be turning leaves brown

Q: I have two plants showing the same symptoms. One is a tropical and the other is an ivy. Their leaves turn brown at the tips and around the edges, then eventually die. What could the cause be?

A: Marginal and tip burn of leaves points almost exclusively to moisture stress. The leaf tips and edges are the points farthest from the roots, so they get water last and they dry out first. It could be from letting them get too dry, too much sunlight, too much fertilizer, some type of stem or root damage, and a host of other options. Try to determine what's going wrong with each plant's cultural needs, and you should be able to solve the problem.

Q: I have a small chile pequin pepper plant, and friends want starts from my plant. How are they propagated?

A: They're started from the seeds that are produced by the small peppers. Let the fruit ripen fully before you harvest them. Then, save them to plant in spring, or plant them in pots so they can be protected from extreme winter cold this first time around.

Q: The Easter lily I planted in spring 2010 has little sprouts around the mother plant. Should they be left, or should I remove them?

A: Leave them in place. Easter lilies typically do not colonize successfully in Texas garden conditions, but hopefully your plant will.

Q: We have recently moved into our house, and our lawn is an assortment of weeds (samples enclosed). We've been told that the previous owner's lawn care service was not very good. How can we get rid of these weeds?

A: The first step toward having a weed-free lawn is to ramp up the care the turf gets (watering, fertilizing, etc.). Mow on five-day intervals and at the recommended height to keep the grass low-growing and dense. Do everything else that you can to improve the vigor of the grass. It will crowd out many of the weeds. Then, use appropriate labeled herbicides to eliminate or prevent any weeds that persist. Most weeds won't survive the high level of care, but those that do will require more aggressive actions. Let your local independent nursery guide you.

Q: What might cause St. Augustine to have yellowed spots in it this time of year? Most of the grass is dark green, but there are spots that are yellow.

A: Grass that isn't getting sufficient water would turn off-color. Gray leaf spot causes that sort of irregular yellowing in St. Augustine turf in summer. Chinch bugs leave areas dried and tan. Even leftover damage from Take All Root Rot fungus from spring could be showing symptoms. Detailed information is available at www.neilsperry.com . Click on "Most Asked Questions," then "Lawns.

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