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These Nellie R. Steven Hollies got too dry. Drip irrigation does not provide them with enough water.
These tomatoes have a host of problems, and the gardener who sent in the photo should do more research on common tomato issues and treatments before planting more.
These tomatoes have a host of problems, and the gardener who sent in the photo should do more research on common tomato issues and treatments before planting more.
These azaleas look they they have suffered damage from a combination of exposure to intense sun and high temperatures.
Q: My Nellie R. Stevens hollies are 3 years old. Until this year they have done well. They are on daily drip irrigation, and in June and July, I added hand-watering and feed. All the plants are slowly turning yellow and dropping leaves. My research turned up such varied results as “iron deficiency” and “fungus.” Can you please help me?
A: This is neither iron deficiency nor a fungus. The plant in your photo has gotten too dry. That’s what caused those lower leaves to develop browned, scorched leaves. Nothing other than drought will give them that look.
Drip irrigation is a scary thing with hollies. It’s been my experience that many (maybe most) people who use it end up with plants that don’t get enough water. At high temperatures and with mulch soaking up moisture on the surface, it takes a long running time to get enough water down to the bottoms of the root balls to give them proper irrigation.
Your idea to supplement with hand-watering is excellent, but this damage appears to have been from earlier in the summer, so it’s just going to take time for the plants to outgrow it.
Q: Can you tell what is destroying my tomatoes? Entire stems have been eaten off. Leaves are stuck together.
A: It’s hard to zoom in enough to identify every possible problem, but it looks like you have had tomato hornworms visit your plants. Just one of the large well-camouflaged caterpillars can quickly strip foliage off big parts of one plant.
I think I’m also seeing leaves that have been bound together by tomato pinworms, and there may even be discoloration and dying caused by spider mites. Tomatoes have many problems. You might want to do some reading up ahead of time next season so you can watch for early warning symptoms and quickly step to your plants’ rescue.
More on S.A. gardening: What to do to get your garden ready for fall tomatoes, from dealing with spider mites to fertilizer
Q: I have read your recommendations to use “certified arborists.” I live outside a major urban area. How could I find out if there is one who serves my vicinity? We had trees bulldozed down in error while we were out of town. The homeowner responsible is being asked to replace a large number of trees and shrubs in this wild area, but we need a certified arborist to establish what was growing there natively before.
A: To find a certified arborist, go to treesaregood.org/findanarborist, the website of the International Society of Arboriculture. Search that site for “Find certified arborist.” You will be asked to enter your country. (Remember, it’s an international organization.) Then it will want your state, city and a search area in miles. I searched the city you gave me and there is a gentleman who does the kind of work you want in your town.
For anyone else who cannot find a certified arborist for a specific need like this, other options might include a veteran and highly respected local nursery owner who is active in the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, especially if they are a Texas Master Certified Nursery Professional. You might also find a member of the Texas A&M Forest Service or even a respected leader in the Native Plant Society of Texas for your region. If the case is large enough, you might even want a panel of several of these experts to determine the total value, replacement cost and plant availability and costs involved in replanting and care for their first two years to help them become established.
More Neil Sperry: When planting tropical milkweed for monarch butterflies, Texas gardeners should be careful
Q: A friend in East Texas is having azalea problems. They are experiencing 100-plus temperatures like most of the rest of the state, and she is wondering if that is what is causing her plants to die.
A: In the photo of the grouping of plants, it looks like it’s probably a combination of exposure to intense sun and high temperatures. I’m not so sure on the closer of her two photos. Unless that plant is facing west, it should have had some protection from the sun unless the recent pruning exposed tender growth. I do not see any evidence of insect or disease damage. Dry soil remains as about the only other possible cause of wilting and browning. The damage, for the most part, does seem to be confined to the outer parts of the plants.
Q: My Persian shield plants always tend to grow tall and lanky, whether I plant them in pots or in the ground. The leaves never look as showy as they do in the nursery. Is there a secret?
A: No “secret” as far as I know. They have large leaves, so you’ll need to keep them uniformly moist and growing actively. Use a loose and highly organic potting soil for best root growth. Fertilize them every few weeks with a complete-and-balanced, water-soluble plant food. Give them bright light for maximum color but no direct sunlight during the hot summer weather.
Email questions for Neil Sperry to SAENgardenQA@sperrygardens.com.