Dear Neil: What can we use to avoid sticker plants on property near a lake? When do we treat, and what should we use?

A: There are many plants that produce stickers, burs, prickles, thorns, brambles and all other manners of painful appendages. So without knowing the exact plant, Im taking a bit of a long shot. Usually when that question is asked of me, it refers to grassburs, and the best means of dealing with them is to apply a pre-emergent weed killer, usually granular, before the seeds ever start to germinate. In many part of Texas, that means that you must do so immediately, and for northern areas, a couple of weeks from now. Apply Dimension, Halts or other labeled pre-emergent one to two weeks before the average date of the last killing freeze in your area, and then follow that application with a booster shot exactly three months later. The products are effective for about 100 days, hence the need for the second treatment. Water lightly immediately after you make the application.

Dear Neil: We have a large wasp or hornet nest (size of two basketballs) about 40 feet high in an Arizona ash tree. It is in our backyard, and were wondering if we should take any action against it. Their activity is starting to pick up rapidly with the warming weather.

A: Im never going to win on this answer. My first (noncontroversial) suggestion would be to have a licensed pest elimination company or entomologist identify the insects for you. My tendency is always to leave nature alone unless my family, pets or I are threatened. These things are so high and far away from your home that they will probably coexist with humanity without problems. Ive encountered similar outbreaks in the trees out from our house, and Ive never worried much. Yellow jackets are the one insect that I do not allow to build nests in our landscape. They are too aggressive and unpredictable. But their nests are not large. Control, should it be necessary, is definitely a job for a professional due to the height of the nest. Thats not the complete answer you wanted, but its a good start. Finding out what they are will help a lot.

Dear Neil: Last year we transplanted two Italian cypress trees right next to our in-ground pool. They are 8 feet tall and are doing well, but my wife feels we need to move them again, fearing they could hurt the pool. Its hard work, and Im afraid well damage them. Will they hurt the pool if we leave them there?

A: Italian cypress are not known to have huge, damaging roots, but any plant can cause damage to concrete if its planted too close. These trees, left unpruned, will eventually grow to 35 or 45 feet tall, so you will certainly have huge plants there. Talk to pool people. They will know the strength of the side walls of the pool. Have a landscape contractor in to look at the setting. Right next to ... (to use your term) does scare me, but I dont know if you mean 18 inches of several feet away. There would be a big difference.

Dear Neil: We had JaMur zoysia sod planted three years ago. A sprinkler system went in at the same time. It has all done very well, except for one area about 10 feet by 6 feet. The grass was thin there last fall, and it looks like bare ground there now. I fertilized last fall (18-6-12), and all areas are watered uniformly. There is a tree nearby, but it doesnt seem to shade this area any more than the rest of the yard. We do walk across the area as we go into the house, but its supposed to be able to withstand that. What can we do?

A: Lets try to sort through the facts, the unknowns and anything you can do to get to the cause. Start with the sprinklers. They probably wont be the cause, but theyre easy to check. Turn that station on for a few minutes and watch every head to see if it delivers water uniformly to the area of concern. If that seems to be fine, move on to the shade. In most cases where Im called to a friends home for this kind of troubleshooting, it ends up being excessive shade. Im not saying thats true in your case, but it is in probably 95 percent of the landscapes I visit. There is a threshold of how much light grass must have to survive. Just a few feet can make an hours difference in the amount of shading, therefore in the vigor of the turf. Do the best you can at this early, still-bare time of the growing season, to see if there might be any significant difference. Visit the spot several times over the course of a sunny day to watch the shadow patterns. I would doubt that the foot traffic is the cause. You would have seen paths. You could also do a little probing and digging to see if the soil in that area is the same as in the rest of your lawn. It may have shallow rock. If none of that comes up with a lead, try some more grass this spring. That wont be very expensive, and maybe you can watch it more closely to see what transpires.

If youd like Neils help with your plant question, drop him a note to Gardeners Mailbag, PO Box 864, McKinney, TX 75070 or email your questions to mailbag@sperrygardens.com. Watch here for his reply.

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Best way to deal with grassburs is by applying a pre-emergent weed killer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Knoxville city work crews have already started laying a new paved walkway in Market Square.

The plans are to cut down on maintenance costs and protect the roots of six sawtooth oaks on the south end of the Square. A city spokesperson says those trees are already showing signs of stress.

Well be creating a multi-use area that will be beneficial to people and to the trees, says City Urban Forester Kasey Krouse.

This will be a more user-friendly space. Its an extension of whats in Krutch Park landscaping with a walkway.

The south lawn has been a trouble spot for the city before; crews have overseeded and put down new sod 2-3 times a year, but heavy use continued to kill the grass and is compacting the root systems for the six trees.

These trees are the staple image of Market Square, Krouse said.

The project is expected to cost between $6,000 to $8,000.

Were wanting attractive green space that also prevents wasted and, up until now, unsuccessful maintenance, said Public Service Director David Brace. Brace says the regular re-sodding was both expensive and required keeping people off the new grass for several months out of the year.

The landscaping project is expected to be completed by the end of March.

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Knoxville's Market Square to undergo landscape renovations

On a week where clouds fill the skies carrying the ever threat of rain, the agency that oversees water resources in the Tampa region loosened its recommended lawn watering restrictions a bit.

Beginning on Saturday, homeowners who had been under a once-a-week watering restriction can now open up the sprinklers twice a week.

The governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District voted to continue the Phase II water shortage order through July 31, but it did include a provision to allow the twice-a-week watering, recognizing lawns need more water now that the days are getting longer, the temperature is getting hotter and the rain over the next three months typically is scarce.

Heres the schedule for when to water in unincorporated Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa:

Addresses ending in 0, 1, 2 or 3 can water on Mondays and Thursdays

Addresses ending in 4, 5 or 6, Tuesdays and Fridays

Addresses ending in 7, 8 or 9, Wednesdays and Saturdays

Locations with no address such as common areas and locations with mixed addresses, such as office complexes and shopping centers, can water on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

All watering must be done before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m., and only once on the designated days.

The restrictions apply to all residences and businesses and includes homeowners with private wells and ponds or lakes that are used as alternate irrigation supplies. Reclaimed water customers are exempt from the water restrictions.

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Water rules loosened in Tampa, unincorporated Hillsborough

Martin Truex Jr. started this season engulfed in flames and spraying sod. And somehow, it was better than how last season ended.

Last year, Truex got caught up in one of those once-a-decade or so NASCAR controversies. He was expelled from the playoffs after two other drivers, unknown to Truex, conspired to help him earn a Chase spot.

This year, Truex is driving in calmer circumstances like when his car caught on fire on the final turn Thursday at a Daytona 500 qualifier, forcing him to carve up grass in the infield and cross the finish line in flames. Truex, who had already qualified for a front-row spot for Sunday's 500, instead will be booted to the back of the pack. After what happened last year, it's a step in the right direction.

A second-generation race car driver, Truex will pilot his first race Sunday with Denver's Furniture Row Racing team in the No. 78 car abandoned by Kurt Busch. For Truex, his new chance with a new team is not about getting revenge on the string-pullers who kicked him out of the Chase. It's about getting back to his roots running on what he calls "a ragged edge."

"I raced my butt off because I loved it," said Truex, who started behind the wheel when he was 12. Like his father, he became a well-known driver on the Busch North Series regional circuit.

"I loved going to the track on a Saturday night and maybe getting beat and saying, 'Man, you better get back to work.' Then maybe turning the tables and coming back the next week to whip their (butts). That's what I loved."

It's now 10 years after Furniture Row owner Barney Visser made his NASCAR debut with the No. 78, with Jerry Robertson driving in the second-tier Busch Series. But despite making it to the 13-team Chase playoffs last season with Kurt Busch, FRR still gets a thumbed nose in its direction by the other big-money teams in NASCAR. In the racing world, you don't read a reference to Furniture Row without the qualifier "single-car team" and "only Sprint Cup team outside the Carolinas."

Martin Truex Jr. takes the wheel of Furniture Row's No. 78 Chevrolet this season. (John Raoux, The Associated Press)

But that's what drew Truex to Denver. And it may be that the 78 on a technical alliance with big-team Richard Childress Racing and with a Chase-level driver is near the point of morphing from "those other guys" to a serious, consistent contender.

"Back in the old days, you kinda flew by the seat of your pants," Truex said. "It's fun to be a part of that again. Because it's like it used to be."

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Martin Truex Jr. back on NASCAR track after rough ride in '13

Stockpiled snow has finally surrendered to salt and sun. Unfortunately, its retreating has exposed my shaggy dog of a lawn. If only I could send it out for a wash and a blow-dry. Long periods of snow cover can cause a myriad of lawn woes.

Many lawns weren't picture perfect going into winter. Snow is nature's airbrush; it masked the flaws but didn't really improve the lawn's condition. As snow recedes, lawns may show damage from salt, plows, voles and molds.

Salt can cause death of lawn grass or cause severe browning of grass blades, generally near sidewalks and roads. Removing any obvious salt and flushing areas with water may help. However, right now more water can cause other problems. Wait until April and reseed areas.

If plows have scraped off lawn areas, use your best puzzle skills and set sod pieces back into place now. Do a little spring dance to assure good soil contact. Sod should reroot.

A couple species of voles can inhabit your yard. Voles can make runways under the snow in lawns as they feed on grass blades and roots. Voles are well protected under the snow from hawk and owl predators. Voles may have brown to reddish-brown fur and range from 4 to 7 inches long. They have stockier bodies and shorter tails than mice. Damage is frequently mistaken as mole damage, but moles are not active during winter. Vole damage appears as surface runways or winding trails of damaged grass. Damage also occurs when my dog tries to dig out the aforementioned voles.

Once spring arrives, grass will usually grow into and fill in the surface runways; however, severe damage may require some overseeding of lawn grass in April. Voles love tall vegetation; therefore, prevent damage from occurring by continuing to mow lawns to a height of about 2 inches until grass is completely dormant in fall. Also in fall, clean up any excessive vegetation near lawns.

Check out web.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife for more information on voles and other wildlife.

Snow mold damage can also be very visible on lawns as snow recedes in spring, especially if we get a prolonged snow cover on unfrozen soil. Both gray (Typhula blight) and pink (Fusarium patch or Microdochium patch) snow mold may occur. During the wet, cold weather of early spring, snow mold may be highly visible as matted, crusty looking areas. Gray snow mold appears in roughly circular yellow to whitish-gray patches. As conditions dry out, snow mold will gradually go dormant.

Often, just leaves are affected and new grass blades grow as weather warms. Severely infected areas may remain in the form of weak or even dead turf. To repair damage, rake matted grass and reseed or resod as necessary in April.

Snow mold severity varies from year to year. Fungicides are generally not needed. Ways to avoid snow mold problems include: follow sound fertilization programs, use fertilizers containing slow-release or controlled-release nitrogen and manage thatch via aerification or removal with vertical mowing (dethatching).

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Receding snow reveals lawn woes

These waning days of winter make it a wonderful time to begin planting an edible landscape. Consider the existing trees, shrubs and ground covers in your yard and make note. Perhaps some of them can be replaced with plants that will provide food. As a bonus, many landscape edibles not only provide food for humans, but also provide nectar and pollen for important pollinators like bees, hover flies and butterflies. Here are a few ideas:

REMOVE THE LAWN -- The easiest way to get rid of lawn is to rent a sod cutter to remove the grass. A sod cutter is like a large, gas-powered lawn mower except it slices horizontally into the sod. It is quick and efficient. The 1-foot-wide strips, about 1/2 to 1-inch thick, can be rolled up like carpet and taken to the compost pile. Once strips are removed you can till in compost, manures and other soil building materials.

SHEET COMPOST -- No time or energy to cut sod? Try sheet composting. This involves mowing a grassy area as low as possible. Then add a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard as mulch. Next layer on the goodies: first rice straw, then composted manures, compost, shredded leaves, used potting soil. Keep layering on until bed is 18 inches high. Let it rest for six months to a year, then plant.

EDIBLE SHRUBS -- Blueberry bushes cannot be rivaled when it comes to landscaping with edible shrubs. They provide tasty fruit and have visual interest all year long. Huckleberries, bush-type rosemary, such as 'Tuscan Blue,' and artichokes also make good shrub material.

GROUND COVER -- Strawberries make the best ground cover. Traditional large-fruiting varieties, as well as alpine and wild strawberries, are available at local nurseries. There are many types of ground cover rosemary available, also.

FRUIT TREES -- Fruit trees are plentiful at the nurseries now, as bare-root time is here. Apple, cherry, plum and pear all will provide flowers, fruit and plenty of shade. Since most are dwarf and semi-dwarf, these trees will not overpower the yard.

DON'T FORGET COLOR -- There are so many colorful leaf lettuces available these days. A colorful mixture can make a wonderful border or fill a container. Bright yellow, red and orange chards are stunning in containers. A large container full of 'Bright Lights' chard is eye catching and tasty, too.

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Terry Kramer is a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. To get in touch with Terry, send an e-mail to style@times-standard.com and put For Terry Kramer in the subject line, or write to Terry Kramer, c/o Times-Standard, P.O. Box 3580, Eureka, CA, 95502.

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NORTH COAST GARDENING: Edible landscapes

By Cathy Mounce, Register Staff Writer The Daily Register Wed Feb 19, 2014, 09:09 AM CST

Gainesville The Gainesville Independent School Board (GISD) convened Monday for the February meeting at which Robert E. Lee Intermediate teacher Ashley Jones was named GISD teacher of the month.

Jones was nominated by Lee principle Dee Dosher who said that Jones innovative approach in teaching English second language students (ESL) has shown a positive increase in fourth grade reading from 8.45 percent to 43.48 percent during the last six weeks.

In other GISD news, Heartland Park & Recreations Mike Hill reported to the board regarding the continuing efforts by the contractor to complete the new baseball field at the high school.

Hill said that the weather has again caused some unforeseen delays but that he anticipates everything ready to go in two weeks.

Gainesville will have a great facility that will serve the community for many years, Hill said.

Two 30 x 40 foot concrete pads on the north side on the concession stand and one on the south side are being poured this week, light poles are being placed, dugout roofs are being finished and the grass sod is being placed in the outfield, he continued. Infield red clay will be added to the infield and bases will be set soon.

Hill said that the sod would need two weeks to root and the players should be kept off it during that time.

This means a completion date of March 3 now, said GISD board president Will Presson. We are looking forward to the completion of this project.

Hill also said that the new bus barn pad is done and once inspected it would be 20 days to construct the new bus building that will be located off Radio Road in Gainesville.

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Jones named GISD teacher of the month

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) February 17, 2014

Fresh Patchmaker of the real-grass, disposable dog pottyoffers some helpful advice about taking care of a dog or puppy Valentine gift. Now that February 14 has passed, the real work begins in helping a Valentine pet successfully adjust to a new home. Unfortunately, pets that are gifts may be returned to shelters and pet stores if this transition process doesnt go smoothly.

The Fresh Patch Company notes that the safety of a new pet needs to be the first concern. Valentines day can leave behind a trail of things that, if eaten or chewed by a dog, can result in harm or death. These include chocolate, other sweets, alcohol, petals of some flowers, thorny rose stems, gift paper, ribbons, and ties. New owners are well-advised to dog-proof their homes, just as parents do for a child. In addition to the dangerous things left from Valentines day, there are year-round hazards, such as loose wires on the floor, which can be easily chewed by dogs. A good way to avoid problems is for owners to put their eyes at dog level and then walk through their homes looking for potential safety hazards, especially for mischievous puppies.

House-training a new Valentine pet, or any new pet, can be a special challenge. According to the Fresh Patch Company, a large percentage of their customers are new dog owners who want to train their pets on real grassnot on synthetic products such as pee pads and fake grass. A Company spokesperson says that dogs will make a natural connection between the real grass in Fresh Patch and the real grass outside the home. That association will make house-training easier. The Company points out that Fresh Patch is made with dirt-free hydroponic grass, which is super absorbent and lighter in weight than regular sod. Most customers who try Fresh Patch for house-training purposes continue their convenient delivery service after the training period ends. The reason is that they can avoid walking their dogs early in the morning, late at night, or in bad weather. In many parts of the country, this winter has been particularly hard on dogs and their owners, says a Fresh Patch Company spokesperson. Fresh Patch is a convenient way to cope with a dogs bathroom needs in snow, ice, and freezing cold, as well as other times when dog walking is not safe or possible.

To learn more about the Fresh Patch company, visit http://www.freshpatch.com.

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Fresh Patch Shares Tips on Caring for Valentine-Gift Dogs and Puppies

FARGO, N.D. Wildlife officials said Friday that a $35 million federal program to conserve wetlands and grasslands in the five-state Prairie Pothole Region is an effort to find new ways to protect native prairie with less money from the government.

The Department of Agriculture's Environmental Quality Incentives Program includes conservation grants, carbon credits and technical assistance for farmers, ranchers and others who volunteer to participate. The federal program targets native prairie considered to be at high risk of conversion to cropland.

"We are at a critical time," Agriculture Undersecretary Robert Bonnie said Friday in announcing the program. "There is significant pressure on grasslands in the Great Plains and we have to be more targeted with the conservation we do."

Prairie potholes are shallow depressions that are wetlands and are commonly found in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Montana. The region provides important breeding and nesting habitat for more than 60 percent of the nation's migratory waterfowl. The Dakotas are especially hotbeds for pheasant and duck hunting.

Bonnie said the native grasses in the region provide vital water storage to reduce regional flooding and improve water quality. He said there's also potential to store carbon in soils, which reduces the level of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

Eric Lindstrom, government affairs representative for Ducks Unlimited in Bismarck, said a pilot program with similar incentives was held in North Dakota last year. It protected about 24,000 acres of land at a cost of about $3 million.

"Basically we're working to keep the grass sod-side up by offering a new series of incentives," Lindstrom said.

High commodity prices in recent years, along with new varieties of crops such as corn and soybeans that allow planting in less receptive soils, have cut into interest in the Conservation Reserve Program, Bonnie said. The program allows landowners to take marginal cropland out of production for 10 to 15 years.

Many of those contracts are about to expire. In addition, the number of acres in rural CRP land will be ratcheted down from a cap of about 32 million acres in the previous farm bill to 24 million in 2017, as a cost savings measure.

"There are some new programs in the farm bill we think will enhance our efforts here. It gives us a few more tools in the toolbox," Bonnie said. "We want to roll this out now as folks are thinking about operations for the next year."

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Program Provides $35 Million to Help Conservation

DENHAM SPRINGS, LA (WAFB) -

Amanda Toups made her way around her muddy yard Monday afternoon in the newly constructed Quail Creek neighborhood near Denham Springs.

Toups says she received a picture from her husband last Friday showing a Ward 2 Water excavator on her front lawn. Toups says workers told her husband they had to dig up her yard to install water lines for the new house across the street. A big dirt mound was left behind and Toups wanted answers.

"I started to contact Ward 2 and said when are you going to come out and fix this and they said we just have to let nature run its course refusing to give any kind of help," said Toups.

Toups is not alone. There is another yard down the street with a mound of mud left behind. Toups says she continued to call and was eventually referred to Ward 2's head foreman who she says refused to do anything but fill the hole with dirt because the company had right of way.

"I was shocked, mad, upset," said Toups. "It's just not fair that they can come on your personal property do whatever they want, never notify you and not even leave a note on the door explaining what happened."

The damage to Toup's yard is beyond the six foot right away which is why she believes Ward 2 Water should be responsible.

In a phone call, Ward 2 Water Manager Preston Killcrease explained normal procedure is to fill in holes with removed dirt and spread it evenly. Killcrease also vowed to make sure Toups was satisfied.

"We will do anything to please the customer," added Killcrease. "Anything it takes I'm all for it."

Killcrease also requested that we give Toups his cell phone number and after a quick call with him Toups said she was feeling optimistic.

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Livingston Parish resident says water company damaged lawn