Weed, feed processes need to be done separately because timing is different

Contributed photo Look for products containing only Pendimethalin to control crab grass.

Dear Neil: Several of your columns over the past couple of years have suggested Halts or Dimension for crab grass and grassbur control. I have found Halts, but online there appear to be several types of Halts. What would you recommend?

A: I think you are seeing the same Halts product (Pendimethalin), but combined with different types of fertilizers. I am not a big advocate of weed-and-feed combination products. Its my opinion that the two processes need to be done separately because the timing is different. You need to apply pre-emergent herbicides earlier than the first lawn feeding. You should be able to find the Halts by itself, without fertilizer added in. Dimension products are widely available through local independent retail garden centers, so they are another option. Those stores should be getting their early spring supplies in very soon.

Dear Neil: I have an oak with a cavity. Can I use some type of wood filler to fill it and even the surface out?

A: Certified arborists advise against that. Filling cavities adds no strength to the trees trunk, and it encapsulates any decay that might be present. Youre really better off just allowing the tree to form new bark across the open wound. If you see a roll of bark forming uniformly across the opening, youre on your way. If it is not forming, and if the decay seems to be getting worse, you need to call a certified arborist for an on-site inspection.

Dear Neil: My creeping fig has frozen and turned brown. I can see green underneath. How can I get rid of the ugly brown growth on top?

A: Im assuming that youre talking about fig ivy that is growing against a flat wall, and Im also assuming that the green that youre seeing underneath is beneath all of the clinging runners. If so, you could take a stout push broom and try brushing the vines. The dead leaves might pull loose from the action and fall to the ground. You could even brush across them gently with a large scrub brush to see if that would help. Dont apply enough pressure to pull the vines off the wall. And the good news is that even if you decide to do nothing, the green leaves will quickly conceal the browned stubble starting in late winter. This wont be a problem in six to eight weeks.

Dear Neil: My El Toro zoysia has thinned in patches due to extreme water restrictions and heat. Could I overseed the bare areas with Bermuda? Would the two be compatible? What suggestions do you have?

A: Do not plant Bermuda seed. You dont want two grasses growing in the same space. It never works out, because they always behave and look very differently. If you want Bermuda, you would want to remove the zoysia either with a shovel or sod cutter, or by applying glyphosate herbicide once it has greened up and is growing. Then you could rototill the soil and plant either sod or seed of whatever Bermuda variety you wanted. But I would not recommend that. Its a ton of work, and El Toro is a handsome lawngrass. If I had your lawn, once water restrictions were lessened and if I could see my way clear to reasonable waterings, I would dig plugs from my El Toro and plant them into the bare areas. That way youd be sure of a match.

Dear Neil: I have five very large redtip photinias. I need to cut them way back because theyre encroaching on my driveway. When and how do I do that?

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Weed, feed processes need to be done separately because timing is different