Comments for Fort Bend County Master Gardeners, Inc

Comment on Rain, Rain and more cold weather? Is this ever going to end? by Shari

Shari — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:38:36 +0000

But now, Spring seems like it has Sprung! It is absolutely beautiful outside, sunny, 60 something degrees and the ground is warming up! What a great change to what we had just last week! It is the beginning of Spring and the gardens are beckoning - I think I need to pull some weeds:)

Comment on Fire Ant Control Test on My Small Suburban Home Lawn by Robert

Robert — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:23:59 +0000

I will have to give that a try. I am always interested in eliminating these critters.

Next on my list: mosquitoes. I am tired of being being bitten by females.

Comment on Help, we need Water! by Shari

Shari — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:35:20 +0000

Yep! Can you believe it pecan trees need upwards of 190 gallons of water per day.:(

That is a lot of water to induce a tree to produce a great harvest!

However, we know that pecan trees can use much less than that and still produce pecans. The key with pecans is when they get the water.

Comment on Citrus and cold - Oh Nooo! by carolgaas

carolgaas — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:49:36 +0000

I don’t know about my citrus trees. They were newly planted last year before I knew anything about how to properly grow them. I let them bear fruit this year. I covered them the last freeze, but failed to take off the sheets after a couple of days. THe foliage is brown and crispy. Do you think they are dead???

Comment on Help, we need Water! by Robert

Robert — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:37:59 +0000

If they need 55 acre inches of water per year, then they should probably need just under 200 gallons of water each day.

Is that close?

Comment on Fire Ant Control Test on My Small Suburban Home Lawn by txmg

txmg — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:06:45 +0000

We’ve had pretty good success with a product containing fipronil and it has kept the ants away up to a year when broadcast over the entire property. It isn’t watered in. Whether the ants are being killed, or just relocating, I don’t know.

Trying to be more organic, we’ve used Spinosad to treat mounds that popped up when we went more than a year between broadcasts of fipronil. But I think the spot treatment was just chasing them elsewhere. Timing of the broadcast is very important - the ants should be foraging for it to be effective - spring and fall.

Like you, I don’t like to harm any of the beneficials. Supposedly, the ants carry the bait to the mounds and it doesn’t harm beneficials.

Comment on Citrus and cold - Oh Nooo! by txmg

txmg — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:45:39 +0000

My citrus survived the December cold snap just fine, but it was only 29 at our house. As of this week’s cold spell, the only citrus remaining on trees now would be some unripened Meiwa kumquats. I think they’ll be OK, too, since I covered the bush with a heavy moving quilt. As to the survival of the other citrus trees, only time will tell. 22 degrees was pretty cold and we were below freezing for many hours with more to come tonight.

Robert, I don’t know the survival temperature limit of fig trees, but I’d be optimistic. Don’t they all lose their leaves this time of year anyway?

Comment on Citrus and cold - Oh Nooo! by Robert

Robert — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:39:12 +0000

OK. Maybe my question isn’t about citrus but ….

I planted an LSU Purple fig last spring and since the snow and cold, it is completely brown-leafed. Have I lost this one or will it come back? This is the first time I’ve planted a fig.

Comment on Gardeners’ Bucket List by Robert

Robert — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:36:07 +0000

I would have to agree that the Dallas Arboretum is a must-see garden. We visited about 3 years ago on a day reaching over 100 degrees. The heat was intense and the plants showed some stress but, overall, a great place to visit. We managed to see most of the gardens before we gave out and definitely plan to return. And a grand possibility for an overnight field trip!

As I mentioned in another article, for an out-of-area experience, visit the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Great place, wonderful gardens, helpful and knowledgeable workers who really know the plants (at least, in their assigned areas!).

Comment on Most wonderful time of the year by Robert

Robert — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:58:30 +0000

I like to watch the meteor showers this time of year. I also like to take a weekend and camp at state parks, enjoying the crispness in the air, the howls of the coyotes, the swooshing of the bats, the flights of butterflies, and the big blankets I use cause it gets really chilly at night!

It’s also a time to begin to reflect on my past year’s accomplishments and start planning Thanksgiving and Christmas parties!