Q. Birds have been planting blackberries vines throughout are on my back yard. The plants are coming up through the Escallonias and are a pain to get too. I thought I had eradicated the plants last year, but they came back more vigorously this year. After hearing different advice from various “helpful” friends, I need to know what are the most effective methods of getting rid of these plants for good.
A. I’m not sure what specific advice you have received; hence, I can’t give any pros and cons on the suggestions. So, I’m going to address the problem from an overall perspective. First off, there are no quick or “one and done” answer(s) to this problem. Your options of eradicating and undesirable plants growing within desirable plants is minimal. There is no chance of eradicating the issue this year as the growing season is nearing an end. There is an excellent chance you’ll be dealing with this problem next year at this time. It’s a war of attrition. Blackberries spread rapidly by above and below ground rhizomes; hence, they’re difficult to control. I’d manually remove any shoots near the crown of the Ceanothus or base of the Ceanothus or primary surface roots. For the rest, I’d repeatedly spot treat the new shoots with the herbicide, Brush Killer, being careful not to spray the Ceanothus. You have to be very persistent in resolving this issue.
Q. How would I go about comparing the price of sod? It is concussing trying to decide between the square feet and roll prices. I’m looking to install a small area of sod, about 40 square feet.
A. The variable you need to compare the two is the size of the roll. There is no industry standard, so vary depending on the grower. Thus, a $4.98 roll of sod that’s four feet long by two feet wide is 8 square feet or 62.2 cents per square feet. Using the same example, sod at .50 a square feet would sell for $4.00 per roll.
Q. Last year I chopped down a birch tree that was infested with termites. The tree stump was ground down, but I noticed that there are still roots in the ground, and the ground is sinking. Will the roots grow back? A home improvement center recommended a chemical that kills roots in pipes. It says it will kill new root growth. Besides, should I fill in the potholes with sand and rock? The uneven surface makes it difficult to mow the lawn.
A. Birch trees are not known to send up sucker so I wouldn’t be concerned. It’s a bad idea to apply a liquid ‘root killer’ to the open ground. They’re very caustic chemicals made for enclosed cylinders where water can wash them away. Besides, it’s a moot point, as the old roots are not going to rejuvenate themselves. They’ll continue to decompose over time. Filling in the holes is pretty straightforward; however, I wouldn’t use sand. Sand in time will filter through the soil layers creating another depression. You could use the rock as filler in the larger holes and then finish off with, potting soil, planting mix, or homemade compost. You should first moisten the material and then tamp it down several times. You want a substantial base. Also, I’d use a two by four to grade the high and low spots to help with unevenness. Once the area has been leveled and graded, you can then reseed the bare spot with Scott’s E-Z Seed. Scott’s EZ seed is a combination of seed, fertilizer, and absorbent growing material. Reseeding has never been this easy.
Q. I have a pumpkin plant volunteer that is growing out of my compost bin. I’m not sure what variety, either last-years jack-o-lantern or maybe an Asian type, it is green a striped now and just tennis ball sized. Can you guess what I might be growing?
A. The offsprings from hybrid plants are very unpredictable in the next generation. Pumpkins will cross-pollinate with squash and cucumber plants, so the gene pool is very mixed in the set of seedlings. The new plants are a combination of all of these characteristics. I don’t have a clue as too how they’ll turn out. You’re going to have to wait to see what you have. You can say now that it will be stripped and not a solid color. You may not be pleasantly surprised, but you will not be disappointed.
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