Question: I planted some bare root fruit trees earlier this year, and unfortunately, several did not survive. This was my fault because I didn’t get them planted right away, and the roots may have dried out. I want to replace them with container nursery stock.

Q: I just sighted my first grape leaf skeletonizer moth. I’ve learned that Bt will control the worms. I’d like to try and minimize the larvae if I can by eradicating as many moths as possible. Can you recommend the best course of action, if any, to control the moth ?

Question: Last Christmas, a friend bought for me a tiny pine tree about 6 inches tall. It is now 2 feet tall, and I need to transplant it. When is the best time of year to do this?

Q: I noticed last year that I didn’t get nearly the same number of tomatoes that I had harvested in previous years. I have a raised bed with a blend of about 4-to-1 cheap compost and our desert soil. Each year I have continued adding compost from my own yard and vegetable scraps. Last year the tomato plants themselves grew well and I saw lots of flowers, but the tomatoes just never developed.

Question: My husband used a fertilizer that stained our pavers and the bottom of our pool in spots. Do you know of a solution to remove those stains?

Q: I attempted to grow watermelons for the first time last summer and everything was looking good until it got hot. These tiny black specks appeared on the back of some of the leaves. I was told it was aphids but they weren’t sure. I hope you can see them clearly from the picture I’ve attached. Should I use insecticidal soap as recommended or something else?

Question: I know garlic will keep four to six months in cooler climates. Because I don’t have a root cellar, what are my options for storing garlic?

Q: Have you ever heard of adding vinegar or citric acid when fertilizing indoor plants in our area? We collect rain water and use it for our indoor plants.

Question: I purchased an assortment of tomatoes, and they are doing well. Folks like to put them in cages, but I have always found them more bother than they are worth. So I let them sprawl and go where they want.

Q: When do I harvest garlic, green onions, sweet onions and shallots?

Question: In a past posting on your blog, you mentioned that using 100 percent distilled water for container plant irrigation might mess with the potting soil. What did you mean by that?

Earlier in the season, around mid-March, I was encouraging you to plant your own onion transplants and grow your own onions. They are so much better tasting than store-bought onions. I gave the readers here and on my blog some varieties to choose from; many are available from seed, which should be started in about mid-October, the same time as you would plant garlic.

Question: I bought a house last December that has two large grape vines growing over a pergola that covers a hot tub. Last summer when the vines were producing grapes, the birds were unbearable.

Q: I have a saguaro cactus with three big arms growing from it leaning toward the west. On the east is my house; it shades the cactus from the morning sun. I also have been watering on the house side of the saguaro, the upslope side, and letting the water run downhill into the roots. I water about three or four times a year and water very slowly.

Question: I found a couple of beans in my garden that have been devoured at the base. Could it be some sort of soil-borne larva or possibly a virus?

Q: I have an African sumac that has sprouts coming up from the roots. Besides trimming them every time they get above the soil level is there anything I can do to stop these sprouts from popping up?

Question: Last fall, I pulled one of my cucumber plants. One of the plants definitely had strange roots, which I am almost positive were caused by root-knot nematodes. Are these nematodes harmful to humans and my dog?

Q: My hybrid Bermuda grass lawn is flat , yet it seems bumpy when I mow. Can I get it as flat and smooth as a putting green? Should I fill these low spots with sand or something else?

Question: What should I be doing for my lawn in March?

Question: I know that the fruit trees at the orchard are spaced closer together than what is normally recommended. With the way that they are pruned, it works out really well.

Question: Can eucalyptus leaves be used for compost or mulch?

Question: I started a new lawn last fall, and I am very happy with the results. I want to reseed the areas that came up a bit thin. When and how should I do that so I don’t damage the rest of it?

Question: I started a new lawn last fall, and I am very happy with the results. I want to reseed the areas that came up a bit thin. When and how should I do that so I don’t damage the rest of it?

Question: What other landscape shrubs benefit from an application of iron chelate? I know bottlebrush and photinia. Others?