Place coffee grounds directly on the soil when composting
Here are some questions I dealt with this past week.
Q: Do I have to compost coffee grounds, or can I place them directly in the garden?
A: You can place them directly into the soil. They make good composting material because of their source of nitrogen. Or make a liquid, fast-acting fertilizer by placing a pound of grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water and letting it brew for a few hours.
Q: What is the strange plant growing along the creek near the Springs Preserve ticket booth?
A: It is horsetail and it's an unusual perennial used as an effective accent in landscapes, but it can spread and is hard to get rid of it. To me, it looks like a horsetail growing upright. It has bright green, leafless, segmented stalks that rise from the ground to waist high.
Q: Does buffalo grass grow here?
A: Yes, it is a perennial, blue-green grass from the Great Plains where the buffalo roam. It's a warm-season grass that turns golden through the winter. It gets about eight inches high and it tolerates drought and high temperatures. It spreads by surface runners. Advertisements say it doesn't need summer watering, but that is not so in our valley. The Springs Preserve has a thriving plot that is lush.
Q: Why is our lawn dying under our pine tree? A friend says pine needles are killing it.
A: The pine needles are not the cause, as they are used as mulch. Most likely your pine tree is too thick and light can't reach the lawn. To restart your lawn, thin out your tree so light can get through. Pines are so attractive when properly thinned. You may need to reseed your lawn to thicken it up again. With lots of needles falling, it is a good indication you are overfertilizing your tree.
Q: What is the unusual insect on my almond nuts? I found sap oozing out of the nuts.
A: The insect is the leaf-footed plant bug. It has a long tube, about half as long as its body, that is inserted into the green almonds. A few days later, sap oozes from the nut. The leaf-footed plant bug also feeds on green peaches, pistachios and pomegranates. It is hard to control. Try pyrethrum or neem.
Q: What is causing my tomatoes to split around the fruit, rather than from the stem out?
A: Splitting begins to occur when temperatures climb above 90 degrees and irrigation follows a dry period. Moisture promotes excessive cell enlargement within the fruit and splitting results. Tomatoes must have an even supply of moisture to prevent the problem. Mulching under tomatoes will go a long way to controlling those splits.
Q: How do I get rid of those pesky little patches of clover in my lawn?
A: Hand weeding is about the only way, but it's not difficult to remove. Recommended weed killers are volatile in our heat and will cause major damage to other plants.
I use the clover as an indicator plant to tell when to fertilize my lawn. If the clover is greener than the lawn, feed it.
Q: Will cat's-claw vine damage the stucco on my home? We once had Algerian ivy and it was a mess to clean off.
A: Cat's-claw will not damage your stucco. Pay close attention to the claws on the vine. They look just like a cat's claw. If you attempt to pull it off, it hangs on for dear life but if you push it, the vine falls off. Spice up your home by planting this winner next to your front door. The vine creates the most unusual patterns as it covers the home surfaces.
Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@ springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.
