Hail Damage to Plants Recovery Guide

First, I'd like to say how sorry I am if your garden and landscape was damage by hail. While it is a fairly common occurrence in Central Texas, that doesn't make it any easier to take when one day you have a beautiful garden/yard and the next it is shredded.  Assess the damage The first thing that you should do is to assess the damage. Since hail storms often involve high winds, inspect trees for any damaged or broken limbs and locate any plants or trees whose stems were broken [...]

By |2025-06-02T14:21:53-05:00June 2nd, 2025|Vegetable Gardening, Plants, Trees, Succulents and Cacti, Yucca and Agave|
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Trees For Different Soils

Know your soil before you choose a tree for your landscape. Always perform a drainage test if drainage is questionable. Clay Soil Cedar Elm              Lacebark Elm           Canby Oak Live Oak                 Texas Red Oak          Bur Oak Chinese Pistache   Magnolia                   Bald Cypress Mex. Sycamore Caliche Soil Cedar Elm              Lacey Oak                [...]

By |2024-10-19T14:37:33-05:00October 19th, 2024|Trees|
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What to Expect at Tree Fest

When you arrive... When you arrive, please check in at the welcome booth. If you are planning on purchasing a tree that is 15 gallon size or larger you MUST sign in with your name and phone number. You will be helped in the order that you signed in. If there are people ahead of you, we will call your phone number when it is your turn to be helped. If necessary, you may request a salesperson with a golf cart to assist you. You will be asked if you [...]

By |2024-10-16T16:39:01-05:00October 13th, 2024|Trees|
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Gardening in Clay Soils in Central Texas

Why is it hard to find information on gardening in clay soils? If you have been gardening in clay soil for very long you have probably had your fair share of failures. It is hard to find lists of plants that will thrive in heavy soil, as no one really wants to stick their neck out with recommendations in case it doesn’t work. Of course, there are many variables that need to be considered, and growing conditions are never identical, so please consider this a list of “plants to try” [...]

By |2025-05-03T08:54:27-05:00October 7th, 2024|Palms, Trees, Plants, Vegetable Gardening|
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Planting a Grow Bag Texas Mountain Laurel

Planting a Grow Bag Texas Mountain Laurel         MEASURE from the bottom of the bag to the top of the soil. (NOT to the top of the bag)               DIG a hole that is about two inches shallower than the measurement of the soil depth.             TURN the bag on its side and cut the bottom off the bag with a sharp knife.                 PLACE the grow bag in [...]

By |2024-03-18T15:57:44-05:00March 18th, 2024|Trees|
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Hard Freeze Preparation in Central Texas 2024

If you are reading this now, it is likely that a "freak" winter event is on its way. Central Texas is known for its variable weather patterns and wide swings in temperature are not unheard of. Weather prediction in Central Texas is difficult, so I would suggest that we prepare for the worst and hope for the best in any predicted extreme event. We are seeing forecast lows of anywhere from 10°F to 15°F  for much of our area, with below freezing temperatures lasting up to 60 hours or more [...]

By |2024-01-11T11:05:21-06:00January 11th, 2024|Plants, Trees, Vegetable Gardening|
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Fascinating Fasciation

Plants are always a wonder to me. They come in so many different forms and shapes and colors. As with most living things, they have mutations that occur either spontaneously or as a reaction to an outside agent. Fasciation is one of the most interesting of these mutations that occurs when the tissues in the growing point of the part of the plant called the apical meristem mutates. Fasciation, or cresting as it is sometimes known, can happen in stems, flower heads, fruit, or roots. The causes include viral, bacterial, [...]

By |2023-07-18T15:16:25-05:00July 18th, 2023|Trees, Plants|
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What to do When Plants Wilt

*If the plants are in the ground and the soil is moist, it is likely transpirational wilt. Check the soil moisture first, and if it is wet,  your plant is likely experiencing  "transpirational wilt". This occurs when the plant cannot take up water fast enough to replace the moisture loss in the leaves. This often occurs in high temperatures or windy conditions. You can spray down the leaves with water several times a day to raise the humidity and decrease moisture loss from the leaves. There is no need to [...]

By |2023-06-20T10:41:32-05:00June 20th, 2023|Trees, Plants|
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Rapid Decline of Post Oaks in Texas

I first became aware of this Decline of Post Oaks when visiting a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension booth at an annual trade show several years ago. I had been aware of how the severe drought in 2011 was continuing to plague our trees even more than a decade later, but had not heard of the Post Oak Decline. The incidence of Rapid Decline began in earnest after the severe drought of 2016. Since then I have experienced first hand the devastation this has caused to so many stately old trees.  [...]

By |2023-06-13T15:29:15-05:00June 13th, 2023|Trees, Disease|
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Do Not Allow Grass to Grow Up to the Trunk of a Tree

There are several reasons why you should keep the grass back from the trunks of your trees.        String-trimmer damage to tree trunks is not reversible. Period. The vascular system that is damaged does not repair itself or re-grow after it has been damaged. Trees may show varying amounts of stress from string-trimmer damage, and the wound is a perfect place for disease organisms to enter the tree.             If grass has grown into the mulch ring around your tree, DO NOT USE [...]

By |2023-06-06T16:09:35-05:00June 6th, 2023|Trees|
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Oak Wilt Pruning

Oak Wilt Pruning Those of you who have heard the adage “February through June DO NOT PRUNE” probably know that it is in reference to the spread of Oak Wilt. We avoid pruning Oak Wilt susceptible trees like Live Oak and Red Oak during the time that the Nitidulid Beetle is active. This beetle has been identified as a vector of the Oak Wilt Fungus. It feeds on the sweet, sticky fungus that forms under the bark of infected Red Oaks in the spring, and can transmit that fungus to [...]

By |2023-01-16T09:43:48-06:00January 16th, 2023|Trees|
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Winter Watering of Established Landscapes in Central Texas

  Winter Watering in Central Texas If you think you have a hard time adjusting to Central Texas drought, seasonal flooding, or freak freezing temperatures, think of what our plants go through! At least we can drink water, go inside to the air conditioning or warm ourselves with central heat. While rain and temperature are things that we cannot control, we can control the amount of water that our plants receive. When we are in a drought year, it is very important that we use our water carefully while keeping [...]

By |2023-12-03T09:33:18-06:00November 30th, 2022|Lawn Care, Plants, Trees|
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