Question

soil   QUESTION: Hi James, I noticed that the soil in my plants looks hard ans stiff even though I water them everyday. I would like to know what can I do to make it look nice. Also, I noticed that my lawn has some dry spots . I put some fertilizer about two months ago and it helped for a bit, but the dry spots are back. I read the instructions on the fertilizer bag and it says to only add fertilizer to the lawn twice a year SO, I don't know what is happening to the lawn??

ANSWER: Hi Elsa, "Dry spots" can be a number of things, The soil could actually be drying, it could be a fungal disease, it could be from insect or mole/vole damage.  Fertilizer (or lack of) is not the problem.  I'd take some pictures and a sample of the grass and soil to your local garden center for an accurate diagnosis. You plants in the flower bed appear healthy, so you may only need a little to mulch to dress up the surface.  However, a dry spot in the lawn has a cause and you need to find out what it is.  Jim

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QUESTION: Hi James, I read that mulch can attract termites, and since my house got fumigated couple months ago, I was wondering if there is any type of mulch that won't attract termites?

Answer
Cedar mulch tends to repels insects, but the fact is, we seldom see termites in mulch alone.  Termites can be a problem if the mulch is piled up against wood siding, crossties, timbers etc. which can keep the wood wet.  Bark mulch is less likely than hammered hardwood because there is not much wood left in it. Just keep the mulch away from any wood and I don't think you'll have a problem.  Jim