hard soil

Questionmy front yard will not take seed. it is so hard it cant catch hold and grow . can i use lime to loosen it up to plant seed this spring? please help. we live in Gladewater , texas that is zone 8 if that helps

soil and pasta

QuestionDear James, I acquired about 30 pounds of dry pasta that had bugs in it. Can I incorporate this into my compost to feed microorganisms and help with moisture content? Will it spoil and cause prob

soil smell

QuestionQUESTION: In a commrcial indoor planting, we have an floor where the plants, all in separate pots, smell awful. Not from overwatering, as we have let them dry out and then watered them, and once again

fugus

QuestionA sort of dangerous white fungus has spread on the floor of my house.Please suggest effective remedy.TIA AnswerHi Nancy, If you have been told by an expert that it is dangerous, then you should follow their

Soil Test

QuestionThank you for taking my questions: I sent a soil sample to the University of New Hampshire for testing. I was wondering if you could help me interpret the results of the soil test. I want to grow organic ve

ash and soil

Questionash from a solid fuel burning stove has for some time been dumped on land where I would like to grow vegetables. I always thought that ash was good for the garden, but lots of people are shaking there heads

Landscaping soil expert needed

QuestionSubject: Landscaper and soils expert needed in Houston February 11, 2009 Dear Mr. Crowder: How are you? We came across your website while doing research on the Internet for a landscaping and soils

Bugs in soil

QuestionI have read that there are more living things in a handful of healthy soil than there are people on earth, but I can find no hard science to back this up. Is this statement true and, if it is, can you give m

White resdue on soil

QuestionHi, I recently repotted a cactus plant and it has been slowly dying and i have noticed the soil has white on it, I do know that this is some sort of fungus but do not know how to treat it. Is there a home re

Soil and front lawn

QuestionOur front lawn is predominantly clay and the grass regardless never seems to get very thick. Compound that with our very active 2 yr old yellow lab and her friends running around and tearing it up and

lemon tree

QuestionHave a eureka lemon tree for about 2 years and have had difficulty keeping leaves on the tree. Growth has been slow and is about 1.5 meters high and about half meter wide. Leaves have looked yellowish. Fruit

Proper soil drainage?

QuestionHello Mr. Crowder. I have purchased my first home and look forward to landscaping with spring. I have been reading books and magazines to select the best plants. Most of the articles mentio

soil recipe for new bed

QuestionI am putting down plastic sheeting covered with 8 of topsoil, using railroad ties as borders 4 x 24 for vegetable garden. I will plant in 4 x 4 squares. What ingredients do I need to add to the topsoil

alkaline to acidic

QuestionIm in San Antonio, TX, where the soil is mostly alkaline. It is underlain by a layer of chalk or caliche about 2-12 down (mine is 12, having been built up in the past). Im ambitious, and am planting a Japane

tree stumps and grass

QuestionI lost forty white pines trees do to storms in northern ky. I had the stumps grind down to a few inches below the surface. It would be a major task to remove the shavings. I know that its decay will rob the

soil amendments

QuestionThe flowers on the north side of my house do not flourish as they should. We have a large pine tree near the beds and they get a lot of pine needles. I think that is the problem but dont know wha

crimson bottlebrush

QuestionI have a hedge of crimson bottlebrush and some of them die. I have replanted and some and they tend to last only a couple of years. They leaves are yellow/green on some and others are healthy. &n

hot onions

QuestionMy onions always are to hot to eat is it my soil if so what to do. AnswerHi Garnet, Hard, packed soil can cause onions to have more intense flavor. Onions with the highest water content tend to be swe

Worms from Cat Feces in Soil

QuestionI have read through all the Q&As about cat feces and soil but havent found this one yet. My yard has become the giant kitty litter box that the feral cat population uses and as I have begun to clean

Red Tip Photinia -- Nitrogen or Iron deficiency

Question Red Tip Photinia Hi James. I live in the high desert - Cottonwood area, 3500 ft elevation, of Arizona. I have several red tip photinia shrubs planted 13 years ago and that have reached 9-10 ft in height. Ou