Question: I often enjoy your pieces, and your suggestion of replacing rock mulch with wood chips caught my attention. I have an 18-year-old velvet ash in a small (20 feet by 20 feet), rock-covered front yard. Does this tree do better with rock or wood chips around its trunk?
Local Columns
Question: I am having a serious problem with my grapevine. It seems to have stopped growing and is losing leaves. I used a lot of bone meal on the plants, and I am wondering if I have over-fertilized it? The ground is never dry; the flower bed it’s in is on the same drippers as prior years.
Question for all the golfers out there: How dedicated, really, are you to the game of golf? Do you play every week, maybe twice, and feel cheated if you don’t?
If you think the economic landslide of recent years put a chill on Summerlin, then guess again.
Question: What can be done to keep birds from eating all the fruit in an orchard? My brother has an orchard in southern Utah. There are about 100 trees, mostly dwarf and semi dwarf. Last year, birds got 90 percent of the fruit. He has tried scarecrows, but that didn’t work. He has also tried aluminum foil pie tins, but that only worked temporarily. Is there any solution for him other than buying netting to cover the trees?
Cool mountain temperatures, fantastic far-reaching views and some of the oldest trees to be seen anywhere await those who head to the Bristlecone Trail in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.
Question: I have a huge ash tree that I want to either stop from seeding or kill. I heard about a product that can stop seeding, but I am told due to the size of the tree, it is impossible to spray the blooms. This tree is at least 50 feet tall. It is a real nuisance.
If you can remember back, there was one swimsuit you were born with, and it was great – but not everyone wanted to see it. In the new book “Birthday Suit” by Olive Senior, illustrations by Eugenie Fernandes, a little boy enjoys showing off his own tan-colored suit.
Don’t think for one moment that the existence of Neighborhood Watch programs took a hit as a result of the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida. If anything, the concept received some major enlightenment, irrespective of that tragic loss of life.
People come from throughout the world to visit Black Canyon, the 12-mile gorge of the Colorado River running downstream from Hoover Dam to Willow Beach, Ariz. Yet, even though it is practically in our backyards, many Southern Nevadans have not even heard of it, let alone cruised its waters.
Question: I am in the process of ordering a couple of fruit trees online. What are the chill hours for Sun City Anthem in Henderson? I thought it was 300 hours or less. A couple of apricot trees you have recommended have been 400 and 500 hours (Blenheim and Royal Rosa), and I am wondering if that is too many.
