A: My opinion: dump them and start new next spring. Life is much easier that way.

Q: This year I planted jalapeno peppers for salsa making. When are they ready to pick? Do they turn colors? Can they be left on indefinitely? About how big are they supposed to be? Also, someone once told me the longer you leave them on the vine the hotter they get, but don't water them. Any truth to that? (Williston, N.D.)

A: Go ahead and harvest them - I assure you they will be hot enough for just about anyone who lives in N.D.! As for the truth of the last question, I don't know. I've never heard that tale but I doubt that it’s true.

Q: I have several willow trees along my septic lines. I have heard that the roots are very bad for the lines. Do they attack the lines because of the water? Should I get rid of them? (E-mail reference)

A: I would strongly suggest it! They love the nutrient-rich water that comes from such systems.

Q: We have a blue spruce that is about 80 feet tall. It seems generally healthy but we have noticed moths that look like spruce bud worm moths. We don't want to lose the tree so would like to know what to spray the tree with in order to kill the bud worms. (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)

A: Acephate, carbaryl, and chlorpyrifos are commonly used. You can also use a horticultural oil, if the temperature is below 20 degrees celsius. Good luck on getting a spray to reach 80 feet!

Q: I have a peace lily that seems to have some sort of root rot. The leaves stay green, but just start falling over. When I try to pick them up, they come out and the end of it is rotted and has a odor almost like a cigar. What could be causing it? I water once a week and have recently repotted because it seemed to be outgrowing the florist pot it was in. Thank you in advance for any advice. (E-mail reference)

A: The prognosis isn't good - from what you have told me, it sounds like the plant has picked up some kind of root rot. Where or how, I don't know. Did you ever let the plant go into a rest period? If not, that may be what it is trying to do.

Q: I have an autumn blaze maple that has grown rapidly since I planted it five years ago. The trunk is about 8 inches in diameter at the base. This August, after a storm delivered several inches of rain, a crack developed in the main trunk from the ground to about the 6-foot level. Two much shorter cracks developed on the opposite side. Now these cracks appear to be forming callous tissue. A few weeks later another storm dropped several inches of rain and two more cracks about two feet long formed on the main trunk in adjacent areas. What's going on? (Minneapolis, M.N.)

A: A thing called excessive turgor pressure. It’s kind of like how we feel after eating more than we should, except the tree can split and heal itself although it is not a recommended practice. There’s nothing you can do about it except to monitor the tree's condition and make sure that rot doesn't set in. Simply allow the callous tissue to form.

Q: I have a potentilla bush that is about six or seven years old and is dying from the bottom up through the middle. Would it come back if I cut it back? Should I cut it in the spring or fall? (Selby, S.D.)

A: Prune it back to the ground in the spring, before new growth begins. You should see a mass of new, healthy growth.

Q: I have calla lillies that I have a question about. I recently repotted them in a mixture of cow manure and fertilizer-enriched potting soil. Forgive me for doing what I thought was a good thing without checking first. The leaves are turning yellow and it is slowly but surely dying. Help! (E-mail reference)

A: I can forgive you easily, but I don't think your plant can! It is probably burning up from excessive salts from the cow manure. If you can, get it out of the container, wash off the roots, and repot in fresh potting soil. If you’re lucky, it might recover.

Q: My lilac bush, on some leaves, has a white moldy look. How do I get it off? Is there a chance it won’t hurt the plant? (E-mail reference)

A: Don't worry about the lilac. What you are seeing is powdery mildew. It’s common on almost all lilacs at this time of year all around the country. It isn't lethal, and will be gone when the leaves drop after a few frosts.

Q: Can the seeds from snow-on-the-mountain be harvested and planted in the spring? How would I go about doing this? (E-mail reference)

A: You needn't worry about this plant producing viable seed for you. It will do it pretty much on its own, assuming we are both talking about the same plant, Euphorbia marginata. This plant is known for extensive self-seeding ability. If you want to control the seed, simply harvest the pods after the flowers fade, and scatter them where you want next spring.

Q: I have a crab apple tree that the wind blew down this year. I cut the tree off at the ground. Now I have about 50 sprouts coming up in my yard where the tree was. Can I dig these up and plant them somewhere else? If so, when would be best time to do this? (E-mail reference)

A: The chance of success with transplanting sprouts is limited due to the fact that you are removing it from a big reservoir of stored nutrients from the inter-connecting roots. If you dig out a sprout, all you will take is about 10-12 inches of fleshy root with you which has limited ability at picking up water and nutrients. That said, why not give it a try? Do the digging in the early spring when they are still dormant. Water and fertilize well. The sprouts will leaf out initially, but then it will be interesting to see if you get any new growth beyond that. If they do, then you have likely succeeded, and should be congratulated!

Q: A while back you mentioned using a wetting agent with Trimec for use on thistle. What do you use for a wetting agent and how much? I care for two cemeteries and a park besides our own property so I use a lot of Trimec each year. I would appreciate all of the advice I can get to kill weeds. (E-mail reference)

A: Where ever you get the TRIMEC, should also have a non-ionic wetting agent. There are so many brands on the market, that I am loath to try naming any. Any one of them will do. What they do is make the water "wetter" by lowering the surface tension of the water and pesticide solution, resulting in better penetration of the material into the target pest. The result is an increased potency.

Q: We purchased a home this spring and the yard was in rough shape. The previous owners had the grass "plugged" last fall and there were a lot of weeds in the yard. Our grass was the last in the neighborhood to green up and grow. I fertilized right away with crab grass preventer and then later followed up with weed and feed. It was pretty obvious, as time went on, that I was the only one who fertilized their yard. In July I used regular fertilizer but did not notice any extra greening up. Soon afterwards I noticed a lot of yellow grass coming up as if I had over watered. I have only had to water a couple of times this summer because of all the rain. I keep the grass at about 3 to 3.5 inches tall and always mulch. We have three large trees shading most of the front yard but the back is in full sun. The grass has thickened up really nice and all the neighbors comment on how nice it looks but the yellow patches bother me. What would cause this? (Fargo, N.D.)

A: Since you said that the previous owners plugged their lawn, it leads me to believe that it was likely zoysia grass, which doesn't green up in the spring until the temperatures get into the 60 plus range, then goes dormant with the first frost of the fall. I am willing to bet that the grass spreads via stolons (strawberry like runners on the soil surface) rather than rhizomes like Kentucky bluegrass does. If I am right, then you aren’t mowing your grass short enough. Zoysia should be mowed between one and two inches. Simply lowering the mowing height, a little with each mowing, might correct the problem. Also, if you could send a sample of your turfgrass to me, then I would know for sure what type of grass it is.

Q: This year I planted an approximately 8-foot-tall prairie cascade willow. It is doing just fine. Besides plenty of water, what else should I be doing to help it survive the winter? I put about 2- to 3-inch layer of wood mulch out to the drip line around that tree and all of my other trees. Is that too much mulch? Thanks in advance for your wisdom. (Minot, N.D.)

A: Not at all, just make sure the mulch is not touching the trunk. Leave about a two inch mulch-free zone. Also, I would suggest wrapping the trees to protect them from vole and rabbit damage.

Q: I would like some information as to when to transplant raspberry bushes. Also, they have overgrown their space. Can I prune them now without injuring the plant? (E-mail reference)

A: Transplanting is best carried out in the early spring just before new growth emerges. I would suggest pruning them after they go dormant in the fall or early next spring before new growth begins.

Q: We planted a couple of blaze maple trees last year and due to the windy conditions in our area, we braced them with rope. Not realizing we were harming the trees in any way, we left the ropes on over the winter into spring of this year. A few weeks ago my husband took the ropes off and we were horrified to see the deep gouges in the tree trunks. On one tree, I would say the gouge is probably a half inch or so. My question is, will these trees survive and is there anything at all that we can do at this point? I guess we're inclined to just leave them alone and see how they are next spring. Some of the leaves on one tree turned yellow with black edges earlier in the summer. My guess is that they weren't able to get the nutrients they needed. My second question is regarding our lawn. We burned out some weeds in several spots last year and put in grass seed. However, the grass doesn't match the rest of the lawn. We now have darker green patches of lawn in those areas. Is there anything that we can do next spring to even out the coloration of the entire lawn? Thanks so much for any help that you can give us. ( Moorhead, M.N.)

A: It is a good thing you finally took the ropes off the trees. That is one of the reasons I am against tying and staking trees, plus a lot more! The lawn will not even out with fertilization. What has happened is that there are different cultivars of grass (likely Kentucky blue) that are distinctly different in color than what was originally planted. Your original lawn could have been a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial rye, and creeping red fescue, and the spot seeding could have just been the bluegrass. If you can, get the same seed that was applied over the burned out spots, and after a good core aeration and power raking, sow that seed over the entire lawn. That should even out the coloration somewhat.

Q: Is there a product called Goal that can be used as a soil sterilant around trees? A farmer we know has some young transplanted trees and some older more mature trees that he would like to spray a sterilant around. Are there any other products that can be used for that purpose? Are there any drawbacks or adverse effects that a person should be aware of? (Kragnes, M.N.)

A: Goal can only be applied by a licensed applicator. It is not considered a soil sterilant, but rather a grassy/broadleaf weed killer. While it can be used around trees, restrictions exist, such as not spraying over the top of deciduous trees. The best bet would be to apply Roundup around the base of the trees, making sure that no direct or indirect drift got onto the foliage. This would take down everything that is green without sterilizing the soil, which you don't want.