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Greg Quinn's Thought for the day: We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart?

I removed a pine tree stump still in ground can I plant shrubs [mugo pines] around the stump and when is the best season to plant them.

The remaining stump will take many years to decompose. To decompose, the carbon of the stump will need and use any available nitrogen for the process. Your mugo pines will also need nitrogen to grow so there will be a competition for nitrogen and if you don't help out, your mugos will loose the battle. Fertilize the area with 10-6-4 fertilizer at full strength in November, May and September for a few years.

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Hi, Greg. Really enjoy listening to you on WHUD. My question: I have several cultivated raspberry bushes which are about 5 years old now. They are the annual, not the everbearing, variety. I prune them every year. I have always gotten numerous, large berries until this year, when I got numerous, but very small, berries, which bore just after the 4th of July. Could the dry season have caused this, or is there something else I need to do? I have never fertilized or watered them (they are in a remote part of the yard), but I do keep the weeds down and keep them pruned. Thanks, Patty

Thanks for the kind words... Never fertilized? Patty, Patty, Patty.... These guys have eaten all the goodies in the ground over the last 5 years and are HUNGRY! And this year probably thirsty too. Feed them this October with a 5-10-5 fertilizer according to label directions and again in April and if we get another dry year, help them out with a drink from time to time then send me a couple of pints for testing purposes.

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Greg, I have just purchased my first home... complete with 0.7 acres of property. Needless to say, the recent drought in our area (Rockland County, NY) has left the lawn in very sad shape. My sister currently has a lawn service come and treat her lawn a few times a season, and in the past few years, a very noticable difference can be seen. I have wanted to do the same - and was just wondering what you thought of these "lawn services" and what they provide. Do they do things I can easily do myself? Is it worth trying to get a treatment done this fall before the winter sets in? I one day looking foward to having all of this land sprout a lawn to be proud of. Any help or advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated!! Kyle

Kyle, First of all I must tell you, lawns are not my favorite crop. They are the ost expensive, most time consuming and least rewarding of any horticultural endeavor you can undertake on your new property (beyond that I have no strong opinion). Think about reducing the size (and cost) of your lawn by planting a beautiful raised bed cutting flower garden in the center and use ground covers around the edges and around any trees. Having said that, lawn care services can, indeed, make a big difference in the way your lawn looks because turf grass needs lots of special care for the diseases, weeds and insects that it will inevitably get. You can certainly do it yourself. Easily? Define "easily." The services are varied and should be investigated thoroughly. If your sister is happy with hers, that's a good place to start.

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Hi. I have a perennial garden that appears to have completely died with tihs summer's drought. I've been unable to water since I have a well. What are the chances that this garden will come back next year? Do I cut it all back now or wait until the normal pruning time in late fall. I look forward to your reply.

Thanks, Gail

Hi Gail, All bets are off this year. It has been as bad as I've seen. I have lost many perennials in my garden and won't know until next year the full extent of the damage. Anything that is brown or yellow can be cut back now. Don't fertilize until November and then with a 5-10-5 fertilizer. The, fertilize again in April. You may want to stick some new perennials in this fall just to be on the safe side.

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Hi Greg- I heard you for the first time while driving to work this morning. It's nice to know that this wonderful resource for gardening information is available. My problem is that my Morning Glories are healthy looking and grow higher every day, however, there are no blooms. I have fertilized with Miracle-Gro and they receive several hours of sun each day. My sister, who lives one town away, has non-blooming Morning Glories too. Hope you can help us out.

Thanks! Marguerite

Hi Marguerite, Welcome to the club. Be sure to tell a friend to join Ed, Mike and me every Thursday morning. I think you both have the rare "Midnight Glories" and your missing them. Seriously, I would chalk it up to the strange weather we've had this year. I have seen the same situation in a lot of areas. Cheer up, keep fertilizing and remember there's always next year.

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We live in Putnam Valley and two of the maple trees in our front yard are loosing their leaves from the top down; the tree bark is also falling off on the top. However, the trees are getting new branches in the middle with lots of leaves. Is there anything we can do for them? Is it a contagious disease that will spread to the rest of our maple trees in the yard? Do I need to remove them immediately? Peg

Peg, Yes, yes and no. One or both of two things is happening. Maples are very shallow rooted and as such, are among the first to suffer from drought conditions where the surface soil dries out first. This may account for every thing your witnessing. Maple are also very susceptible to the disease anthracnose which is contagious and without real good treatments. I'm afraid it's time to take a wait and see stance. Water them as deeply as you can for the next 60 days, feed them with a 10-6-4 fertilizer in November and think good thoughts until spring. Some Maples succumb to this condition. I had one that did three years ago.