Will cardboard boxes protect plants from frost?

From that experience, I've found the best frost protection for your outdoor plants is either free or cheap. Cardboard boxes and brown grocery sacks make perfect frost cover and at the end of the season can be recycled. I keep various boxes on the patio and when frost is forecast simply put one over the plant.

azcentral.com - Reader: Brown grocery sacks, cardboard boxes best frost cover

How do you get bugs out of firewood?

Keeping Bugs Out Keep firewood dry. Dry logs become unattractive places to live in for bugs. ... Keep firewood away from trees. Some bugs may...

Last updated Jan 16, 2022

Can Neighbours stop planning permission?

Planning permission can be refused if your neighbour's extension is deemed to cause an adverse impact on your home. They may also be asked to amend...

Last updated May 19, 2020

Promotion

Brian Kissinger

Special for the Republic

I worked at a grocery store in high school. One enduring lesson (to the chagrin of my mother) was the thermal properties of brown bags. We made beer coolers out of brown grocery sacks. A half-dozen opened up inside each other would keep ice for up to 24 hours and were disposable. From that experience, I've found the best frost protection for your outdoor plants is either free or cheap. Cardboard boxes and brown grocery sacks make perfect frost cover and at the end of the season can be recycled. I keep various boxes on the patio and when frost is forecast simply put one over the plant. Home Depot sells packing boxes for around a dollar if you want an instant collection; or harvest empty ones from stores. Many upright plants need only the growing tip covered. Open 3-4 large brown grocery bags inside each other and slip over columnar cactus, Madagascar palms, etc. Fold them down for storage and reuse.

These simple, inexpensive and effective frost covers also are environmentally correct.

— Mike Sevier

Question: I have quite a few agaves around my house, in the ground and potted. I have about 30 species; it's getting to be a habit! I'm quite familiar with agave snout weevils. My current problem is not that. For the last several months, I've noticed a number of individual plants seem to be "infected." The central spike becomes off-colored and yellowish, with some white powder or flakes here and there. Eventually the base also becomes yellowish, also with the white powder or flakes.

Do you know what this is? Do you have a recommended treatment?

— David Good

Answer: Looks like your agave plants have had a round of mealybugs. Some remedies would include: separating the most infected plants from the rest, washing the plants with a jet of water or spraying them with insecticidal soap (follow label instructions). We are seeing more evidence of mealybugs this year because of the heavy monsoon moisture. "Keep air circulation around your plants," is the advice Starr Urbatsch agave collections manager recommends. R eader comment: I read you every week. Help! There is a crisis with our untrained landscapers/tree trimmers in the Valley.

These guys are "penciling" our palms everywhere! How do we stop this disaster from getting worse?

In your Dec. 6 article in The Republic, there was a story about a Spanish Colonial house in the F.Q. Story neighborhood with a picture of a palm on that broke my heart. This beautiful old home has a tree that is now disfigured and most likely killed. If you drive to Mesa, between the 5000 and 4000 block of East University (south side) you will see a history of the horror of penciling — one mile long of palms penciled over the years. Rows of "hour glass" trees with dead, topless reminders of what this practice does.

— Pete Ephraim

Brian Kissinger is director of horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden. E-mail garden questions to bkissinger@dbg.org. Read previous columns at home.azcentral.com.

Is 18 ft wide enough for 2 car garage?

Average Two Car Garages Typically, two car garages are 18 feet wide by 20 feet deep. This is just enough to fit two cars in your garage. There are...

Last updated Feb 16, 2018

What paint to use on a wooden shed?

Acrylic-latex paint Acrylic-latex paint can withstand weather conditions and works well for wood shed exteriors. Depending on the size of the shed...

Last updated Nov 25, 2018

Are shed plans easy to follow?

These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

Do metal sheds suffer with condensation?

All metal garden sheds will suffer from condensation where damp is present in the foundation. This occurs when a damp proof course has not been...

Last updated May 8, 2019

How much power do I need for a shed?

Larger equipment needs 240 volts, like a dryer or electric range. Running 240 volts to your shed requires using a different type of breaker in your...

Last updated Mar 24, 2020

Can I build my own shed?

Yes, with the right plans you can build your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

How big of a shed do I need for a push mower?

The right size shed for the job is a 10 foot by 16 foot option. With those dimensions, you have enough room to comfortably house a large mower and...

Last updated May 19, 2021

These are the Best Shed Plans!

Comprehensive and Intuitive to follow. Build That Shed!

Learn More »

Promotion

How can an adult make money fast?

How to make money online Pick up freelance work online. ... Test websites and apps. ... Pick up tasks on Amazon's Mechanical Turk. ... Take surveys...

Last updated Jul 25, 2019