Thank you for joining my Q&A! Please understand that without the opportunity to visit your yard or garden, I won’t be able to provide a complete answer but I will certainly do my best!
Do I need to pull this cedar out and plant a new one?
It looks like this plant has been damaged (especially since it looks like the lawn and surrounding plants are doing quite well) and likely won’t recover. Unfortunately, I think you’ll need to tear this one out and replace it. Sorry!
When is the best time to trim/shape forsythia?
Forsythia is a very hardy species so, you could really do trimming any time. If you want to maximize flowering potential, cut it back after the spring time. A fun fact- the forsythia plant is actually in the same family as olives! It’s always a good feeling to see the forsythias blooming and knowing we made it through another New England winter.
What do I do about the bent branch? I think snow got it.
I agree, it looks like the snow got too heavy for this poor tree. Based on what looks like the discoloring that is starting to develop, the damage is probably irreparable and you will likely need to trim off the branch. If the damage isn’t as severe as I suspect, you could tie or cable the bent branch to encourage it to straighten itself out. If this happens often, a good pole saw might be a worthwhile investment!
Need some help figuring out what this is?
This looks like a variety of crab grass that is likely to be fairly invasive. I would check with your local supplier for a non-pesticide solutions that can be applied to your lawn.
I put down sod in the front of my house and it seemed to be doing fine at the beginning. Now, some of it looks like it’s turning brown and dying out. Can you help?
This is a tough one without seeing your lawn but it sounds like it’s not a systemic issue throughout your lawn. In this case, it could be a patch in your yard where the soil quality under the sod is not as high. This would result in less water retention, creating the dry/brown spots you mentioned. You could cut the patches out, add some healthy top soil and reseed to hopefully have a consistently healthy lawn.
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How should I treat a holly bush that continues to be yellowish. I diluted some granular food meant for acid loving plants last fall, no change yet. What on earth could be the trouble? This is the 2nd plant, and neither is/has thrived? Do I need to send soil to the local University extension service? I'd rather you give me another option because there's another one planted the same time as my first one that is doing just fine! Thanks for your help
What do you recommend to treat spider mites on dwarf Alberta spruces?