No point beating around the bush when it comes to answering these questions

I’ve decided, after answering more than 400,000 questions in my 43 years on the radio, that there’s no point in beating around the bush on some of them.

You need to be blunt or people will misunderstand what you’re trying to say. I’m going to give you some of my common examples.

• “My tomato plants aren’t setting fruit. I get flowers, but no tomatoes. Why?”

There are several pitfalls on this one. First, I have to ask what varieties people have planted. Half the time folks don’t remember, so I have to explain that large-fruiting types like Big Boy, Beefsteak and many of the heirloom types are unable to set fruit when temperatures are below 70F at night or above 90F in the daytimes. That range may hit perfectly for the Midwest, where most seed companies direct their sales. But our springs are often cool, and our summers come early and they come on hot. You shouldn’t expect to get more than five or six fruit off those big types. Stay with small-fruiting varieties instead.

Second, be sure your tomatoes’ flowers are getting pollinated. That takes vibration. That means motion of wind. If your plants are against a fence and out of the wind, try thumping the flower clusters like you’d thump a paper wad. Do that every other day. It just might work.

• “I bought what I thought was a Shumard red oak, but now an arborist tells me they sold me a pin oak instead and that it’s yellow because of iron deficiency. Can I add iron to correct that?”

No! Oh, you could add iron and it might help for a year or two. But then the tree would just get large and need more iron. Eventually, after a few years, you’d go broke trying to buy enough iron, plus the tree wouldn’t be able to pull the iron through its system fast enough to meet its needs. You’re just better off cutting your losses and replacing the tree with some other species. For the record, true Shumard red oaks are some of our finest shade trees for North Central Texas. But misplanted pin oaks, as well as bald cypress that start showing iron deficiency, are just ticking time bombs that need to be replaced as soon as you can.

• “I’m having trouble getting grass to grow beneath my live oak. I’ve replaced with fresh St. Augustine sod three times now. Is it some kind of nutrient shortage?”

It’s insufficient sunlight. This is the question I am asked most often of all. And when I answer it, it amazes me how people will look me squarely in the eyes and argue that they’re sure there’s enough light, even when we’re standing on their lawn and I point out that their grass gets thinner and thinner the closer they look toward the trunk of the tree. Spreading trees, especially live oaks, cast incredible shade. It gets more and more dense with each passing year. Thinning trees only buys you a short amount of time before they fill back in. Removing lower branches might help, but don’t ruin the tree’s shape in the process. My bold answer: start planning for a shade-tolerant groundcover now!

• “I took out my rose bushes in May. They had the rose rosette virus. Can I replant with new rose bushes now?

I’m not willing to recommend it at all unless you are prepared to replace them after just a year or so. If rose rosette is in your neighborhood (as it obviously is), the mites that transmit it still are as well. It’s just a matter of time until they hit the new plants, too. Plus, you’ll have a hard time finding roses in nurseries this far into the growing season. Why don’t you concentrate on colorful annuals the balance of this year instead.

• “My Indian hawthorns are looking really bad. It started with red spots on the leaves and now they’re yellowing, then dying. Is there a fungicide that will work?”

No. This is Entomosporium fungal leaf spot. It’s the same disease that has ravaged redtip photinias for the past 30 years. The two plants are closely related, and the disease either mutated or just broadened its host base enough to pick up the hawthorns. It’s really too bad, too, because they have been great low-growing shrubs. But buying and applying fungicides is a waste of money and hope. There is no fungicide that has shown any good results in controlling the disease. Replacing with more Indian hawthorns is an even worse mistake. Carissa hollies are probably the best look-alike replacements, but you could also use dwarf yaupon hollies or Harbour dwarf or Flirt nandinas.

• “My shrubs have grown way too tall for the places where I have them. Plus, they have lost most of their lower leaves. How and when can I cut them back?”

Pruning of that type would need to be done in winter, probably in January. But know that you can only do that once or twice before you will exhaust the plants’ vigor and willingness to regrow. It may be time to dig out the old plants and redecorate your landscape with a new look and new types of plants. It’s interesting how we are willing to do that inside our houses. We call it “remodeling” our homes. But we’re often reluctant to do it with our landscapes. Yet, when we finally do take the old plantings out and start things anew, it’s amazing how good it can feel. You might want to develop some plans over the rest of this summer.

As for the plants losing their lower leaves, that happens when we remove top growth by repeated pruning. Little or no new shoot growth is produced down below, so the plants gradually become bare.

You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 pm and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 am. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and follow him on Facebook.