Q:I have fallen in love with arugula. We grew some in the fall, and it was wonderful. I’d love to grow some this spring, but can I plant it before the last frost? Answer: You sure can. Actually, arugula could have been planted in early March. It loves our typical March and April temperatures. However, once the soil starts getting hot in late May, it will probably bolt to seed, which signals the end of the leafy season.

Q:This is the time of year I get out my seeds and start my vegetable plants for spring. I use a good soil mix and keep them well watered over a heating element under fluorescent lights. However, once they sprout, they always grow long and lanky. What can I do to get thick sturdy plants? Answer: Long, lanky plants are the result of too little light. Though fluorescent lights can be very effective grow lights, they need to be within 12 inches of the top of the plants.

Q:We live on a shady cul-de-sac. During the recent snow, chemicals were put on our street to help with the ice. What’s going to happen to those chemicals now that the ice is gone and most of the snow has melted? We have no curbs, and the road slopes right into the ditch in front of our house. Answer: First, it would help to know the chemicals used. Salt, or sodium chloride, is probably the most commonly used ice melt. However, many private contractors are using calcium chloride whenever possible.

Q:We were shocked at how fast our Christmas tree dried out this year. When we took ours out after New Year’s Day, there were hardly any needles left. It was cut in Nelson County around Dec. 5. We kept it in water in the yard until we put it in the house on Dec. 12. Any idea why it lost the needles so fast? Answer: There are a number of reasons your tree may have dried out faster than normal. We had relatively good rainfall last fall, so the tree should have had ample moisture in its system before it was cut. The type of tree is one factor; was it a spruce, pine or cedar? All have varying abilities to hold their needles. Next, how was it handled after it was cut? Even though you had it in water in your yard for a week, the tree’s ability to pull water up into its needles had been destroyed when the tree was cut. While it may have moved a little water up into the base of the trunk, very little may have made it to the needles.

Q:The deer have returned and destroyed about 25 large azaleas that are about 15 years old. All the leaves and small branches have been eaten or broken. I know they will not bloom in the spring because the buds are gone. Will they survive? Answer: The good news is that your azaleas will produce new leaves this spring and continue to grow. The bad news is they will have few, if any, flowers. The only pruning to do now is to make clean cuts on the nibbled stems. Make your cuts just beyond a twig or bud scar. Nubs left beyond a twig or bud will die, leaving the branch subject to further decay. There’s no need to feed them.

Q: It’s February and already the commercial pruning crews are out whacking back the crape myrtles. I’m afraid homeowners will see this “crape murder” and think this drastic pruning must be right because professionals are doing it. Would you please discuss the proper way to prune crape myrtle?

Q:I’ve been thinking about yard projects for the spring, and I’m considering planting Concord grapes here in Free Union. I’m concerned about pests and any other issues related to growing grapes this close to Charlottesville. I use organic methods and have a large area of full sun that I think would be ideal for a grape arbor. Do you have any advice for me?

Q:After the recent snow, I’ve found several of our more fragile plants with branches that are partially broken. The one that I’d most like to save is a daphne. It is about 5 years old, but it’s pretty spindly. Two of the larger branches are about 40 percent to 50 percent broken. Is there anything that I can do to bind up the break? Answer: Unfortunately, partially broken branches need to be cut off at the closest branch, joint or bud scar.

Q:I have a hibiscus tree that is about 6 feet tall. I have had it for seven years, and it has been repotted three times. Because of the Virginia weather, it can only be outside for a third of the year. The rest of the year, it lives by my sliding glass door inside my tiny apartment. I would like to cut it back for the winter in hopes of making it fuller next summer and more manageable in my apartment. Will cutting it back hurt it, and how much should I cut it back?

Q:I am a little confused about the best way to fertilize my grass. For years, I have used the SOD schedule spreading 10-10-10 three times during the fall. The grass was always very green and thick in the spring, but it suffered a great deal in the summer even with lots of added water. This year I spread lots of mushroom compost on all of the weak areas but no other fertilizer. Although the ground is softer on the surface and may have a lot of potential, the grass did not look very green this fall, and the falling leaves caused lots of void spots. Does regular fertilizer harm the bacteria and fungus that are at work in the soil to supply nutrients to the grass roots?

Q:What can you put around the base of Leyland cypress to help prevent the bugs from eating the plant? Answer: There really aren’t any major insects that attack Leyland cypress from the ground. Their major insect pest is the bagworm, which can quickly strip the branches of all foliage. Once this feeding has been done, the tree will never replace that growth, leaving major bare places in the canopy. There are several systemic insecticides that can be used around the base of the tree to help control bagworms. It needs to be applied in late April or early May to have time to work through the system of the plant to infect the bagworms as they begin to feed in late May or early June.

Q:We decorated our house with poinsettias for the holidays and they were beautiful. I’d like to keep them healthy as long as possible. Is there any special care they’ll need? Answer: To get you a good answer, I contacted Kathy Griffin, assistant gen eral manager of Boulevard Flower Gardens in Chesterfield County. Griffin told me the newer varieties of poinsettias are much easier to care for than they were years ago. They are more tolerant of lower light conditions, fluctuating temperatures and will continue to bloom for several weeks in the home. She indicated, though, that they prefer six hours of indirect light, with temperatures between 68 degrees and 70 degrees. She said to be careful and not overwater your poinsettia; water only when the soil feels dry. She also suggested removing the foil wrap from the container or at least poke holes in it to allow the plant to drain into a saucer or a decorative pot.

Q:I am seeing small, white soft pods on branches that appear to be insect eggs. When I scrape them off a branch, they have a pink or red sediment inside leading me to believe that it is an insect embryo. Are they beneficial insects, or should I remove as many of them as I can to avoid infestation in the spring? Answer: The critters you’ve described are “wax scale.“ The waxy pod is a protective covering, and the red inside harbors the actual insect. They’re dormant now, and removing them by hand will help a lot. Before going dormant the females laid eggs, which will hatch in early spring. You can use horticultural oil in early March to try to smother the young crawlers as they begin to hatch. However, the exact timing of the crawlers is hard to predict. The next time to treat is in April with a systemic insecticide. That will infect them as they feed on the plant. In addition, a systemic insecticide won’t hurt anything that isn’t feeding on the plant.

Q:Can you provide me with the information I need in order to have a soil test done? I’d like to test several areas in my yard. Answer: The type of sample we recommend for home gardeners is called a composite sample. This will give you a picture of the soil in the area you’re testing. Start by taking 10 to 12 samples from randomly selected spots in your lawn. The most crucial step is to be sure to take soil from the same depth at each spot. For a lawn, take soil from the surface down to 2 inches to 3 inches deep. By thoroughly mixing these samples together in a clean container, you’ll have a sample of the average soil in your lawn. Repeat this process to test your gardens.

Q:This is the first year we’ve grown clematis. I was told that it would survive the winter in the pot outside, but I’m afraid it will freeze and die. Should I cut it to ground level, in the pot, and leave it outside but close to the house to avoid the worst of the cold, or should it be brought inside? Answer: Clematis is normally winter hardy in the Richmond area. However, if you have it planted in a container, the container should be buried in the ground. This will insulate the roots from the cold. As long as you have it in a protected area, it doesn’t need to be cut back. If you don’t want to bury the container, you could completely surround it by 6 inches to 8 inches of organic mulch, to insulate the roots against cold.