Shredded paper not ideal for compost

Dear Neil: I have access to a lot of shredded paper. We normally send it to recycling, but I've wondered if I could use it in the compost?

A: I send ours to recycling. It is organic matter, so, yes it could be put into the compost. However, normal life byproducts like shredded tree leaves, grass clippings, animal manure, finely chipped wood and others are better things to put into the compost. If you do use the paper, most authorities will suggest that you not use pages with colored ink, partly because of odor and partly because the vegetable dyes may attract insects you wouldn't normally have. Paper breaks down very quickly, but you'll need to wait on the other types of organic matter to decay before you can use the compost.

Dear Neil: Can I root cuttings of my boxwood plants in water?

A: Yes, probably so, but that's not the best way. Roots that develop in water are accustomed to having limited oxygen, and when they're transplanted into potting soil, they often wilt away. It's better to use a mix of equal amounts of sphagnum peat moss and horticultural perlite. Water it thoroughly before you start sticking the fresh cuttings. The cuttings should be 3 to 4 inches long. Strip off the bottom leaves, and dust the stems in rooting hormone powder. Use a small stick to make each insertion hole so you don't wipe off the powder. Water thoroughly, then cover lightly with a sheet of dry cleaner's plastic (not air-tight). Put in a bright spot, but out of direct late morning and afternoon sun. For what it's worth, if there is a lot of brand new, succulent growth on the tips of the twigs, pinch it off. It will draw water out of the cuttings before they have time to form roots.

Dear Neil: Our son lives near Dallas, and he says his pomegranate hasn't sent out any new leaves this year. What would have caused that? Was this winter that bad?

A: It was for some plants in some places. Many specimens of several varieties of crape myrtles, including three popular ones (Natchez, Muskogee and Tuscarora) died back to the ground. They'll have to be retrained, starting with trimming off all the dead stems. Pomegranates would need the same treatment. They do often come back after freeze injury, as do figs and oleanders. Gardenias will not. It wasn't so much how cold it got this past winter, but more the fact that the first freeze in early December was significant, and for many parts of Texas, it was accompanied by ice. Adding to it, the last freeze/frost that happened just a few weeks ago. It was not a good winter to be a tender plant in Texas. Your son needs to see if there are any new shoots coming up from the ground. If so, he needs to nurture those back into being a shrub.

Dear Neil: If I apply sphagnum peat moss for Take All Root Rot, how do I keep from mowing it up right away? I do bag my clippings. Also, how often will I need to repeat the treatment?

A: First, be certain that your lawn actually does have Take All Root Rot. It causes the grass to be lethargic and slow to green up in the spring. It will show up in sweeps and patches, not uniformly over the entire lawn. The peat moss makes an acidic layer on top of the soil, and that discourages development of the fungus. You would need to repeat the treatment no more often than each spring, and sometimes you can go two or three years and never see the disease. Perhaps you should begin by trying a small bale of peat over an affected area. Put a 1-inch layer down and water it in. If TARR is involved, you should see a big improvement in the look of the grass within two weeks. At that point, you could treat all of the affected area. The peat is normally not sucked up by the mower once it has been watered onto the soil surface.

Dear Neil: Can I move one of my mother's Texas mountain laurel shrubs now? She is moving and wants to take it with her.

A: It probably would not survive the move. At this point in late spring, trees and shrubs have expended all of their energy putting out new spring growth. Hot summer weather is soon to follow, and if you were to dig and cut a major portion of the plant's root system, it would just be too much trauma. See if you can arrange to go back in the winter and move it for her. That would allow you to "root-prune" it by severing lateral roots all summer and fall, encouraging new roots to form inside the soil ball.

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Shredded paper not ideal for compost