Hi, we have a drain/ditch/creek in our back yard. Apparently there was a log jam (per the drain commission) down stream that clogged up the drain, and caused a flood in our back yard. Our garden is back there and I pitched what was growing, but am concerned about next year. Do you do any testing for soil contamination, or can you refer me to someone

Hello, I would like to get my hay tested to make sure it is safe to feed. It is last year's hay but has been stored in dry clean garage with concrete floor. The hay smells good and looks fine. The reason why I am asking is that I began to feed a flake of hay in the evening about two months ago to my two mares. I did this for two weeks. Early in September we awoke to find my mare of 25 years dead. We were absolutely dumbstruck and destroyed. She ate her grain at 5 that evening and was completely fine. I have had her since she was born and she has never colicked or been sick in any way. The only change to her diet was the addition of the hay in the evening, but again, I had been feeding her that over 2 weeks before this happened with no problem. Because of the high 90s that weekend, we had to bury her fairly quickly, so I will never really know what happened. (There was no lightening or storms that evening, she's in a very contained 2 acre paddock with board fencing). I have about 30 bales of this hay and it was 10.00 a bale so I would like to feed it but I want to make sure that was not the cause. Can you advise?

I have a mature Red Oak, planted in the late '30s or early '40s that is encroaching on the adjacent house. I would like to have the tree trimmed back this winter before the neighbor might consider having someone else do the trimming at an incorrect time and end up infecting the tree with oak wilt. I have not been able to find any information with respect to trimming a mature red oak tree. Can overhanging branches be cut back to about half length (not back to the tree trunk, some of these branches are up to 30+ ft long)? My intent is to have branches trimmed such there are still smaller branches with foliage on the trimmed back branches. One tree service, that gave me a quote, said that the branches must be cut back to the trunk or else the branch will die back anyway. Images uploaded with red lines illustrating where branches might be trimmed off - red brick house is the next house. TIA for any insight.

We have a fair amount of cedar trees lining the property and thus have some cedar leaves on the lawn. Should I rake them up before I mow or can I just mulch them up with the mower and leave them in the grass. I know some people say they that they have to much acid in them. I would say I have about three leaves every square foot of lawn. Thanks so much for any help with this! Dave Go Gophers!

I’ve found the following insect mostly in my tiled shower along the walls and occasionally on the walls in my kitchen.  They are generally found 5-10 at a time spread out over the the entire shower area, sometimes congregating on the bathroom window.  Are they considered pests for human or dog interaction or is their presence benign?

Hi , We have a dwarf giant sequoia that takes up a lot of our yard. What should we plant under it that would both not disturb its roots and also grow well there? It gets some sun, not much rain and lots of droppings from the tree. Fast ground cover? Perennial flowers? Bulbs? We are open. Thank you

This year the oak trees in our neighborhood are dropping probably 5 times or more acorns than normal. I read about "masting" years, but this is way more than any of the 10 falls we've lived here, and neighbors who have lived here for 20 years said it's more than they've ever seen. We were curious what the reason might be. The dry summer? The excessive heat?

My anthurium plant keeps getting spots on all the leaves. What am I doing wrong? Thank you!

We have a green space between the old and newer sections of our church. Gets great sun. Grows great weeds! Need some advice on whether this would be good space for flowers and some sort of meditation space or a food source, perhaps growing herbs and a few vegetables. My pdf files would not upload.

Why is white fuzzy, moldy looking stuff growing on the trunk of our 5 year old Redbud tree and what, if anything, should be done about it?