Q: I’m a new homeowner doing renovation work on an older house, and we are removing the popcorn ceilings. About four months into the job, we have noticed some mud tubes on the tops of walls. I imagine they are from termites. What should we do?
A: You need to call a termite company immediately. It’s time to get aggressive with those termites because they’re very, very active now after all the rain we had in the past few months. Even though your home is built with concrete blocks, the termites can still eat away at the wood furring strips that are located under your drywall as well as eat into the wood in your attic and the drywall itself.
Q: I live at a higher elevation in Southern Arizona, and I’m hoping to plant a row of pine trees along the edge of my property to serve as a windrow or privacy hedge. How far apart do I have to plant them?
A: You should probably plant them about 12 to 15 feet apart. That should be close enough to block the wind. If you plant them too close together, they will get much taller and thinner than you want them to be.
Q: Two years ago, I planted five mesquites from 24-inch boxes in a row in my yard. A year later, a big storm came along and broke a large limb off one of the trees. Now that tree is not growing as fast at the others are. Why is this happening and is there anything I can do to make it grow faster?
A: It’s not uncommon to plant a row of trees or other plants and have one in the middle that does not perform the same way the others do. It’s unlikely that the broken branch had anything to do with the problem. You could increase watering the problem plant, however, and you had better check on the condition of the emitters to see if the smaller plant is being watered less. Mesquites can be very competitive with each other.
Q: We bought a 17-year-old house recently and removed the old carpeting. We want to have tile instead. But when we pulled up the carpet, we found a small gap all the way around the house between the slab and the wall. It probably had to do with a change in the expansion joint. Do we have to fill that gap before putting in the tile? And does this mean there is a possibility of termites infesting the house?
A: Yes, there is a danger of termites, and you should probably have the house inspected further to see if you need to treat for termites now — inside the house and outside. As for the gap, you should let your licensed tile contractor decide how to fill it. Contractors deal with these situations all the time, and they will know what the best material is for filling the space before they install the tile.
Q: I have a willow acacia tree in my yard and I want to prune it. I particularly want to get rid of the suckers and root shoots. Is now a good time of year to do that?
A: You don’t want to do that kind of pruning too early in winter. But February and March should be a good time.
