Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romero’s radio show with questions about everything from preventing fires in their chimneys to getting rid of tree roots invading their sewer system. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona.
QUESTION: I have pecan trees in my backyard that are 25 years old, but they have not been producing good nuts for the past few years. Is it because they have gotten too old to bear pecans?
ANSWER: Twenty-five years is not that old for pecans. Probably the lack of nuts has something to do with not fertilizing the trees properly. In particular, the foliage of pecan trees may need spraying with zinc sulfate or liquid zinc nitrate in spring and fall. That can be difficult with larger trees, so check with your local nursery about what compounds to use and how to do it. Pecan trees provide excellent shade and will produce good nuts in several areas of Arizona.
Q: I have lived in my home for 20 years and recently found out I have to re-plumb the house because I have polybutylene piping. I’ve talked to some people who say that I should replace the plumbing and fittings with PEX products and some who say I should use copper piping. What do you think is best to use?
A: My preference would be to do the new plumbing in copper because I think it will last longer. But many plumbers favor PEX because it is cheaper, very flexible to work with, and has shown itself to be resistant to freezing in cold weather.
The reason why you have to replace polybutylene plumbing is that it’s believed that some oxidants used in treating your water, such as chlorine, can react with the polybutylene pipes and cause them to become brittle. The pipes may become weak and fail, thus damaging the house and its contents. This type of plastic pipe was widely used from the late 1970s until the mid-1990s.
Q: I have a Mexican-style fountain in my yard and it’s always getting covered in algae. What is the secret to keeping algae out of my fountain? When I visit local resorts, their fountains never seem to have any problems.
A: Algae and moss are a part of the natural process involving ponds and fountains. You should start by boosting the chlorine level in your fountain in order to kill the algae and moss. You probably need to greatly increase the number of chlorine tablets that you put in the water. In addition to changing the chemistry, use a pool net now and then to clean large clumps of algae out of the water. Every few months, you should also empty the fountain and scrub it out using a soapy water mixture. After that cleaning, use a hose to rinse it out and get rid of the soap. As for the resorts, they often have large staffs of workers who maintain their property; otherwise, algae and moss can be problems for them, too.
Q: I had a new Chilean mesquite planted in my yard in October. I watered it well in December, but now the leaves seem to be turning yellow. What’s wrong with it?
A: Actually, nothing is probably wrong with your tree, it’s just that this type of mesquite is more of a warm weather tree. In the winter when temperatures drop, its leaves will get yellow and most of them will probably drop off. The tree then remains dormant until springtime. Fertilize it this month and it should do just fine in the spring.
