It's time to catch up with some questions I've received via e-mail from readers over the past few weeks. If there's something puzzling you about trees, shrubs or landscaping, you are welcome send your question to me at steve@landsteward.org

QUESTION: "I have a question for you regarding a garden that seems to need some fertilizer as it has been used for several years. It is a large area and a portion of it has raspberry plants. My husband thinks we should be able to use the same fertilizer that is used on the yard, and either put it on this winter before the ground freezes and rototill it in or first thing in the spring and work it in before planting. I told him that I thought it more than likely there would be a special fertilizer for this and maybe you could tell us what this would be. We seem to run into people in the nurseries here that know nothing about garden planting. Our soil is real sandy." - Norma Ware

ANSWER: I can give you a few suggestions for building the soil in your garden area. First, since you have grown raspberry plants (and I will assume they did well), the Ph in your soil is probably more of an acid type. Therefore, the first thing you will need to do is to add lime. I would buy the palletized lime because it is easier to distribute. This will bring up the Ph in your soil, which most other plants need tosurvive and thrive. Without a soil test, we will have to guess. Let us say about 100 lbs per 50 square foot area. This may sound like a lot but you have a hard time putting on too much lime. Secondly, because your soil is sandy you will have to add organic matter. Manure is good but straw would also be good if worked into the soil. I would put down about a 4-inch layer of straw and till it into the soil before winter so that it can rot and become the organic matter that you need. Just putting fertilizer down without lime and organic matter would be ineffective because there would be really nothing there for the fertilize to help.

QUESTION: What is wrong with my young sycamore? I planted a sycamore, about 8-10 ft. tall, about a year and a half ago in the fall. It did wonderfully the next spring. It loved water and complained if I didn't keep up with a two-three day schedule. The next winter it did fine and it's leaves came out this spring. One thing was different this summer: it complained at having "too much" water. It was dropping it's \leaves after watering. Even though we are in a drought, it seemed to do better between waterings. I cut down to about every week and a half, afraid to cut down any more. The last time I watered it almost all of the leaves fell off. The nurseryman said it had too much water - a sycamore??? The leaves were shriveled. They turned brown and fell off. Now the tiny branches are getting brittle and breaking when I bend them, as if they are dead I dug around one side of the tree to make sure the roots were growing, and they were. The trunk grew quite a bit this year, and peeled." - Kathleen Converti

ANSWER: It would seem to me that if this is not a disease problem you might have a problem with the soil where the tree is placed. Could there be an underground spring, or is it too close to a septic field line? Or maybe the soil underneath that plant is compacted and needs aeration. A lot of times if the soil is too hard the roots cannot penetrate the soil and oxygen cannot get down to the roots. I would also suggest that you try using a Ross root feeder that attaches to a garden hose. It will aerate and fertilize the tree at the same time.

QUESTION: "There is a black tarry substance on the branches of our cherry tree. This spring it have plenty of blossoms. However, some root suckers near base of tree grew and I chopped them off mid-summer. Little gray beetles also appeared and sap seems to be oozing out. I also noticed another tree in neighborhood in similar symptoms. The trunk of tree seems normal." - Doug

ANSWER: You may have to contact a tree expert. To me the sap oozing and the bark turning black it sounds like a blight that cherry trees get. I saw that same thing this summer at someone else's farm. The extension agent had told him to destroy the tree. But please do not just take my word for it! Please have a second opinion before doing anything.

I want to remind you that in many cases, you should get an experienced tree expert to examine your problem trees on the spot, or consult you local agricultural extension office.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org or mail to: Steve Jones, "The Plant Man", P.O. Box 686, McMinnville, TN 37111. For resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit often.