Our royal palm was struck by lightning and all the leaves are hanging down. Nearby coconut palms were also affected. The lower leaves are drooping, but the higher ones are still green. Four days after the lightning strike a car crashed into another royal palm and removed bark from the trunk. Do you advise fertilizing? What fertilizer should I use? – P. A. Franklin, Pompano Beach.

The royal palm struck by lightning is dead. The royal palm hit by the car should be removed.

Royal palms are subject to wounding and become dangerous over time. Palms cannot heal wounds so the damaged palm will become more of a hazard with time. The coconuts might come back. I would use palm fertilizer on them to try and encourage some new growth. Follow label directions exactly when applying the fertilizer.

I have large oak trees in my lawn, and the grass is dying out. What can I do to correct this condition? – Harvey Schoaff, Hallandale

Grass is sun-loving, and as the trees grow larger they cast more shade, eventually causing the grass to die. You can have the trees’ lower limbs pruned so more side light gets to the grass. You could plant ground cover, such as sword fern, around the trees to fill in some of the bare areas. You could plant a more shade tolerant grass, such as ‘Palmetto’ or ‘Seville’ St. Augustine in the bare areas away from the tree trunks. Nu-Turf in Margate carries ‘Palmetto’ and can order ‘Seville’ for you. The phone number is 954-972-9425.

Can you tell me where I can purchase a night blooming cereus? – Patti Rell, Margate

The climbing night blooming cereus is spectacular in bloom but is a very heavy climbing cactus. I would use it on a strong palm such as the native sable palm or a strong tree such as the live oak. I could not find a source for this plant in local nurseries. You may be able to order plants online.

Or, you might be able to find one in an older neighborhood and see if you could buy a section of the plant. Each cut section should be allowed to dry for two to three days and then planted at the base of a strong tree that is not too dense.

The cereus requires little care but must be protected from the weed whacker. The plant will flower during the summer months when it grows bigger.

The ‘Queen of the Night’ is a smaller less heavy plant with big white flowers. This might be a better choice for your yard.

We replaced our grapefruit with a pigeon plum tree, and the leaves on the tree look bad. We sprayed, but they still are turning brown. What can we do? – Barbara and Barry Pardon, Plantation

The tree has leaf miner damage, which is cosmetic and not attractive. I would use Bayer’s Tree and Shrub Care as a soil drench for the best long-term results. The leaf miner tunnels inside the leaf. Systemic insecticides are the only way to reach the leaf miners. Regular insect sprays will not touch the leaf miners. The soil drench will protect the tree for 8-12 months. Follow label directions exactly so you do not overdo the product.

We live in a condo on a busy road and have to deal with road grime. We have a pigeon problem, too. Our largest space is on the fourth floor between two buildings. The location is a wind tunnel. Can you suggest a tough plant that will tolerate growing in a container and survive road grime? It should not be a messy plant. Do you have any suggestions for a climbing plant? – Linda Carlson, Fort Lauderdale

The Indian hawthorn is a good small growing plant to about 3-4 feet that tolerates wind and some grime. It has small white flowers. A similar sized plant is ‘Green Island’ ficus, which as shiny leaves and is neat. Both plants do well in containers but pots must have drain holes to avoid root rot. The bigger the container the longer the plant will live. I do not recommend climbing plants as insects, etc. can hide in the foliage.

Write Robert Haehle, Home section, Sun Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL. 33301-2293 or e-mail . Include name, address and phone. Photos required for plant identification and cannot be returned.