Spring has sprung and gardeners can hardly wait to get their hands in the soil. Got questions before you get started? Get answers from Ask an Expert, an online question-and-answer tool from Oregon State University’s Extension Service. OSU Extension faculty and Master Gardeners reply to queries within two business days, usually less. To ask a question, simply go to the OSU Extension website and type in a question and the county where you live. Here are some questions asked by other gardeners. What’s yours?

Help! Jays and crows chase away songbirds

A blue jay checks out the bird feeder which is too small for this big jay in a backyard makeover exhibit at the Oregon Zoo in 2009.LC- The Oregonian

Q: Do you have a seed type recommendation or other techniques and strategies for discouraging crows and jays from monopolizing my feeders. These corvids scratch all the seed out onto the ground and chase away the songbirds I’m trying to serve.

– Multnomah County

A: Crows and jays both belong to a family of birds known for their intelligence and group communication skills. Thus, they can be tough to manage. Your best strategy will be to exclude or block them from reaching the food. Retailers sell various designs – key words being cage/d feeder. Another alternative is to try using 2-by-4-foot welded wire to retrofit a cage around your existing feeders, assuming they’re hanging. The main idea is to make sure the desirable smaller-bodied songbirds can get in to feed while the larger-bodied birds cannot.

Another consideration is what you’re feeding. Many species of birds will benefit from shelled sunflower seed and if your feeder has a shelf/tray to catch kicked-out food, the ground spillage (and potential free meal for crows and jays and squirrels and rats) will be minimal. You might alternatively decide to only feed specific groups, such as finches (Nyjer seed) and hummingbirds (nectar mixture) whose food isn’t attractive to crows or jays.

– Dana Sanchez, OSU Extension wildlife specialist

What could be troubling jasmine?

Q: My daughter has a jasmine that’s been in the ground for a couple of years. It has no blooms; the leaves turn yellow with brown spots and fall off easily. It’s planted next to a variegated jasmine, which is doing fine as far as the leaf color. She has asked several different sources what the problem might be. Potassium, nitrogen, compost, pruning, etc. Different solutions, nothing is working. Any suggestions? She’s a new home owner and just really getting into the flower bed stuff, so any help will be great.

A: Jasmine can have a number of issues from pests to disease, but this may be a problem called chlorosis. The leaves are yellow but the veins in the leaves stay green. Check out the leaves and see if the leaves look like this. If so, the next step is to check the pH (acidity or alkalinity) of the soil. Jasmine can grow in both acidic and alkaline soils but does better in acidic soils. You can get a cheap test for pH at any nursery or anywhere they sell plants, pots, etc. The Linn County Master Gardeners will check the pH of your soil free of charge. If you buy a test kit, follow the directions, take soil samples and check out the pH. If it is higher than 7 which is neutral, add some sulfur (powdered) to the soil along with sawdust. Mix into the soil and water in. The problem is the plant cannot take up enough iron and because of that it cannot perform its function (photosynthesis) in order to make sugars. Iron helps the plant develop chlorophyll, which aides in photosynthesis. Iron is usually prevalent in the soil and the plants can take it in more efficiently when the soil is around pH 5.0 - 6.5. You can add chelated iron to the soil and work it in too.

Another problem could be compacted roots, or broken, diseased or rotten roots. Has there been any rototilling around this plant? They like well-drained soil with a lot of compost or organic matter. Most of the soil in our area is full of clay, adding organic matter will help break it up and it will drain better.

Over watering can also be a cause. With all the rain we are having now, you won't need to water for a while. Let the soil dry out before watering after the rains stop.

Also, too much phosphorus in the soil can be an issue. That same pH test I spoke of also has tubes to test nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Or, you can contact a soil lab and take a soil sample in for testing. The master mardeners do not test for those elements.

Use an all-natural fertilizer, not a synthetic one. Look for OMRI on the package. Also, there are three numbers on fertilizer bags. The first number is for nitrogen, the second for phosphorus and the third for potassium, all macro nutrients. Find one that does not have a high middle number (phosphorus). It will look like this: 5-5-5 or 5-1-1, any combination of numbers. This tells you the percentage of the nutrient in the bag - so 5-1-1 is five percent nitrogen and 1 percent each phosphorus and potassium.

– Sheryl Casteen, OSU Extension Master Gardener

MORE ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS

Subscribe to newsletters from The Oregonian/OregonLive, including Homes & Gardens emailed to you every Friday.