Organic Herbicides (Weed Killer)
Many homeowners want “organic” choices when it comes to selecting weed killers. Fortunately, there are several choices for both selective and non-selective weed control. Vinegar has been touted as a herbicide but the kitchen version is too weak to do much damage. Industrial acetic acid will kill weeds but I...
Pine Pollen – Predicting
Q: We are preparing to paint the outside trim of our house, and would like to avoid the peak time for pine pollen. Can you approximate when we can expect the “yellow curse” to appear? A: Yikes! Considering that a single tree can release 40 oz. of pollen, I can understand...
Tree Pruning
Pruning a tree sometimes invokes more worry than it should. You wonder if removing a tree limb is analogous to cutting off your leg (does it hurt? will I kill it?). Fortunately, if you take your time, pruning can be easily done, with no harm to your tree. TIMING: You can remove...
Shrub – Transplanting 1-2-3
Most shrubs and trees should be transplanted when the demand for water is least, in late fall or winter. Since many roots will inevitably be lost, they need many weeks to regenerate themselves before the hot, dry blasts of summer arrive. If you are contemplating moving a plant that would...
English Ivy – Management and Control
Q: English ivy is taking over my back yard. It has probably been there for twenty-plus years. What’s the best way to control it? PULL IT UP Check out this great Web site about English ivy removal. The Ivy Removal Project (www.noivyleague.com) is based in Portland, Oregon. Over the past...
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Japanese Maple Producing Leaves of Different Color
Q: A local nursery trimmed up our Japanese maple. Any idea why it would look like this? What can I do, its an expensive tree. The top is the original color. A: This is a grafted Japanese maple. Somehow the...
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Red-Flowered Rose Has Peach-Colored Bloom
Q: Why did my rose bush produce 1 rose of a peach color while all the others are deep pinkish/reddish? A: I can’t see where the peach blossom originates in the rose, but it is likely a “sport“. These flower...
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Calla Lily – White Spots on Leaves
Q: Is there something wrong with this plant? It has white spots on the leaves. A: I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Some varieties of calla lily are chosen for the attractive white spots on the leaves. The...
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Spiderwort Fading, Yellow Spots on Leaves
Q: What is killing my spiderwort? A: I know the yellow leaf spots are worrisome but frankly your plant looks relatively normal for early May. Spiderwort blooms freely in mid-spring but as the weather heats up, the foliage dies back....
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Pruning Edgeworthia
Q: We put these edgeworthias in three years ago. One of the plants is six feet around but the other one is huge! We are not sure how to prune these amazing shrubs. A: Edgeworthia is a great shrub but...
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Aphids on chives
Q: I have black aphids on my garlic chives. They can be washed off but come right back. How do I get rid of them? A: I guess you could use store-bought insecticidal soap on them, but spraying with a...
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Katydid nymph identification
Q: Can you identify this insect which I have been finding on my roses? It has two tiny tubes or pinchers where it’s mouth is. Is it a friend or foe? A: It’s a katydid nymph. Although they do chew...
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Will Bradford pear recover after severe pruning?
Q: Recently our Bradford Pear tree was pruned to this extreme. Will it still grow and bloom? A: Bradford pear is a tough tree to kill. Your tree will probably recover. The person who did the pruning thought this would...
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Can I change Color of Oakleaf or Panicle Hydrangea?
Q: Is there a way to change flower color on oakleaf and tree hydrangeas? A: No, the old-fashioned bigleaf hydrangea is the only one that responds to soil pH to change flower color. Oakleaf hydrangea flowers are white when they...
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Can I Crop Indeterminate Tomato? Distinguish Determinate from Indeterminate
Q: If I plant indeterminate tomatoes can I crop the top to keep them from growing tall? A: Pruning an indeterminate tomato to make it bushier is possible but you’ll be fighting Mother Nature. After planting, indeterminate tomatoes grow for...
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Slime Mold on Pine Straw
Q: I have looked and looked trying to see if this fungus is harmful to my roses. A: I am not an expert, but I think this is a slime mold, which is different from a fungus. Either way, it...
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Loropetalum – Yellow leaves
Q: Our four loropetalum bushes seem to have something wrong. They stay wet where they are planted, especially with all the rain. Just planted last year. A: Loropetalum is a tough shrub but, like a lot of woody plants, it...
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Diagnosing (Identifying) Holes in the Yard
Sometimes many heads are better than one when it comes to solving a problem. Wade Hutcheson, my Extension colleague in Spalding county, gets plenty of calls from the citizens of his area asking his help in identifying various holes in...
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Weeds – Identification with Pictures
Weed control in the landscape is a tough business. You have to know a lot about the weed in question just to get started! As in most situations, a picture is worth a thousand words. Go through the sites below,...
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Bermuda – Weed Control
BASIC INFORMATION: Weed Identification Pictures General Turf and Weed Info Lawn Care Calendars THREE METHODS There are three primary methods of controlling weeds. Any one method, when used alone, will not usually control all of your weeds. To consistently control...
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Brown Patch – Diagnosing
You have brown patches of dead grass in your lawn. Is it the common lawn disease ‘brown patch’ or is it something else? The answer is important: if it is brown patch you probably need to spray with a fungicide....
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Timing Spring Pre-emergent Herbicide Application on Lawn
One of the sourest phrases that can be directed at a child or adult is “I told you so!” Whether you touch a hot match, leave tools out in the rain, or lift cinder blocks all afternoon, someone is usually...
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Lawn – Growing in Shade
OK. I admit it. I have given up. I came to the conclusion that grass just would not grow in the corner of my lawn near the ornamental cherry trees. The shade there is so dense that my grass, no...
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St. Augustine Grass Seed – Where to Buy
Q: Please tell me where I can buy St. Augustine grass seeds. Our lawn has some now and we like it a lot, but we’re having trouble finding seeds. A: You can’t buy St. Augustinegrass seed. The plant is very...
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Bermuda Grass – Disease – Brown Patch
Brown patch is most prevalent on bermudagrass which has been heavily fertilized when night temperatures are above 68 degrees and day temperature are above 80 degrees. Dead patches of grass may start small but can grow and join together to...
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Lawn – Leveling
A new home in my neighborhood had bermudagrass sod planted in March. By May, one area was a perfect checkerboard of straight lines, composed of weedy plants, surrounding the individual squares of sod. Evidently the sod installers were in such...
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Crapemyrtle – Pruning
One of the most confounding arguments I face is whether and how to prune crapemyrtles. They are mercilessly “murdered” by unaware landscapers and homeowners each winter… yet they still bloom in summer. Some people even believe a crapemyrtle won’t bloom...
Japanese Maple Producing Leaves of Different Color
Q: A local nursery trimmed up our Japanese maple. Any idea why it would look like this? What can I do, its an expensive tree. The top is the original color. A: This is a grafted Japanese maple. Somehow the...
Red-Flowered Rose Has Peach-Colored Bloom
Q: Why did my rose bush produce 1 rose of a peach color while all the others are deep pinkish/reddish? A: I can’t see where the peach blossom originates in the rose, but it is likely a “sport“. These flower...
Calla Lily – White Spots on Leaves
Q: Is there something wrong with this plant? It has white spots on the leaves. A: I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Some varieties of calla lily are chosen for the attractive white spots on the leaves. The...
Spiderwort Fading, Yellow Spots on Leaves
Q: What is killing my spiderwort? A: I know the yellow leaf spots are worrisome but frankly your plant looks relatively normal for early May. Spiderwort blooms freely in mid-spring but as the weather heats up, the foliage dies back....
Pruning Edgeworthia
Q: We put these edgeworthias in three years ago. One of the plants is six feet around but the other one is huge! We are not sure how to prune these amazing shrubs. A: Edgeworthia is a great shrub but...
Aphids on chives
Q: I have black aphids on my garlic chives. They can be washed off but come right back. How do I get rid of them? A: I guess you could use store-bought insecticidal soap on them, but spraying with a...
Katydid nymph identification
Q: Can you identify this insect which I have been finding on my roses? It has two tiny tubes or pinchers where it’s mouth is. Is it a friend or foe? A: It’s a katydid nymph. Although they do chew...
Will Bradford pear recover after severe pruning?
Q: Recently our Bradford Pear tree was pruned to this extreme. Will it still grow and bloom? A: Bradford pear is a tough tree to kill. Your tree will probably recover. The person who did the pruning thought this would...
Can I change Color of Oakleaf or Panicle Hydrangea?
Q: Is there a way to change flower color on oakleaf and tree hydrangeas? A: No, the old-fashioned bigleaf hydrangea is the only one that responds to soil pH to change flower color. Oakleaf hydrangea flowers are white when they...
Can I Crop Indeterminate Tomato? Distinguish Determinate from Indeterminate
Q: If I plant indeterminate tomatoes can I crop the top to keep them from growing tall? A: Pruning an indeterminate tomato to make it bushier is possible but you’ll be fighting Mother Nature. After planting, indeterminate tomatoes grow for...
Slime Mold on Pine Straw
Q: I have looked and looked trying to see if this fungus is harmful to my roses. A: I am not an expert, but I think this is a slime mold, which is different from a fungus. Either way, it...
Loropetalum – Yellow leaves
Q: Our four loropetalum bushes seem to have something wrong. They stay wet where they are planted, especially with all the rain. Just planted last year. A: Loropetalum is a tough shrub but, like a lot of woody plants, it...
Diagnosing (Identifying) Holes in the Yard
Sometimes many heads are better than one when it comes to solving a problem. Wade Hutcheson, my Extension colleague in Spalding county, gets plenty of calls from the citizens of his area asking his help in identifying various holes in...
Weeds – Identification with Pictures
Weed control in the landscape is a tough business. You have to know a lot about the weed in question just to get started! As in most situations, a picture is worth a thousand words. Go through the sites below,...
Bermuda – Weed Control
BASIC INFORMATION: Weed Identification Pictures General Turf and Weed Info Lawn Care Calendars THREE METHODS There are three primary methods of controlling weeds. Any one method, when used alone, will not usually control all of your weeds. To consistently control...
Brown Patch – Diagnosing
You have brown patches of dead grass in your lawn. Is it the common lawn disease ‘brown patch’ or is it something else? The answer is important: if it is brown patch you probably need to spray with a fungicide....
Timing Spring Pre-emergent Herbicide Application on Lawn
One of the sourest phrases that can be directed at a child or adult is “I told you so!” Whether you touch a hot match, leave tools out in the rain, or lift cinder blocks all afternoon, someone is usually...
Lawn – Growing in Shade
OK. I admit it. I have given up. I came to the conclusion that grass just would not grow in the corner of my lawn near the ornamental cherry trees. The shade there is so dense that my grass, no...
St. Augustine Grass Seed – Where to Buy
Q: Please tell me where I can buy St. Augustine grass seeds. Our lawn has some now and we like it a lot, but we’re having trouble finding seeds. A: You can’t buy St. Augustinegrass seed. The plant is very...
Bermuda Grass – Disease – Brown Patch
Brown patch is most prevalent on bermudagrass which has been heavily fertilized when night temperatures are above 68 degrees and day temperature are above 80 degrees. Dead patches of grass may start small but can grow and join together to...
Lawn – Leveling
A new home in my neighborhood had bermudagrass sod planted in March. By May, one area was a perfect checkerboard of straight lines, composed of weedy plants, surrounding the individual squares of sod. Evidently the sod installers were in such...
Crapemyrtle – Pruning
One of the most confounding arguments I face is whether and how to prune crapemyrtles. They are mercilessly “murdered” by unaware landscapers and homeowners each winter… yet they still bloom in summer. Some people even believe a crapemyrtle won’t bloom...
