Rose – Black Spot Control
I have never found a rose that was one hundred percent resistant to black spot, the most common rose disease. The tell-tale yellow leaves adorn roses throughout Atlanta to one extent or another. The best way to avoid black spot is to plant disease-resistant roses. Earth-kind(tm) roses, promoted by...
Azalea and Camellia – Leaf Gall
Q: The leaves on the ends of some of my camellia branches are swollen and thicker than the rest of the leaves. They are also lighter green. I’ve seen this on azaleas but not on camellias. Is it the same thing? A: It is indeed the same disease: camellia (or...
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 their landscapes. Wade is certainly familiar with several of the...
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, identify your weed, then choose your method of weed control....
I’m retiring from radio (mostly)
January 4, 2020 Three months ago somebody lightheartedly asked me “When are you ever going to retire from radio” I have been asked this many times before. You know that I already retired once from the University of GA after 30 years there. And I’ve always said “Why would I...
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Rabbit damage and sunburn on sedum
Q: Something chopped off my sedum plant. It looks like a chemical burn on the remaining leaves and some have blown up like balloons. Could deer/critter saliva cause that? A: Because the stem cuts look pretty sharp, I think a...
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Recovering loropetalum from severe pruning
Q: Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I cut these loropetalums back drastically when we moved in the house. What should we do now? A: An honest confession is good for the soul, my mother would say. Typically a loropetalum will...
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Dogwood with hole in trunk
Q: My 23-year-old Dogwood tree is having an issue on the trunk. Other than this, it looks fine. I saw some ants going in a hole on the trunk. A: I finally got my crystal ball Time Machine out of...
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Aphid explosion on evergreen clematis
Q: I just realized that the new growth on my evergreen clematis is looking really bad. A: Wow, that is a lot of aphids! These sapsucking insects are common in late spring/early summer and populations can explode if weather conditions...
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Results of using Tenacity herbicide on St Augustine for violets and nimblewill
From Gary P.: Last year I spoke with you during your Saturday morning Lawn & Garden Show about using a systemic herbicide, brand name Tenacity, for a grassy weed, common name nimblewill. The scary thing to me about Tenacity was...
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Remove centipede grass from zoysia
Q: Centipede grass is overtaking my Zoysia lawn in places. How do I eliminate the centipede grass and not hurt the Zoysia. A: Check the label on Acclaim Extra (fenoxaprop-p-ethyl). If read it correctly, this product will harm centipedegrass but...
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Start over with damaged crapemyrtle or not?
Q: I am concerned about two crape myrtle trees in my yard. When I purchased my house over two years ago I kept these two crape myrtles. The crape myrtles had been massacred in the past before I purchased the...
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Peach has lots of black spots on skin
Q: We have a lot of peaches this year but noticed they are getting black spots on the skin. Is it too late in the game to treat with a pesticide? A: A fine description of peach scab disease. The...
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Corn seedlings come up white
Q: A couple of my popcorn seedlings came up completely white! I’ve never seen that before. Albino corn? Can it survive without any green leaves? A: It is not terribly unusual, particularly with older varieties or heirloom varieties of corn,...
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Hydrangea limbs suddenly wilt and die
Q: Why would my well established oakleaf hydrangea that has been in the same spot for eight years and has always bloomed for me suddenly be dead? Last year many of the stalks seemed to be dying. This spring it...
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Hydrangea wilts after planting
Q: I planted hydrangeas to spruce up my yard before putting my house on the market. They were getting along just fine for over a month and then they began to fade and wilt. A: The wilted flowers on your...
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Hydrangeas not blooming
Q: I have six different big leaf hydrangeas all in a row. Only one is blooming. Any idea what’s going on? 2 of them are the Endless Summer variety. Should they all be pruned prior to August? A: When healthy...
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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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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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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 – 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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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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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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Lawn – Choosing the Best Grass
The first and most important question to ask is how much sun will be available to the grass. It is much better to use a grass that will grow in the conditions available rather than fighting the environment year after...
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Squash/Pumpkin/Cucumber/Watermelon Cross-Pollination – Explanation
I frequently receive from gardeners pictures of crazy-looking squash, cucumbers and gourds. Typically the plants sprouted in a compost pile, from discarded fruit of the past year. The gardeners suspect cross-pollination is to blame for the odd shapes and they...
Rabbit damage and sunburn on sedum
Q: Something chopped off my sedum plant. It looks like a chemical burn on the remaining leaves and some have blown up like balloons. Could deer/critter saliva cause that? A: Because the stem cuts look pretty sharp, I think a...
Recovering loropetalum from severe pruning
Q: Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I cut these loropetalums back drastically when we moved in the house. What should we do now? A: An honest confession is good for the soul, my mother would say. Typically a loropetalum will...
Dogwood with hole in trunk
Q: My 23-year-old Dogwood tree is having an issue on the trunk. Other than this, it looks fine. I saw some ants going in a hole on the trunk. A: I finally got my crystal ball Time Machine out of...
Aphid explosion on evergreen clematis
Q: I just realized that the new growth on my evergreen clematis is looking really bad. A: Wow, that is a lot of aphids! These sapsucking insects are common in late spring/early summer and populations can explode if weather conditions...
Results of using Tenacity herbicide on St Augustine for violets and nimblewill
From Gary P.: Last year I spoke with you during your Saturday morning Lawn & Garden Show about using a systemic herbicide, brand name Tenacity, for a grassy weed, common name nimblewill. The scary thing to me about Tenacity was...
Remove centipede grass from zoysia
Q: Centipede grass is overtaking my Zoysia lawn in places. How do I eliminate the centipede grass and not hurt the Zoysia. A: Check the label on Acclaim Extra (fenoxaprop-p-ethyl). If read it correctly, this product will harm centipedegrass but...
Start over with damaged crapemyrtle or not?
Q: I am concerned about two crape myrtle trees in my yard. When I purchased my house over two years ago I kept these two crape myrtles. The crape myrtles had been massacred in the past before I purchased the...
Peach has lots of black spots on skin
Q: We have a lot of peaches this year but noticed they are getting black spots on the skin. Is it too late in the game to treat with a pesticide? A: A fine description of peach scab disease. The...
Corn seedlings come up white
Q: A couple of my popcorn seedlings came up completely white! I’ve never seen that before. Albino corn? Can it survive without any green leaves? A: It is not terribly unusual, particularly with older varieties or heirloom varieties of corn,...
Hydrangea limbs suddenly wilt and die
Q: Why would my well established oakleaf hydrangea that has been in the same spot for eight years and has always bloomed for me suddenly be dead? Last year many of the stalks seemed to be dying. This spring it...
Hydrangea wilts after planting
Q: I planted hydrangeas to spruce up my yard before putting my house on the market. They were getting along just fine for over a month and then they began to fade and wilt. A: The wilted flowers on your...
Hydrangeas not blooming
Q: I have six different big leaf hydrangeas all in a row. Only one is blooming. Any idea what’s going on? 2 of them are the Endless Summer variety. Should they all be pruned prior to August? A: When healthy...
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...
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...
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 – 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...
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....
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...
Lawn – Choosing the Best Grass
The first and most important question to ask is how much sun will be available to the grass. It is much better to use a grass that will grow in the conditions available rather than fighting the environment year after...
Squash/Pumpkin/Cucumber/Watermelon Cross-Pollination – Explanation
I frequently receive from gardeners pictures of crazy-looking squash, cucumbers and gourds. Typically the plants sprouted in a compost pile, from discarded fruit of the past year. The gardeners suspect cross-pollination is to blame for the odd shapes and they...
