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...
Birds – Attracting
To attract birds at any time of the year, select plants that provide nectar, fruits, berries or nuts. There are many trees and shrubs that offer fruit or berries long into fall and even through winter. The small apples of ‘Zumi’ crabapple are a favorite of purple finches and many...
Fescue Planting – 1-2-3
September – October is the BEST time to plant a fescue lawn but March -April is also a possibility. I have tips on planting a new lawn or an existing lawn, whether with seed or sod. I also cover what kind of fescue is best. It is not as important...
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...
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....
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Repairing De-icer Damage to Plants
Q: Before a snow or ice event, the city spreads something on the street in front of my house. They used this clumpy blue stuff which I find on my lawn and flower bed. What can be done to avoid...
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Non-native plants don’t harm insects
Q: What effect do non-native plants have on insects in our landscapes? A: Contrary to what you might have heard, in some cases non-native plants are beneficial for local insects. Many insects are generalist feeders and can happily consume pollen,...
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Good example of tree healing a wound
Q: A few years ago my neighbor hit this tree with his car. He covered the damaged spot with tar and we thought everything was fine until a few days ago when I noticed a patch of raised bark on...
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Bradford pear pruned severely
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 so your tree will probably recover. The person who did the pruning thought this...
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Nice use of English ivy in a landscape
Q: I have been working on my yard for twenty years and have gone through a lot of trial and error. It is hilly and wooded and shaded. I’ve always had ivy for ground cover and have settled with azaleas,...
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Split trunk on mango
Q: I have a mango tree that I started growing from a seed in a pot twelve years ago. I’m very worried that I might be losing it. The trunk has been drying out. Is there a way to save...
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How to protect a stump carving
Q: A stump carver made this statue out of the stump of a water oak that we removed in November in our back yard. In spring, branches started to grow. A: Water oak has many shallow buds under the bark,...
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Coneflower rosette mite identification
Q: Why are there not any petals on my coneflowers? The plant right next to it is beautiful, full of cones with petals. A: You have coneflower rosette mite. Here are the typical symptoms: > cone has tufts, flower petals,...
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Oakleaf hydrangea has two colors of green leaf
Q: What are your thoughts about these unusual leaves? A: Wow, neat pictures! This is called a chimera. Basically, the bud that produced one of these leaves had a mutation in its cells, causing some of those cells to grow...
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Blood lily Seeds and Propagation
Q: Could you tell me what the red pods or fruit are on my blood lilies? A: These are the seedpods of the lily, whose Latin name is Scadoxus multiflorus or Haemanthus multiflorus. When the red pods begin to crinkle...
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Are brown limbs always sure death for Leyland cypress?
Q: We came back to our home this fall to see our 25-year-old Leyland Cypress & 10-year-old Sky Pencil holly dying. Any idea as to cause? Any hope? A: They both look like they were damaged by dry weather. Leyland...
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Tomato leaf miner control
Q: What is this on my tomato leaf? A: It’s the trail left by a tomato leaf miner. Leaf miner adults are small, black and yellow flies. Eggs are inserted in leaves and the resulting larvae feed between leaf surfaces,...
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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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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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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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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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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...
Repairing De-icer Damage to Plants
Q: Before a snow or ice event, the city spreads something on the street in front of my house. They used this clumpy blue stuff which I find on my lawn and flower bed. What can be done to avoid...
Non-native plants don’t harm insects
Q: What effect do non-native plants have on insects in our landscapes? A: Contrary to what you might have heard, in some cases non-native plants are beneficial for local insects. Many insects are generalist feeders and can happily consume pollen,...
Good example of tree healing a wound
Q: A few years ago my neighbor hit this tree with his car. He covered the damaged spot with tar and we thought everything was fine until a few days ago when I noticed a patch of raised bark on...
Bradford pear pruned severely
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 so your tree will probably recover. The person who did the pruning thought this...
Nice use of English ivy in a landscape
Q: I have been working on my yard for twenty years and have gone through a lot of trial and error. It is hilly and wooded and shaded. I’ve always had ivy for ground cover and have settled with azaleas,...
Split trunk on mango
Q: I have a mango tree that I started growing from a seed in a pot twelve years ago. I’m very worried that I might be losing it. The trunk has been drying out. Is there a way to save...
How to protect a stump carving
Q: A stump carver made this statue out of the stump of a water oak that we removed in November in our back yard. In spring, branches started to grow. A: Water oak has many shallow buds under the bark,...
Coneflower rosette mite identification
Q: Why are there not any petals on my coneflowers? The plant right next to it is beautiful, full of cones with petals. A: You have coneflower rosette mite. Here are the typical symptoms: > cone has tufts, flower petals,...
Oakleaf hydrangea has two colors of green leaf
Q: What are your thoughts about these unusual leaves? A: Wow, neat pictures! This is called a chimera. Basically, the bud that produced one of these leaves had a mutation in its cells, causing some of those cells to grow...
Blood lily Seeds and Propagation
Q: Could you tell me what the red pods or fruit are on my blood lilies? A: These are the seedpods of the lily, whose Latin name is Scadoxus multiflorus or Haemanthus multiflorus. When the red pods begin to crinkle...
Are brown limbs always sure death for Leyland cypress?
Q: We came back to our home this fall to see our 25-year-old Leyland Cypress & 10-year-old Sky Pencil holly dying. Any idea as to cause? Any hope? A: They both look like they were damaged by dry weather. Leyland...
Tomato leaf miner control
Q: What is this on my tomato leaf? A: It’s the trail left by a tomato leaf miner. Leaf miner adults are small, black and yellow flies. Eggs are inserted in leaves and the resulting larvae feed between leaf surfaces,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
