Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam) – Trip Announcement
I have always been curious about Southeast Asia. My only exposure so far has been the disturbing nightly news on TV in the late ‘60’s and National Geographic magazine articles. I have wondered how Vietnam has changed from our national foe to a valued trading partner. How do people along...
Yellowjackets – Control
Yellowjackets are extremely aggressive and will attack if their nest is threatened. When stung, an intruder is marked with a special scent that encourages other yellow jackets to attack. As with fire ants, some people can have severe reactions to yellow jacket stings. These insects are actually beneficial because they...
UGA Vegetable Gardening Publications
With food prices high, folks have been thinking about growing some of their own food. Food gardening is not hard and it doesn’t have to take much room in your landscape. You can even do it in containers! These gardening publications are available on the Internet or ask for a...
Timing and Choosing Pre-emergent Weed Preventers, Spring and Fall
Pre-emergents (weed preventers) are applied to the landscape to prevent seeds from germinating. The key is the timing. Pre-emergent herbicides MUST be applied BEFORE summer weeds (crabgrass, etc) seed germinate. In general, to get good summer weed control in Atlanta you should apply a pre-emergent on March 1. For winter...
Walter’s Books Make Great Gifts!
Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas coming up, a gardener in your life would surely appreciate a book that describes exactly how to be successful. Consider giving a signed copy of one of Walter’s books! Click here to go to book sales...
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Chinese Quince (Quincedonia) – Description
Q: I grew up in East Atlanta on the old Confederate Soldiers Home streetcar/bus line. In my grandmother’s back yard stood a gorgeous tree that she alternately referred to as a “quincedonia” tree and a quince tree. It was 20-25...
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Armadillo Damage to Lawn
Q: Something damaged my mother’s lawn in Roswell. My tentative assessment is armadillo, as I reside in north Florida and the pits are similar. A: I think you are exactly right. Armadillos are present in your Mom’s area and the...
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Fungus Growing From Retaining Wall
Q: I have this fungus growing on this retaining wall. It has been there 10 years but this is the first time this has shown up. Do you know of anything I can use to kill it? I power washed...
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Weeds in New Fescue – Controlling
Q: I have new fescue seeds growing along with small weeds. I planted the fescue seeds in early Oct. Is there anything that I can treat the lawn with that will kill the weed and not the grass at this...
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Beginning Landscaping for a New House
Q: We just bought a lovely house in Atlanta’s Edgewood neighborhood. The house has a big back yard but we’ve run into a couple of landscape challenges. We don’t really know where to start. We’ve recently learned that people used...
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Acorn Plum Wasp Gall – Identification
Q: Found this under a red oak. It “bled” when cut open, but it’s now dried up to a woody lump. A: It’s an acorn plum wasp gall. It forms beside acorns as opposed to the spongy oak apple gall,...
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Thorny Rose – Rosette vs Glyphosate Damage
Q: Can you tell me what makes a rose sprout shoots like this? It’s an old rose, maybe 15 yrs. old. A: The thorniness reminds me of rose rosette virus. See the links here but the balls of tiny leaves...
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Crapemyrtle – Cold Damage to Leaves (interveinal chlorosis)
Q: I planted a Natchez crape myrtle 10 days ago (late October) and now the leaves are starting to look strange. Can you help me? A: This is really interesting! My bet is that it is cold (or chilling) damage....
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Pre-emergent (pendimethalim) – Stains
Q: What could cause these stains? Bleach and a pressure washer will not clean it off. A: It sure looks like the stains caused by pendimethalin pre-emergent. The label clearly says to avoid getting it on hard surfaces. The chemical...
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Pawpaw – Growing From Seed
Q: Is it difficult to grow a pawpaw tree from seed? A: It isn’t terribly hard but you’ll need to be patient. Keep a copy of “Moby Dick (click to buy)”on hand for down times. Ishmael will be your companion...
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Jelly Bean Plant – Identification
Q: I was given a plant called a “jelly bean” plant. It has a three-lobed leaf and flowers like a hibiscus. I found a nursery in Louisiana that said it was a ‘Red Zinger’ hibiscus. I don’t know if this...
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Rough Green Snake – Identification
Q: Can you identify this snake for me? I found it in a small tree. I watched it as it climbed onto a low hanging limb of an oak and then I got him! I figure that it is harmless...
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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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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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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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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 – 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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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...
Chinese Quince (Quincedonia) – Description
Q: I grew up in East Atlanta on the old Confederate Soldiers Home streetcar/bus line. In my grandmother’s back yard stood a gorgeous tree that she alternately referred to as a “quincedonia” tree and a quince tree. It was 20-25...
Armadillo Damage to Lawn
Q: Something damaged my mother’s lawn in Roswell. My tentative assessment is armadillo, as I reside in north Florida and the pits are similar. A: I think you are exactly right. Armadillos are present in your Mom’s area and the...
Fungus Growing From Retaining Wall
Q: I have this fungus growing on this retaining wall. It has been there 10 years but this is the first time this has shown up. Do you know of anything I can use to kill it? I power washed...
Weeds in New Fescue – Controlling
Q: I have new fescue seeds growing along with small weeds. I planted the fescue seeds in early Oct. Is there anything that I can treat the lawn with that will kill the weed and not the grass at this...
Beginning Landscaping for a New House
Q: We just bought a lovely house in Atlanta’s Edgewood neighborhood. The house has a big back yard but we’ve run into a couple of landscape challenges. We don’t really know where to start. We’ve recently learned that people used...
Acorn Plum Wasp Gall – Identification
Q: Found this under a red oak. It “bled” when cut open, but it’s now dried up to a woody lump. A: It’s an acorn plum wasp gall. It forms beside acorns as opposed to the spongy oak apple gall,...
Thorny Rose – Rosette vs Glyphosate Damage
Q: Can you tell me what makes a rose sprout shoots like this? It’s an old rose, maybe 15 yrs. old. A: The thorniness reminds me of rose rosette virus. See the links here but the balls of tiny leaves...
Crapemyrtle – Cold Damage to Leaves (interveinal chlorosis)
Q: I planted a Natchez crape myrtle 10 days ago (late October) and now the leaves are starting to look strange. Can you help me? A: This is really interesting! My bet is that it is cold (or chilling) damage....
Pre-emergent (pendimethalim) – Stains
Q: What could cause these stains? Bleach and a pressure washer will not clean it off. A: It sure looks like the stains caused by pendimethalin pre-emergent. The label clearly says to avoid getting it on hard surfaces. The chemical...
Pawpaw – Growing From Seed
Q: Is it difficult to grow a pawpaw tree from seed? A: It isn’t terribly hard but you’ll need to be patient. Keep a copy of “Moby Dick (click to buy)”on hand for down times. Ishmael will be your companion...
Jelly Bean Plant – Identification
Q: I was given a plant called a “jelly bean” plant. It has a three-lobed leaf and flowers like a hibiscus. I found a nursery in Louisiana that said it was a ‘Red Zinger’ hibiscus. I don’t know if this...
Rough Green Snake – Identification
Q: Can you identify this snake for me? I found it in a small tree. I watched it as it climbed onto a low hanging limb of an oak and then I got him! I figure that it is harmless...
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,...
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....
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...
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 – 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...
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...
