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 unless it is severely pruned. Crapemyrtles do not HAVE TO...
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...
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...
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Praying Mantis Egg Mass on Apple Twig
Q: I found this on an apple branch in December. A friend says it might be an apple-eating Asian devil worm. Should I remove it? A: Lucky you! You have found a praying mantis egg mass. It poses no threat...
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Planting Over a Septic System
Q: Any suggestions what we might plant over septic field to add some interest to the blank area? It gets filtered sun. A: Trees and shrubs are risky to plant over or near a drain field. Their roots penetrate more...
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Can I Make a Dwarf Japanese Maple Grow Tall?
Q: I have a five-year-old Japanese maple. It has never grown taller, only wider at the base. It resembles a mushroom with lacy leaves. We had some advice to prune the top out to promote vertical growth. As you can...
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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...
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Establishing a Bee Pasture
Q: I will be leasing two acres of land beneath some power lines. I want to develop a program that would cultivate bee forage, part of our effort to make Dunwoody a Bee City. I have support from local nature...
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Topping Bradford Pear is a Bad Idea
Q: The company that services our subdivision entrance just cut back our healthy 20-year-old Bradford pears. Was this a good decision? Might they go into shock? A: They will not go into shock. Pruning severely may prolong their life span...
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Does Severe Cold Hurt Pest Insects?
Q: Any good news on the bug front after the severe cold last week? A: I wish the cold weather would have an effect on insects like fire ants, ambrosia beetles, stinkbugs, etc. but it does not diminish their summertime...
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Croatia/Slovenia 2019 Trip Announcement
A common saying from my teenage years: “If it feels good, do it again!”. I’m older now, but I still say it…and here’s an example: I’m hosting another trip to Croatia (and adding Slovenia)! The trip last year was so...
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Pruning Okra
Q: In last year’s garden the okra did well but grew way too tall. Can it be pruned to keep it lower and still produce well? A: You sure can! As common okra varieties age, the top of the plant...
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Magnolia – Leaves Stripped by Hurricane
Q: I have a magnolia tree in Florida that was damaged by Hurricane Michael. The top of the tree is broken as well as most of the side branches. It has begun to put out a few small leaves. Will...
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Ants – Harmful to Tree?
Q: I have an Autumn Glory maple that we planted two years ago. I see ants on the trunk during the year. I have treated the ground with some ant killer but still I see these little holes that ants...
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Yaupon Holly – Severe Pruning
Q: We have twenty-year-old weeping yaupon hollies that are getting too tall. We prune 2-3 times a year but they are getting harder to prune. Can we cut them back to below window height? We’ve already had to remove two....
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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...
Praying Mantis Egg Mass on Apple Twig
Q: I found this on an apple branch in December. A friend says it might be an apple-eating Asian devil worm. Should I remove it? A: Lucky you! You have found a praying mantis egg mass. It poses no threat...
Planting Over a Septic System
Q: Any suggestions what we might plant over septic field to add some interest to the blank area? It gets filtered sun. A: Trees and shrubs are risky to plant over or near a drain field. Their roots penetrate more...
Can I Make a Dwarf Japanese Maple Grow Tall?
Q: I have a five-year-old Japanese maple. It has never grown taller, only wider at the base. It resembles a mushroom with lacy leaves. We had some advice to prune the top out to promote vertical growth. As you can...
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...
Establishing a Bee Pasture
Q: I will be leasing two acres of land beneath some power lines. I want to develop a program that would cultivate bee forage, part of our effort to make Dunwoody a Bee City. I have support from local nature...
Topping Bradford Pear is a Bad Idea
Q: The company that services our subdivision entrance just cut back our healthy 20-year-old Bradford pears. Was this a good decision? Might they go into shock? A: They will not go into shock. Pruning severely may prolong their life span...
Does Severe Cold Hurt Pest Insects?
Q: Any good news on the bug front after the severe cold last week? A: I wish the cold weather would have an effect on insects like fire ants, ambrosia beetles, stinkbugs, etc. but it does not diminish their summertime...
Croatia/Slovenia 2019 Trip Announcement
A common saying from my teenage years: “If it feels good, do it again!”. I’m older now, but I still say it…and here’s an example: I’m hosting another trip to Croatia (and adding Slovenia)! The trip last year was so...
Pruning Okra
Q: In last year’s garden the okra did well but grew way too tall. Can it be pruned to keep it lower and still produce well? A: You sure can! As common okra varieties age, the top of the plant...
Magnolia – Leaves Stripped by Hurricane
Q: I have a magnolia tree in Florida that was damaged by Hurricane Michael. The top of the tree is broken as well as most of the side branches. It has begun to put out a few small leaves. Will...
Ants – Harmful to Tree?
Q: I have an Autumn Glory maple that we planted two years ago. I see ants on the trunk during the year. I have treated the ground with some ant killer but still I see these little holes that ants...
Yaupon Holly – Severe Pruning
Q: We have twenty-year-old weeping yaupon hollies that are getting too tall. We prune 2-3 times a year but they are getting harder to prune. Can we cut them back to below window height? We’ve already had to remove two....
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...
