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, then choose your method of weed control. Remember: healthy, vigorous...
Venomous (Poisonous) Caterpillars – Photos
Several kinds of venomous caterpillars are commonly seen in late summer – early fall. They are usually inconspicuous, so when one is encountered it’s “OUCH – what stung me???!!“. Below are photos of those you might find in the Southeast. Because they are so uncommon and because they feed on...
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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Lesser celandine (Fig Buttercup) – Control
Q: Can someone identify this? It’s everywhere this year. A: It is lesser celandine (fig buttercup), Ficaria verna. Although the yellow flowers are attractive, it grows so quickly that it chokes out other plans. Ferns, trillium, and other spring ephemerals...
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Holly dying in same spot
Q: Two hollies have died in the same spot over the last couple of years.. The first one was replaced and now this one has died. I watered in absence of rain for a week. A: It looks to me...
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Sky Pencil holly has dead branches
Q: Any ideas why these branches died? A: I don’t know why ‘Sky Pencil’ holly does this but I have seen it before. Clip the dead branches at a spot below the brown leaves. Use a knife to gently scrape...
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Popcorn sheller
Q: Here is my DIY popcorn sheller. I don’t know why more people don’t grow popcorn. Especially folks with kids. So easy to grow and fun! A: On the farm, we used a purpose-built hand-cranked cast iron corn sheller to...
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Huge sweet potatoes!
Q: I have grown sweet potato’s before, but have never seen anything like this. This is the first year for our garden. The sweet potatoes that I dug were malformed and very large. These were Georgia Jet variety. One was...
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Big white splotch on pine bark
Q: Can you help me identify what might be going on with my tree? It isn’t a mushroom; the white splotches are up about five feet on the trunk. It also has a large hole/crack nearby. A: The white stuff...
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Is dogfennel an ornamental or a weed?
Q: What is this. Should I cut the canes to get it to grow back this year? A: It is common dogfennel,Eupatorium capillifolium. I cannot decide whether it is a weed or an ornamental plant. I love the feathery stems...
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Spider mites on marigold
Q: I have not seen this before. Is this from spiders? A: You have an enormous infestation of spider mites. The last several weeks of 2019 were perfect for spider mites: hot and dry. Here, their population exploded and the...
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White roots in dead pine needles
Q: I’ve dug up some strange white organic material while planting a hedge row in my back yard. The ground was neglected for several years and is covered with a thick layer of pine needles and pine cones. Should I...
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Caring for tree after machinery damage
Q: I had my front yard dug up due to a collapsed sewer line. The backhoe damaged a six inch square of bark on one side of my mature dogwood tree. Is there anything I should do to ensure better...
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Poorly planted tree in decline
Q: I have a tree in my front yard that is already changing leaf color in early September and has some black ooze coming out of spots on the trunk. A: The root system is in decline, either from poor...
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Okra pods not pollinated
Q: I was away for a week and wasn’t able to cut my okra while gone. When I returned there were ants on the stalk and I noticed that the small pods would fall off when I shook the plant...
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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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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...
Lesser celandine (Fig Buttercup) – Control
Q: Can someone identify this? It’s everywhere this year. A: It is lesser celandine (fig buttercup), Ficaria verna. Although the yellow flowers are attractive, it grows so quickly that it chokes out other plans. Ferns, trillium, and other spring ephemerals...
Holly dying in same spot
Q: Two hollies have died in the same spot over the last couple of years.. The first one was replaced and now this one has died. I watered in absence of rain for a week. A: It looks to me...
Sky Pencil holly has dead branches
Q: Any ideas why these branches died? A: I don’t know why ‘Sky Pencil’ holly does this but I have seen it before. Clip the dead branches at a spot below the brown leaves. Use a knife to gently scrape...
Popcorn sheller
Q: Here is my DIY popcorn sheller. I don’t know why more people don’t grow popcorn. Especially folks with kids. So easy to grow and fun! A: On the farm, we used a purpose-built hand-cranked cast iron corn sheller to...
Huge sweet potatoes!
Q: I have grown sweet potato’s before, but have never seen anything like this. This is the first year for our garden. The sweet potatoes that I dug were malformed and very large. These were Georgia Jet variety. One was...
Big white splotch on pine bark
Q: Can you help me identify what might be going on with my tree? It isn’t a mushroom; the white splotches are up about five feet on the trunk. It also has a large hole/crack nearby. A: The white stuff...
Is dogfennel an ornamental or a weed?
Q: What is this. Should I cut the canes to get it to grow back this year? A: It is common dogfennel,Eupatorium capillifolium. I cannot decide whether it is a weed or an ornamental plant. I love the feathery stems...
Spider mites on marigold
Q: I have not seen this before. Is this from spiders? A: You have an enormous infestation of spider mites. The last several weeks of 2019 were perfect for spider mites: hot and dry. Here, their population exploded and the...
White roots in dead pine needles
Q: I’ve dug up some strange white organic material while planting a hedge row in my back yard. The ground was neglected for several years and is covered with a thick layer of pine needles and pine cones. Should I...
Caring for tree after machinery damage
Q: I had my front yard dug up due to a collapsed sewer line. The backhoe damaged a six inch square of bark on one side of my mature dogwood tree. Is there anything I should do to ensure better...
Poorly planted tree in decline
Q: I have a tree in my front yard that is already changing leaf color in early September and has some black ooze coming out of spots on the trunk. A: The root system is in decline, either from poor...
Okra pods not pollinated
Q: I was away for a week and wasn’t able to cut my okra while gone. When I returned there were ants on the stalk and I noticed that the small pods would fall off when I shook the plant...
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...
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...
