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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Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) Control
Q: These weeds have taken over my beds. Can you help? What should I use to kill? A: The weed is yellow wood sorrel, Oxalis stricta, sometimes called yellow clover. It is tough to control. It arises from a taproot...
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Smilax vs English Ivy Berries for Birds
Q: I have a heavily wooded lot and have two tall trees that have some sort of vine growing on them. They have a shiny/waxed looking leaf, the fruit is blue berries that the robins absolutely love. Every year in...
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Sunflower Hulls Disappear Under Bird Feeder
Q: For 15 years I fed sunflower seeds to the birds in my Lawrenceville home and continually had to clean up the hulls under the feeders. I recently retired and moved to a home in Midway, Ga. I’m still feeding...
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No 10-10-10 for Blueberries
Q: I did some cleaning of leaves from around my blueberry bushes. Since we are about to have rain would it be a good idea to give them a little 10-10-10 so it would soak in well? A: I don’t...
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Make Topiary Using Spanish Moss?
Q: I want to re-purpose some old Christmas lawn decorations as topiaries. I removed all the lights and broken motors, staked them to the ground, and stuffed them with Spanish moss, which is easy to get from my trees. What...
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Rabbit Eating Hellebore (Lenten Rose)
Q: After ten years, some creature found our Lenten roses. Will they come back? Some have just stems left, some have leaves. A: The 45° angle of the stem cut makes me think the culprit has to be a rabbit....
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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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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...
-
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 – 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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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 – 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...
Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) Control
Q: These weeds have taken over my beds. Can you help? What should I use to kill? A: The weed is yellow wood sorrel, Oxalis stricta, sometimes called yellow clover. It is tough to control. It arises from a taproot...
Smilax vs English Ivy Berries for Birds
Q: I have a heavily wooded lot and have two tall trees that have some sort of vine growing on them. They have a shiny/waxed looking leaf, the fruit is blue berries that the robins absolutely love. Every year in...
Sunflower Hulls Disappear Under Bird Feeder
Q: For 15 years I fed sunflower seeds to the birds in my Lawrenceville home and continually had to clean up the hulls under the feeders. I recently retired and moved to a home in Midway, Ga. I’m still feeding...
No 10-10-10 for Blueberries
Q: I did some cleaning of leaves from around my blueberry bushes. Since we are about to have rain would it be a good idea to give them a little 10-10-10 so it would soak in well? A: I don’t...
Make Topiary Using Spanish Moss?
Q: I want to re-purpose some old Christmas lawn decorations as topiaries. I removed all the lights and broken motors, staked them to the ground, and stuffed them with Spanish moss, which is easy to get from my trees. What...
Rabbit Eating Hellebore (Lenten Rose)
Q: After ten years, some creature found our Lenten roses. Will they come back? Some have just stems left, some have leaves. A: The 45° angle of the stem cut makes me think the culprit has to be a rabbit....
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...
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...
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...
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 – 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...
