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...
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...
“English Ivy Kills Trees” Sign – Who Places Them?
OK – my curiosity is killing me! Who puts up these signs at random spots around Atlanta? I’ve asked a number of arborists: No knowledge. I’ve posted it on Facebook; 21,000 people saw the post: lots of comments, but no answer. If you know, please email me! Debbi D. comments...
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...
Shrub – Pruning Calendar
The Home & Garden section of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution published a very nice pruning calendar several years ago. When viewed on a sheet of newsprint, it was gorgeous. When reduced to fit onto a sheet of typing paper it was impossible to read. I imagine you didn’t keep...
African Violet – Repotting Offsets
Q: My African violet has produced another stem from the main stem and the new “baby” is blooming! Can I divide them? A: It’s not terribly unusual for a mature African violet to make a “baby” sprouting from the main...
Monarch Butterfly – Attracting
Q: I’d like to plant milkweed to attract and feed Monarch butterflies. Where can I get seed? A: “Monarchs Across Georgia” is a project of the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia . They have a great website that lists resources...
Climbing Spikes (Spurs) – Damage to Tree
Q: I have some large pines in the yard that need some dead limbs taken out. Will the climbing spikes on a tree guy’s boots hurt the tree? A: The consensus among professional tree care companies is that spikes do...
‘Yellow Delicious’ Apple – Pollination
Q: I recently purchased a Yellow Delicious apple tree. Do I need a pollinator for it? A: You’ll get reasonably good fruit set with a single tree but better pollination will occur if you have a ‘Stayman’ or ‘Rome Beauty’...
Mole Control – Close the Tunnels
Q: We have moles digging up our yard. How do we get rid of them? A: Mole control partially depends on your own psychological makeup. If you are a Type A person who simply must see a dead mole, use...
Pre-emergent – Application in Coastal Georgia
Q: I’ve seen your recommendation to apply a pre-emergent on March 1. Is that just for the Atlanta area? When should I apply pre-emergent herbicide on the Georgia coast? A: You’re right. Crabgrass wakes up earlier in warmer sites in...
Hand Cream – For Gardeners’ Dry Skin
Q: A while back I heard an advertisement for a hand cream for gardeners with dry skin. Do you know its name? A: I’ve used Udder Butter before with good results. It was invented to heal skin cracks in cow...
Vole – Damage to Base of Cherry
Q: This cherry tree is my favorite and its base is showing this damage. I do not want to lose it. A: I’ve seen identical damage at the base of a flowering cherry that “up and died” overnight. One day...
Florida Betony – Edible
Q: I have a very invasive weed with a tuberous root. Can you tell me what it is and how to get rid of it? A: It’s a really bad weed: Florida betony (aka rattlesnake weed). It’s hard to control but...
Hollow Tree – Rocks in Center
Q: I cut down a big red oak tree and found rocks in the hollow center. How did they get there? Possibilities include: long ago damage to tree and rocks were dumped in via the top (but there are no...
Philodendron – Rooting in Water
Q: I was pruning one of my philodendrons before putting them in the greenhouse for the winter. My wife found one of the leaves and put it in a glass with water. Now, here it is with a decent root...
Tomato Leaf Miner
Q: What do you know about the new pest tomato leaf miner? A: Zero! A gardener brought the pest to my attention in January, 2015 and all I could find was warnings that it would be very hard to manage....
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,...
Diagnosing 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...
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...
Lawn – Timing Pre-emergent Herbicide
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...
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...
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...
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 – 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...
African Violet – Repotting Offsets
Q: My African violet has produced another stem from the main stem and the new “baby” is blooming! Can I divide them? A: It’s not terribly unusual for a mature African violet to make a “baby” sprouting from the main...
Monarch Butterfly – Attracting
Q: I’d like to plant milkweed to attract and feed Monarch butterflies. Where can I get seed? A: “Monarchs Across Georgia” is a project of the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia . They have a great website that lists resources...
Climbing Spikes (Spurs) – Damage to Tree
Q: I have some large pines in the yard that need some dead limbs taken out. Will the climbing spikes on a tree guy’s boots hurt the tree? A: The consensus among professional tree care companies is that spikes do...
‘Yellow Delicious’ Apple – Pollination
Q: I recently purchased a Yellow Delicious apple tree. Do I need a pollinator for it? A: You’ll get reasonably good fruit set with a single tree but better pollination will occur if you have a ‘Stayman’ or ‘Rome Beauty’...
Mole Control – Close the Tunnels
Q: We have moles digging up our yard. How do we get rid of them? A: Mole control partially depends on your own psychological makeup. If you are a Type A person who simply must see a dead mole, use...
Pre-emergent – Application in Coastal Georgia
Q: I’ve seen your recommendation to apply a pre-emergent on March 1. Is that just for the Atlanta area? When should I apply pre-emergent herbicide on the Georgia coast? A: You’re right. Crabgrass wakes up earlier in warmer sites in...
Hand Cream – For Gardeners’ Dry Skin
Q: A while back I heard an advertisement for a hand cream for gardeners with dry skin. Do you know its name? A: I’ve used Udder Butter before with good results. It was invented to heal skin cracks in cow...
Vole – Damage to Base of Cherry
Q: This cherry tree is my favorite and its base is showing this damage. I do not want to lose it. A: I’ve seen identical damage at the base of a flowering cherry that “up and died” overnight. One day...
Florida Betony – Edible
Q: I have a very invasive weed with a tuberous root. Can you tell me what it is and how to get rid of it? A: It’s a really bad weed: Florida betony (aka rattlesnake weed). It’s hard to control but...
Hollow Tree – Rocks in Center
Q: I cut down a big red oak tree and found rocks in the hollow center. How did they get there? Possibilities include: long ago damage to tree and rocks were dumped in via the top (but there are no...
Philodendron – Rooting in Water
Q: I was pruning one of my philodendrons before putting them in the greenhouse for the winter. My wife found one of the leaves and put it in a glass with water. Now, here it is with a decent root...
Tomato Leaf Miner
Q: What do you know about the new pest tomato leaf miner? A: Zero! A gardener brought the pest to my attention in January, 2015 and all I could find was warnings that it would be very hard to manage....
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,...
Diagnosing 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...
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...
Lawn – Timing Pre-emergent Herbicide
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...
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...
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...
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 – 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...
