Gardening Q and A
Meyer Lemon – Bloom Time
Q: I think my Meyer lemon tree is confused! It is flowering and has baby lemons started in winter. I pruned it last January, hoping the new growth would stimulate flowers in April, but just got more green foliage. What...
Dogs – Eating Pears
Q: We have a pear tree in the backyard which we don’t do much with. This year it was loaded with pears. When the pears starting dropping we noticed that our dogs took interest in them. We soon noticed that...
Spider Mites – On Citrus (Orange)
Q: Our 8-year-old son was 5 when he stuck a seed from his Clementine orange into a flower pot with old potting soil in it. We all kidded him, telling him that it would never grow. And just like in...
Cryptomeria – Losing Limbs (Dieback)
Q: I have several ‘Yoshino’ cryptomeria trees in my back yard. They are very large, maybe 25 feet tall. About two years ago, I noticed that one of the 5 had some brown patches on it. The about a year...
Wax Scale – On Camellia
Q: I found this growing on a Japanese maple and camellia bush in my front entryway. It looks like a tiny blob of bird poop but is attached to the plant at the joints and seems to be a deposit...
Blueberry Growing – With High Calcium
Q: I would like to plant blueberries in what was my vegetable garden. I had a soil test done by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and it came back that I had high Calcium (1088 lbs/acre). Will I be...
Citrus Leafroller – Identification
Q: On my citrus tree I found one leaf strangely “sewn” into a pocket. As there was nothing inside the pocket it has me stumped. A: My guess is a leafroller moth. There are several hundred moths of this kind....
Smallflower Pawpaw – Identification
Q: Can you please tell me what this shrub is in Eatonton? It has pods 1″ – 2″ long; no pulp just large brown beans inside. It is over 25 years old but still only about 5 feet tall. I...
Trees – Fertilizing in Winter
Q: A tree company wants to fertilize my trees with 30-7-9 fertilizer. Wouldn’t I be better off waiting until March or April? A: If your tree hasn’t been fed in a while, I don’t have a problem with fertilizing, even...
Eastern Redcedar – Identification
Q: I found this young tree growing right next to the house. I relocated to the spot shown. Can you tell me what type of evergreen it is? It’s planted 15-18 feet from the creek and will occasionally flood; do...
Liriope vs Mondo Grass
Q: I have variegated monkey grass growing in my yard. Near it there is some non-varigated variety of grass coming up. Is this monkey grass? A: You have two kissing cousins growing in the same spot. Variegated monkey grass is...
Viburnum tinus – Identification
Q: I have a large evergreen flowering shrub that is over 10 feet tall and has been blooming since November. It blooms through the winter. I have wondered if it is a viburnum. A: You’re right! Garden designer Shannon Pable...
Moss – Control on Walkway
Q: We have a beautiful walkway with steps of large Georgia creek rocks. They are getting moss on them and are slippery. What can I use to kill the moss without killing the plants that grow between the stones? A:...
Millet – Identification
Q: This plant voluntarily appeared in our back yard this summer. Can you ID it? A: It’s millet, a common component of birdseed because it is inexpensive In my experience it is not a good idea to feed millet mixtures...
Sinkhole – Repairing
Q: I built my home in 1986. The builder buried trash in my back yard and this created a continuous sink hole. I have had this fixed 3 times only to see it come back. In June of 2009 we...
Leopard Moth Caterpillar – Identification
Q: What is this fuzzy caterpillar? My Dad and I found it in some flowers. A: It’s the caterpillar form of a leopard moth, Ecpantheria scribonia. Despite its fierce name, the leopard moth does not bite…it just has beautiful spots...
Sycamore (also oak, sweetgum) – Bacterial Leaf Scorch
Q: My sycamore was losing leaves and I hired an arborist to look at it. He says I have bacterial leaf scorch and that he can only chop out the affected branches. Is there anything I can spray? A: Sadly,...
Wildlife Sanctuary Certification
Q: We saw a TV show about wildlife sanctuaries. We have three acres of land with ponds, birdhouses, all sorts of flowers, vegetables, and a virtual forest in front of the house. How can we be certified as a wildlife...
