Gardening Q and A
Iris – Aphids
Q: I have irises that have bugs on the leaves. The bugs seem to be tiny, green-winged creatures and there are LOTS of them. Can you tell me what I should use to spray or treat them? A: The insects...
Weed and Feed – Poor Performance
Q: I have a question about what to do to kill weeds. I have bermudagrass in the front lawn and fescuegrass in back. They are infested with crabgrass and chickweed, etc. I purchased several weed and feed products to use...
Propagation – Reference Books
Q: I have been reasonably successful rooting woody plants in my landscape but I need to know more. Is there a good reference book on plant propagation that you could recommend? A: I like “Secrets of Plant Propagation: Starting Your...
Cherry – Sweet
Q: I recently purchased a ‘Tartarian’ cherry tree at a home improvement store. I can’t find much information on growing it. Any info on this subject would be appreciated. A: Sweet cherry trees (‘Bing’, ‘Tartarian’, ‘Ranier’, etc) do not survive...
Dodder
Q: I maintain a large flower bed . Several week ago, I noticed a bright yellow vine growing over one of the plants. After just a couple of weeks, it had spread over the whole bed and covered many of...
Bahia (Bahiagrass) – Control
Q: I have bahiagrass, which I hate, in my yard. Do you have any long term solutions/suggestions for getting rid of it? A: Bahiagrass is sometimes used as a turfgrass or forage but it is usually viewed as a weed...
Houseplants – Dripping Water
Q: My corn plant is crying! Every few days I notice a drop of water clinging to several of the leaf tips. Why is it doing this? A: The phenomenon is called “guttation”. It happens when a tropical plant has...
Compost – White Roots Growing in It
Q: I am an experienced gardener and have a puzzling situation to which I cannot find the answer. Anytime I have a pile of compost or wood chips, a mass of string-like roots have grown in the bottom of the...
Sweet Potato – Planting Ornamental Type
Q: I have planted some ‘Blackie’ and ‘Margarita’ ornamental sweet potato this year. I want to collect the potatoes to plant more of them next year. Do you have any suggestions on how to store them and prepare them for...
Leyland Cypress – Growth Rate
Q: We want to plant Leyland cypress trees along both sides of our back yard, for screen. My question is how much do these trees grow a year? I was told the first year they sleep, the second year they...
Bottle Gourd – Identification
Q: I am hoping you can tell me what the plant shown on the attached pictures is. It is a volunteer that grows with gusto. It’s blossoms open at night and close in the morning. As you can see it...
Bone Meal vs Blood Meal
Q: What is the difference in bone and blood meal? How are they used and where do they come from? A: Blood meal is made by flash-drying blood that is collected at a slaughterhouse. It is high in nitrogen, with...
Calla Lily
Q: I have a calla lily plant I received as a gift. It was blooming when I received it but has not flowered again in two years. Green leaves sprout ever year but it never blooms. A friend has had...
Ornamental Sweet Potato – Edible or Not
Q: Are the tubers from the ornamental sweet potato vine edible? A: Sure – and you’ll get 200 percent of your daily roughage requirements in the bargain! Ornamental sweet potatoes are the same species as the edible kind but they...
Zoysiagrass – Overseed with Ryegrass
Q: I have always wanted a green lawn in winter. How much will it hurt my zoysiagrass lawn to overseed with ryegrass this winter? A: Turf researcher Dr. Clint Waltz says there is no real reason or advantage to overseed...
Tiller – Choosing
Q: You mentioned recently that you have a “little two-cycle tiller” that works well for you. I have been looking for a tillers for several months now and have been told that only an expensive 6 horsepower rear-tine tiller will...
Tea Camellia
Q: I am working with a client who lives in Stone Mountain (very close to the mountain itself) who wants to know the uses of her property since the 1821 land lottery. She has been told that her land was...
Poinsettia Tree – Care
Q: I have kept and gotten poinsettias to recolor every year for a long time, using a dark basement and timer grow light. This year I have a new challenge–someone gave me a poinsettia tree about 4′ tall–bright red with...
