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 – 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...
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...
South Africa Adventure – 2014
As many of you know, I led a group of gardeners and spouses to South Africa in 2010. The memories of that vibrant, beautiful, surprising country still linger in my brain! We had such a good time I’ve decided to lead another group trip there in January, 2014. Want to...
New Gardening Books
I regularly receive interesting-looking gardening books from publishers. I don’t have time to read them all or give an intelligent review but I know they would appeal to many gardeners. These are some of the books I’ve gotten recently. You can click the link under the book cover images to...
Yellow necked Caterpillars – On Blueberry
Q: Some very large, fuzzy, black caterpillars with yellow stripes are devouring the leaves of my blueberries. Should steps be taken to eliminate them? A: You are seeing yellow neck caterpillars. Notice how they lift their front and hind quarters...
Caterpillars – Which Ones are Poisonous
Q: My friends and I have found dozens of caterpillars under the trees in our school playground. How can you tell if a caterpillar is poisonous? Are there girl and boy caterpillars? I am nine years old. Nick East, Candler...
Kimberly Queen Fern
Q: I planted Kimberly Queen ferns in my shaded garden last year and they were beautiful until the ice storm hit. They, of course, died shortly thereafter, but I am noticing that there are green grape-like things on the ground...
Cicada and Katydid – Identification by Sound
Q: Some of my friends say the loud chorus of chirping sounds at night is tree frogs and others say it is cicadas. Do you know? A: I think you were hearing annual cicadas and katydids singing in the treetops.....
Hydroponic Lettuce Using a Plastic Tub
Q: I saw your TV show about growing lettuce in a plastic tub. Can you give more details? A: Tom Wichman, Master Gardener coordinator in Florida, introduced me to the concept. He got all of his information...
Japanese ligustrum – Identification
Q: This tree was on our lot when we built the house. In winter it has a lot of berries. Any idea what it might be? A: It’s Japanese ligustrum, Ligustrum japonicum. You’re probably very familiar with Chinese ligustrum, Ligustrum...
Hairy Bittercress – Identification
Q: I can’t seem to identify this weed and its properties. I have it in centipedegrass even though I put down fall and spring pre-emergent. How do I go about treating it? A: It’s hairy bittercress. I’m surprised you got...
Cypress Mulch – Problems
Q: Is cypress mulch good for roses? Would it have any bad effects? A: Cypress mulch won’t hurt your roses but I hope you won’t buy any more of it. One of the causes of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina...
Pampas Grass – Remove
Q: How do I get rid of two large pampas grass plants? Can I burn them? Dig them up? A: Burning is usually not successful because the roots are protected by soil. I’d chop them down to six inches tall...
Daphne – Wilt
Q: My daphne looks like it is wilting. I watered it but it does not look any better. How can I save it? A: You probably can’t save it. Daphne is very susceptible to a disease called Phytophthora, which infects...
Queen Anne’s Pocketbook Melon
Q: I propagate pomegranates as a hobby. I am quite familiar with the shrub that bears large fruit filled with sticky red seeds each fall. My question concerns a plant everybody in north Georgia calls a pomegranate but it grows...
Thermal Blue Bluegrass – Where to Buy
Q: Where can I get Thermal Blue Bluegrass seed? A: Delta Landscape Supply in Norcross has Hybrid Power a mixture of Fescue and 10% Thermal Blue. They also have straight Thermal Blue. Their # is...
Crabgrass – Identification
Q: What is this weed in my bermuda lawn? A: It’s crabgrass. If you want to be sure, wait until it puts up a...
Virginia copperleaf – Identification
Q: What is this weed in my garden? A: Virginia copperleaf, Acalypha...
Pokeweed (Poke Sallet)
Q: The Yankees in our Sunday School class at First Baptist Church of Buford are not familiar with the Southern plant known as poke salad. Do you know the correct spelling and if there is a scientific name for it?...
Tomato – Cracking Fruit
Q: I have tomatoes planted in whiskey barrels on my porch (full sun). They got pruned a little in hopes of having some bigger fruit. Both barrels show signs like this – but only on some fruit. Any help would...
Gourd – Drying
Q: Where can I find how to dry and utilize gourds? A: Allow your gourds to ripen on the vine. The best way to determine they are ripe is to wait for the stem to wither in cooler weather. Clean...
Grape – Black Rot Disease
Q: What’s wring with my grapes? This is the second year in a row. They get about 1/4 inch in diameter, turn black and fall off. A: Your grapes have a disease called black rot. Its first symptom is small...
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. Websites Preen has terrific weed...
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...
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...
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...
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...
