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...
Insecticidal nematodes – Insect Control
Q: What do you think about using beneficial nematodes for soil pests? I’ve heard a little about them, but wanted to know your thoughts. How big is that industry? Are they used for home gardens or commercial farmers? or both?...
Catalpa Tree – Caterpillars
Q: The ugly catalpa tree at our Nearly Native Nursery has always had the fish bait worms. We have several customers who have purchased trees from us but still no worms for them. How do they attract them? A: Catalpa...
Tree – Privacy Protection
Q: A builder just clear-cut all the trees behind our fence. Which is the better evergreen tree for fast growth, minimal maintenance, and effective privacy: Leyland Cypress or Thuja Green Giant? A: Either plant would be great. They can grow...
Weeds – Pre-emergent
Q: Is there any difference between the pre-emergence for winter weeds and the pre-emergence for summer weeds? A: No. While different chemicals are used in different products, they all prevent seed germination or sprout/root elongation after seedlings emerge. We’re getting...
Kingsnake – Attraction
Q: I appreciated your e-mail newsletter article about a kingsnake taking care of a copperhead. We have seen a number of copperheads on our property. Is there some way to encourage the kingsnake population? A: Snakes of any sort are...
Plants – Low-Light Options
Q: I’m trying to spruce up my college apartment with some herbs and plants but it doesn’t get much light. Do you have any recommendations for low-light plants? A:The best low-light indoor plants are golden pothos, aspidistra, aglaonema and spathiphyllum....
Silver Queen Corn – Pollination
Q: Every year I plant Silver Queen corn. My plants look great but the ears of corn only have kernels on two-thirds of the cob nearest the stalk. A: It’s a pollination problem. Corn pollen is transferred by breezes among...
Crop Rows – Plant Heights
Q: Why do plants at the end of crop rows become gradually shorter? I’ve wondered this for most of my 64 years. A: I’ve observed the same thing but I’ve never stopped to figure out why! My guess is that...
Maple Tree – Leaf Colors
Q: I intend to plant a maple tree in my front yard in late September. I want a tree that has fall leaf color of yellow/gold/red. What varieties of maple can you suggest? A: Donna Dixon at Four Seasons Nursery...
Japanese Climbing Fern
Q: I found an odd vine growing in the neglected landscape of a small office building in Buckhead. Is this Japanese climbing fern? A: You’re exactly right! This invasive vine can smother nearby perennials. I suspect it is brought into...
Tomato – Spliting
Q: I have two tomato plants in 24 inch pots. They are doing very well but 75 percent of the fruit is split at the top near the stem. Is there any solution for this? A: Fluctuations in soil moisture...
Centipede Grass – Prostrate Spruge
Q: My centipede lawn is being taken over by prostrate spurge. I know I should have put out pre-emergent, but is there anything I can do besides wait for it all to die? A: Prostrate spurge has wiry stems, a...
Lawn – Armyworms
Q: My back lawn was recently infested with army worms. I was out of town and didn’t notice it until it was too late. I sprayed B.t. and now they appear to be gone. Is it okay for me to...
Yoshino Cherry – Roundup
Q: My Yoshino cherry is sending up new shoots from its roots. My landscaper has been spraying them with Roundup. He says that this will not kill the tree. I disagree. Who is correct? A: Your landscaper is playing a...
Fescue – Summer Heat
Q: I seed, re-seed and fertilize my fescue lawn every year. I get beautiful grass every spring until early summer and the heat kills it. The yard is mostly sunny all day. What do I do? A: Look at it...
Okra – Trimming
Q: When okra gets six feet tall, what can be done to keep it from getting too tall to easily pick without reducing the daily harvest? A: You can’t do anything to reduce height that won’t also reduce flowers. I...
Willow Oak – Replacing
Q: I just removed an old willow oak from the front of my yard due to disease. I would like to replace the tree and was wondering what type of tree I should consider. A: You have several choices and...
Panicle Hydrangea – Pruning
Q: My hydrangea tree is fifteen feet tall and beautiful. I wonder if I should trim the lower branches and give the tree a trunk and a “head”. A: I’m guessing you have one of the panicle hydrangeas: Hydrangea paniculata...
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...
