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 links below to check out what others...
Travel With Walter!
I have two garden trips coming up: Cuba in Oct. 2012 and Southern Italy in May, 2013. Both promise to be visually stunning, but most of all, fun! If you want to travel with a group of interesting people who love seeing new things and visiting the world, click these...
Lawn Fertilizing – Summary
The amount of fertilizer to apply to your lawn should be determined by a soil test (www.georgiasoiltest.com or by calling 1-800-ASKUGA-1. If you have not had your soil tested, or don’t have time to do the test, following are some rule-of-thumb recommendations for using lawn fertilizers found at garden centers....
Lawn Care Calendars and Factsheets
Knowing that a piece of paper in your hand is much more helpful than a computer screen in the house, I have compiled basic cultivation information and care calendars for each of the common lawn grasses. You can get and print the calendar for each lawn grass by clicking the...
Join Walter on Facebook
See that little blue Facebook icon over to the right? If you click on it you will be taken to the Facebook homepage. I’ve found Facebook to be a great way to send you quick garden tips during the week. I try to send one every day or so. If...
Gallon Pots – Reusing
Q: What steps are necessary when reusing one gallon pots when transplanting plants? Is it necessary to sterilize the pots from the previous soil source? A: Do you re-use, without cleaning, a fork that drops to the floor during a...
Leyland Cypress – Pruning
Q: I would like to prune some Leyland cypress trees standing next to our house. Shall I do the sides as well as the top to restrain it from growing A: You can’t restrain it from growing, but Norm Mittleider,...
Blueberries – Caterpillars
Q: Some 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 to...
Alberta Spruce – Dying
Q: I have had a dwarf Alberta spruce in a large pot for two years. Now it is showing signs of dying, one branch at a time. It appears that it isn’t getting enough water but that isn’t the case....
Grape Tomato Vine – 14+ Feet Tall
Q: My grape tomato vine is fourteen-plus feet tall. Is this normal? I’m risking my life to climb on the roof where I have attached them to pick the ones at the top. A: Now you know what an “indeterminate”...
Flowers for Coastal Georgia
Q: : I have some property on the Georgia coast that I’m trying to market. It would look far better if it had some flowers growing on it. What can I plant now? A: Roger Ditmer, director of horticulture at...
Kentucky 31 Fescue – Spreading Seed
Q: What setting should I use on a rotary spreader to spread Kentucky 31 fescue seed? Or does it matter? A: It ^DOES^ matter! You need to apply only 8 – 10 lb. per 1000 sq. feet. If you put...
Container Gardening – Reusing Soil
Q: I did container gardening this year and used a lot of potting soil for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, spinach and romaine. Should I discard all of the potting soil or can I use some of it next year? A: Two...
Dianthus – Safely Killing Invasive Bermuda Grass
Q: Several years ago I planted beds of ‘Firewitch’ dianthus close to a bermudagrass lawn. Over the years the bermudagrass has infested the dianthus beds to the point of covering them up! Is there anything that I can use to...
Zoysia Grass – In the Sun
Q: I heard you talking on the radio about zoysiagrass that is shade tolerant. Could you tell me more? I already have ‘Meyer’ zoysiagrass in my backyard . My front yard does not get as much sun but I would...
Pumpkin Seeds – Planting Sprouts Indoors
Q: My children collected seeds from our pumpkin this year. We placed several of them in damp paper towels on top of the refrigerator. Now we have several four-inch long sprouts. What do I need to do to keep them...
How to Garden in Fannin County
Q: We live in southern Florida and are building a house in Fannin county. Once the house is built, how do we learn to garden in this new area? A: What a marvelous gardening opportunity you have! You won’t have...
Climbing Knockout Roses
Q: Any chance there’s a climbing Knockout (editor note: Knockout is not a variety name so it is not single-quoted.) rose in the works? My shrub Knockouts have done so well, that’s the only way I’ll go at this point...
St. Augustine Grass plugs
Q: I am tired of fighting hot, dry summers to get my fescue to survive. Next summer I plan to mix St. Augustinegrass plugs into my fescue in hopes that as the fescue deteriorates in summer, the St Augustine will...
Clematis Vines – Pruning
Q: I have two clematis vines that were beautiful this past summer. They are now hibernating for the winter. What should I do now to insure that they are just as vibrant next year? Should I cut the dying vines...
Rose Trees – Winter Care
Q: I have two lovely rose trees in pots that did very well this summer. They are five feet tall and two feet wide. As cold weather arrives, should I cut them back? Should I bring them inside for the...
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 The University of Georgia...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Ultrasonic – Pest Repelling Devices
It seems ingrained in the genes of mankind to invent ways accomplish a useful task while expending very little physical effort. The TV remote control is the epitome of this enterprise in my home but microwave ovens, automatic ice makers...
