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...
Fir growth in Georgia
Q: I’m very anxious to try to grow fir trees. Will Frasier or balsam fir grow in upper north Georgia? A: Fraser fir is worth a try but your elevation is pretty low to be successful. Firs grow best at...
Eco-friendly Lawn – Plants and Grass
Q: I want to convert our backyard to a more eco-friendly lawn. I’d like to see a variety of colors and textures in the area. What do you recommend? A: I consulted native plant expert Shannon Pable (shannonpable.com). She suggests...
Bee-keeping – Painting of Hive
Q: I am a first-time bee keeper. I received several used supers and was told to clean them up and repaint them. I painted the inside by mistake. Will this harm the bees? A: UGA bee expert Keith Delaplane says...
Crabgrass – Pre-emerge Application
Q: Please tell me as accurately as possible when to apply the pre emerge for crabgrass. A: The exact timing depends on soil temperature. When soil is 50 degrees F. and rising, crabgrass seeds start germinating. This soil temperature typically...
Goldenrain Reproduction
Q: I have been trying to reproduce a goldenrain tree for 12 years. How do you get the seeds to germinate? A: The key is harvesting and planting the seed when fresh. Sow them shallowly, an inch apart, in a...
Grass Clippings – In the Garden
Q: I use grass clippings as mulch in the vegetable garden. Is it OK to use a pre-emergent on my lawn and then put the clippings in the garden? A: Chemicals used to prevent weeds are designed to dissolve off...
Composting – Adding compost to the garden
Q: I just started composting last year and have been amazed at how much stuff I’ve kept out of the landfill. I have no idea when I should start adding the compost to my garden bed. Does the material need...
Dolomite Lime – Addition to Garden
Q: My soil analysis says I need to add dolomite lime. In looking at garden centers I can not find anything labeled dolomite lime. A: Dolomitic lime is simply a liming material that contains magnesium carbonate and magnesium oxide alongside...
Leyland Cypresses – Fertilizing
Q: What fertilizer would you recommend to ensure the health of mature Leyland cypresses? My trees are 60 feet tall and look great. I want to keep them that way! A: Not much research has been done about fertilizing Leyland...
Shade Tolerance – Flowers
Q: I’m creating a landscape/flower bed that will be under two water oak trees with little sun. What is a shade-tolerant plant I can put in this shady bed? The more colorful, hardy and perennial the better. A: For shade-tolerance...
Bird Feeding – Seasons
Q: We have been feeding the birds black oil sunflower seeds all winter. Should we continue this when spring arrives or do we need to cut back to encourage them to eat berries, etc? A: Garden coach Daryl Pulis (www.mrsgreenthumb.com)...
Composting – Nutrient rich food
Q: Are all vegetative items the same for composting or are some more nutritious that others? For example, are orange peels and banana peels basically the same? A: Just as with basic nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc), plants can’t tell...
Loropetalum – Pruning
Q: My Burgundy loropetalum plants are six feet tall and doing well. Last year I cut them down to three feet in early spring. They quickly rebounded and ended the season bigger than they need to be. A: It’s hard...
Bare Root Seedlings – Proper Conditions
Q: I occasionally get bare root twigs from the Arbor Day folks. These seem to flourish in my yard much more than container-grown trees purchased at a local nursery. Why is that? A: Your experience may not be true for...
Ring Planter – Tree Trunk Safety
Q: I want to build a ring planter eighteen inches tall around a tree for planting flowers. Does it harm a tree to put dirt up that high against the trunk? A: It can definitely harm the tree to have...
Propagation of Mangos
Q: Can you tell me how to propagate mangos from seeds? A: Pick a very ripe fruit, peel it, then remove and eat the pulp. Let the flattened seed inside dry for a few days to make it easier to...
Pet Waste – Composting
Q: I discovered a product that composts pet waste. I have always felt badly about throwing away cat litter. It is safe to compost pet feces? A: It’s not safe to put pet waste in bins from which you’ll remove...
Coffee – Adding grounds to soil
Q: I am an avid coffee drinker. I dry my grounds so I can store them before using in my garden in spring but am I depleting the nitrogen by doing so? A: You’re not depleting anything by drying because...
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...
