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...
Hercules Club – Identification
Q: Is this thorny woodland plant a noxious weed or a beneficial native? A: You have a Hercules’ club or Devil’s walking stick: Aralia spinosa (or Zanthoxylum clava-herculis). I consider it a beneficial native. Though the thorns along the trunk...
New Blueberry Varieties – Sources
Q: I keep reading about the new blueberry varieties, including ‘Vernon’, ‘Ochlockonee’, ‘Alapaha’, etc. Where can I buy them? Your first call should be to your local garden center. If they don’t have these superior blueberries, try: Cornelius Farms 912-284-0266...
Tree Removal Rules – Metro Atlanta
Removing a tree is not as simple as hiring a tree company or buying a chainsaw and seeing a pile of chips the next day. Counties and cities across the Atlanta metro area have adopted tree ordinances that determine whether...
Armyworms – Control
“An army travels by its stomach” according to military lore. When a homeowner discovers an army of caterpillars marching across his lawn, devouring the bermuda grass, this aphorism is proved true for the insect world as well! Armyworm caterpillars are...
Zoysia – Watering
The best time to water a lawn is in the morning, preferably before noon. This allows the grass to dry before nightfall, reducing the risk of disease. Take into account recent rainfall when deciding how much to apply. Watering restrictions...
Centipedegrass – Decline
Q: I’ve heard of centipede decline…….but this is ridiculous! Our fourteen year-old centipedegrass yard began developing bare patches about four years ago. Now almost a third of my yard is bare and looks horrible. A: It turns out that a...
Organic Gardening – Resources
Q: I have been all over the Internet and cannot find a good resource about organic gardening in Georgia and what to plant when. We want to start an organic vegetable garden now. What can we plant in the summer...
Armyworms – In Lawn
Q: We have armyworms in our lawn eating up the Bermuda grass. What insecticide should we use and how should it be applied? A: Armyworms are caterpillars that feed predominantly on grasses. They attack pastures and lawns each year. The...
Aspidistra
Q: Could you tell me where it’s best to grow an aspidistra plant? Are there any instructions on how to transplant? A: Aspidistra is sometimes called cast-iron plant because it adapts to so many situations. However, until recently, I had...
Hercules Beetle – Identification
Q: My husband found this beetle at a convenience store in Carroll county and brought it home. We have no idea what it is. We were hoping you could help us to identify it. A: It’s a female Hercules beetle,...
Potato – Varieties for Georgia
Q: My mother was born and raised a farmer in Galicia, Spain but I have not inherited her farming skills. I bought 12 lbs. of ‘Shepody’ seed potatoes online. I tilled, fertilized and planted the potatoes in a good spot....
Animals – Identifying from Droppings
Many is the time I’ve seen animal droppings and wondered about their source. Was it a raccoon, possum or dog that wandered through my yard last night? This article contains drawings and explanations of how to identify animals by what...
Turfgrasses – Selection
There are usually several varieties of each turfgrass from which to choose. Which is the best for your situation? The information below, taken from a University of Georgia publication should help. COOL SEASON GRASSES Cool-season grasses grow well during the...
Centipede – Fertilizing
Centipedegrass is a warm season grass. It does its productive growth between April and September. For this reason, fertilizer applications should be done in the late spring, after green-up and in mid summer. The amount of fertilizer to apply should...
Bermudagrass – Fertilizing Before Rain
Q: My bermudagrass lawn is in great shape. Should I lime and fertilize even if there is no rain in the forecast for several days? A: Water is the only thing that will move the fertilizer down into the root...
Hops – Yield from Vine
Q: I am trying to find out how much in weight the average hops vine yields. Can you help ? A: “Each of the four to six vines arising from a hill produces four to six ounces of dried hops.”...
Plumeria- Leaf Loss
Q: During a trip to Hawaii a couple of years ago I bought a plumeria plant. It has grown very well. It lives outside during the summer and is brought inside for the winter. Each winter it drops all its...
Plumeria – Care
Q: Two years ago I brought back a cutting of plumeria from Hawaii. It is in the shape of a capital “Y”. It rooted successfully and produced large green leaves at the end of each point of the “Y” but...
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...
