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...
Dog – Eats Cicada Skin
Here’s an odd note from a dedicated gardener and animal lover: “Not only are the discarded skins of cicadas a delight to birds, our female Jack Russell, Lollie, goes from pine tree to pine tree in search of them. “She...
Fertilizers – Confused When Buying
I recently saw a description of a fertilizer in a newspaper. It said that a 12 ounce bottle of the stuff provided the same level of nutrients as a 25 pound bag of 20-8-6! Intrigued by the narrative, I called...
Yellowjacket – Summer Behavior
Yellowjackets are a common, yet misunderstood, insect of the South. Most folks only know about their attack behavior when a nest is disturbed. Wasp expert Dr. Bob Matthews sheds some light on their other behaviors: “Eastern yellowjackets,Vespula maculifrons may be...
Fire Ant Control – Even Faster!
You’ve heard about the Georgia Two-Step method of controlling fire ants. Now comes another couple of products that, in combination, give both quick control and season-long results. Indoxacarb (Spectracide Once and Done Fire Ant Bait) rapidly kills fire ants in...
IPM – Defined
I value the opinion of Dr. Paul Guillebeau, entomologist and pesticide specialist at the University of Georgia. He tries his best to see both sides of the pesticide question without preaching too loudly. Below are his thoughts on Integrated Pest...
Carpenter Bee Control – Bert’s Method
Carpenter bees are a most annoying spring nuisance. They hover around decks and gutters and bore holes in exposed wood surfaces. My typical advice has been to swat them with a tennis racquet to lower their numbers. I didn’t care...
Homeowner Pesticides – Active Ingredients
As if gardening weren’t complicated enough, the subject of pesticides adds another layer of complexity. Beyond all of the plant names to remember, there is a whole new spectrum of insecticide, fungicide and herbicide product names. To make it easier...
Termites – Spread Through Louisiana Mulch
The panicky emails about the potential spread of Formosan termites have been making the rounds since Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Although the premise seems important, my conclusion is that this is not true. In the first place, “the state” is...
Foliar Fertilization – Pro’s and Con’s
When and How to Use Foliar FertilizersCarl Rosen and Peter Bierman, Department of Soil, Water, and ClimateUniversity of Minnesota Foliar fertilizers are dilute fertilizer solutions applied directly to plant leaves. As with soil application of fertilizer, the goal of foliar...
Pesticide Toxicity to Earthworms
by Daryl Pulis, Mrs. Green Thumb Once called the “intestines of the Earth” by Aristotle, earthworms are both indicators of soil health and help to improve the soil as they move through it. Earthworms tunnel deep within the soil, creating...
Osage Orange (Bodark) Tree
I was visiting with a group of Master Gardeners recently when I asked them: “Has anyone here ever heard of the bodark tree?” Wrinkled brows and perplexed looks spread across the room. Master Gardeners pride themselves on knowing obscure plants...
Oak Scale – Eaten by Fungus
Sometimes I get to be in the audience when smart people really show their stuff. Recently Frank Hancock, the University of Georgia Extension agent in Henry County had a citizen visit his office with a perplexing problem on his pin...
Hummingbirds – Not Appearing
This August, 2009 article by naturalist Charles Seabrook in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes reasons hummingbirds don’t appear when we expect them.——————————————————————————————————————–Late summer is when hummingbird feeder traffic really picks up. Georgia’s native ruby-throated hummingbirds have finished raising their babies and...
Fipronil – Effect on Native Ants
In solving garden problems, I am often reminded that applying pesticides can affect non-target creatures as well as the pest you’re trying to control. I was curious to know more about the effect of fipronil (Over ‘n’ Out) fire ant...
Mosquito Traps – Univ. of Florida Report on CO2 type
UF/IFAS News Release May 19, 2005 Carbon Dioxide Mosquito Traps No Magic Bullet, Say University of Florida Experts By: Tom Nordlie VERO BEACH, Fla. — With spring rains promising a bumper crop of mosquitoes, some Floridians may consider buying expensive...
Mole – Control
Moles live underground and seldom venture out of their burrows. They are most active in the early morning and late evening hours. The ridges of earth pushed up by burrowing plainly indicate their presence in a lawn. The number of...
Fire Ants – Best Control in Fall
Want to put a hurtin’ on fire ants? Hit them hard in the fall! This article explains how. By April SorrowUniversity of Georgia Fire ants can ruin picnics and football games year-round. Treating fire ant colonies in the fall can...
Raising Chickens – Resources
I taught a class on chicken incubation several years ago. To prepare for it, I incubated and hatched several sets of chicks. In the process, I learned a lot about the hobby of raising backyard chickens. I am not a...
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...
