Posts Tagged ‘pine’
How Is “Fat Lighter’d” Formed
Q: As a child, I remember hunting in the woods for “fat lighter’d” to be used as kindling in the fireplace. How it is formed? A: Fat lighter’d is the center portion of a pine tree stump (the heartwood). It...
Will A Vinegar And Salt Solution Kill Underbrush?
Q: Can you spread a vinegar and salt solution under big pine and oak trees to kill the underbrush below them? A: Neither vinegar nor salt will kill the underbrush. Concentrated acetic acid, which smells like vinegar, might burn the...
Pine Pollen – Predicting
Q: We are preparing to paint the outside trim of our house, and would like to avoid the peak time for pine pollen. Can you approximate when we can expect the “yellow curse” to appear? A: Yikes! Considering that a single...
Tree Planted Too Deep – Examples
It’s heartbreaking to have an attractive young tree in your landscape begin to decline. When you examine the trunk, you may see bark at the base peeling off, splitting, or generally looking unhealthy. In my observation, these are symptoms of...
Recent Tornado Damage – Pine Trees
Q: My brother’s home had many pine trees around it that were snapped at varying heights by the recent tornadoes. Will these trees have to be taken down or is there any way they can survive? A: They will have...
Norfolk Pine – Pruning
Q: My friend has had a Norfolk pine for 32 years that has grown just short of the ceiling. Should she raise the roof or can it be pruned in some way? A: She can remove the top now but...
Pine Needle Cast Disease
When pine needles turn reddish-brown in early summer, several things could be the cause. It could be beetles in the trunk, compaction damage to the roots or, occasionally, a needle disease. In the year after a wet summer, the disease...
Pine Beetle Identification
Pine trees are always subject to insect attack and should be examined periodically to determine if insect problems are developing. Several species of small brown or black beetles are common pests of pine trees. They are often referred to as...
Southern Pine Beetle
When I was a boy, one of my favorite pastimes was to stack up several soup cans, walk a few paces away, then throw rocks at the tower of cans until they tumbled down. I was convinced that if I...
Norfolk Island Pine – Dog ate bark
Q: I have a Norfolk Island pine and my dog ate away the bark on the bottom of the plant. Only the bark is gone and there is no damage to the trunk. Is the plant going to die? A:...
Mulching – Correct Procedure
Q: I’m confused about “proper mulching”. I see references everywhere that I’m supposed to mulch but no information on how to do it correctly. I’ve been told by a fellow gardener that I’m mulching too close to my plants. Could...
Pine – Spittlebug
Q: We have several pine trees in a landscape island. At the end of the branches there is a substance that looks like white foam. Each tree has several masses, about one inch in size. Is it a normal happening...
Ginger Root – Growing
Q: After reading a suggestion in your column last winter, I planted a piece of ginger root from the grocery store. It grew outside in a pot all summer. Recently I dug up a few roots and found that they...
Norfolk Pine – Don’t Plant Outdoors
Q: I have a large, four year-old Norfolk pine in a pot. Can I plant it in my yard? The trunk is more than an inch thick and it’s over six feet tall. It’s big and beautiful but it needs...
Open Meadow- Creating
Q: I have several acres of fallow farm land that I am trying to keep as an open meadow. It is a constant battle to keep the sweetgum trees out. We have mowed them down twice a year for several...
Cypress Mulch – Problems
Q: Is cypress mulch good for roses? Would it have any bad effects? A: Cypress mulch won’t hurt your roses but I hope you won’t buy any more of it. One of the causes of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina...
Tree Seedlings – Purchasing Inexpensively
Q: I want to plant chestnut oak trees. I haven’t been able to find them for sale or in the woods. Could you point me in the right direction? A: The Georgia Forestry Commission Reforestation Department sells several species of...
Pineapple – Growing
Q: Six years ago I had a fresh pineapple for lunch. I put the top in a pot just to see what would happen. After five years I harvested a small home-grown pineapple this past April. My problem is that...
