Sap – Leaking From Birch Tree

Q: I have a ten year old river birch which has been steadily dripping a clear, odorless, tasteless (yes, I did) liquid from two branches for several weeks. Do you know what this is? What can I do about it? A: Riv

Chameleon Plant – Fighting The Monster!

Q: HELP!! I thought the chameleon plant was so pretty when I bought it. For several years it was OK in the bed where it was planted. However, it has now taken over the bed and I want to get rid of the monster. No

Aeration – Should You Do It and When

Q: When should I aerate my zoysia lawn? A: The right time to aerate zoysia, Bermuda and centipede lawns is in early summer, after they have greened up but before the heat stresses them too much. A further questi

Ladybugs – Exterminating Them

Q: I read your article regarding ladybugs and have a similar problem in a building I maintain. You suggest that Dursban or Sevin can be sprayed around door openings for control. I am curious why our extermina

Ephedra – Substitute For Ma Huang

Q: Can we grow ephedra here in Atlanta? A: You wouldn’t be looking for a homegrown substitute for ma huang (CQ) would you? Herbal weight loss products have included extracts of the ephedra plant, called ^ma huang

Azaleas – Pruning and Growth Tips

Q: Some of my azaleas have become rather leggy (spindley). They are blooming right up at the top but that's about it. When they finish blooming is there any way to trim/prune them to make them bush out? A

Aphids – Whats The Deal Here?

Q: I have bugs on my chrysanthemums. We think these are aphids…tiny sesame seed shaped black insects stuck all over the upper stems of the plants. How can they eat a plant from which the insecticide pyrethr

Honey Bees – Fewer and Fewer Every Year

Q: I have been pruning ornamentals professionally for over twenty years. This time of the year the plants, especially the holly's, are alive with bees. Over the past few years, I’ve seen fewer and fewer ho

Dogwood – Beautiful And Huge!

Q: We recently moved into our home in Walton County, with a 2.4 acre wooded lot. In the middle of these woods we have discovered a beautiful dogwood tree that is now in bloom. As best we can estimate this tree

Tomatoes – Growing Indoors and Pollinating

Q: Do I need any kind of insects to pollinate tomato plants when I grow them indoors. A: Pollen has to travel somehow from one flower to the next but you don’t need insects do accomplish this. When your tomatoes

Caterpillars – Determining Sex, Poisonous?

Q: My friends and I have found dozens of caterpillars under the trees in our school playground. How can you tell if a caterpillar is poisonous? Are there girl and boy caterpillars? I am nine years old. A: Knowing

Centipede – Good Grass To Plant?

Q: We built a house last summer and finally moved in last November. We were told we needed to plant winter ryegrass as it was the only thing that would grow enough to prevent erosion on our new soil. Well, it is

Fruit Trees – What Should Be Sprayed When?

Q: When and with what should I spray my apple, peach and fig trees to improve their fruit production? I don't think they are bug infested, but I'm not sure. A: You have already missed one of the impo

Compost – Disappearing Over Time

Q: About three years ago we tilled up our hard clay front yard and added close to a half-ton of compost and soil amendments. The soil looked really good when we finished. This year, when I dug around some shrubs,

Marigolds – Keeping Away Undesirable Insects

Q: I’m thinking about planting marigolds around my organic vegetable garden to repel insects. Should I use the tall varieties or the short ones? A: You should use marigolds in your organic garden – –

Plant Passport – Bringing Plants To The States

Q:We will be in Costa Rica this summer. Fodor's Costa Rica 1999 Travel book states that at Jardin Lankaster Botanical Gardens one may buy orchids which have their own plant "passport". These are

Leaf Gall – Prevention For The Future

Q: The leaves on my azaleas and camellias are swollen and disfigured. What is this and what should be done? A: Azalea (or camellia) leaf gall is another disease that only sporadically appears. The fungus infected

Schools – Planting For Improvement

Q: We are planning a simple landscape for our school’s playground. It is enclosed by a four foot high chain-link fence and we want to hide the “institutional” look. The site is pretty bright, under the shade of t

Hickory – Shedding Perfectly Good Leaves?

Q: A mature hickory tree in my yard is dropping leaves. The leaves are not shriveled, spotted, discolored, or otherwise unhealthy looking. They are not the individual leaves, but rather a whole stem with severa

Bradford Pear – Possible Damage

Q: About 3 years ago, I planted a Bradford Pear tree in my yard. It was a balled and burlapped tree and I thought I had removed all the string that was holding the burlap. Last year I noticed that I had missed s