Q: I want to plant bamboo along my fence to add some privacy to my backyard. When is the best time to plant bamboo?Michael Whitsell, Henry County
A: The best time to plant a bamboo screen is never. Over my career I have gotten countless questions from people for whom bamboo has become an invasive nightmare. If you don't have an effective strategy to control the roots before you plant, the bamboo will eventually escape and come up in all sorts of places you don't want it. Bamboo is very hard to control once it escapes. But if you insist on planting, special barrier material can be used to encircle a bamboo clump. I have details at bit.ly/GAbamboo.
Q: Can ashes from my beloved dog be scattered in my landscape? Is there any benefit or harm to the plants?Carolyn Young, email
A: There will be no direct harm to your plants from scattering the ashes around them. But there might be an indirect benefit if you frequently visit the area to remember your friend. You will be able to spot and deal with small landscape problems before they grow large. Your plants will be healthier and you can credit your canine companion for it.
Q: My family bought some pecans from a roadside stand in Georgia as we returned home to Wisconsin. As I shell the pecans, I've found some with weevils inside the shell. Do we need to be concerned about the larvae surviving in our home?Julie Faust, email
A: Unless you live in a pecan, any live weevils are as good as dead. There are no environments in a home that will allow the weevils to survive.
I am sorry you got such poor quality pecans. We had a great challenge in Georgia with damage from Hurricane Michael two years ago, and some farmers are still not able to control insects 100% effectively. Nearly 1,000,000 trees were destroyed in 2018. But with adversity there comes opportunity: Pecan farmers are replanting with trees that yield bigger nuts and are more resistant to disease. Next time you drive through, I guarantee you’ll get better pecans for your family.
Q: I want to convert my lawn from a weedy bermuda and centipede mix to zoysia. I want to use zoysia plugs to start the lawn. Would it be advisable to intermix fescue to provide a ground cover for the plugs as they get established?Will V., Richmond County
A: If you plant healthy zoysia plugs six inches apart and fertilize a couple of times afterward, they should knit together in one season. Fescue planted at the same time would compete with the zoysia. Unless there is some reason due to slope and erosion, I would not include fescue with the zoysia.
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