Q: A friend planted three varieties of bell pepper this year, but so far they are all green. I told him they’d eventually turn, but his peppers are just getting bigger with no change in color. — Pam Brand, Snellville
A: You are exactly correct. Bell peppers gradually change from green to their mature color. Notice that when you slice open a green pepper, the seeds are small and white. Ripened colored peppers contain bigger seed, demonstrating that chlorophyll breakdown and seed maturity coincide.
Q: Please explain why okra and peas are not listed as plants you can use Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Dust on. This product has such widespread use that it does not seem reasonable that you can’t use it on those two vegetables. — Paula Bruce, e-mail
A: Where edible crops are concerned, all applications must be registered through federal and state environmental protection agencies. They require a significant number of tests and verification of residue levels to allow specific crops listed on a label. A company must decide what crops will be listed initially in order to get a product to market rapidly, keeping in mind that other crops might be added in the future. Note that the Bayer Complete Insect Killer spray (not the dust) label does include okra and peas, because it contains a different chemical. Don't make any assumptions away from what is on the product label. Bottom line: The label is the law.
Q: I need to move blueberry bushes from Cobb County to my home in the next year. What’s the best way to make the move without undue stress? — Donna Peace, Fayette County
A: Since you have ample time, you can do something called "root pruning." Just as limb pruning results in lots of small sprouts, cutting a root encourages the same thing. Plunge the blade of a sharp spade or shovel in a circle around the bush, vertically, 12 inches from the trunk. Immediately repeat the process, pushing the blade as deeply in the soil as you can. Many small roots will be severed, but they will resprout in the next few months. Water the plant thoroughly each week until fall. In late October, dig a trench around the shrub 15 inches away from the trunk. You'll have a root-filled soil mass that you can heave out of the ground and move to its new home without worry. There, mix equal parts of peat moss, gritty sand and native soil to fill an area 6 feet wide. Plant the blueberry in the middle. Begin collecting recipes for blueberry cobbler next summer!
Listen to Walter Reeves from 6 to 10 Saturday mornings on WSB-AM (750). Go to www.gardening ingeorgia.com for details on his TV show or visit his Web site, www.walterreeves.com.
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