Q: Can you identify a thorny plant that has taken over an area of my yard? Some of these have grown to 6 feet tall. It has a star-shaped stalk. Along with identification, can you also give me advice on killing it and preventing it in the future? — Tim Butzon, Dawson County
A: Technically, they are brambles. But having gotten that far, I can’t tell you which of the dozens of different brambles they are. Blackberries and raspberries are members of the bramble family. I searched and searched for star-shaped stems or branches and found exactly nil. But I did find a recipe for bramble candy (bit.ly/GAbramblecandy). Any brush-killer herbicide will kill the top growth, but it will be hard to prevent it coming back unless you dig each plant and remove the roots, which will sprout if you just kill the top.
Q: I have to water my Bermuda grass by hand because of the crazy layout. Sprinklers would be too wasteful. I have 2,000 square feet of grass. How should I water it? — Steve Greco, email
A: Your goal should be 1 inch of water (600 gallons per 1,000 square feet) per week applied in one watering. I can accept that you have a weird layout, but the latest in-ground sprinklers can cover a variety of shapes. You could easily link four or five of them together to cover your layout. In this way, you could water the entire area at once and measure the output by catching the water in small cups.
Q: I’m having a time with moles getting under our above-ground pool. They have about ruined the liner with tunnels all throughout the bottom. What is your suggestion to get rid of the little buggers? — Mike Furgerson, Norcross
A: I don’t know a good answer other than reinstall the pool over a high-quality pool pad, like Armor Shield or Gorilla Pad. Mole damage comes from pinhole leaks due to the ridges they make under the liner. When you step on any disturbance of the material under the pool liner there is an opportunity for leaks. You might think that poisoning their food is a good idea. But that doesn’t work because they can always find something else. Traps are useless because no bait can reliably draw them in. They find food by hearing vibrations, not by smell. I read about schemes to exclude them from getting under the pool with walls of wood or hardware cloth around the base of the pool, but I have no idea if these bright ideas work. I think the surest option is a high-quality pad.
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