Windmill Palm Cold Damage: Wait Until Late April

Q: Three-year-old windmill palm browned after tarp cover during cold snap. A: Established windmill palms tolerate ~10°F, but youth increases tenderness. Brown fronds are bad sign. Wait until late April for final verdict.

Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Confirmed by UGA Lab

Q: Whats wrong with my tomatoes? A: UGA Plant Disease Lab confirms tomato spotted wilt virus. Tomato Spotted Wilt

Can Potting Soil Spontaneously Combust?

Q: Can potting soil burn or spontaneously combust? A: Contains combustible peat/wood fiber—can burn if exposed to ignition (cigar, incense). News reports exist, likely with dry soil. Bag too small for spontaneous combust

Bee Forage Calendar: What Blooms When for Honey Bees

Q: Nine hives; need list of bee-friendly plants by bloom time. A: UGA Honey Bee Lab has two good lists: Honey Bees and Beekeeping and Bee Conservation in the Southeast.

Squirrel or Rat Damage to Snowball Viburnum

Q: How to save snowball bush with bark stripped? A: Likely squirrels enlarging sapsucker holes. Hard to deter—chicken wire just moves them. Rats also possible. Try Repellex under bush; report results. Squirrel Damage on

Pansies in Wagon Survive Cold but Need Warmth to Recover

Q: Pansies in wagon appear dead after cold spell. Revive or replace? A: Theyll survive but look unhappy. Exposed roots/leaves endured severe cold. No new growth until afternoons reach 50°F. Leave them or buy replacements

Overgrown Leyland Cypress: Better Screening Alternatives

Q: Leyland cypress planted against advice—now huge. Pruning time and method? A: Pruning guru Rick Smith says youll eventually wish youd replaced them. Limited sun thins lower half. Better: Emerald Green or American Pilla

Internal Proliferation in Peppers: Green Growth Inside Fruit

Q: Green things growing inside my green/red pepper. What are they? A: Internal proliferation—common in peppers picked unripe and artificially ripened. Cause unclear: rapid temp/humidity changes or ethylene gas. Harmless.

Identifying Freeze-Damaged Camellia Flower Buds

Q: After 2014 extreme cold, how to tell which camellia buds are frozen? A: Days after freeze: frozen buds brown at tip, soft when squeezed. Two weeks later: damaged buds drop. Healthy buds feel firm. bud will bloom norma

Rejuvenating an Old Neglected Peach Tree

Q: Found peach tree on old farm, cleared vines, peach pits on ground. Next steps? A: Fertilize: 3 pints 10-10-10 under canopy in March and July. Dont prune for a year—watch growth direction. Leave long stub at base; remo

Crapemyrtle Too Large for Space: Replace with Dwarf Cultivar

Q: Crapemyrtle near garage blocks security lights after spring regrowth. Can I keep it small? A: You could pollard it and prune every two weeks, but planting a shorter cultivar is less work long-term. See Crapemyrtle Cul

Wisteria Seed Pods Explosively Disperse Seeds

Q: Heard popping sounds and falling seeds near woods—what happened? A: Wisteria pods dry in afternoon sun, twist open violently, scattering seeds widely. Popping Wisteria Seeds description.

Callery Pear Rootstock Sprouts on Asian Pear Tree

Q: Locust tree growing from 3-year-old Asian pear trunk? A: Not locust—its Callery pear rootstock sprouting. Clip at base and watch for more.

Pre-Emergent Herbicides Can Inhibit Bermudagrass Spread

Q: Does pre-emergent that stops seeds also stop bermudagrass from filling bare spots? A: Common pre-emergents (benefin, dithiopyr, oxadiazon, oryzalin, pendimethalin, prodiamine, trifluralin) inhibit cell division (DNA h

Tomato Catfacing: Temperature and Fertilizer Causes

Q: Brandywine tomatoes are misshapen, poor flavor. Cause? A: Catfacing—caused by cool/hot temps during pollination or excess fertilizer. Large-fruited varieties more prone. Dont plant too early in spring.

Mysterious Straight Brown Stripes in Zeon Zoysia: Expert Panel Stumped

Q: Straight brown stripes appear in Zeon zoysia, same spots yearly. Front yard unaffected. A: Three turf experts puzzled: Clint Waltz: Black color suggests fuel/gas damage, not typical large patch disease. Alfredo Martin

Goji Berry Growing: Limited Georgia Experience

Q: What do you know about growing goji berries? A: I have a one-year-old plant—too early to judge. References: Odd Fruits for Kentucky and Growing Goji Berry in Minnesota highlight potential and problems.

Grassology Grass Mix: Not Suited for Georgia

Q: Does Grassology grass (TV/Bed Bath & Beyond) grow in Georgia? A: No confidence. Ingredients: creeping red fescue, hard fescue, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, Chewings fescue, sheep fescue, perennial ryegrass—same as

Growing Horseradish from Grocery Store Root

Q: Sprouted horseradish root in water. How to separate sprouts for multiple plants? A: Slice root down middle so each piece has large root section. Plant 3 feet apart in morning sun, afternoon shade. Leaves multiply thro

Butterfly Identification Resources for Southeast Gardeners

Q: Easy source to identify butterflies in my garden? A: Excellent website: Butterflies of the Southeast.