Apple seeds

Q: I work with a pre-kindergarden class. We have been studying apples. If we planted some apple seeds now, would they sprout before frost?

(ENLARGE)

WALTER REEVES / Special Apple seeds must get several weeks of cold, moist conditions before theyÕll sprout.

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LEA OGOZELEC

Roswell

A: I don't want to dampen the kids' enthusiasm, but apple seeds need to be "stratified" (given a three-month period of cold, damp conditions) before they sprout. This occurs naturally when apples rot and spend the winter under their parent tree. You can try planting the apple seeds now; I'm curious to know what happens. Just to be safe, plant some bean seeds in an indoor pot so you can be assured of sprouts of some sort to show the children.

Dividing cannas

Q: I divided a canna clump into six pieces a year ago. Now they are about three times the size I need or want. When is the right time of year to dig and divide the bulbs to share with friends?

KANDIE GATES

Gwinnett County

A: You can divide cannas anytime between Oct. 1 and Dec. 1. Gently pull the roots from the ground after loosening the soil with a pitchfork. Clip off the old stem and any rotten roots. Dust the cuts with powdered sulfur to prevent disease. Put them in paper bags, wrap with red ribbon and store in a cool place until gift-giving season arrives.

Bermuda confusion

Q: I am confused. I was listening to your radio show, and you said not to fertilize Bermuda grass after mid-September. On your Web site you say late September. Which is right?

JOHN BAER

e-mail

A: Sometimes I get shot at from all sides! Clint Waltz, my turf specialist friend, was listening, too, and he said I should have pushed the last feeding date back to Sept. 1! My overall point was that it doesn't make sense to feed Bermuda grass if it doesn't need it. Lawn experts agree that late fertilization, even with "winterizer" fertilizers, is not as beneficial as manufacturers would have you believe. Because Bermuda is still green in mid-September, I'm going to stick to my guns and say that is my approved date for a last feeding. Waiting until mid-October simply wastes fertilizer and money.

Tomato-ripening

Q: In early summer, I planted eight tomato plants of different varieties: 'Brandywine', 'Early Girl', 'Roma' and 'Bonnie Original'. We had green tomatoes all summer, but none turned red until the last couple of weeks in September. Any advice?

BOB HELGET

e-mail

A: Tomato ripening is controlled by hormones, available plant sugars and heat. My guess is that there were too many tomatoes compared with the leaf surface area on the vines. It's hard to say how best to manage fruit numbers, but thinning to one tomato per 6 inches of stem would be a good start. To hurry the ripening process now, pick off all flowers and marble-size fruit. Examine the blossom end of those you leave: If they have a small star-shaped patch of orange skin there, they will ripen on the vine or in a sunny window.

Granite dust

Q: I had a flagstone patio installed in my backyard. Granite dust was used between the stones. A lot of it ended up in my empty planting beds. Will the stone dust harm any plants I put in? Will it change the pH of the soil?

JO HARWOOD

DeKalb County

A: Granite dust is not dustlike; it's a coarse sand that works well in loose-laid paver installations. It has a pH close to neutral, so it won't change the acidity of the soil. The good news is that it will help change the drainage in your beds for the better. My recipe for good planting soil includes one part coarse sand mixed with one part soil conditioner and one part clay. Too bad you didn't get an extra load of the granite dust to use in your other beds!