Q: I'm trying to decide if collecting rainwater would benefit my lawn. How much water would I need to sustain a 4,300-square-foot lawn?

GARRY LUND, Gwinnett County

Walter Reeves / Special (ENLARGE)

Nandina produces colorful berries in winter but tends to become leggy over time.

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A: In my view, it isn't worth collecting water to save a lawn. A lawn needs 1 inch of water per week in hot weather, the equivalent of 600 gallons per 1,000 square feet. You'd need 2,580 gallons per week for your lawn in July. Fescue needs much less water now because the soil is cooler, perhaps 200 gallons per 1,000 square feet per week. Whether it's summer or fall, that's a lot of water to collect. I'd leave the lawn alone and let nature run its course.

Q: I see where your lawn care calendar recommends a last cutting of Bermuda grass in late October. But lots of leaves blow onto my lawn in November, and I usually mulch them away with my mower. Will that activity be harmful to my dormant lawn?

JIM SPANIER, Huntsville, Ala.

A: You can mulch, but use foresight. Because dormant Bermuda grass stems and leaves are readily broken, you'll make easy-to-see paths in the lawn if you use the same pattern each time you shred your leaves. Vary your mowing pattern between "straight ahead," "perpendicular" and "diagonally," and you can mow the leaves without problems.

Q: We want to transplant shrubs and small trees around Thanksgiving. With the current water restrictions, should we do this in November or wait until March?

KIM AND JOSEPH DEMNITSKI, Suwanee

A: I much prefer getting transplanting done sooner rather than later. The plants will get some root growth in winter that won't occur if you wait until March. Disregard getting a big soil mass with the roots. Concentrate on getting lots of roots, even if it is almost bare root when you pull it from the ground. Give each plant a gallon of bath water for every inch of trunk thickness after transplanting and apply an inch of mini pine bark chips over the planting area.

Q: I usually fertilize all my shrubs in April and October using 10-10-10 fertilizer. Because of the drought, I'm concerned that this may not be a good idea for this season. Can you give me some guidance?

JOY JACKSON, e-mail

A: Your instincts are correct. Fall fertilizer is of questionable benefit, so I'd leave the shrubs alone until good rains are in the forecast in spring.

Q: I have several nandinas that have become spindly. I would like them to branch out beneath where I trim them, but they just seem to grow taller. If I cut them drastically, they will have no foliage.

NANCY SIMSON, DeKalb County

A: Old nandinas, or those grown in the shade, tend to become "leggy," with lots of foliage high on top of spindly stems. The easiest way to correct this is to "stair-step" the stems. In March, cut off a couple of the stems at 12 inches tall, some at 18 inches tall, some at 24 inches tall and so forth. The stalks will sprout new foliage at each level, and the plant will be more balanced.