Female ginkgo seeds can have rancid odor

Q: I want to replace a tree that we had to cut down with a ginkgo. I have heard that either the male or female variety has berries and smells bad.

JO ANN DILL, Tifton

Enlarge this image

WALTER REEVES

The ginkgo tree has butter-yellow leaves in November. Seeds from female trees smell terrible when they decompose.

RELATED LINKS:

• Hybrid Bermuda grass doesn't produce seed 
• For more salvia blooms, trim faded spikes 
• Mowing won't thicken St. Augustine 
• Fig vine has drawbacks 
• Little bugs can be a big nuisance for strawberries 

• Get more Home & Garden news
  

• Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on NewsTalk 750 WSB-AM from 6 to 10. Call 404-872-0750 to ask questions.
• His Web site, walterreeves.com, contains thousands of answers to lawn and landscape questions. Watch "Gardening in Georgia" each week on GPB. Details at gardeningingeorgia.com.

A: Female ginkgo trees produce primitive seeds covered by a fleshy skin. When the seeds drop and decompose, the odor has been variously described as vomit, outhouse and rancid butter. Male trees have no seeds and are commonly available at nurseries. They are either grafted or grown from cuttings taken from a male tree. Several cultivars are available, including ‘Golden Globe,’ ‘Princeton Sentry’ and ‘Fastigiata.’

Q: I have two arborvitae that were planted in June of this year. They are still green at the tips, but the interior of the bush is turning brown. Are they lacking water or is something else going on?

BRIAN DUNN, E-mail

A: Planting evergreen shrubs like arborvitae, Leyland cypress and cryptomeria in June is inviting trouble. The root system of these shrubs has a horrendous time supplying water to the needles, even if you water regularly. The stressed plant shows its displeasure by dropping its oldest, interior needles. The prognosis for your arborvitae depends on how much foliage is left at this point. If more than 50 percent is brown, there is little chance they will survive.

Q: I usually cut back my large ornamental grasses that grow with the big plumes in January. Can you dig them up and divide them at this time?

OWEN SEARCY, E-mail

A: All of the ornamental grasses (maidengrass, pampas grass, muhley grass, etc.) should be pruned low in mid-winter, before new growth begins. Removing the old stems allows you to clean out debris in the middle. Otherwise the center of the clump will decline. After the January whack-back, wait until new green stems appear in April to dig sections from the edge of the clump. These can be transplanted anywhere you wish.

Q: I have several deer in my garden every morning. They seem so hungry and have even started chewing on my cabbages. Is it a mistake to feed them?

PENNY FRY, Roswell

A: Feeding them will definitely attract more deer! Deer somehow communicate to each other about the presence of food. If you give them corn or hay, they will eat that plus your landscape plants.

Q: Is it OK to place chlorine-soaked leaves from our swimming pool into our compost bin?

Mitch Price, Fayetteville

A: Yes. There is not enough chlorine on the leaves to hurt the composting process.

Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on NewsTalk 750 WSB-AM from 6 to 10. Call 404-872-0750 to ask questions. His Web site, www.walterreeves.com, contains thousands of answers to lawn and landscape questions. Call your local Extension office (1-800-ASKUGA-1) for personalized advice.