Annual fertilization not always necessary

Q: I have a lot of shrubs on my property, mostly holly, nandina and conifers. Most are over 5 years old and are fertilized each year. Would skipping a year be a mistake?

DAVID BUTLER, e-mail

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WALTER REEVES/Special

Some stables give away horse manure for fertilizing plants.

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A: If established shrubs are mulched, they need little fertilizer each year. Once they reach the desired size, fertilizer only forces you to do an annual pruning. It does little to keep the plants healthy. If finances are tight but you want to feed your landscape, why not use free composted horse manure? Details at xrl.us/manure

Q: Jews use willow branches each fall in our Sukkot celebrations. We import them every year but it’s very annoying that the leaves never last the whole week. Can I grow the proper willows here?

BARBARA REDMAN, Athens

A: There are hundreds of different kinds of willows, but it seems that river willow, Salix acmophylla, and white willow, Salix alba, are likely the willows mentioned in the Bible.

Weeping willow is not an appropriate plant. I base this on commentary by Zohar Amar in HaMa’yan, guidance from the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and notes from Dukes Medicinal Plants of the Bible.

White willow should grow fine in Athens. An individual plant may be short-lived due to summer heat, but you can always root branches to propagate the species.

Q: I have noticed in my neighborhood that folks are drilling water wells to irrigate their yards, thereby skirting state-mandated watering bans. Will this have a negative impact on the groundwater supply that we all share?

SUSAN TENENBAUM, Decatur

A: According to Jim Kennedy, state geologist, most of the northern part of Georgia is above a layer of granite, gneiss and schist. Groundwater is contained in cracks in the hard rock. A bored well extracts water from these fissures. The yield may be enough for home and garden use but is rarely adequate for municipalities.

You are correct to worry that if too many high-yield wells are close together, less water might be available for all concerned. In addition, wells that withdraw groundwater that would otherwise seep out of the rock into a creek might reduce the base flow of the creek.

That said, little research has been done to find out how groundwater removal in North Georgia affects streams. Regulating wells on private property is controversial because Georgia law basically states that if you own the land, you own the water underneath it. In my view, private wells could become a problem only when everyone has one, which isn’t likely to happen as long as we enjoy an average of 50 inches of rainfall each year.