Q: What is the best way to propagate an angel trumpet plant? Joe Cagle, Woodstock
A: It is easy to do. With our late winter, I think there’s still time to collect some green stems. Use your pruning loppers to cut off a couple of large branches, then strip off the leaves.
Cut a dozen 12-inch lengths of the branches, noting which end of each section pointed toward the branch tip and which end pointed toward the plant’s trunk. Place the “trunk” ends of the sections in a small plastic bucket and cover the ends with 6 inches of water. Put the bucket and branch sections in a sunny window in an unused bedroom.
You’ll be surprised to find how fast the ends of the lengths will sprout roots. The other ends will soon sprout leaves. You can plant the rooted stems in individual pots when the roots are 4 inches long and then plant them outdoors in April.
Q: We are organizing a community garden. Is it worth it to add to our soil a product that has microbes and mycorrhizae? Lyn Deardorff, Atlanta
A: Products like this are heavily advertised. They promise great results using beautiful photos. But my mission as a gardening educator is to stick with the science that investigates the claims of garden products. Researchers at Washington State University tested products that touted microbes and mycorrhizae. Their research was reviewed by their peers in other parts of the country. Their summary concluded that adding mycorrhizae to gardens is “generally ineffective and unnecessary.” Your garden will be inoculated with mycorrhizae naturally from falling leaves, compost, and wood chip mulch. Avoid rototilling the beds after the first growing season. Tilling harms the mycorrhizal environment. Many gardeners fervently believe in adding microbes and mycorrhizae to soil. It’s a free country and you can spend your money on whatever you like, but you won’t find mycorrhizae additives in my garden shed.
Q: I don’t see railroad cross ties being used much these days in landscaping. Have they simply fallen out of favor? Or are they deemed environmentally harmful? Danny Nix, email
A: I think they have fallen out of favor, probably because of the poisonous creosote most railroad ties are treated with. There is a legitimate concern about using them to line a vegetable bed. If used to make a retaining wall, they eventually rot. There are better materials available for both jobs.
Listen to Walter Reeves’ segments at 6:35 a.m. on “Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca” Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, follow him on Twitter @walterreeves, on Pinterest, or join his Facebook Fan Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener for more garden tips.
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