Q: I have a beautiful maple tree in my front yard. There is a big hole in the trunk where a branch was cut off. There seems to be water inside. A neighbor said it needs to be filled. Thomas “Tater” Irwin, email
A: Holes that form from limb removal are common. They can be prevented by using proper arborist pruning techniques. But now that you have the hole, do not fill it. Research has shown that tar, expanding foam, concrete and caulk inevitably crack around the edges and allow water into the hole. Protected from drying, the hole grows bigger. Do not try drilling into the trunk to drain the cavity. The drilling will damage protective cell layers the tree has established to contain the rot. The best course of action usually is to leave tree hollows alone. If you simply must do something, fashion a “roof” over the cavity using sheet tin or aluminum, painted to match the tree. This might shed enough water to keep the hole dry.
Q: I’ve looked at the Amdro Fire Ant Bait website and cannot find out if Amdro harms birds. I put Amdro around ant hills in my yard and I see birds foraging for food on the ground nearby. Will they eat Amdro and will this harm them? Claude Nardy, McDonough
A: The active ingredient in Amdro Fire Ant Bait is hydramethylnon. The insecticide is mixed with soybean oil and applied to corn cob grits. If the product is applied when ants are foraging, they will grab the slow-acting bait and feed it to their queen. When the queen dies in a few days, the worker ants will die as well. There has been scant research on the effect of hydramethylnon on birds. But the information I found has good news: The oral LD50 for hydramethylnon in mallard ducks is greater than 2510 mg/kg, and in bobwhite quail is 1828 mg/kg, indicating that the compound is practically nontoxic to these species. If you don’t have too many mounds, you could cut 2-by-2-foot pieces of window screen and cover the mounds with it after applying the bait. Ants will easily find the bait, but birds will be kept away.
Q: I have been searching for information on the largest tomatoes grown in Georgia. I have been growing beefsteak varieties, producing many tomatoes that exceed 3 pounds. Do you know where I could find information on state records for vegetables? Jerry Arrant, Kennesaw
A: I don’t know of any large tomato contests in Georgia. But I found a guy in Walla Walla, Washington, whose love apple tipped the scales at close to 11 pounds. You can get information on Georgia tomato festivals at bit.ly/GAtomatofest.
Email Walter at georgiagardener@yahoo.com. Listen to his occasional garden comments on “Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca” Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener, for his latest tips.
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