Q: I am thinking about surrendering in the battle for privet control along my fence. It's an ugly chain-link thing that I would love to hide. But I'm concerned about birds eating privet berries and spreading it to surrounding woods. Is there a responsible way to let this invasive plant grow on the fence? Susan Soybean, Chattahoochee Hills
A: I think if you waited until after the flowers come in late spring you'd be able to see the green seeds before they develop into copious gray nuggets of bird food during summer. You could prune the seeds into a bucket and destroy them. This shouldn't be hard to do if your fence is not too long. If you enjoy the fragrance of privet, as I do, despite its invasive nature, you'd have a cover for your fence without the guilt that comes from harboring an invasive plant.
Q: I have a lotus plant in a large pot filled with water. What should I do now that winter is coming? Renée Davis, Cumming
A: Most folks just wait until frost nips the leaves and then clip the stems a couple of inches above the water line. Lotus can tolerate being in cold water in winter but can't take being frozen solid. One expert digs a hole deep enough to accept his lotus pot but leaves the rim two inches above the surrounding soil. This protects the roots from freezing but allows winter rain to keep the lotus wet.
Q: On your radio show I heard a gentleman mention a new sassafras tree disease. I am a big fan of sassafras and don't want mine to die. Robert Searl, email
A: The problem is laurel wilt disease, and it is spread by one of the several non-native ambrosia beetles that have arrived from Asia in the past decade. The beetle bores holes in the trunk of a red bay laurel, sassafras or avocado tree and introduces a fungus to feed its young inside the tree. It's great for baby beetles but fatal for the infested tree. There is limited evidence that spraying the trunk of a specimen tree with the insecticides bifenthrin or permethrin in early spring can protect it from the beetle. This is just one more chapter in the longer story of how modern transportation can introduce non-native plants, insects and diseases to a new environment and cause unexpected devastation.
Q: I need information on the Empire zoysia sod I had installed this summer. I am particularly interested in how to fertilize and protect it from disease. Arnold Darsey, Snellville
A: Zoysiagrass is an excellent lawn grass if maintained correctly. It needs less fertilizer than bermudagrass and is very drought tolerant. Like bermuda, it turns brown in winter, but it changes to green a couple of weeks earlier than bermuda. Zoysia should be mowed weekly no higher than 2.5 inches. In my experience, it rarely gets disease unless it is watered too often. A deep drenching once a week during July and August are all that's needed. Watering in fall is a great way to invite large patch disease to your lawn. Fertilize once when the grass turns green in spring and again at eight week intervals. I have care calendars for all lawns grasses at xrl.us/lawncalendar.
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