Q: I am wondering if bloody dock, Rumex sanguineus, will grow well here. Some say it is invasive but I like the color of its leaves. -- Mark Harris, Maysville
A: I like the leaf color, too. I bought some several years ago and it still pops up in my landscape near where I planted it originally. There are plenty of other dock species that are considered weeds, but seedlings of this one are easy to spot and pull out or transplant. It sends up a tall, unattractive flower spike in summer. Cut it off when seen. Or you can do like I do and leave one in place to scatter seeds so I have bloody dock seedlings to enjoy the following fall.
Q: I’m buying blueberry bushes from a blueberry farm. They specifically want me to plant them in a Canadian peat moss mixture. What is the difference in Canadian peat moss and other peat moss? -- A.T. Stewart, Paulding County
A: My guess is they want the Canadian sphagnum peat because it is more acidic than reed/sedge peat. Blueberries require acidic but well-drained soil and that’s what Canadian peat provides. Sphagnum peat comes from sphagnum moss and is available in small bags or larger compressed bundles. It's light brown in color. Reed/sedge peat is brown to black in color, mucky feeling and is formed from a variety of plant materials. It is usually more decomposed than sphagnum peat. It has a finer texture, so its water-holding capacity is lower than that of sphagnum peat.
Q: I understand the importance and benefits of aerating a lawn. However, this year my neighbor bought an aerator made with spikes on a drum. What do you think? -- Jim Skarda, Cherokee County
A: I think he won’t get much benefit from using a spike aerator. When a core aerator passes over a lawn, it pulls up thousands of soil plugs. The holes left behind have rough sides and their large interior surface gives lots of places for air and water to penetrate. Spike aerators tend to compact the soil because they just push the soil out of the way as they pass over. Golf courses sometimes use spike aerators but they do so because their soils are usually sand-based and the spikes break through the water-repelling black layer under the sand. In summary, lawn stabbing is not the same as lawn aeration.
Q: I've been trying unsuccessfully to grow sweetgrass, Hierochloe odorata. I have tried to follow the plant seller's instructions but have not had any luck. -- Tony Burton, Gordon County
A: There are two kinds of sweetgrass. One, Hierochloe odorata, is native to the Midwest, Northeast and Canada. Native Americans used it to perfume their basketry and religious ornaments. Since the native range is so far north of Georgia, I think that this is why you're having problems: It doesn't like our summer heat or clay soil. The other sweetgrass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, is also known as purple muhly grass. It is native to the Southeast and has been woven into baskets by many generations of coastal South Carolinians. If you want basketmaking materials, stick to muhly grass. If you need material for spiritual medicine, visit North Dakota, where sweetgrass grows profusely.
Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on AM 750 and 95.5 FM News-Talk WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook Fan Page at xrl.us/wrfacebook for more garden tips.
