Q: Should all flowers be deadheaded when they wither? Do I just cut off the dead bloom or snip the stem? -- Jon Watkins, Marietta
A: I think most plants look better when the dry flowers are removed. The usual method is to make your cut just above the leaves that grow below the faded flower. Some, but not all, plants will reward you by making more flowers at the new growing point. Removing butterfly bush flowers as they fade is a good way to keep this shrub blooming for months.
Q: I have a long row of mature blueberry plants. For the past two years, all of my berries have turned brown and dropped just prior to maturing. I theorized this was mummy berry disease so I replaced all the mulch this past winter, to no avail this summer! -- Joe Burns, Marietta
A: The symptoms sure sound like mummy berry. Once the disease infects a flower cluster in spring, the fungus becomes slightly fragrant and secretes sugars, making it attractive to insects. The insects spread the disease further through the plant. The fruit looks fine until it begins ripening, at which point it falls off. You made a good start by replacing the mulch but that will have to be done yearly. Before the leaves fall, cultivate shallowly around plants to bury mummified fruit. Consider spraying the plants with a garden fungicide from budbreak to the end of flowering.
Q: Why is my Bermuda lawn brown? The tips of the grass grow green, but the grass near the soil is brown. When I mow the grass each week it is brown for a few days until the tips of the grass grow back. -- Tom Hays, email
A: You're not mowing often enough or you're mowing off too much at one time. All grasses have a brown stem, which varies by species in its length. Atop the stem is the green blade. Your aim should be to cut off only a third of the height of the grass. This removes most, but not all, of the green leaf. Research has shown that Bermuda grass looks best when mowed at 1 1/2 to 2 inches high. You should mow whenever it grows to 2 1/2 to 3 inches. If you consistently see brown stems after mowing, you probably aren't mowing often enough. Try mowing every five days and see what happens.
Q: We had fescue sod put down in February. Would it be better to water it for 10 minutes a day or 25 minutes every other day? -- Frances Foust, email
A: By now you should be watering it only once per week, 1 inch at a time. The frequent shallow watering you describe leads to shallow roots and disease problems. The best time to irrigate is late at night or before 10 a.m. because the soil is cooler and less water is lost to evaporation.
Listen to Walter Reeves from 6 to 10 Saturday mornings on AM 750 and NOW 95.5FM News/Talk WSB. Go to http://www.yoursoutherngarden.com/ for details on his TV show or visit his website, http://www.walterreeves.com/.
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