Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on News 95.5 FM and AM750 WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, follow him on Twitter @walterreeves or join his Facebook Fan Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener for more garden tips.
Q: I was always taught that if you want your petunias and geraniums to continue full blooming, you should remove the wilted flowers regularly. A friend told me recently that this is not true. Can you settle our little dispute? — Rose Oberlin, email
A: Deadheading is the process of removing unattractive flowers after they bloom. By doing so, the plant can't expend energy making seeds or sending hormonal messages to cease growing. Helpful plant breeders have introduced many plants described as "self-cleaning," meaning that the plant drops flowers naturally when they begin to fade. These plants generally don't need deadheading. On the other hand, you'll have a much tidier plant if you deadhead before the plant gets around to doing the job. You can deadhead by hand (or fingers) or use a clipper. Personally, I use scissors with a serrated blade to clip old flowers at their base.
Q: Fire ants have invaded our compost bin. What do we do? — Tracy Lee White, email
A: Just turn the compost a few times with a pitchfork. The ants will likely move due to colony disruption. Or you can spread the compost in your landscape. You won't increase the colony. Consider wrapping some of your pitchfork handle with sticky-side out tape to slow down the critters as they try to find out who's messing with their home.
Q: We have centipede grass with some bare areas. We are considering planting centipede seed. Should we put the seed down before or after aerating? — Allie Golden, Mount Pleasant
A: I think it works best to do it after the aeration. Then scatter 1/4 pound of seed over 1,000 square feet. Once that's done, drag the yard with a wide piece of carpet or something that breaks up the aerator cores. This will cover the seeds with soil and lead to better germination. Don't forget the handy trick of mixing the seed 1:10 with dry sand to make it easier to spread evenly.
Q: Our ancient oak has not leafed out like normal. About half of the lower leaves look like they are burned or frost bit. None of our other oaks look like this. — Lou Tankersley, email
A: You need a visit from a consulting arborist. These folks would rather save a tree than cut it down, and they can give you an honest evaluation of your tree's health. Visit the Georgia Arborist Association website (www.georgiaarborist.org) and look through its list of member companies.
Q: A neighbor's dog has made repeated bathroom visits to my lawn and has killed the border of liriope. How can that soil be reconditioned so that I can replant with grass or replace the liriope? — Nancy M., email
A: There's nothing particularly dangerous in dog urine; it's the concentration of nitrogen and other salts in the urine that kills the liriope. The damage is short-term. If you dig out the dead liriope plants and then irrigate the area heavily, the urine chemicals will rapidly disappear.
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