Educate yourself before eating wild plants
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 bit.ly/georgiagardener for more garden tips.
Q: Where do I go for a good book describing edible outdoor plants? Pat Roddy, Buford
A: Native plant expert Shannon Pable (shannonpable.com) suggests taking some wild edible classes first. That way you'll have an experienced professional identify plants for you and point out those that are most commonly used for food and medicine. Mark Warren (medicinebow.net) holds weekend classes in Dahlonega. Patricia Howell (wildhealingherbs.com), is an herbalist and holds edible and medicinal plant classes in Rabun County. After you take a class or two, you will better understand what reading materials and reference guides fit your needs.
For books, try “Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide”, “Botany in a Day” by Thomas Elpel, “Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants” by Steve Brill, “Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians” by Patricia Howell, and “Mountain Medicine” by Darryl Patton. Always be 100 percent positive on identification before you ingest any plants!
Q: Which of the hybrid bermudagrasses requires the least maintenance? Matthew Brumley, email
A: TifWay (Tifton 419) and TifGreen (Tifton 328) are excellent hybrid bermudagrasses developed by Dr. Wayne Hanna in Tifton. Both require regular fertilization and frequent mowing to look their best. Tifton 10 (Shanghai) bermuda requires less maintenance. Foliage is a bit more coarse, with a natural dark bluish-green color. It rapidly reproduces from stolons and above-ground stems, which limits weed invasion. Landscapers say it has lower fertility requirements, is more aggressive horizontally, and can withstand a lot of wear and tear. It looks its best when fertilized only 2-3 times each year with a mowing height of 1.5 inches.
Q: My parents live a block from the beach in Fairfield, Conn. The salt water from Long Island sound destroyed the lawn and plants after Hurricane Sandy. How do they recover their lawn? John Rabacs, email
A: Legend has it that conquerors through the years have salted the earth of their enemies to prevent them from reinhabiting a spot. Salt water burns plant roots, with the degree of damage proportional to the amount of salt in the soil. Gypsum can be used to neutralize salinity. Spread 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet on the lawn five times at four-week intervals, irrigating heavily after each application. To test whether the soil is ready for planting again, plant a few squash seeds in it at weekly intervals. If seedlings emerge but die in a few days, the soil is still saline.
Q: I am going to till my yard and sprig it with St. Augustine grass. Is it OK to overseed with fescue until the St Augustine fills in? Bob Vineyard, email
A: The two grasses will compete for a couple of years, but your process is similar to what my neighbor and I did several years ago. We bought pieces of sod and tore them into sprigs, which we planted 12 inches apart. Over the course of time, the St. Augustinegrass has choked out the fescue in our lawns. Once your St. Augustinegrass has covered most of your lawn but still has a few clumps of fescue in it, use atrazine herbicide to kill the fescue.
