Q. What do you do about exposed tree roots? -- Dave Phillips, e-mail
A. In most cases, the large exposed roots are near the tree trunk. The all-important slender feeder roots are buried near the drip line and beyond. If that’s your situation, cover the exposed roots with good quality planting soil and install shade loving plants. Or you could simply cover them with pine straw or chips. Don’t place any soil or mulch within six inches of the trunk. It needs to be kept dry to prevent bark rot. If the exposed roots are at or beyond the drip line, dig under the root to expose it so it can be clipped cleanly and removed.
Q. I bought a one-gallon pot of papyrus back in the spring. Not knowing any better I simply planted it in the dirt. It's 6 feet tall, but everything I read tells me it should be in water. -- Helen Stumbo, Peach County
A. Much depends on what species you have, since papyrus is sensitive to cold weather. I have an umbrella papyrus plant, Cyperus involucratus, at the edge of a water feature and it has been hardy there outdoors for several years. On the other hand, an Egyptian papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, has been killed by cold weather twice in a nearby spot. Papyrus grows best where the roots are soggy and the crown is a bit exposed. Since winter is not terrible in your area, if you have true papyrus try cutting off all of the stems and covering the crown with a thick layer of pine straw until spring. Let me know what happens!
Q. I have mushrooms growing from the exposed roots of a tree in the front yard. Does that mean the tree is dying? -- Mark Crowell, Buford
A. It may not be dying but it surely is sick. Trees can usually fight off fungal infections by “walling off” the damage. In your case the roots may have been damaged by construction or by a lawnmower. Once a fungus breaches a tree’s defenses it feeds on the interior wood and eventually sends out mushrooms. You need the services of a certified arborist to evaluate the health and stability of the tree. Contact a professional at www.georgiaarborist.org.
Q. I have a maple tree on which the trunk is turning black. Should I be worried? -- Brenda Brantly, e-mail
A. Art Morris, Master Arborist for Bartlett Tree Experts, said he sees this quite a bit. Dark staining of maple tree trunks is most commonly an indication that the trees are infested with gloomy scale. The maple trunk gradually turns black as sooty mold accumulates on the honeydew that the scales produce. Gloomy scales often go undetected for years due to their size. They're about the size of a pin head (1/16 to 1/8 of an inch) and look like very small bumps on the bark of the tree. Although they blend into the bark very well, they're easy to identify by gently scratching the bark with a fingernail, causing them to flake off. If you decide your trees need treatment, hire an arborist to apply horticultural oil during the dormant season, followed by insect growth regulator in the mid-summer.
Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on AM 750 and now 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.
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