Q: Do ginkgo trees stink? Does it depend on whether it is a male or female tree? If so, how do you know which you are getting? Tamara Josey, Sandersville
A: The tree itself does not stink but the fruit from female ginkgo trees is extremely malodorous. Male ginkgo trees do not have fruit so they are much preferred for landscapes. The ginkgo trees you buy at a nursery are all male. They have been propagated from cuttings taken from a known male tree. There are several outstanding varieties to choose from, ranging in shape from upright and columnar to broad and spreading to dwarf and dense.
Q: Due to a medical condition, my wife can't eat seeds. However, she longs for pickles. We understand gherkins are seedless. Does this apply to all baby cucumbers? Vic Heath, email
A: The pickled items that we call gherkins are indeed baby cucumbers. They may look similar, but a true gherkin is not a baby cucumber. They both belong to the gourd family but they are from different cultivar groups. Cucumbers are Cucumis sativus but true gherkins belong to another genus entirely, Melothria.
Getting back to your question, almost all cucumbers have seeds when they are mature but baby cucumbers (pickling gherkins) are picked before seeds start forming. I am not a plant physiologist, but I think it is reasonable to assume that if you grow cucumbers in your garden, the babies will have negligible seeds.
Q: We have five medium-size trees in our landscape. They need to be trimmed up at the bottom and thinned out to keep branches off the house. Is this something I can do or do I need a pro? Jeff Koehler, Acworth
A: My advice is that if you'll need to use a ladder to prune a tree, you need a professional. As proof, I offer my own broken rib and two friends' broken arms. All three of us decided at one time or another to ignore the ladder advice. Find a pro at georgiaarborist.org.
Q: I have recently collected some white oak acorns. What is the correct way to plant them? Christy Furem, Forsyth County
A: The best time to plant white oak acorns is in the fall immediately after you collect them because they sprout so quickly. In contrast, acorns from the red oak family need 60 days of moist, chilly storage in order to germinate. For white oak acorns, the simplest thing to do is to identify where you want a tree located and plant a few acorns an inch deep there. Remove all but the strongest one next fall. If that isn't possible, find a sunny, out-of-the-way spot, thoroughly loosen the soil at least 12 inches deep and plant your acorns there. When the seedlings are 12 inches tall you can transplant them, taking care not to damage the roots.
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