Q: We have started raising cannas commercially and have several different varieties. I was told that we need to keep the different varieties separated to keep them genetically true. Is this correct? — Lynn Moon, email
A: Cannas have perfect flowers, meaning that each flower can pollinate itself or can accept pollen from other cannas nearby. The plant that comes from the hybrid seed may, or may not, resemble one parent or it may sport a mixture of the two parents' appearances. If you don't intend to hybridize cannas, simply collect all seed pods before they have a chance to fall to the ground in late summer. If you intend to hybridize the cannas, you'll have to study the flower structure and learn how to pollinate the flowers under controlled conditions.
Q: Do you know if aeration shoes work on zoysia? Our lawn is thick with thatch. I've been raking like crazy, but wondered if aerating with these shoes will work? — Lynda Newsome, email
A: The aerator sandals will have no effect on thatch. Or, for that matter, on aeration of the soil. The thin tines of the sandals do not penetrate deeply enough to make an appreciable difference. A rented aeration machine with hollow tines can help diminish thatch by inoculating it with soil fungi that decompose thatch. Aeration should be done after a good rain that makes the soil soft enough to allow full penetration. Run the machine over your lawn three times at different angles.
Q: I grew up in Middle Georgia, a real haven for fire ants. We used to kill them by pouring a tablespoon of uncooked, dry grits in a small pile on the edge of the ant bed. Once they eat the dry grits, the grits expand inside their digestive tract, killing the ant. I know from personal experience that this works! — Paul Glover, email
A: My colleague Charlie Tucker gave me a piece of advice 40 years ago that I still use. He was advising me on how to respond to someone who was convinced that beer and dish detergent made their lawn prettier. Charlie knew that trying to persuade them that science had proved that beer is useless as a fertilizer would be an exercise in futility. "You can't argue with success!" Charlie admonished me.
Science says that grits do not cause fire ants to explode. Fire ants do not consume solid material. It has to be liquified before they swallow it. Dry grits do not get into an ant’s body and swell up. But if you think you’ve been successful controlling ants with them, I think Charlie would say, “More power to you!”
Q: We had a dogwood tree cut down. Now, the edge of the stump is sending up new shoots. Will these shoots produce a healthy trunk? — Bob Hoenes, Cobb County
A: Plant a new tree. The sprouts that emerge are weakly attached to the trunk and will split off from it once they reach 6 feet tall.
About the Author
