Q: I am trying to find the type of pear my Mom used in making pear preserves The pears would be ripe, but rock hard and a very pale green/yellowish color covered with brown specks. Johnathon Barrett, Savannah
A: I feel confident your mother was canning 'Kieffer' pears. These pears have a certain grittiness to the flesh that helps them hold their shape during processing. The fruit is enjoyed by cows and mules but cooking is the only thing that makes it palatable to humans.
Q: I need advice on how to keep an organic vegetable garden and survive the multitude of pests that make waste of my attempts. Marsha Dunlap, email
A: Helping plants resist disease and insects rather than automatically reaching for the spray bottle should be every gardener's goal. Your first task is to be sure the garden is in full sunshine. After that, amend your soil so it drains quickly but retains a moderate amount of moisture after a rain. The third task is to develop your ability to identify diseases and insects (particularly beneficial insects) in your garden. Another rarely discussed option is to help your plants fight disease by spraying them with aspirin water. In appropriate doses, aspirin water causes a plant to thicken its cell walls and resist bacteria and fungi. I have the research on which this advice is based at bit.ly/plantaspirin.
Q: My young red maple has had a tremendous growth spurt this summer, mainly from the center trunk, which has grown almost three feet. Should I leave it be and see if the tree fills in or should I trim it off to provide shape for the tree? Rick Mente, email
A: Generally speaking, trees will grow to an appropriate shape on their own. However, when they get lots of rain or fertilizer, growth spurts lead to long droopy limbs and trunks. You can shorten the long limb now with no harm to the tree.
Q: Whenever I pass a fire ant mound, I take a moment to scrape my foot through and scatter it, sending the little critters hurrying about to make repairs. Am I having any impact at all on them? Tim Thomas, email
A: UGA ant expert Nancy Hinkle says, "There's not a Southerner out there who can resist kicking a fire ant mound! Doubtless there is some psychic gratification in causing the little menaces such discomfiture, but in the grand scheme of things it's doubtful that it has much impact. The ants responsible for maintaining the mound will be temporarily reassigned to repairing the damage your boot created, but considering the typical nest population includes 30,000-40,000 workers, they can probably afford the extra activity. Meanwhile, the queen is down in the nest pumping out eggs with complete disregard for what's going on at the surface. A mature imported fire ant nest extends six feet down into the soil, so the 6-inch mound on top is a small fraction of the life of the colony."
Q: We have noticed lots of caterpillars nesting in the sweetgum trees. Is it worth trying to control this infestation with insecticides or will they disappear by themselves? Lynn Bauer, Coweta County
A: I think you're seeing fall webworms. They build their protective webs in pecan, sweetgum and small maple trees. Their homebuilding activities started in June but the webs are just now becoming noticeable. Although they do not permanently harm trees, they are certainly unsightly. One simple control method is to pull the webs down with a long pole. Wasps, yellowjackets and hornets love to eat caterpillars and have been so far kept at bay by the diaphanous dwelling cover. You could also spray around and into the nest with organic caterpillar killers that contain Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.)
