Q: I am about to dig up some sun-blocking wisteria vines because a swarm of kudzu bugs is all over my windows and door. What type of fast-growing vine can I put in its place that won't be attractive to kudzu bugs? -- Debbie Hipp, email
A: Kudzu bugs have become a real problem this year. Besides killing new growth on wisteria, they do major damage to garden beans and peas but little to the kudzu vine for which they are named. For substitutes, consider ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvine, ‘Madame Galen’ trumpetvine or Confederate jasmine.
Q: I recently had some Bermuda sod installed around our pool. It looks pretty good and is starting to green up. The crew was adamant that it did not need to be rolled right away. Instead, they said roll it when it is wet from a heavy rain. -- Rich S. Mickiewicz, email
A: Rolling has nothing to do with making the lawn flat. The purpose of rolling new sod is to get the roots in tight contact with the soil underneath. Leveling the area should be taken care of before laying the sod by raking it smooth and rolling it once to disclose low spots, which can be filled with soil.
Q: Are chemical dethatchers a scam? I am a microbiologist, and it does make sense that there are microbes you could put on the lawn that would help convert grass clippings into dirt. -- Greg from Loganville
A: As a microbiologist you also know that there are billions of microbes in your own soil looking for something organic to eat. To that end, aerating thoroughly after the grass is at least 90 percent green will bring lots of soil plugs to the lawn surface. Allow a couple of days for drying, then drag a piece of carpet or chain link fence over the lawn to distribute the soil into the thatch. Fertilize with any lawn fertilizer product and let your naturally occurring microbes do the business of reducing thatch.
Q: I would like to put up bat houses on our neighborhood lake in order to control the insect population living near the water. Is there a way to attract bats to the houses I buy? -- Bill Mikell, Acworth
A: The best information on bat housing comes from Bat Conservation International (www.batcon.org). According to them, small, poorly made houses commonly sold in stores are likely to fail. A bat house should be at least 2 feet tall, have chambers at least 20 inches tall and 14 inches wide, and have a landing area extending below the entrance 3 to 6 inches. Taller and wider houses are even better. Build-your-own plans are available at their website. Remember that bats don't eat many mosquitoes, mostly consuming moths and beetles.
Q: I planted a 6-foot-tall ‘Muskogee' crape myrtle in front of our great room window to create shade on the west side of house. When looking out the window, I want to see trunks only, not the leaves. How do I trim this tree so it will have a 7-foot-high trunk area with an umbrella top for shade? -- Ben Catt, Grayson
A: A ‘Muskogee’ crape myrtle will eventually grow 15 to 20 feet tall, so you’ll have to wait a bit. In the next month, select the most vertical branch at the top of each trunk and tie a ribbon around each one to mark their location. Remove the most horizontal branches, leaving four or five upwardly angled limbs in place on each trunk top. This will feed the growth of the chosen vertical branches. As summer goes on, clip the tips off the outward leaning branches while allowing the selected center branch on each trunk to rise unencumbered. Repeat the process at the top of the trunks next spring. It won't be long before you have only trunks in front of the window.
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 xrl.us/wrfacebook for more garden tips.
