Q: I have a very large pecan tree. My 87-year-old grandmother tells me that her father fertilized the tree with lye put in holes around the tree. — Nate Mosteller, Roswell
A: I have strong memories of my dad piercing the soil under our pecan with the sharpened tip of a buggy axle. I would follow behind, filling the holes with 10-10-10. Old-timers believed that lye provided potassium to pecans. I'm sure it did, but the caustic substance killed lots of roots, too! Best is to fertilize a pecan in April, May and September with one pound of 10-10-10 per inch of trunk diameter (thickness).
Broadcast the fertilizer under the branches and leave the buggy axle in the barn.
Q: I had limbs removed from a dead oak tree. I allowed the 20-foot-tall trunk to remain standing. What vine suggestions might you have? — Diane Chiaramonte, Winder
A: Many would suggest English ivy but it will take years to climb up the trunk. I think crossvine is a much better option. It grows rapidly after establishment and sports a mass of bright orange flowers in May, blooming sporadically for the rest of the year.
Listen to Walter Reeves from 6 to 10 Saturday mornings on WSB-AM (750). Go to www.gardeningingeorgia .com for details on his TV show or visit his Web site, www.walterreeves.com.
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