Q: My pomegranate bushes are bending over with fruit this year and my friend is wondering if he can grow any from seed. -- Ann Blissit, Stockbridge
A: It's relatively easy to grow pomegranate from seed. Harvest the juice-filled seed sacs from a fully ripe fruit and mash them through screen wire to separate the seed from the juice. Dry the seeds on a paper plate. When fully dry, separate the seeds from other debris and store them in a cool dry place until spring. Plant in a sunny bed in early May. The seed need only be covered by a thin layer of soil. Keep moist and sprouts will occur in six weeks. Maintain the plants through the summer and transplant in fall.
Q: My neighbor keeps telling me I'm crazy. When I water I take extra care to spray the leaves of my crapemyrtles and Leylands. I know plants absorb water through their leaves but is it beneficial or am I just making myself feel better by giving them a shower? -- Sandy Devitt, McDonough
A: Your neighbor knows you better than I do, so I can't judge your mental health. But most of your spraying is in vain. Some water is absorbed by leaves but much more is taken in by roots. On the other hand, a strong spray of water is a good way to keep spider mites at bay in the Leyland cypress. A hard stream of water is a good way to thwart crapemyrtle aphids too. Although watering the foliage might lead to leaf disease on some plants, it won't on these two. On the other hand, if spraying the leaves makes you happy, by all means do it. Gardening is supposed to be enjoyable, not full of rules that make you nervous.
Q: You mentioned on your radio program that it was easy to obtain free wood chips. Whom would I contact? -- Selena Gardner, Flowery Branch
A: Most arborist companies (www.georgiaarborist.org) will deliver them free. If you ask nicely, they will be on the lookout for an oak tree removal job, which yields chips that last longer than pine chips. And if you promise the crew cookies and soft drinks, they might deliver a partial load. I say the last advisedly because some chip trucks carry an enormous volume and it can take a very long while to distribute a mountain of chips into your landscape. A cubic yard of chips will mulch 15 azaleas two inches thick. You'll need a cubic yard for a dogwood or redbud tree and two cubic yards to properly mulch a big oak or hickory. Lastly, make sure you have an unobstructed dump spot for their large truck. Your driveway is not a good place unless you have an army of helpers to clear a path so you can get your car out.
Q: Is there a way to grow Spanish moss here? I have seen yards in the area with moss but it seems its growing on a certain kind of tree. -- Patrick Zingleman, Gwinnett County
A: Spanish moss is not a true moss. It is an epiphytic plant, meaning it grows on another plant but does not rely on the host plant for nutrients. Epiphytes make their own food, using nutrients dissolved in rain water. As you've observed, Spanish moss grows best in areas of high heat and humidity, of which we have lots in summer. However, it does not like cold weather. Temperatures in the 20s will kill it. My bet is that your neighbors are bringing it back from summer vacation and draping it in their trees for temporary effect.
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.
