Q: I've got a clogged storm drain that the county will soon clean. Would that stuff be usable for compost? Barbara Morris, email
A: I think it would be perfect! Compost is simply plant material that has decomposed so your stuff is exactly that. Apply a layer a couple of inches thick to new flower beds and mix it eight inches deep.
Q: I have a Riesling grape and was wondering what conditions are needed for growing one. Braden Clinebell, Atlanta
A: Riesling grapes do not grow well here. Summer heat and various fungal diseases wipe out the vines before one gets a harvest. Recommended white wine grapes for Georgia include 'Seyval Blanc', 'Norton', 'Vidal Blanc', 'Villard Blanc' and 'Aurora'. For details on selecting and growing bunch grapes see xrl.us/bunchgrapes.
Q: Recently we lost a big oak tree as a result of root damage from when the builder constructed our home. We'd like to replace the tree with a maple and want to know what our chances are of having success if we plant the maple exactly where the oak tree was planted. Chet and Kay Morris, Dahlonega
A: You can plant a maple in the same spot but you have to work with the stump grinder operator to remove all of the trunk and roots possible. Be ready that day with a shovel or narrow-tine pitchfork (we called it a seed fork when I was a kid) in order to remove the mess of soil and chips when the grinder completes its initial work. Clear out the debris and expose any trunk and roots still left. Let the grinder chew those up too. Fill the resulting pit with your pile of soil, trying to avoid mixing too many chips into the spot. Just to be on the safe side, to supply extra nitrogen to the fungi that decompose wood chips, mix 1/2 cup of Milorganite or Espoma plant food with every cubic foot of soil/chips you put in the hole. Plant your replacement maple and drive a post beside it. Tie the trunk loosely to the post with a cloth: all that loose soil won't make for a good tree anchor for at least a year.
Q: We have always had a problem with Japanese beetles in summer. So far this year, we have not seen any at all. None! What's up with that? Kathy Voss and Terri Morrow, Suwanee
A: Just as the mild winter increased the number of ticks this year, the dry weeks of late summer last year decreased the number of Japanese beetles seen now. Adult beetles lay their eggs in July and August. It was dry last summer during egg laying season, so all the Japanese beetle eggs and larvae dried up!
Q: I have been cutting down my angel trumpet plant each fall but do I have to do this?. They come back in the spring but it takes all summer for them to bloom. Billy Wearnes, Fort Bragg NC
A: You can cut them down or leave them in place. Either way, winter cold will freeze the stems down to the ground and you'll remove them in spring when new growth starts. In my experience, some varieties of angel trumpet are naturally late to bloom, while others start flowering in mid-summer.
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.
