Q. Is it too late to prune my peach tree? It has started to bud. -- Glenn Hope, Fulton County
A. Early to mid-March is a fine time to prune peach trees. Your goal should be to have a three- to four-foot tall central trunk with limbs that flare out to form an open center for the tree. This results in the correct ratio of leaves to developing fruit. Don’t forget that March is the time to begin spraying peaches with fungicide to prevent brown rot. You can start using an insecticide/fungicide combination after the bee-attracting blooms have fallen. Details at xrl.us/brownrot.
Q. Bermuda grass has started growing in several small areas of my zoysia lawn. Is there a chemical that I can spray that will kill the Bermuda and not harm the zoysia? -- Herman Huff, e-mail
A. There are a few chemicals available to landscapers that will severely weaken Bermuda grass in zoysia but none to my knowledge will actually kill it. Since Bermuda grass greens up before zoysia, try this: Put on a rubber glove then pull a cotton sock over your protected hand. Dip the sock in a glyphosate herbicide solution (Roundup, etc.) and wipe it on the visible green Bermuda grass patches. This is easy to accomplish and may give zoysia the advantage it needs to overcome the Bermuda grass.
Q. Some of our gardeners at Alpharetta Community Garden want to go out and cut bamboo for trellises and stakes. Will the bamboo root in the ground if they do this? -- Julie Hogg, e-mail
A. No, the freshly cut bamboo stems won't root. In contrast, privet, locust, willow and alder stems do occasionally root when used for stakes and trellis work. Since bamboo can be an uncontrollable scourge in a landscape, encourage your gardeners to cut lots of it for their gardens!
Q. I know you don’t recommend burning Bermuda lawns, but what do you think about scalping? I've already seen neighbors cutting theirs very short. -- Charles F. Gridley, Gainesville
A. Scalping is far safer than burning. I recommend doing it when you see the barest hint of green in the lawn, typically in mid-March. Lower the mowing height to approximately one inch. Make sure not to go so low as to let the mower blade hit the ground.
Q. Could you tell me what kind of grass I have in my lawn? It is the first grass around to go dormant and it is the last one to come out in the spring. It feels thick and prickly. Seems to grow super slow; even when I fertilize it. -- David Gleasure, Hogansville
A. It's almost certainly zoysia grass. The stiff leaves and late green-up are specific for this grass. Knowing that it can be hard to tell what grass you have, I’ve put together a lawn ID guide at xrl.us/grassid.
Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on AM 750 and now 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.
