Q: When I sit under a maple tree in my backyard in summer, I get ticks in my hair. How can I prevent ticks on the tree? — Radio caller
A: According to tick expert Nancy Hinkle, ticks do not fall from trees, because they're not in trees in the first place. Ticks hang around at ground level because they depend on high humidity. They move up on grass blades, about ankle level, never more than knee high, to wait for mammal hosts. If they become dehydrated, they move back to the soil, absorb moisture, then move back up. Ticks are negatively geotropic: They migrate upward on the host, typically gravitating to the head area. This explains why they are most often found on the scalp.
Tuck your pants into your socks and wear light-colored clothing when in tick habitats. These measures enable frequent visual checks to see if ticks are migrating up your body.
Q: Where can I buy gypsum to soften my yard? — Vic Duff, Cumming
A: Garden supply and feed and seed stores sell gypsum, but it won't soften your clay soil. Gypsum is used in other parts of the country to soften clay that contains a lot of sodium. That isn't our case in the South. Gypsum adds calcium to the soil if it is deficient but it does nothing for soil tilth.
Q: This spring will be my first full-scale vegetable garden. I plan on having corn and tomatoes, plus lettuce and bell peppers. What direction is best for me to plant so everything gets the most sunlight? — Ben Ross, Gillsville
A: Plant the taller things (corn, trellised tomatoes, okra, etc.) on the west or the north side of the garden. In this way, the sun coming up in the southeast will cast light to the highest degree on the shorter plants.
Q: I maintain a cemetery and need to know what is the best product to control fire ants. — Meade Duck, e-mail
A: Two products, in combination, give quick control and season-long results. Indoxacarb (Spectracide Once and Done Fire Ant Bait) rapidly kills fire ant mounds. Fipronil (Garden Tech Over 'n Out) is a contact insecticide granule that takes nearly a month to work, but gives residual fire ant control for about a year. Applying these two products one after the other at labeled rates will give excellent results.
Q: I purchased vegetable seeds for my garden but I will only use a few seeds from the packs. Do you know of any worthy cause to which I could donate the rest? — Jim Hendrickson, e-mail
A: The easiest recipient is a local Master Gardener group (1-800-275-8421). They are involved with many community gardens and beautification projects and would be grateful for your donation.
Listen to Walter Reeves from 6 to 10 Saturday mornings on WSB-AM (750). Visit his Web site, www.walterreeves.com, for detailed advice on Georgia gardening.
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