Q: We have some bulbs that are beginning to sprout. The foliage is 2 inches high. Is it too late to divide and replant them? — Steve and Diane, email
A: You can accomplish two things at once now: divide and fertilize. We have had a warm fall, so it's no surprise the bulbs are sprouting. As long as the foliage is small, the roots won't have grown much, so dividing a clump won't hurt anything. But the best thing you can do for bulbs is to fertilize in late fall. Remember the rule of thumb that plants should be fertilized when they are just beginning to grow vigorously. Though the weather is cold, spring bulbs like daffodils, tulips and hyacinths will enlarge their root systems in winter so they can send up thick leaves and beautiful flowers. Any bulb fertilizer will do the trick. Cold weather won't hurt the leaves.
Q: In September, I cut back my ginger lilies, dug out some rhizomes, and sent them to my friend in Massachusetts. He put them in pots in his house. They are now growing leaves. Should he cut the leaves back or let them continue to grow? — Patricia Zyskowski, Gwinnett County
A: Ginger lily, Hedychium coronarium, is not winter hardy outdoors in Massachusetts. I wish your friend had put the roots and pots in a dark place so they wouldn't sprout until spring. But now that leaves have come up he can keep the plant in front of a sunny window until night temps outdoors are above 55 degrees. At that point, each ginger plant can be planted in an 18-inch pot and then slowly introduced to full sunshine. The white, gardenia-scented flowers will appear in fall. Keep outdoors until night temps are in the 40s. Then remove the stems and foliage and keep the pots cool and dark for winter.
Q: We have 15 red cedar saplings about a foot tall growing in shade. We'd like to relocate them, but the new location would be in full sun almost all day. Can these be transplanted? — Ray Frizzell, Henry County
A: Red cedar, Juniperus virginiana, is a native evergreen tree seen far and wide under fence lines where birds have deposited the seeds. They survive much better when transplanted "small rather than tall." I wouldn't attempt to move any that are over 6 feet high unless you have a motorized tree spade. Though yours are tiny now, throw some organic fertilizer (Milorganite, Holly-Tone, Sure Start, etc.) in the hole to get them off to a good start. They eventually will be 40 feet tall.
Q: Will it damage my Bermuda lawn if I mow it when it has turned brown? I just want to clean it up a little. — Rick Swartz, email
A: Mowing your lawn high once or twice in winter is a good way to clean up leaves and cut down any winter weeds that have sprouted. Do your very best not to repeat the same mowing pattern. Winter soil is often soggy and it is easy to compact. Weeds are much more likely to thrive in compacted soil than in soft soil.
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