Q: Every vine that I've noticed winds around the support counterclockwise. Do they all do that? In the Southern Hemisphere, do the vines all wind clockwise? Peggy Sant, email
A: Vines twine because as they grow longer they also bend in various directions during the day. When the vine touches a surface, the cells opposite the touch point elongate, causing the vine to begin wrapping around the vertical item. It's not true that vines in one hemisphere wrap in one direction and those in the other hemisphere wrap in the other direction. Further, not all vines in our hemisphere wrap in one direction. Some species tend to wrap clockwise and some counterclockwise. It's even true that vines can reverse direction and wrap in the opposite direction if something interferes with their initial motion.
Q: I bought sweet onion starts from a big box store last October and planted them in my garden. The tops seem to do really well but all I get are skinny green onions that do not become big. What am I doing wrong? Randy Mayne, email
A: It's very possible they are not a variety adapted to Georgia. Onions are stimulated to make bulbs in response to the length of daylight. Some are "short day", some are "long day" and some are "intermediate day". Our summers are too hot for long-day onions. They will succumb to heat and diseases long before they size up. If they are planted in the winter, they will only form lots of green leaves (scallions). Good bulbing onions for Georgia include 'Walla Walla', 'Yellow Globe Danvers', 'Grano', 'Granex' and 'Juno'.
Q: Does adding peat moss to soil make it drain better or make it more mud like? Mark Jefferson, email
A: Adding peat moss to soil makes it more mud-like. The reason is that peat particles are very small and they absorb lots of water. In combination with the tiny particles of clay and silt we typically find, the soil quickly becomes slick and slimy. Composted wood fiber, ground pine bark and composted food waste mixed with either one make excellent soil amendments.
Q: As we move into the spring allergy season, I've heard that the reason tree pollen counts are so high is that male trees far outnumber female trees. I have room in my yard for another tree and I'd like to reduce the pollen count in the vicinity of my house. Any suggestions? Leonard Pallats, DeKalb County
A: Environmentalist Theresa Schrum (www.theresaschrum.com) says the truth is that not many tree species are dioecious (having separate male and female plants). Most trees either have perfect flowers that possess male and female parts or have male and female flowers on the same tree. The male part of the flower, the male flower or the male tree do produce the pollen. However, the proliferation of pollen isn't due to people planting only male trees, as these really only constitute a small portion of the entire tree population. Looking at the high day for pollen in spring 2012, (www.atlantaallergy.com), I see that the contributors were mulberry, pine, oak and sycamore. None of these are male trees, but avoid planting them if you want to lessen the pollen count slightly.
Q: I heard that putting red pepper in bird feeders will keep squirrels away but not bother birds. Is this true? Bob Wallace, email
A: You heard correctly! Researchers at Cornell University mixed cayenne pepper with sunflower seed and found it significantly reduced squirrel feeding. Previous research reported that birds are not sensitive to capsaicin, the heat-producing chemical in hot pepper. Cole's Flaming Squirrel Seed Sauce is available locally. Research details at bit.ly/pepperrepel.
