Q: Do you have any suggestions for keeping the ants off of peony and dahlia flowers? I love fresh-cut flowers in the house, but these two are always covered! — Sam Wilson, Lilburn
A: I have two methods. Both require a bit of extra work, but both are reasonably effective.
1. Before you cut the flowers, fill a gallon bucket with water and a few drops of dish detergent. Bring your cut flowers to the bucket and submerge each bloom successively in the solution. Gently wave the flower in the water to wash away ants, then stand them upright to drip dry.
2. When only flower buds are present, cut several 2-inch diameter circles out of scrap cardboard. Cut a slit to the center of each one. Slip the cardboard around the stem under each flower or flower cluster and tape the slit closed. Smear petroleum jelly on the top surface. This will trap most ants as they climb the stem.
Q: Is it possible that the new "low chill" cherries would produce fruit in Georgia? — Bernie Aarons, email
A: While it is true that their requirement for wintertime chilling severely limits cherries such as 'Bing', 'Ranier' and 'Lambert' in Georgia, many other things make cherry success here doubtful. Spring freeze/thaw cycles can initiate early blooming, heavy spring rain can induce cracking, summer heat leads to disease, etc. Cherries that require low chilling, such as Minnie Royal, Minnie Ann and Minnie Lee, seem to do best in the drier parts of California and the Midwest. Try a couple and let me know how they work for you.
Q: I have a large heap of freshly chipped pine limbs and needles. If I let the pile age a few months, will the chips be suitable as compost for a vegetable garden, or should I use for mulch? — Chip Limbrick, Armuchee
A: If you leave the pile in place long enough, the chips will decompose and could be used as a soil amendment. I have mixed feelings about using chips only a few months old as mulch in a garden. I think it would be better to use it as mulch in the landscape or to cover the space between your garden rows. They will decompose over the summer and can be tilled into the earth this fall. I have a way to accelerate composting a chip pile at bit.ly/rotwoodchips.
Q: Last summer, I sprayed my pasture with GrazonNext, containing aminopyralid and 2,4-D. I have a pile of wood chips that I use as mulch around various plants. When I was cleaning out my sprayer, I sprayed my mulch pile. Can I use the mulch on the surface of the ground around plants in the garden? — Jim Nix, Loganville
A: Much depends on how much chemical was sprayed on the mulch and then the subsequent temperatures and rainfall. It would be a gamble to use the mulch around plants now. Better leave it in place for at least another 12 months.
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