Q: I planted wildflower seed a couple of years ago and they look great, but the weeds almost overpower them. I mow the area in the fall, but the weeds and thick grasses all come back. — Steve Johnson, email
A: The name wildflower implies that these plants will grow and flourish just about anywhere. But wildflower beds are not carefree. You have to do some work every month to eliminate nonflowering weeds or they will take over the bed. If you'd rather not pull weeds by hand, you can put a spray guard on your garden sprayer and apply nonselective weed killer to individual weeds. I have a guide to establishing a wildflower bed at bit.ly/GAwildflower.
Q: As we get ready for winter, what's the recommended mowing height for Tift 419 Bermuda grass? A little short or a little long? — Janice Rowe, email
A: Mow it a little long; maybe one notch higher on your mower. This will give the grass some protection from winter cold. It also will give some protection from folks walking on the grass in winter when the stems can't regrow and recover.
Q: I saw on your website that it could be a good idea to aerate highly compacted soil twice a year. Besides late April, when would be the best time to do the second aeration on zoysia? — Paul Siegel, email
A: Since the purpose of aerating a lawn is to increase its ability to grow, my feeling is that you could choose to aerate in late April and in early June. In both cases, doing the chore after rainfall has softened the soil a bit will yield deeper holes and better penetration of water and nutrients.
Q: Is it too late to apply milky spore this fall? I had lots of beetles flying around my outdoor lights in summer. — Liam Brumley, Eatonton
A: Your first step is to identify the beetles you saw around the lights. Japanese beetles are not typically attracted to lights, but chafer beetles are. Milky spore disease does not control chafer beetle grubs. Even if you do have Japanese beetles, it's getting really late to apply it. Milky spore disease works best when soil temperatures are above 65 degrees. The soil temperature map for Georgia, georgiaweather.net, shows that soil in your area is rapidly cooling. You also must have an active population of Japanese beetles in the first few inches of your soil. At this time of year, grubs are digging deeper into the soil, preparing to go dormant for winter. Even if you apply the disease spores properly in mid- to late summer, it takes a couple of years to become effective. Remember, too, that Japanese beetles in your landscape may be flying in from your neighbors' untreated lawn or pasture. As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of using milky spore disease powder: It's too expensive for the minimal control it achieves.
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