Q: When I eat at Hispanic restaurants, they serve yuca root. I this the same as ornamental yucca? Andy Segal, Atlanta
A: They are not the same, although I sometimes see "yucca" on restaurant menus. Yuca (cassava), Manihot esculenta, is a tropical plant whose starchy roots are enjoyed in all manner of recipes. They can be fried, steamed, or used as a potato substitute in any meal. The soft green leaves have 5-7 lobes. Yucca, on the other hand, has leaves that are typically stiff and sharply pointed, leading to the common names "Spanish dagger" and "Adam's needle." Yucca flaccida 'Golden Sword' and Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' have variegated leaves that are very attractive in the landscape. Huge spikes of white flowers emerge from yucca plants in early summer.
Q: Can you tell me when the best time to fertilize my shrubs and trees would be? Clifford Collins, email
A: The rule of thumb is to do it during or just before vigorous growth starts. So now is a great time to fertilize most woody plants!
Q: I have three hibiscus plants. They have very large red flowers. Do you prune them back to the ground or will I get new growth from the old stems? Dale Lyman, email
A: It sounds like you probably have Hibiscus moscheutos, sometimes called swamp mallow or dinner plate hibiscus. You can remove brown stems at their base anytime after the first killing frost. Try to get it done before the first green growth appears in spring.
Q: We have Virginia buttonweed overwhelming our centipede lawn. We re-seeded the lawn last year. Lorraine Payne, Walton County
A: Virginia buttonweed is extremely tough to control. It does not respond to most weed killers. It is a perennial plant and will resprout from root pieces if you dig it up. If you did any soil disturbance before seeding the lawn, that could explain why you have so much of it now. Long-buried seed may have been stimulated to germinate by being brought to the soil surface. Homeowner weed-control products that contain carfentrazone are useful but must be applied more than once. I would spray in mid-April and again in mid-May. Since centipede grass is sensitive to herbicides in hot weather, only use spot sprays after early summer. I predict it will take two years of treatment to get good control.
Q: I started a lot of seeds for my garden. I have them planted in small trays. I'm running low on space inside so is it OK to leave them outside for the night? Mason McAllister, email
A: I would not leave seedlings outside until nighttime temperatures are reliably above 55. It will be mid- to late April before that happens. Keep looking for creative places where you can keep them indoors, so the soil will stay warm continuously.
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