Q: I have inherited the care of some unpruned muscadines. How do I retrain these vines for optimal production? — Wes Robertson, Hinds County, Miss.
A: Go to your muscadine vines and hold one of the long, whip-like, sprangly branches that grew last year. Follow it back to its origin. Observe that there are distinct bumps along this stem: the buds. Note the first two buds that grew on the limb after it began growth: cut the vine a quarter-inch beyond the second bud. Throw the resulting severed branch on the ground behind you and repeat the process until all of last year's limbs have been reduced to several "staghorn" spurs along the main vine. Vigorous new growth will come from these spurs and grapes will grow near the base of each one. Don't obsess about the process; muscadines are able to recover from any mistaken cuts you make. I have pictures at bit.ly/grapeprune.
Q: If I boil collards in salted water for three hours, can I reduce the pressure canning time to 40 minutes? — Delaine Bowen, email
A: I'm not a food preservation expert, but I spent many childhood hours helping my mother can hundreds of pints of vegetables. Elizabeth Andress is a food preservation specialist at UGA and she notes that stovetop cooking temperatures are not high enough for a long enough period of time to kill all the bacteria in home-canned vegetables. For safety, collards and other greens need to be heated to 240 degrees for 70 minutes in pint jar containers. The University of Georgia offers a series of free food preservation booklets at bit.ly/foodpres. They cover drying, freezing, canning and pickling your garden produce in easy-to-understand language.
Q: I save my Bermuda clippings by piling them up at the back of my lot. At the end of the season I use the clippings for mulch and then top dress with pine straw. Am I helping my plants by using this rough form of compost? — Jim Garrison, Lilburn
A: Once they turn brown, grass clippings don't have many plant nutrients to offer the soil. On the other hand, they do break down into humus, which helps the soil hold nutrients and water. You should keep doing what you're doing.
Q: I believe my current grass is centipede sod. Can I fill in bare spots with centipede seed? — Mike Thompson, email
A: Sure, overseeding is a fine way to thicken centipede grass sod growing in full sun. The best time to scatter seed is mid-May, when the soil is warm. 'Tifblair' is a good variety to use. Your biggest chore is to keep the upper inch of soil moist but not soggy for two weeks. It will take that long for the centipede seed to sprout and begin to fill the bare spots. Put down a light application of lawn starter fertilizer after you apply the seed. Irrigation should start immediately.
