Q: I have some mossy areas in my lawn that could use some lime. How much? Drew Bowers, email
A: It is a myth that lime eliminates moss from a lawn. My backyard patio has several large patches of moss growing happily in the cement grout between adjacent stones. That is certainly a high pH environment but the moss grows vigorously there anyway. Manage your moss by removing the things it likes: shade, excess moisture and hard clay.
Q: Every year, I plant fescue seed and get a lush lawn. Come summer, it always dies out; by the end of the summer there is nothing left. I am aware that fescue doesn't like heat. What do you know about the new fescue hybrids that are more heat and drought tolerant? Eric Miller, Decatur
A: Fescue is fescue is fescue. The heat that causes its summer swoon is not daytime temperatures, although they are a factor. More important are nighttime temperatures. Any night when temperatures are above 70 is a night that fescue has a hard time repairing itself to withstand the next day's stressors. The best thing you can do to help fescue survive summer conditions is to make sure the ground is soft, at least six inches deep, when you plant. This means tilling your entire lawn with a motorized machine.
Once that is completed, have a University of Georgia soil test (1-800-ASKUGA1) done to make sure the nutrients and pH level of the soil are conducive for fescue. There is no miracle seed that is head-and-shoulders superior to another modern fescue variety. A blend of different fescue varieties is your best choice.
Q: I have a fig tree that is covered with little juicy nubs where figs used to be. Every time one gets ripe, large black wasps with white marks descend and devour it before I get a chance to pick it. I don't want to kill the insects. I don't use any insecticides in my yard but I would like to find a way to discourage these guys. Raymond Fast, Dallas
A: This is a tough one to figure out what to do. The insects with the white marks are very likely bald-faced hornets. They are big insects and they have big mouths and they love sweet things. That's why they eat your figs so voraciously. There is probably a big nest somewhere nearby. Look up in trees and under eaves to check. The first thing I can think of to do for your fig bush is to cover it with cheesecloth or screen wire, whichever is cheaper. Either way, it would be somewhat expensive. Or maybe you could make something more attractive nearby. Fill a saucer with sugar water and put some gravel in it so the hornets can land and sip up the sweetness and leave easily. Even consider jerry-rigging a large box fan on a stand near the bush to blow air on it during the day. Most flying insects do not like strong wind currents. That's all I have. If you think of something more, let me know!
Q: Is it okay to plant centipede grass now? Andrea Wells, email
A: You can plant centipede grass sod now but you don't have enough time for centipede seed to germinate and spread before the weather cools off. Then you won't have anything to hold the soil down in winter. Keep in mind that the best time to plant this grass seed is late May.
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