Nutsedge

I have applied Fertilome nutgrass killer twice already this summer and it has not killed the nutgrass. I use the Fertilome three-step program and my grass looks great except for the hearty nutgrass. Any advice or hints you can give me will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Sincerely,

J.R.

Nutsedge is a tough one to control and we recommend the Sedgehammer. The key is to use a spreader sticker with it and to not spray when the temperature is above 90 degrees. When you use the sedgehammer (which is not a fertilome product) it should knock it down in about three weeks, but you will have to spray it for a few years to weaken the colony.

The spreader sticker helps the chemical "stick" to the slick surface of the nutsedge. With the high heat so early this year, the nutsedge is a big problem for everyone.

Oak Tree Seedlings

Dear Sir,

I have two very large identical oak trees in my front lawn.

The problem I have is that I have many hundreds of oak tree seedlings growing in my lawn. Can you advise me on how I can get rid of the seedlings at this time and is there away to prevent their emergence in the future? Oddly enough, this problem does not seem to come up every year, but this year is particularly bad.

I would appreciate any advice you could give me.

Sincerely,

Wilfried

The weather has been perfect for acorn germination, I am hearing from many customers about this problem. The best thing to do is continue to mow the grass and it will cut off the seedling's food supply. You could also spray them with round up but need to be careful not to get the grass. A pre-emergent herbicide applied in the spring will help in the future.

Hope this helps.

Boxwood Bushes

My boxwood bushes smell like urine. We have one outside cat but have not seen any others. I read online that boxwoods can put off an odor that mimics urine. Is this true? What can we use to eliminate this odor?

Kathy

Yes, this is true. Boxwoods do have a smell, which helps them be deer resistant! There is nothing you can put on it to stop the smell, it’s just part of the plant.

Weed Control

Hello,

I just wanted to share this with you. We have a lawns ervice. For many years, we have always had, probably, the most beautiful lawn in the neighborhood. Well, we decided to have them stop the fourth treatment. I think they say it's a fertilizer or what have you. Of course, as you know, they don't want you to do that. Well, low and behold, this year we ended up with clover. We have never had a problem with clover, ever before. We called the lawn service and they informed us that since we only use three of their treatments that they won't guarantee "no clover"! So, we now have several patches of clover and when you haven't ever had them they're really ugly and noticeable! I really don't like this lawn care company. I think they're going to lose my business. Just wanted to share with you and get your opinion on their “guarantee”?

Sue,

Your question is difficult to answer without knowing specifically what your fourth treatment was supposed to do, and when it was to be applied. If it included a broadleaf controlling herbicide, you didn't get the application to treat your clover. I'm assuming you are trying to change your program to three steps to simulate the lawn care recommended during the show. This more than likely won't work with an existing program.

The program recommended during the show has three specific components. In the spring you use a fertilizer combined with a pre-emergent herbicide called Prodiamine. This product keeps weed seed from germinating throughout the growing season. This will keep weeds, including clover from starting from seed. It doesn't do anything for existing perennial weeds. Clover is perennial, which means it comes back each year from the previous year’s roots. It can easily be treated with a post emergent herbicide like Fertilome's Weed Free Zone. The other two steps of the program are a quick release, high nitrogen fertilizer applied twice in the fall, once in September and again in November.

You can quit the lawn service you have now and kill the clover you have with the Fertilome Weed Free Zone. Then you can start the three-step-program I recommend at the best time of the year, the fall.

Name of Product That Discourages Cats

Hello,

Denny previously mentioned a product that can be used to discourage cats from using the garden or flower beds as a litter box. He said a veterinarian recommended it and the product will not harm cats. Please let me know the name of that product.

I really enjoy listening to the radio program on Saturday mornings.

My mom and I visited your garden center last fall. She purchased a hardy mum for me. It was in a planter by my front door and after a very hard freeze, it appeared to be dead. I placed the planter in the garage for the winter, not really expecting the mum to survive because it wasn't planted in the ground. One spring morning, I noticed new growth. I look forward to it blooming again this fall.

Thank you,

Heidi

Good to hear about the mum. It can be tricky to try and overwinter a plant in a pot.

The product you are looking for is Fertilome dusting sulfur. You shake it on top of the beds and the cats don't like the smell and if they try to walk on it, it tingles their paws. You will need to apply after every rain, but eventually the cats will go somewhere else.

Hope this helps.

MSMA

Denny,

I love your program. I have learned so much. I am not an organic nutcase, but I have questions. What if there is too much arsenic in the MSMA product? What if it really does harm, birds, bees, insects, and all the rest? We don't know what to believe.

I like your three-step program, but here in tidewater Virginia region, we need lots of lime.

I have read that herbicides running off into creek beds, ditches and deep washes cause frogs to not be able to complete their life cycles. They get paused, and once they get to growing again, they don't reach maturity.

Melinda
Hampton, VA

Melinda,

I always enjoy the cautious attitude you have towards gardening and how it will effect the environment. The information contained in manufacture safety data sheets is meant to be a guide for people with concerns. There is important information not included. They don't show the levels of the various chemicals needing to be used to cause harm. In most cases the levels need to be very high before any harm is done. The level at which homeowners use various garden products causes no harm if the product is used properly. The EPA usually goes way beyond what is necessary to protect us. I think you need to relax some of your fears. You need to realize that long before any of these products reach our shelves, they are tested every way possible to protect us and the environment we share.

Trimming Hydrangeas

Denny,

I have two oak leaf hydrangeas which are probably about 15 years old. They have become long and thin over the years. They are in full shade during the summer months. Would simply trimming them after they bloom help them fill out, or is all the shade the problem?

Thanks,

Deb

Deb,

The answer to both of your questions is yes. They are growing long and thin because of the heavy shade. You can trim them back fairly hard after they have finished blooming. I would recommend that you cut off about two-thirds of the branches. This will give them a chance to start over. Next season, you may not have as many blooms as they will need to generate more growth before they bloom heavily.

Dappled Willow and Crape Myrtle

Hi, Denny,

I have a Hakuro Nishiki willow which I purchased about two years ago. At first, I planted it in full sun, but after reading up on the, I moved it to a space that gets about four to five hours of morning sun. I fertilize with liquid fertilizer once a month and yearly with osmocote. It was a beautiful pink when I purchased it, but I have not been able to get more than a variegated white and green. I prune it to the space size about twice a year. I also have dynamite crape myrtle that grow to about five feet tall and wide each year, but most of the branches die back to the ground in the winter and the only blooms I get are on any old wood I might have. How can I protect it so I have more old wood, thus more blooms?

Both were purchased from high end nurseries in our area and were quite expensive, so I appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks,

Pat

Pat,

It is always a challenge to grow any type of willow in this part of the country. Willows do not like our heavy clay soil and hot summers. It sounds like it is growing well if you need to prune it twice a season. If you are pruning this often, it probably is planted in another bad location. The plant wants to grow larger than you want it to be. Pruning is necessary in some situations, but at the same time is very unnatural. Some plants, like evergreens, tolerate pruning better than others. Most plants don't like to be pruned. Your willow is not being allowed to grow properly because you are pruning it too much. This fall, you should find a better place for it to grow and move it again. Pick a location where it can grow to the size it desires. Then it should start performing the way it is supposed to.

Crape myrtles are beautiful plants. Most grow in southern climates, but there are a select few that will grow in zone 6, which is where you are. Even if you have a hardy variety, a cold winter like we had last year can cause them to die back. There is nothing you can do to prevent this. It is odd that you are only getting blooms on the old growth. Crape myrtles always bloom on the new growth produced in the spring and early summer. Yours are blooming on the growth that is growing from the older wood. This will always happen. The only way you'll get new growth is to hopefully maintain more of this growth through the winter.