Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>> Cooper: Welcome to "The
Family Plot: Gardening in the
Mid-South."
Thanks for joining us.
Today we're going to answer some
of the most frequently asked
questions we get at Extensions
Offices around the area from the
fall and winter.
So if you have a lawn, a
vegetable garden, or ornamental
plants around your home, you
want to stay tuned.
Frequently asked questions --
That's just ahead on "The Family
Plot: Gardening in the Mid-
South."
So stay with us.
>> Female announcer: This is a
production of WKNO, Memphis.
Production funding for "The
Family Plot: Gardening in the
Mid-South" is provided by Good
Winds Landscape and Garden
Center in Germantown since 1943
and continuing to offer it's
plants for successful gardening
with seven greenhouses and three
acres of plants plus
comprehensive landscape
services.
>> (instrumental music)
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
>> Cooper: Hi -- Welcome to "The
Family Plot."
I'm Chris Cooper.
Joining me today is Booker T.
Leigh
Booker is the Tipton County
Extension Director.
Walter Battle -- He's the
Haywood County Extension
Director.
And Tonya Ashworth is here
today.
She's a UT Extension agent in
Fayette County.
Thanks for joining us
>> Battle: Glad to be here.
>> Cooper: This is going to be
fun.
As you can imagine, we get lots
of plant questions at the
Extension Office.
After all, it's one of the
things we're there for.
But some questions have a way of
popping up year after year.
So today, we've assembled our
most frequently asked questions
in three areas -- lawns,
vegetables, and ornamentals.
So let's get started with the
grass man himself, Mr. Booker T.
Leigh.
>> Leigh: I like grass.
>> Cooper: Alright -- We know
you love grass.
Here's the first question about
grass, Booker.
>> Leigh: Chris, I'm so glad
because I like cutting my grass
twice a week during the growing
season.
>> Cooper: Repeat that again.
>> Leigh: I like cutting my
grass twice a week.
It's good during the growing
season but that time's coming
around to an end now.
But we get that call a lot of
times people want to know:
"Should I cut it real low or
should I cut it tall.
What should I do?"
You want to leave it at about
the same height that you were
cutting it during the regular
season.
The reason is that you want to
protect those root systems
during the winter months.
So we get through a real cold,
cold winter and then you're
grass is real low.
It can damage that root system.
I try to leave that last
cutting's clippings on the grass
because that would be like a
little insulation for the root
system in there.
But keep it about two, two and a
half inches tall.
That's for Bermuda grass and
your Zoysia grass.
Those are your two warm season
grasses and you'll probably
start seeing a little of this.
It's probably going to start
turning brown.
A lot of people want to say why
they grass die.
My grass is dying.
From up north, you saw the brown
grass.
Everybody's grass is dead.
Because up there they have more
like Fescue.
But it's up north so it would be
cool-time grass.
>> Cooper: Here's the next
question, okay -- that you get a
lot.
It says..
>> Leigh: This is a good time --
probably about the last of
September, you want to start
fertilizing your lawn grass.
Especially with a nitrogen
fertilizer because nitrogen
fertilizer it what make's it
If it were to grow dormant, you
don't want no growth during that
time because we got a real cold
winter and you got some new
growth on there, it can kill
that grass or damage that grass.
And you can see the results of
it in the spring time when it
starts to come back again.
You start wondering what
happened to my lawn -- why these
spots are still in there.
The brown spot -- because you
cut it in cold winter and
damaged the grass.
But you want to fertilize your
lawn then.
Use some like phosphate and
potassium.
Know that the second two
numbers.
The first number is nitrogen.
Then your phosphate and
potassium.
Let that first number be
missing.
Then add some potassium to that.
And that will give you a good
root system and also protect it
during the winter months.
That root system is still active
during the ground during the
winter months.
>> Cooper: Here's the next
question.
It says..
>> Leigh: I hate weeds.
I hate weeds in my yard because
when you got weeds in your yard,
they grow fast.
And we want to get rid of the
weeds in there.
You put in that product twice a
year.
You want to put it down.
Now is a good time to put it
down.
Dimension or Snapshot -- Those
are two premade that you can go
to one of the guys in the store
or a nursery somewhere and try
to find those in there.
And mote premades now -- They've
got to be activated in to the
soil through rain water or
irrigation.
It's going to so many hours.
And that's going to be on the
label.
You need to real the label on
there to tell you how to put it
down.
Then you want to come back again
in the spring time before those
summer weeds begin and start to
germinate and put you another
premade down to get those weeds
Weeds will grow.
And if you've got some bad soil,
weeds going to grow in there.
So you need to try to do that in
there.
They grow in good soil, too.
We need to get rid of those
weeds in there.
>> Cooper: Booker, you can't
have weeds if you cut it twice a
week.
(laughter)
>> Leigh: As a matter of fact, I
don't have no weeds.
As you're doing all that work to
your yard and your neighbors not
doing anything, you're still
going to probably end up with
some weeds in your yard.
So you need to try to make sure
you tell your neighbor do a less
thing to your yard sometimes.
>> Cooper: You're right.
Now here's our next question,
Booker.
It says..
>> Leigh: Yeah, Bermuda's a warm
season grass.
Bermuda and Zoysia grass are
warm season grass.
And they grow during the warm
part of the year.
And they start growing probably
like the middle of May,
depending on how the summer
And that should tell you want to
plant those seeds probably
sometime in May.
But now it's too late now.
If you put them down now, they
might come but they're going to
be killed off by the winter.
So save your money and wait.
Nobody go buy some Bermuda seeds
Wait until May to probably do
that.
Now you've got some sod you've
gotta spread or you need to find
some sod.
You can put sod down in there.
>> Cooper: So you can sod
>> Leigh: You sod anytime --
yeah.
Just try to loosen the soil.
Make sure it come in contact
because it will grow.
You lay that dormant but in the
spring time, you'll start seeing
>> Cooper: Okay, here's our next
question.
It says..
>> Cooper: How about that one?
>> Leigh: You know a lot of
times your plants think they use
a lot of water during the
winter, especially evergreen
And people think that because
the Bermuda grass is completely
dormant, but that root system is
still active in the soil.
And if we don't get a whole lot
of rain during the summer,
winter months, you need to go
You don't need to water like you
do in the summer time but you
need to have some water down
there in the root system to
protect that root system in
there, especially if go through
a real, real dry, dry winter.
And we have been through some
dry winters sometimes.
So you need to just keep a check
on that..
Don't worry about doing like
you're doing in the summer time
but make sure you keep it kind
of in that period of time.
No more than once or twice
during the winter months.
You should be efficient for
that.
>> Cooper: Okay, keep it moist.
Alright, now here's the last
question.
It says..
>> Leigh: Well, that's a good
time, too, now.
One thing you don't want to add
lime.
You know, you don't want to go
and add lime because you might
not need no lime.
So you need to go out there and
do a soil test.
That's a good time to do a soil
test.
I hear Walter saying he was
doing a soil test the other day
and putting the soil sample.
This is a good time to do that.
You want to get it from three or
four different locations in your
yard.
Go from the corner, center, and
mix that together.
And send it off.
Right now it cost seven dollar
per box.
And it's worth that seven
dollars.
And it will tell you.
Right now, you'll probably get
it back in a week's time.
And you still have plenty of
time to add lime if you need to
add some lime to your soil.
It will come back and for
Bermuda grass and Zoysia grass,
you want between six point oh
and six point five.
And when you get the test back,
it will tell you how much you
need to add to that to get it to
that level there.
So this is a good time to add
lime to your soil, if you need
lime to your soil.
It's a great time here because
by the time that Bermuda grass
and Zoysia grass gets ready to
start, everything be ready to
go.
You ready to go.
You be ready to start cutting.
>> Cooper: That's right.
Get that soil test.
We say it all the time.
Why guess -- Soil test.
>> Leigh: For seven dollars,
Chris, you can't go wrong.
>> Cooper: You can't go wrong.
Alright -- Well, we appreciate
that good information.
Alright -- now we have a viewer
e-mail.
And Mr. Al writes. -- It says..
Dear Doc, can you identify this
plant for me?
Listen at this, Tanya.
It's possibly the prettiest weed
I have ever seen.
The blooms are a lavender blue
and are filled like a fern
fiddlehead.
Is it evasive?
Is it native to this area?
We have it there on the screen.
And you know what is, Mr. Al?
That is the Blue Porter Weed.
Blue Porter Weed.
It is a pretty weed.
It's native to South Florida.
You find it in the Caribbean or
Bahamas, Bermuda.
It's a fast grower.
It's a perennial.
It has the flower spikes and
then it actually ahs the blooms
that are on the flower spikes.
It can just about grow in any
condition.
It's actually -- It's pretty
though.
Are you familiar with this,
Tonya?
>> Ashworth: I'm not but, I
mean, if it were blooming in my
yard and I'd have a hard time
pulling it up probably.
(laughter)
>> Cooper: And Carol Reese told
me she usually sees a lot of it
in farm land fields.
So there ya have it, Mr. Al.
Pretty plant -- pretty weed.
Walt, we're going to talk about
vegetables now.
Okay -- So here's the most
frequently asked questions about
vegetables.
The first one is ..
>> Cooper: Interesting question.
>> Battle: The answer yes to
that is yes but also no.
(laughter)
Let's take the yes part first.
I am aware of a company called
Seminis that has sweet corn
Roundup ready -- sweet corn.
And the company -- I love the
name of the cultivars.
Listen to this.
The cultivars that they offer
are Obsession two.
Passion two, which is a yellow
sweet corn.
And temptation two.
Interesting names, aren't they?
>> Cooper: They sound like
cologne.
(laughter)
>> Battle: But the only problem
with it is that currently,
they're only available in seed
counts of 25,000 which means
that you can only get it if
you're a commercial grower, you
know, who's going to plant on
the commercial scale.
But I would imagine probably
down the road it will probably
work it's way in to the market
for home gardeners -- I'm pretty
sure.
But that's the only one I'm
aware of.
>> Cooper: Now for the viewers,
what do we mean by Roundup
ready?
What does that mean?
>> What that mean is that as
that plant is growing, if you
follow the directions there are
certain times that you can go
out there instead of getting the
hoe out and chopping, you can
just go out there and spray
Roundup on it.
Or some product that contains
glyphosphate, so to speak.
So that's really what it means.
You can put your hoe up.
So that can only be good.
So there's a lot of people
growing that.
>> Cooper: Good deal.
Okay -- Here's out second
question.
>> Cooper: We get that question
a lot.
>> Battle: Well, actually the B-
T stands for Bacillus
Thuringiensis.
I may have butchered that a
little bit.
But it's actually a soil
bacteria that is obviously found
in the soil.
And what it actually does, for
all these people in the insect
world and microbiology and all,
it crystallizes the worms gut.
So it kills them.
Now basically, this toxin --
Like I said, it's found in
nature.
And there is a commercial
product out there where you can
spray it on your cabbage or
whatever called DiPel.
Then if the worm eats that leaf,
then the worm get that toxin in
it.
And it crystallizes in his gut
and he dies.
So its pretty interesting.
So that's what B-T means.
>> Cooper: And also Javelin is
another one that contains the Bt
that most people can get.
Okay -- Now staying with the Bt
theme, the next question is...
>> Battle: Once again, it's like
the previous question.
Yes and no.
As far as I'm aware of, I do
know that there are some Bt
sweet corns out there.
And there's also some Bt Irish
potatoes out there.
But again, they're only
available to commercial growers.
But once again, probably over
time they'll get in to the
market place for home gardeners
-- hopefully.
>> Cooper: Now do you know of
anybody commercially that ahs
the Bt vegetables?
>> Battle: Not commercially --
just that one company Seminis is
what I'm aware of.
>> Cooper: I wonder how that
tastes though -- if anybody's
tasted it if it tastes pretty
good.
(laughter)
>> Cooper: Alright -- here's the
next question.
It says..
>> Battle: Well, you know,
actually trees can be pruned
anytime.
But the best time to prune your
fruit trees here in the Mid-
South area is really around
March.
That's really the best time to
prune them.
That's when I prune my apple
trees at home.
But you can prune anytime,
really.
It makes excellent barbecue
wood.
I'm serious.
Peach does a wonderful job.
Apple, pear, all of them -- They
do a wonderful job.
>> Cooper: So if you have any
branches that have crossed or
any that are broken, you know,
this would be a good time.
>> Battle: Just rack 'em on off
and make sure you get all those
little water spots that we call
them, those little spurs that
come up from the base.
You know, cut all those off and
you'll be fine.
And what you get when you prune,
you're actually going to get
bigger fruit is what you're
going to get.
And you're going to help that
tree be able to support, you
know, some heavy fruit if you
get a big year.
>> Cooper: Do you have any fruit
trees at home?
>> Battle: yes, I have apple.
>> Cooper: Good Deal.
How are your apples this year?
>> Battle: They were great.
>> Cooper: Alright -- Here's the
next question.
It says ..
>> Battle: I would say -- Gosh,
I get this question all of the
time.
And what you're actually dealing
with there is stink bug damage.
And you know, stink bugs -- what
they actually do.
They take that mouth part of
theirs and they puncture that
hole in there.
And there's some fungus that
gets in there that causes that
little black spot on the kernel.
And the product that you can use
to spray for the stink bug is
Ortho Bug-B-Gon Max Lawn and
Garden Insect Killer.
And I've had some people tell
me, "Well, Walter, I can't spray
a big old pecan tree."
I just tell homeowners get your
hose end sprayer with good water
pressure and shoot it up there
best you can.
That usually takes care of a lot
of those problems.
>> Cooper: Okay -- we have time
for one last question for the
vegetables.
It says..
Battle: Yes and I will tell you,
it will take you about five to
seven months though for them to
be composted.
Now what I want people to do
with that is make sure you shred
it up real, real, real good.
And also, go to Booker and get
some of those grass clippings to
put in there.
And also along with your coffee
grinds and your, you know,
vegetable.
And you want to turn that pile
once a month -- about every 30
days, you want to turn that
pile.
And I will tell you near the end
of the, you know, the latter
part of the growing season,
you'll have some good compost to
add to your garden if you need
to.
>> Cooper: So a good mixture of
greens and browns.
Okay, that sounds good.
Alright -- Thanks, Walter.
We have another viewer e-mail
and it says..
>> Cooper: Who wants to tackle
that?
Booker, I see you.
You want to get that one.
>> Leigh: Grubs -- They really
do damage your grass and the
root system in there.
And the best time to put that
down is probably in July to
September.
A lot of time that's when they
begin to lay the eggs out there.
You want to get rid of the eggs
out there.
And then later on, they'll go
back down in to the ground.
They got enough food from the
root system to survive until
they come up again in the spring
time.
In the spring time, early summer
-- It's going to be another time
to put your granule down to get
rid of the grubs in there.
Before I put anything down, I go
out there and dig a spot up.
I dig a spot just to see how
many grubs are in there because
you might not have that many in
there.
You don't see anything -- just
one grub in there.
But you want to use your
chemical wise and stuff in
there.
But the spring time, July,
September, would be a good time
to be that granule down.
And read the label because
you've probably got to water it
in to get it down to the
insects.
>> Cooper: What kind of product
would you use?
>> Leigh: There's a lot of
things you can use for grub
killers in there.
They'll something that you can
use to put on there.
And again, read the label.
Some things are okay for grubs
and also for the eggs.
So you need to make sure of what
you're getting in there when you
read the label.
>> Cooper: Which is why it's
important.
Alright, Ms. Tonya --
Ornamentals.
Here's that first question.
>> Ashworth: Well, I would kind
of agree with some of what
Walter just said.
You can prune a little anytime
but if it were me and I were
going to try to prune my trees
and shrubs, I would wait until
late winter or early spring.
If you prune too much right now
that can promote a flush of
growth which is not something
that you want going in to
winter.
And it also will leave an open
wound which could, you know, be
harmful during the winter.
However, the exception to that
is your early spring flowering
shrubs like your azaleas.
You don't want to prune them
late winter, early spring
because they're about to bloom.
So the best time to prune your
early spring bloomers is right
after they bloom.
But for other things -- shrubs,
and trees, and things that
you're not worried too much
about the bloom.
I would wait until late winter
to do that.
>> Cooper: Late winter to prune
-- okay, good.
The second question is..
>> Ashworth: Yes, you do want to
mulch now.
The reason is to protect the
root system just like with
Booker's grass.
You want to do the same thing
for your shrubs and your
ornamentals -- you know, kind of
insulate them from the cold.
And as far as what to use --
anything organic and non-
matting.
That can be pine straw.
It can pine bark mulch.
I like to use just fall leaves
and pretty soon your neighbors
are going to have them bagged up
and ready for you.
And it's going to be free.
And as long as it's not all
black walnut tree because those
can -- They have a chemical that
inhibits growth of other plants.
But any other kind of a tree
leaf, you can use.
>> Cooper: How much should the
home owner put down?
>> Ashworth: I would say two to
three inches would be adequate.
>> Cooper: Next question is..
>> Ashworth: Okay, now is the
perfect time to do that.
And they're already starting to
put that stuff out in the garden
centers.
You can plant your tulips,
narcissus, Dutch iris right now.
And the way I like to do it is
-- I know some people don't want
to plant tulips because they
have a tendency not to come back
each and every year.
Every year you kind of get fewer
and fewer blooms.
But the way I look at it is I go
to the grocery store and I buy
cup flowers and I don't expect
them to last five years.
So I don't mind putting out a
few tulip bulbs, you know, every
fall.
So the best time to put it out
is late September to the first
part of November so we're right
in that window to do it.
Anytime before the ground gets
frozen, really, will work.
And you want to till up that
area and make sure it has a
nice, loose soil bed.
And then you can add bone marrow
which is an organic fertilizer
that will provide calcium,
manganese, phosphorous for the
root system.
And you don't want to put the
bone marrow on top of the ground
like you would a granular
fertilizer.
You want to incorporate that in
to the loosened soil that you
prepared.
You want the bone marrow at the
root zone level for your bulbs.
And as far as how deep to plant,
you can use the bulb itself as
your guide.
So you want to plant at two to
three times the depth of the
height of the bulb.
So the bulb tells you how deep
to plant.
Just make sure you get the right
end up.
>> Cooper: That's right.
Get the right end up.
So if you want to plant tulip
bulbs, see Tonya.
(laughter)
Alright, here's the next one.
>> Cooper: And I understand we
have a little demonstration
here.
>> Ashworth: Yes, I brought a
little demonstration.
I do this at my house pretty
much every year getting ready
for the holidays.
So if you just cannot wait 'til
spring to see some blooms you
can have some in about eight
weeks.
I like to use amaryllis to
force.
Yesterday I went to a big box
store and they had already put
them out.
And I know you've seen the
packages where it comes with a
little pot and a little soil
thing.
But you don't have to use those
little cheap-o plastic pots in a
little dirt.
You can do something really
elegant with a forcing vase.
So this is a amaryllis forcing
vase but you don't have to use a
special vase.
You can use a different vase
like with rocks.
And when I purchase my bulbs in
a store like that, I open the
box.
I'm checking it out.
I want to see if there's signs
of life in there.
So as you can see, this one's
got a little sign of life -- a
little leaf trying to emerge,
some nice green here.
And all of this here you can cut
off.
This is all last year's roots.
So they're pretty much done and
that will make it look neater in
your vase.
That's done.
You're going to see in a couple
of weeks some really beautiful
white roots come out of this
thing.
And that's going to teach you
what a healthy root looks like,
too.
And this is really simple.
You just set it down there.
These forcing vases hold them in
that spot.
And then you just simply add
water.
I'm going to try to do this
without spilling it everywhere.
And as far as how much to add, I
like to add it to where it just
barely touches the base of that
bulb.
If you put too much in there and
you're bulb is kind of floating,
then your bulb is going to rot
and we don't want that.
So you want it to where it just
barely touches.
Just enough to where the bulb
goes, 'Hey, there's water down
there."
SO what you're going to do is
just take that and find a dark
room in your house -- some where
that's cool.
I put them in the closet in my
guest bedroom.
It's cooler than the rest of my
house.
Or if you have a garage that's
not heated that's enclosed, or a
shed or something like that --
You just put it in there for a
few weeks.
Check on it everyday and make
sure the waters okay.
And when you see a whole lot of
roots on the bottom and the leaf
coming out then you know its
time to bring it out in to the
living room in to a nice, sunny
location.
So you can also do that with
narcissus.
And narcissus, you know, is
fantastic.
Smells so good.
Makes your whole house smell
good.
So this is just, you know, rocks
I bought at a hobby store or
whatever -- washed rocks.
And any kind of size vase is
okay.
I just happen to have this
flower vase at home and I happen
to use this for my narcissus
every year.
And once again when I went to
the store, I looked in the
package to see if I could see
some sign of life.
And I saw the makings of a
little sprout.
And you just kind of put it in
to your rocks.
The package had four in it but
as like kind of a design detail,
you want to use odd numbers.
So I just use three.
Rest them in the rocks.
Pour your water in.
Same with the amaryllis where it
just barely touches the bottom.
Put them in a closet until you
see a lot of roots and shoots.
And then you take it out and
enjoy.
>> Leigh: I need to let my
daughter try that.
A little science project.
It'd be a little science project
she can try at school.
>> Cooper: But the key is not to
put too much water in there.
>> Ashworth: Right -- You don't
want to put so much that the
roots are going to rot.
You want it to just barely touch
the bottom.
And you know, if there's three
in there, you may have to do a
little maneuvering and shifting
to get them level.
If you put too much water in --
Instead of dumping it all out
and starting all over, just get
yourself a clean kitchen sponge.
Dunk it in there and take a
little bit of water out.
>> Cooper: Alright, Tonya.
Thanks for that good
information.
That was pretty good.
I can see a demonstration in the
future for that, too.
When you're out and about in the
county.
Alright -- That's all we have
time for today.
Be sure to join us next week.
Don't forget -- Send us an e-
mail or letter and let us help
answer your gardening questions.
You can watch past episodes
online.
Just go to WKNO-dot-org and
click on 'KNO Tonite.
And be sure to follow us on
Facebook and Twitter.
I'm Chris Cooper.
And I'll see you next time on
"The Family Plot: Gardening in
the Mid-South."
Be safe.
>> (instrumental music)
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
>> Female announcer: Production
funding for "The Family Plot:
Gardening in the Mid-South" is
provided by Good Winds Landscape
and Garden Center in Germantown
since 1943 and continuing to
offer it's plants for successful
gardening with seven greenhouses
and three acres of plants plus
comprehensive landscape
services.