Walter Reeves

6 days ago | ajc.com | Walter Reeves

Q: What is this stuff on my Leyland cypress? It looks like someone spit all over it. — Denise Maddox, emailA: Have you ever blown through a straw into a glass or carton of milk? Remember the great bubbles that resulted? Your mother or teacher came by to tell you to stop being a nuisance. But sometimes bubbles can be useful. In your case, several spittlebugs hatched from eggs deposited last year on your Leyland cypress. Each one chose a good spot to begin sucking sap from your tree.

1 month ago | ajc.com | Walter Reeves

Q: I know I can pick tomatoes right when they start to turn red and then let them continue to ripen indoors. Can I do the same thing with strawberries? I’m trying to level the playing field with the birds because right now they are winning. — Chuck Rigdon, Lithia SpringsA: There are two types of ripening processes for fruit: climacteric and non-climacteric. Climacteric fruit includes tomatoes, bananas and peaches. These fruits all use ethylene gas to help trigger the ripening process.

1 month ago | ajc.com | Walter Reeves

Walter ReevesBy Walter Reeves – For the AJC1 hour agoQ: At the rear and north side of my house, my lawn gets mossy. I’ve tried putting lime down to mitigate the moss problem, with little to no results. — Joe Dawidowicz, Suwannee A: The lime didn’t work because lime doesn’t kill moss. Moss grows in a lawn because the environmental conditions in that area favor it — and do not favor grass. What three things does moss like? Shade, clay soil and lots of moisture. What three things does grass hate?

1 month ago | ajc.com | Walter Reeves

Walter ReevesBy Walter Reeves – For the AJC4 hours agoQ: My neighbor pointed out a part of my big pink-blooming loropetalum shrub that has white flowers. Why did this happen? Do I have an off-breed loropetalum? — Jack Chilton, north DecaturA: It’s common for this to occur. The pink loropetalum originated in China from a normally white-blooming loropetalum. The spray of pink flowers on the white shrub was eye-catching.

1 month ago | ajc.com | Walter Reeves

Q: In March and April there are little mounds of red dirt all over my lawn. I have seen little yellowish bees going down in the mounds. What do you suggest I use to eliminate the bees? — Gracie Williams, emailA: Don’t kill the bees! Ground bees are considered a “beneficial nuisance,” like the yellow jackets that consume caterpillars. But unlike yellow jackets, ground bees perform great feats of springtime pollination. The ones you see hovering above the ground are stingless male bees.