BY STEVE BENDER
—KATHY
I know what you mean. The last bag of plant food I looked at had a picture of Rick Bragg on the front, and I had the same question. “Balanced” doesn’t mean the three most important nutrients for plants (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) must be equal. They just should be present in sufficient quantities. So while 13-13-13 has a little more of each than 12-4-8, both formulations will do a good job. One thing you should look for on the label, however, is how much of the nitrogen (which is the most vital ingredient) is in a slow-release form such as urea-formaldehyde versus a fast-release form like ammonium nitrate. The former will feed over a period of weeks, and the latter for just a few days. Slower is better.
Squirrels are eating all the new shoots from my elephant’s ears as well as my succulents around the patio. What can I do to drive them away? I say this in secret because my daughter has named one of the ringleaders with a chopped tail “Grumpy” after you, and I don’t want to see her suffer.
—ANTHONY
Your daughter named a maimed squirrel after me? That’s touching, but let her know I have a bushy, fully functioning prehensile tail that allows me to hang upside down in trees and drop coconuts on impertinent people. To your question, one solution is to put down rodent repellent around your plants. The other is to buy a trap that does not chop off tails. Both are available at home-and-garden centers.
We live in Ocala, Florida, and plan on replacing the Bermuda lawn in our front yard with St. Augustine. The contractor has given us two choices. Option 1: Kill the Bermuda by spraying with Roundup, and lay new sod atop the dead grass. Option 2: Scrape off an inch of old grass plus soil, and then lay sod. The second way is almost double the price, but we want to do what gives our lawn the best chance of doing well.
—BARRY
I replaced a Bermuda lawn with zoysia last year, and it’s doing great, so here is what I recommend. First, kill the existing Bermuda by applying Ortho GroundClear (Roundup is being taken off the market). If you don’t, it will come up from the roots and invade the new grass. After that is dead, put your mower on its lowest setting, and scalp the dead grass to the ground. Then spread 1 inch of topsoil evenly over the surface, and rake it smooth. Finally, lay the new sod on top, and water it every day for two weeks.
illustration by JONATHAN BROWN
Last winter, deer stripped my 4-foot nandinas. All that’s left are upright sticks. Should I leave them alone or cut them to the ground? Will they come back?
—VICKI
Nothing kills nandinas. They’ll return. Either wait for them to leaf out, or cut them back to any height. To prevent a repeat of this attack, avoid smearing the stems with salted caramel.
I planted lemongrass in containers and in the ground last summer, but none came back this spring. Do I have to buy these new every year?
—GINA
Lemongrass is a tropical herb that will not survive winter freezes. Fortunately, it grows quickly and a single plant will usually suffice for a family. So get a new one each spring.
If you have the room, you’ll love its blooms
Lady Banks rose (Rosa banksiae) is a true Southern icon. It produces eye-catching fountains of soft yellow or fragrant white blossoms around the same time that azaleas flower in spring. You’ll often see it gracing coastal gardens in Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, Houston, and Mobile, though it does quite well inland too. It’s evergreen, has no stickers, and needs no spraying. However, never forget it’s a vigorous grower that can quickly spread 20 feet along or atop a fence, trellis, gazebo, wall, or pergola. So don’t plant it by a doghouse if you ever hope to see your pet again. Prune right after it fi nishes blooming. Give it full sun and well-drained soil in USDA Zones 7B to 10.
—Steve Bender
LOOKING TO PLANT a tree this spring? In the name of all that’s holy, do not get talked into choosing a river birch (Betula nigra)! It’s popular in the Southeast because it’s native and is the only birch that likes our climate and soils. But it grows really big and fast— up to 70 feet tall with a reach that can stretch from house to curb. Plus, it tends to drop leaves, twigs, and flaking bark nearly nonstop. Better substitutes include ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple, coral-bark maple, ‘October Glory’ red maple, Shumard red oak, ‘Allee’ Chinese elm, Chinese pistache, Eastern redbud, and European hornbeam.
illustration by KENDYLL HILLEGAS
Grumpy has a podcast! Hover your phone’s camera over the smart code, and listen to Season 2 of Ask Grumpy on Apple Podcasts.
Ask the Grump! No question goes unanswered on his Facebook page: facebook .com/slgrumpygardener.
