Horticulture Guy

Gardening questions from CA, NV, UT, AZ, CO & NM

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Gardening questions from TX, OK, AR, LA, TN, MS, AL, NC, SC, GA, & FL

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Gardening questions from WA, OR, ID, MT & WY

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Gardening questions from IN, KY, OH, WV, VA, MD, DC, DE, PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, VT & ME

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Gardening questions from ND, SD, NE, KS, MN, IA, MO, WI, IL, & MI

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Here you will find answers to questions from gardeners around the country.  Some answers pertain to all but others are more regional so have a look at them all.  You will also see that the Gardening Q & A is broken down into the following regions:

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Q. I live in North Tacoma and I seem to have acquired a weird grass in my lawn. It never turns green and the top is long and if you pull it up it has very long brown roots and is easy to pull up, but how do you get rid of it. I have only had the problem the last year but the grass (weed) seems to be spreading. How would I get rid of it without killing the rest of the grass? Would thatching help this problem? And after thatching would I then reseed? Please help as I used to have a nice lawn and I would like to see it that way again. Please help! Thank you, Julie Metzger – Tacoma, WA
                                                                                                                    
A.  From your description I believe you may have a weed called Velvet Grass (Holcus lantana).  You said it never turns green but you didn’t indicate what color it actually is so this is just a guess.  Velvet Grass stands out in a lawn because it has many hairs on its surface making it look more silver-gray than the vibrant green of our normal lawn grasses.  This is even more pronounced after rain or watering since the water particles glisten on top of the plant hairs.  The plant spreads by seed and can root from the nodes on the rhizomes which are probably what you described as the “long brown roots” that were easy to pull up. They are weeds of pastures as well as lawns.  Within lawns spreading by seed is usually not a problem since Velvet Grass is mowed with the lawn so the primary means of spreading is from the rhizomes.  Since they are grasses chemical treatments that will kill Velvet Grass will also kill the lawn.  Velvet Grass is a perennial so it won’t die off at the end of the season.  Thatching would not control the problem.  A combination of hand pulling and nonselective herbicides may be necessary.  If the infested area is only a section of your lawn you could either dig up the turf and replace it with sod or reseed.  Alternately you could also treat the area with a nonselective herbicide (spot treatment) and again reseed or use a piece of sod.  The advantage of using sod is that if there are any seeds in the soil of the Velvet Grass they will be covered by the sod and not germinate as they might in a new grass seedbed.

-- HG

Q. I have had a magnificent amaryllis blooming with two four-blossom blooms this past December.  I would like to take care of it so that it will bloom again.  I purchased it from Home Depot in November.  The stems that produce the blooms have now faded, so I cut them off.  Several tall green spikes still look handsome.  While it was first growing I would mist it daily.  Lately I have made sure to keep the soil moist.  It gets sunny south window exposure.  Thanks for the input.  Paul Twedt - Tacoma, WA

A. These bulbs and their offsets (smaller bulbs that form along side the parent bulb) can be grown for many years.  If they are taken care of properly they will become larger and produce more flowers with each consecutive year.  The key to keeping the Amaryllis (Hippeastrum ) is understanding the natural conditions that it evolved in.  So my first caveat is not to keep these bulbs too wet.  Let the soil dry out slightly between waterings since Amaryllis comes from arid regions of South Africa.  The window you have it in is ideal since it sounds like the sunniest window in your house.  I am glad that you have left the foliage on the plant because the bulbs will need those leaves to produce food for the bulb and the developing flower buds.  The plants will grow until the fall so you can bring them out into the garden for the summer once the danger of frost has passed.  Since the Amaryllis kits you normally find in stores provide only peat moss as the growing medium you will need to provide a well-balanced fertilizer to the plants over the growing season. In the early fall slowly withhold water to force the bulb into dormancy (the leaves will die back) and then store in a cool dark place (unheated garage approximately 50 degrees F).  Then in two months take it out and repot it in some cactus-growing medium in a new pot that is just two inches wider in diameter than the bulb.  Place back in your sunny window and start the process all over. 

-- HG

Q. Hi, Several years ago I saw a ceramic pot called a Horseradish Pot.  It was designed so that you could lift the top half that the plant actually grew in so you could harvest the roots below.  Of course, the benefits are obvious - who wants to fight the take over of horseradish!  I didn’t buy it then, silly me.  I have spent about 5 years since looking for one again.    Have you ever seen one?  Do you have any ideas where I could find one?  Thank you for any information you can give me!  Sincerely,  Kelly Di Loreto - Tacoma, WA

A. I am familiar with the type of pot you are describing.  The ones I remember were terra cotta and were taller than wide and the top half had a set of handles on the sides near the fluted top.  You are quite right that horseradish will spread almost indefinitely is grown in the garden without some sort of barrier.  In addition to it’s large taproot it forms lateral roots that are able to send up new shoots.   In addition to the pot you described I have also seen them grown in pots (five gallon and larger) that are sunk into the garden bed.  Now I can’t say for sure they still have them but I believe I saw the a horseradish pot at Herban Pottery up on First Avenue in Seattle (206) 749-5112.  There may also be also some more local retailers that have them that I am not aware of but I would be happy to pass on any leads to you if anyone wants to drop me a note or an email. 

-- HG

Q. How drastic a pruning will pyracantha tolerate?  I’ve kept after mine for ten years, but it’s encroaching on a walkway and up onto the garage roof, plus the interior is very sparse. Michael Farley – DuPont, WA

A. That all depends on what you mean by drastic.  If you mean cutting it back to the base then I would have to say no it is not tolerant.  Drastic pruning is not recommended for Firethorns (Pyracantha spp.).  But since you have been “after” yours for 10 years and it is encroaching on your walkway then you could probably have pruned it more than you have in the past. As with many other shrubs I suggest that in any given year you do not prune more than 1/3 of the plant.  Then after one season you can see how the shrub responds to the pruning and continue until you have it in a shape and size that is suitable for the area it is located.  Since the beautiful orange, red or yellow berries are one of the reasons we grow Firethorn then you may also want to consider the fact that the flowers and fruit form on previous season’s wood.  If you goal is to maximize fruiting then the best time to prune is right after they finish flowering so that any new growth that develops has the potential to produce fruit. 

-- HG