I have a million zinnia seeds to share with friends. Does it make a difference if we plant them now, or should we save them and plant them in the spring? The seeds that drop to the ground seem to be fine over the winter and come up in spring. — Nancy Nobles
I think it would be best to store the seeds until spring (April) and plant them then. Make sure the seeds are thoroughly dry, then store them in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
I purchased two Sunshine ligustrums last summer and planted them in pots. They are growing and have beautiful leaves, but they have lost the bright yellow color they had in summer and are now a pale green. Will they return to bright yellow in spring? Is this a sun issue or temperature effect? They are in Southern exposure and do receive a few hours of sun now. — Ralph
The bright yellow color of Sunshine ligustrum foliage is determined by light intensity. The more sun they get, the brighter the color. Now that days are shorter and the sun is lower in the sky, the plants may not be getting as much sun as they did in summer. So, the color has faded. Move the pots to a sunnier location now, or just leave them alone and they should brighten up in spring/summer next year.
I re-sodded areas of my yard with Palmetto St. Augustine grass in October. It appears to have rooted in well. Would it be OK to winterize the yard now with fertilizer, including the newly planted sod? — Al
There is no need or benefit to applying a winterizer to your lawn now. It is too late. St. Augustine grass goes dormant this time of the year and does not benefit from applications of fertilizer in winter. Some people are under the impression that winterizer fertilizers need to be applied in the fall to ensure the grass makes it through the cold of winter. However, our lawn grasses are winter-hardy naturally without the application of winterizers. And if a winterizer high in nitrogen is applied, it can actually make the lawn less winter-hardy.
If a winterizer is used, it should be applied in October or early November when the grass is still active. And only apply winterizers with a very small first number in the analysis (or zero), which represents the amount of nitrogen in the winterizer. Applying nitrogen to our Southern lawns in the fall is counterproductive to the health of the lawn. The winterizer should contain primarily potassium (third number in analysis). But, at best, applying low nitrogen, high potassium lawn winterizers in the fall is optional and not considered essential for a healthy lawn.
Is it OK to trim red tip bushes now? Or should I wait until the spring? — Joe
The red tip shrubs (Photinia) should have gone dormant for the winter by now. That means that pruning them will not stimulate a flush of new growth. So, feel free to prune them now.
About the only time we are cautious about pruning these shrubs (and most other shrubs) is in October and November. At that time, we are still experiencing warm to mild fall weather and the shrubs have not yet gone dormant. That means pruning them at that time will stimulate new growth. This new grow may not have time to mature and harden off before winter arrives, and so will be prone to cold damage. Otherwise, you can prune them anytime you feel you need to for the rest of the year.
Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers' questions each week. To send a question, email Gill at dgill@agcenter.lsu.edu.