URBAN HORTICULTURE CENTER

The staff of the Urban Horticulture Center fields thousands of questions each year from people seeking solutions to problems they encounter in the home landscape. A sampling of these questions and answers are shown here for your information. It should be noted that most questions asked pertain to the South Carolina midlands growing environment (Zones 7b-8a). The answers to these questions are based on research conducted by accredited specialists associated with Cooperative Extension . If you have a gardening question, Ask The Expert at the Urban Horticulture Center.

How can the clay soil in my landscape be improved? UHC: Organic matter is a great soil improver for both clay and sand. Sources of organic matter include manure, leaf mold, sawdust, compost and others. Course sand, perlite or gypsum are sometime added to clay, but large quantities are required which could prove to be expensive. Clay may react much like concrete if too little sand is added. More on soil amendments. Ask The Expert	The buds on my rose bushes are misshaped and discolored. I see small brown insects. What should I do? UHC: These are the symptoms of a Thrips infestation. Remove infested blooms and destroy. Treat rose bush with acephate (Orthene) during the early bud stage, following labeled instructions. Repeat treatment in 14 days, if needed. Old roses are more resistant to insect and disease problems. Ask The Expert
(Question from a 6th grader) What would be required at the Riverbanks Botanical Garden to grow plants from Antarctica ? UHC: The primitive plants of Antarctica grow in an environment that is dry (almost no rain), very cold (most of the land is frozen solid), and that has sporadic sunlight (from none to 24 hours of sun). These would be the conditions needed at RBG to grow the lichen, fungi, algae and liverwort that are native to Antarctica. Ask The Expert	What should be used to fertilize pecan trees? UHC: There are fertilizers on the market formulated for pecan trees. Trees may also be fertilized with 10-10-10 at the rate of 4 pounds per inch of trunk diameter (measured one foot above soil surface). Zinc sulfate can be mixed with fertilizer and applied at the rate of one pound per tree for small trees and 3-5 pounds for large trees. More on pecan trees. Ask The Expert
Is there a Lantana that will come back each spring? UHC: Lantana sp. (Verbenaceae) is a perennial, woody shrub, native to the tropical zone of the Americas. It can be an invasive weed in the frost free zones of the lower and tropical south. In the midlands of South Carolina, Lantana camaria tolerates the winters as a container or border plant, producing new growth in the spring. Ask The Expert	I have moles or voles in my yard. How to I get rid of them? UHC: The mole (Scalopus aquaticus) is an insectavore that has no external ears, and eyes that are concealed by fur. The vole is a rodent (field mouse). The mole "swims" through soil, near ground surface, in search of worms, insects and other food. They do not eat plants. Their tunneling creates visible runways in the landscape. The field mouse (vole) sometimes uses these runways to eat plant roots. Moles can best be controlled by trapping. More on moles. Ask The Expert
Are Poison Ivy and Poison Oak the same plant? UHC: Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and Poison Oak (Toxicodendron pubescens), both of the Anacardiaceae family, are botanically different plants, although slightly. They are very similar in appearance and their toxic affect on people. The Poison Ivy common to SC is a trailing vine and Poison Oak is a shrub. Ask The Expert