Pike Nurseries answers your gardening questions - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

The folks from Pike Nurseries answered some gardening questions submitted by our Good Day Atlanta viewers!

If you have a question about taking care of your lawn, garden, or shrubbery, send it to goodday@myfoxatlanta.com and it just might be answered on Good Day Atlanta next Friday!

Website: www.pikenursery.com  

Question 1: My front porch faces west, and gets really hot in the summer. I'm thinking about planting trees for shade. Which trees would be best and grow fast??

Answer 1: For a fast-growing tree with year-round interest, try River Birch.  Native to the eastern U. S., these trees grow very fast in their first years.  At maturity, they can reach 40 to 70 feet tall with a spread of 40 to 60 feet.  They are oval to pyramidal when they are young reverting to a more rounded shape as they age.  

The trunks of River Birches often fork near the ground creating a multi-trunk effect.  But the real attention-getter is the tree's bark.  Young bark is apricot-white, smooth and shiny.  As the tree ages, the bark begins to exfoliate (peel) in sheets of cinnamon-brown to almost black.  Because of this feature and the tree's delicate limb structure, many think the tree is most attractive without its leaves.  
    
The leaves of River Birch are finely toothed and somewhat diamond-shaped.  They are medium to dark glossy green on the top side with a silvery cast on the underside.  River Birch leaves turn yellow in the fall.

River Birch is an excellent tree for a full sun situation.  It does not tolerate shade and performs best in moist soils.

Question 2: I wanted to kill some stubborn weeds, so I used Pramitol control of weeds. I've tried Sta-Green seed & sod soil plus fertilizer but nothing will grow in those spots.

Answer 2: Pramitol is a bare ground, non-selective herbicide. It will control Johnson grass, bindweed and other hard to control weeds, BUT wherever Pramitol is used, nothing will grow for one year or more.

To circumvent this problem, dig down three to five inches and remove the soil in the treated areas.  Replace the soil with a good planting or top soil, then try reseeding or sodding the spots you treated.  

Products such as Pramitol are good for use around buildings, fences, pathways or recreational areas where you do not want any vegetation to grow, but it is not the best choice for spot treating your lawn.  

Question 3: I have been gifted a bonsai tree, a terrible gift for a black thumb! I have tried everything to keep this tree alive. It is currently outside in full sun, I spray water it daily and water it 2x a week. Initially I wasn't watering it well and it was in a shaded inside location. I am told it is a juniper but I really don't know for sure. What can I do to nurse it back to health. Please help!

Answer 3: One of the most common type of bonsai is a juniper so you probably received good advice. However, we recommend that you bring in a picture or your actual bonsai tree to your neighborhood Pike Nurseries so we can correctly identify the tree to be sure we're giving you correct care information.

Rather than spraying the bonsai give it a deep watering each day.  Water until just before you see run off.  Also, when you see dead foliage on the tree, be sure to clip it off. Fertilize your juniper regularly with an all-purpose fertilizer like E.B. Stone Tree and Shrub Food. Lastly, prune your bonsai to your desired size/shape.

Question 4: Will using a systemic product, like Bayer Advanced Garden (fertilizer/insect control/disease control) be harmful to butterflies, bees & hummingbirds when they get nectar/pollen from the flowers of treated plants (like Zinnia, Bee Balm, etc)?

Answer 4: According to the label on the product, Bayer Advanced All-in-One systemic Rose & Flower Care will kill: Adelgids, Aphids, Black Vine Weevil Larvae, Japanese Beetles (adults), Lace Bugs, Leaf Beetles, Leafhoppers, Mealybugs, Psyllids, Thrips, Whiteflies and other listed insects.  Be sure to read the complete label to make sure that butterflies, bees and hummingbirds are not listed.  

The ingredient that could potentially be harmful to butterflies, bees & hummingbirds is Clothianidin. This is not found in Bayer Advanced All-in-One Systemic Rose and Flower Care or most of the other Bayer Advanced products. We recommend that you read the label to verify the ingredients.