Jerry's Q & A

Hello Everyone,

Lately, I’ve noticed that some of you have been asking some pretty darn good questions. And since the unusually cold weather has been keeping me indoors, I thought I might answer a few of ‘em.

If you find your compost full of large, fat, white grubs, fear not. It’s a common problem with an easy solution. A few days before you’re planning to use your compost, shovel it into a black plastic garbage bag, tie it shut, and lay it out in the sun. The temperature inside will rise and cook the grubs, leaving your compost problem free. You can further guard yourself against grub problems by applying Milky Spore Powder to your yard. This all-natural, biological control will protect your yard from grubs for up to 10 years!

And here’s where I find some of my harder-to-locate products:

Ammonia can be purchased in any store that sells household cleaning supplies.
Fish fertilizer (a.k.a. fish emulsion) and pelletized gypsum are available at garden supply stores.
Chewing tobacco can be found in stores that carry a variety of tobacco products. If you have trouble locating it, check specialty tobacco stores.

Now, different stores stock different items, and what’s available in my neck of the woods might not necessarily be available in yours. So with that in mind, before you head out on a wild goose chase, call around. It’s a whole lot easier (and environmentally friendlier) to let your fingers do the walking.

I’m sure you’ve got more great gardening questions. For specific answers, contact your local USDA Service Office or the County Agriculture Extension Office in your area. They should be able to provide you with answers specific to your geographic location. To find offices in your area, follow the links below.

USDA Service Office Locator: http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app

Agriculture Extension Office Index: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html

My First Lawn Feeding

Hello folks,

Last weekend, I gave my lawn its first “official” feeding of the season by mixing 3 lbs. of Epsom salts per bag of natural dry lawn food. I applied this mixture at half of the recommended rate, and then washed it down with my Lawn Snack Tonic: 1 can of beer and 1 cup of dishwashing liquid mixed in a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer, filling the balance of the sprayer jar with ammonia. If you’re going to follow this routine, apply it to your lawn to the point of run-off to really get it off on the right root this spring.

It was also time for another spring chore—window cleaning. But rather than buy a pricey store-bought cleaner, I whipped up my own by mixing equal parts of ammonia and rubbing alcohol in a hand-held sprayer bottle. Just spritz it on the window, and wipe with a clean cloth to reveal a clear, streak-free window.

And, since I’m still being bothered by allergies, I had the ol’ stuffy nose to contend with. Now, I hate to use medicines when there’s a safe, natural alternative. So instead of downing a decongestant, I simply sliced an onion in half, held the cut side up under my nose, and took a big whiff. Let me tell you—that had my sinuses clear in no time flat!