University of Georgia

Host Walter Reeves shows how to buy the perfect plant at your
nursery on “Gardening in Georgia” July 16 on Georgia Public
Broadcasting.

“Gardening in Georgia” is produced by GPB and the University of
Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. It
airs each Saturday at 12:30 and 7 p.m.

On this week’s show, Reeves visits with nursery owner Stuart
Cofer to learn some tricks on selecting plants. Cofer shows how
to examine plants in a nursery before buying them. The roots, he
says, are the keys to a healthy plant.

Reeves shows a way to “cook” a stump, too, rather than digging or
grinding it down. His recipe involves drilling several deep holes
into the stump and then packing them with rich, woods dirt. Then
he sprinkles some 10-10-10 on top, wets the mound and covers it
with clear plastic and a bit of pine straw. In a few months, the
stump will be gone.

Finally, Reeves looks closely at planthoppers, small insects
known for their jumping ability. Planthoppers do little damage to
plants. If you find them distracting from the beauty of your
plants, though, a blast from a water hose or a water pistol will
remove them.