10:38 a.m. Thursday, October 29, 2009

Keep dogs from mushrooms

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By Walter Reeves

For the AJC

Q: Is there something to spray on an area to kill mushrooms? I’m worried about my daughter’s dog. — Clara Ann Savo

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Walter Reeves Most mushrooms are non-poisonous but caution is advised when young dogs are nearby.

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A: There is no anti-mushroom product.

Mushrooms emerge when a fungus, which is decomposing underground organic material (tree roots, thatch, etc.), sends up a reproductive body (the mushroom).

The only way to eliminate them is to replace the landscape with sand or gravel, thus eliminating organic material.

Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant is medical director of the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Poison Control Center. She advises that while a small percentage of mushrooms are actually poisonous, it is best to err on the side of caution when mushrooms are near dogs.

Young dogs or inquisitive breeds are more likely to ingest mushrooms.

If the mushroom is poisonous, liver damage may result. The dog will appear pale and lethargic.

Gwaltney-Brant says that if you remove mushrooms from your landscape, do it when the dogs are not present.

If they see you paying attention to a certain spot, they may investigate it when you’re gone and could come in contact with mushroom fragments.

Q: On your Web site’s seasonal calendar for October, you said to root impatiens indoors. How do you do this? — Sonja Michael

A: My grandmother always had impatiens rooting in the kitchen window in winter.

Take 6-inch-long cuttings from impatiens branches before frost and insert into a clear glass tumbler with 3 inches of water in it. Strip away any leaves that would be underwater. Roots will form underwater along the stems.When roots are an inch long, transplant each cutting into a small pot and grow indoors until spring.

Q: I recently had trees removed from my property. The tree service couldn’t get the limbs out, so they piled them in a big stack. How can I make the debris decompose more quickly? — Tom Otero

A: You may think the pile is an eyesore, but the wildlife in your yard think it’s heaven!

Chipmunks, box turtles, rabbits, lizards, toads and snakes will make it into their favorite habitat. Birds will harvest small twigs to build nests.

If it is too unattractive to keep for the animals, get a couple of teenagers to climb the pile and jump up and down on it to make it more compact.

Build a temporary fire pit and host a neighborhood wiener/marshmallow roast nearby!

Spreading a pint or two of lawn fertilizer on top might speed decomposition, but I’m not sure you’d see much difference between this and an untreated pile.

Q: There is a 15-feet-tall catalpa tree at my lake house. I want to prune it to make it more bushy. I gather and freeze catalpa worms each year for fish bait. With more leaves, I’ll get more caterpillars. — Glenn Parsons

A: Cut 6 inches off the tip of every limb in February.

The limbs will resprout into two twigs covered in numerous leaves and make a bushier tree.

Listen to Walter Reeves from 6 to 10 Saturday mornings on WSB-AM (750). Visit his Web site, www.walterreeves.com, for detailed advice on Georgia gardening.