Q: Continued from last weeks question: With all the rain in the fall and all the cold this winter, I'm ready to get out there and do something in the yard. What is something I can do that will not cause me trouble later (like fertilize too early)?

A: Last week mainly wrote about soil testing and adding organics.
Applying dormant oil, horticultural oil or Neem oil is something you could spray now. Be sure to check the weather forecast and the label to see whether the temperatures are in the correct range for using your oil of choice. Oils help kill over wintering insects and mites, acting as a preemergent for the plant juice suckers.
Spray Lime / Sulfur for fungus, insects and mites. You can mix this product with dormant oils and increase your control to include fungus. Rose growers and fruit tree growers (including blueberries bushes) use this product the most because of its low toxicity and its effectiveness; however, it is also great on ornamentals.
If you want to move a plant or tree, you are getting near the end of the ideal time to do this task. Root prune as far out as you can, and still be able to handle the ball. The standard for trees is 12 inches of root ball for every inch in diameter of tree at chest height.
Spray the tree with transfilm to control water loss, drench the ball with SUPERthrive and Root Accelerator to encourage new root growth, mulch with Nature's Blend (a great mulch that stimulates root growth), then come back in thirty days and move the plant to its new home.
If you want to control gum balls on Sweetgum trees, now is the time to get in touch with a tree company to get on their list.
Taking the balls off this tree by a growth regulator requires very precise timing, so if you are considering doing this, the company needs to monitor your trees and have the product on hand and ready to treat the tree. Florel Fruit Eliminator (spray), Snipper (injector), and Pinscher (injector) are three products that will do the job.
Dreaming of a beautiful garden via seed catalogs and different gardening magazines and gardening books is always a good activity on these nasty winter days.
At Possum's we are starting our winter seminars. January 30. I will be talking about the benefits of using organic products in your lawn, vegetable garden, and around shrubs and trees at the Mount Pleasant Possum's.
On Feb. 6, I will talk about moles at the West Ashley Possum's. The talk in North Charleston (TBA) is about insects and diseases on ornamentals. For more information sign up for our e-mail list at any one of the stores, so we can keep you up to date and in the know.
Magnolia Plantation is having its Winter Fest celebration. Robert E. Lee IV, the founder of the Encore Azalea, is speaking on Jan. 29. Look on their Web site for more information.
Sidney Frasier of Middleton Place is having a seminar on Camellias on at 1 p.m., Jan. 30. Look on their Web site for more information.



(Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum's Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum's has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum's, fax your questions to 406-2700 or e-mail them to your newspaper's editors. You can also call in your questions to  ' The Garden Clinic', Saturdays from noon to 1:00, on 1250 WTMA  (The Big Talker).