Q:

 I really enjoy your column and shopping at Possum's. I have a scrapbook and box that is full of your old articles. I heard you on the radio say that The Journal on James Island closed down, so your articles are not in that area anymore. I sure hope that doesn't happen to us.

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:

I'm glad you enjoy reading the Horticulture Hotline and shopping at Possum's. I have been writing this column for about 20 years, so 20 times 52 weeks in a year is about 1000 articles. That box could be a fire hazard!

It was too bad about The Journal. If anyone would like the unedited copy of  the Horticulture Hotline, you can sign up at any of the three Possum's and we will e-mail it to you. We also e-mail information about seminars and other special events that we are having in the store or around town.

Last Sunday when it got up to 70, I had to bypass work and enjoy some fresh air. This rain and cold weather has been crazy. Too much cabin fever!

The most important thing you can do now, is take a soil test. There is no doctor out there that can look at you and tell what your cholesterol levels are, whether your thyroid is doing its job, or if your gizzard is functioning properly without taking a blood test. Same thing with a soil doctor, they need a soil test. The health of your trees, lawn, shrubs, and vegetables depend on it. You can bring your soil to any of the three Possum's or to your local Clemson extension office.

Organic products are perfect to put out in your beds now. The nitrogen in an organic product has to be broken down by microorganisms in the soil. When the soil temperatures are cold, these organisms are not active, so you do not need to worry about feeding too early and causing flush growth that a frost might burn. This system is the same system in the woods. The soil food web is what some people call this system.

Cotton Burr Compost, Flower Bed Amendment, Nature's Blend, Bone Meal, Blood Meal, Cottonseed Meal, Feather Meal, Alfalfa Meal, Corn Gluten, Hydrahume, and any of the manure products would be great to put out now. Out of all of these, I like the Flower Bed Amendment best because it has cotton burrs, composted cow manure, alfalfa meal, feather meal, cottonseed meal and a touch of sulfur all in one bag!

You can either pull back your mulch and scratch these products into the soil very lightly or put them right on top of your existing mulch. If you plan to remove your mulch in the spring for sanitation purposes, you would want to hold off adding these organics until you replace the mulch.

I will continue late winter / early spring things to do next week.

(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. )