Water!

 

Mosquitoes

                                                           Mosquitoes

                                              Slime Mold

Horticulture Hotline 06/14/25

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

This week’s article is going to be a menagerie of topics to get you ready for outdoor summer activities (grilling and others) and a few other random situations.

 

Let’s first look at the grilling type activities and general outdoor play. Dad or mom are cooking on the grill and the kids are playing in the yard. If your grill hasn’t been used recently, open the lid slowly and check to be sure wasp haven’t made themselves a home inside your grill. About three years ago, I got bit about four times for this same reason, while grilling at someone else’s house (no name).

 

Speaking of wasps, look around your doors, porches, outdoor furniture, and other areas you have seen wasp in the past. Wasps seem to be extra active this year. Wasp Freeze.

 

Flies can be particularly nasty, disease spreading, biting in some cases, and did I say nasty insects. Lands on dog poop then lands on your barbeque or your spatula – enough said – nasty! We sell bags that catch up to 20,000 flies and various other baits. You place these baits away from your grill because the attractants are very nasty smelling and you don’t want to attract the flies to where you are located. This is a very serious issue in the restaurant business because restaurants can be closed if they don’t address this issue.

 

Fire ants and mosquitoes are out there making your time outside less desirable. If you treated for ants in the early spring, it is probably about time to do it again after the recent rains (check the product label). I like treating the whole yard instead of chasing around mounds. Look for breeding areas for mosquitoes – anywhere that can hold water. From a bottle cap to a sagging gutter to a tarp on a boat or firewood, to a bird bath, to a Magnolia leaf, to a cavity in a tree, to a dent in a trash can, to a saucer under a potted plant, well you have the idea. I know we have some organic products to spray the underside of the leaves of your shrubs and trees that last about three weeks as well as some control products that contain a growth regulator for longer control (ProFlex, Mosquito Pro, and DuraFlex). According to the experts an inch of rain over an acre can produce 40 million mosquitoes!

 

Since you will be going in and out of your house during the summer, be sure your perimeter is protected, so that cockroach doesn’t decide to sneak in to the air-conditioned house. Intice Perimeter is a great, organic, weatherized bait that will last for months under most circumstances.

 

The nasty rascal, the chinch bug in St. Augustine grass has been killing large areas of turf in the Lowcountry for decades. Remember the products that control chinch bugs generally have a short residual. If you are going out of town for any length of time, be sure you treat the lawn before you leave. I was treating for ants over the weekend and noticed some moths. Sod webworms and armyworms are here – you have been warned. 2024 was a big year for worms – making national news. 08-00-08 Acelepryn, 07-00-14 Allectus or several other products should help you manage these pests. Fleas are making our pets very itchy scratchy. Ticks are a vector for lyme disease.

 

Be sure to inspect your mower blade. A sharp blade will give your grass a cleaner cut and will allow less entry points for disease. Inspect your blade for nicks and damage, if you are going to continue to use the same blade. Since a mower blade spins at very high speeds, any nicks or bends can lead to the blade being out of balance. When a blade is out of balance, the mower will vibrate (like your tire out of balance on your car) and you could damage the spindle and other parts of your mower that cost far more expensive than a new blade.

 

Look up at your trees. If you have any tree work that needs to be done, I would get it done as soon as possible.  Look for trees that have cavities at the base of the tree and look at the tops for broken limbs, dying tips and weak crotch angles.  Have a tree care professional inspect your trees to be sure it is safe. Most tree companies will inspect for free. Try to get this done before the Lowcountry is in that cone for a direct hit for a hurricane! The tree companies are usually very busy year-round in the Lowcountry. 

 

      Armadillos have found the Lowcountry! Although they have been here for years, the

      populations have really increased. I was driving to and from Spartanburg the other  

      day and I was surprised to see them in the upstate. They are like an above ground

      moles; however, far more damaging. Their diet is 90% insects, but they also eat roots

      of trees and bushes. They will tear up a yard looking for insects, so manage the  insects in your yard like you do

      for moles. The worst damage I have seen is where they dig around small trees,

      leaving a big hole and possibly killing a tree. Trapping works very well. You want

      to use a commercial grade trap or they will destroy the trap. Possum’s No Deer! or 

      Animal Stopper are repellents that are very helpful.

 

      The rain has brought fungus to our yards and slime mold. Treat fungi and just spray

       away slime mold with a water hose.

 

      Check your irrigation.

 

      The turf, trees, and shrubs are ready for a little fertilizer. Test your soil!

Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.

 

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 location, or visit us at possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or listen to the replay of Saturday’s show, Sundays from 11:00 to noon on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com. 

 

Picture Game and Water, Water, Water

 

Horticulture Hotline  04/30/25

 

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

Water, water, water!  A lot of grass and trees are severely stressed from the lack of rain.  Adding organic matter to your yard and / or a wetting agent will help improve water retention.  Many people will see a 30-60% reduction in their water bill from applying these products to their lawn.  Trees don’t show stress as obvious as your grass does; however, trees are very important to the landscape and are expensive to take down and replace.  Trees that are under drought stress usually die from borers or some other secondary insect, when all they really need is a little water. 

 

The dry weather has also brought the nasty rascal, the chinch bug, out on St. Augustine grass earlier than usual.  In the old days, it didn’t seem like we worried about the nasty rascal until July 4^th; however, anytime there is a dry spring, they will be out early. 

 

Since the ground is so dry, mole crickets and moles are doing a lot of damage by separating the soil from the roots of the grass plant. Mole crickets are mating now, so control them now before they make babies. Moles just had their babies. By controlling the mole crickets, you take away one of the moles food sources.

 

I’m going to try something different after 34+ years of writing this column. Match the description with the picture:

 

1. One of my favorite Spring flowers and fragrance.
2. A great flower for here that I do not have, but I enjoy my neighbors. Rudy Lane grew them.
3. A professional with Possum Products maintaining and fertilizing Ryegrass.
4. A dog (Fido?) fertilizing Ryegrass.
5. What you should apply now to manage water.
6. Something else you should apply now to manage water.
7. One more thing you should apply now to manage water.
8. Making babies.
9. Need to watch out for because the dry conditions make their mounds less visible.

 

 

 

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 location, or visit us at possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or listen to the replay of Saturday’s show, Sundays from 11:00 to noon on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com. 

 

 

Water, Water, Water

                                                      Easy to Use - Just Connect to a Hose

                                                      Easy - Trees, Vegetables, Flowers...

                                           Have you Ever Cleaned Your Spray Tank?


 

Horticulture Hotline 03/28/2025

 By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

The biggest issue I see is the lack of rain. The high blue skies with the lower humidity and the wind will dry out an area very quickly. Water, water, water and use a wetting agent to get the most out of the water when you water or when it rains. Water and sunlight are key to a plants growth (photosynthesis). SeaHume, Cotton Burr Compost and other organics will help the soil hold water as well. There are fires in South Carolina because of the drought and wind! Outside burn restrictions. Trees are trying to put on new leaves and the grass is trying to come out of dormancy – water is required.

 

Spring is here so many things need to happen in the landscape. Here are just a few:

test soil – know what to amend the soil with, tune up lawnmower – sharp blade, clean air filter, clean spark plug, good gas, irrigation audit – if you have an irrigation system make sure everything is working properly, use preemergent control products so weeds do not control your free time – can apply anytime of year (weeds germinate all the time so do not delay stop them now), apply SeaHume – will provide the nutrients to your plants and turf that will help them come out of dormancy and will help the soil as well, 17-00-09 – if no soil test – good all-around slow release fertilizers for trees and shrubs as well as turf in May, 07-00-09 good all-around for palms, citrus, and topicals if you do not have a soil test, use neem oil and systemic drenches on plants with a history of insect issues, sanitation in beds – rake out diseased leaves and keep leaves from piling up too deep, check gutters to be sure they are working properly so they do not breed mosquitoes, treat for ticks – Lyme disease is for real, moles – babies coming, mole crickets – kill before they mate, Perk – will help your plants and turf come out of dormancy, if you are planting this Spring try GroTabs – a slow release fertilizer combined with beneficial microbes in a convenient tablet or Diehard Transplant, get ahead of fleas -  adult control product and a growth regulator, perimeter treat your house to keep roaches and other uninvited guest outside, if you have had large patch or brown patch before apply a product to manage it preventatively, patch anywhere a rat, squirrel, or the beloved possum might want to enter your house to exclude them…

 

For you long-time readers of the Horticulture Hotline the following is review but very timely. Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants (PWAB) is a product that helps water move deeper into the soil. PWAB will help soften clay for water penetration and get rid of those localized dry spots in your lawn. Sandy soils will hold water longer and prevent those localized dry spots. Wetting agents have shown to reduce watering needs from 33% to 66% in Arizona and other areas where water is limited. If you could go from watering three times a week down to once a week or not at all, think of the savings!

 

 The benefits of using a wetting agent would be far greater than just the savings with the water company. Since the water would penetrate deeper into the soil, the root systems of your grass and plants would grow deeper. As the roots of your grass and plants slough off and are replaced by new roots, organic material is increasing in the area where these roots are shed, creating a deeper topsoil area.

 

 A deeper root system will help in times of drought and can collect more nutrients from the soil. If you use fertilizer, a deeper root system can absorb more nutrients before they leach away; therefore, you can use lower fertilizer rates. If you use root absorbed systemic fungicides or insecticides, a deeper root system will also “catch” these products more efficiently giving you more “bang for your buck”.

 

When it rains, a yard treated with a wetting agent like Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants has less runoff. The rain penetrates the ground much easier, keeping the rain in your yard and not in the storm water drains. If you have ever poured water out on a dusty dirt road, and watched the water bead up and not penetrate the road, you have witnessed a hydrophobic soil condition. If you add a little wetting agent to this water and poured it on the same road, the water would penetrate the dusty dirt road. By keeping the water in your lawn, you will have the benefit of the water and we will have less runoff into our marshes.

 

The biggest savings from using a wetting agent will come from reduced use of fungicides. Most fungi like water. By watering less fungus populations should decrease.

Brown patch / large patch and gray leaf spot definitely comes to mind.

 

Many people travel that live in the Lowcountry. PWAB is great to add to hanging baskets or pots. Whether you are travelling or just want to increase your intervals between watering, PWAB should help you with a more uniform distribution of water and better hydrated plants.

 

If you prefer a granular product over a spray, try HumGranWet. HumGranWet is very cost-effective product that combines a wetting agent and humic acid. If you would rather spread than spray, check it out. HumGranWet has a very low use rate (1.15 pounds per thousand square feet 4 times a year or 2.3 pounds per thousand square feet every 6 months) and long residual making it very affordable!

 

People come into Possum’s and say that the savings on their water bill more than pays for the Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants. All the other benefits are an extra (free) bonus!

 

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 location, or visit us at possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or listen to the replay of Saturday’s show, Sundays from 11:00 to noon on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com.