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.