Dollarweed

 

Horticulture Hotline  03/12/24

  Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

Do you want to control dollarweed and other weeds this winter? Dollarweed seems to be a hot topic recently.

 

If you have the capability to spray, a product called Weed Free Zone really does a number on Dollarweed.  Read and follow product label (pay particular attention to the temperature restrictions on using this product).  Weed Free Zone has revolutionized the control of many tough weeds including Dollarweed, Florida Betony and many other broadleaf weeds.  One of the unique features of this product is that it kills the weed very quickly letting you know exactly where you sprayed and if you missed any weeds.  This is a big advantage when going after Dollarweed because if you miss one lily pad it could recreate a whole network of other Dollarweed plants in a short period of time.  In the past some of the products that controlled Dollarweed worked very slowly, so if you missed spraying a few lily pads, you could have a whole new crop by the time the old crop was dying.

 

Dollarweed has a very waxy cuticle that helped protect it from many of the older products on the market. The control product would bead up and roll off the leaf of the dollarweed (like water a freshly waxed car hood). Weed Free Zone has a spreader sticker (surfactant) included in the formulation of the product that helps it stick to the target weed’s foliage. Dollarweed is also an aquatic weed, so it is often found in wet areas; however, it has adapted to the driest of areas too.

 

Preemergent products, when to fertilize, fungus, moles, mole crickets, fire ants, rats, roaches, when to prune and what to prune, planting, and transplanting are other hot topics.

 

For all products that you use on your lawn or around your house, you should read, understand and follow product labels.  I know reading labels is not as interesting as reading the police blotter; however, they are full of information that can help you safely apply the correct product to your yard.  This applies to all control products whether it is for weeds, fleas, moles, mice or any other pests.  Labels contain important information to help you apply the product correctly and safely for you, your plants, your pets, and the environment. 

 

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. 

 

Flowers Before Leaves

 

                                           Carolina Jessamine (Jasmine) SC state flower

                                             Dogwood

                                            Saucer Magnolia

                                             Star Magnolia

Horticulture Hotline 03/04/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

One of the many favorite things I enjoy in the springtime are the plants that flower before they grow leaves. Saucer Magnolia, Star Magnolia, Forsythia, Spirea, Dogwood, Redbud, Prunus (Cherry, Peach, Plum) Trees, and even the nasty old Bradford Pear (split master). Their flowers really show out against the dormant lawns and winter landscape.

 

Since many of you are new to the Lowcountry, Carolina Jessamine (Jasmine), our state flower, is blooming now. A small yellow flower growing on a native vine in the woods, on fences, and mailboxes.

 

Since many of you will be changing out containers this spring, here is a little information about a top selling potting soil that is perfect for your high value plants, flowers, window boxes, hanging baskets, containers, or vegetables. This soil is used by serious professional growers whose livelihood depends upon a great product.

 

Ocean Forest Potting Soil

Ingredient Breakdown: Composted forest humus holds moisture in the soil. Sphagnum peat moss helps aerate and loosen soil allowing healthy root growth. Pacific Northwest sea-going fish  is an organic fertilizer that provides amino acids, enzymes, and nutrients. Crab meal is an organic fertilizer that suppresses pest nematode activity and also a good source of calcium. Shrimp meal is an organic fertilizer. Earthworm castings provide all the micro-nutrients necessary for plant growth. Sandy loam provides good water retention and drainage. Perlite provides optimum moisture retention for plant growth. Fossilized bat guano  is rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and zinc. Granite dust has minerals and trace elements that plants need. Norwegian kelp meal  is a source of naturally chelated trace elements. Oyster shell aids in pH adjustment and provides calcium.

Did you apply a preemergent weed control product? Moles? Roaches? Rats? Mice?

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. 

Sweetgum Balls

 

                                            small cream colored flower of sweetgum - time for Snipper

Horticulture Hotline 02/27/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

For all you sweetgum tree ‘haters’ out there because of their mace (not to be confused with the politician) like gumballs, this is the time you can do something about it. If you look up at your sweetgum tree right now, you should see little off-white cream-colored flowers that are going to become this year’s crop of gumballs.  

 

There is a product called Snipper that will destroy the flower, preventing the development of the gumball. This is not a one-time application, so plan to do it anytime you do not want to have gumballs. The timing is very important, so if you miss the flowers this year, begin to make your plans for next year. Since the application involves drilling holes in the sweetgum tree, a licensed and insured tree care professional is always a good idea. Getting on their schedule in the fall, so they can measure the tree’s diameter, give you an estimate and order in the product so they will be ready when the timing is right will help with the success of the application.

 

Now, is a great time to inspect your trees for torn limbs that need to be properly pruned. Many of my deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves) are either just starting to put on new leaves or still naked. The green weeds are easy to spot in the lawn or beds (yes, I get weeds too). Insect inventory, especially scale, is easy to evaluate now. Any sooty mold left behind from last year indicates other insects. Have you inspected your yard for mosquito breeding areas? Do you have liriope that needs to be cut or mowed. Cast-Iron plants?  I hate to ask this, but does anyone have moles? Have you seen any Lady Banks Roses or Carolina Jasmine? How about the smell of a sweet tea olive?

 

Right now, before your deciduous trees put on new leaves, is an excellent time to take a close look at them. If your trees are larger, it is a great time to get a professional tree company in to look at them. Look for cavities, crossing and rubbing limbs, or limbs that are growing towards the middle of the tree. Look for limbs that have died, been damaged, or just look unhealthy. By pruning these limbs now, you can direct all the new leaves and growth to limbs you want to keep long term, and not waste the energy of the tree to put on new leaves that you are going to remove.

 

Dr. Shigo (the main man as far as early tree knowledge goes) found that trees do 85% of their growing for the year by May, so it is very important to have fertilizer available to your trees at this time. Either hire a professional to soil inject your trees or use a granular. SeaHume granular along with a 17-00-09 will get the tree headed in the right direction. A soil test is always the best way to determine your soil’s needs.

 

When your tree is naked, vines growing up into the canopy are easy to spot along the trunk of the tree. Since the tree does not have any leaves, these vines are easier to remove than when the tree and vine have leaves. I pull these vines away from the tree, scrap off some bark and apply Brush Killer to the open wound to kill the vine at the root so it does not grow back. Be sure you are not pulling down poison ivy, unless you are properly protected.

 

Weeds growing beneath the tree are easier to spot and deal with if you have a low branching deciduous tree. My fig tree has these big leaves, so once the leaves come out, it is very hard to spray herbicide underneath the tree without hitting the fig tree’s leaves. Some herbicides volatize, so without leaves a tree is less likely to get damaged from the vapors. Spray now before the flush of leaves.

 

If you have any Asiatic Jasmine or Ivy that has grown into areas you do not want it, right now, while it is putting on young tender growth, is going to be your best time to control it. Consider using a product like Brushmaster for these hard to kill vines. Once the new growth has hardened off, certain vines are very hard to control.

 

If you have been plagued by black sooty mold in the past, right now, apply Dominion Tree & Shrub as a drench to these plants to control the insects that produce the black sooty mold. Get it out now to protect the new foliage from insect attack. Insects like that young tender foliage like us (cabbage, spinach, lettuce). Neem oil and horticulture oil are a way to get ahead of the insects.

 

The temperatures are right to apply preemergent products. Do not delay! Get them out now for less hot, gnatty, summertime weeding and competition for your plants, and weeds are unsightly.

 

Hold off on the high nitrogen fertilizers for now. SeaHume and controlling winter weeds to lessen your seed bank for next year should be your focus. With all the winter rains fungus could be a big issue in your yard depending on your soil type and drainage.

 

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