Aeration and Soil Test

As the night time temperatures warm up and the grass starts to actively grow, aerating should be considered for the health of your whole landscape. Wet soils compact way more than dry soils, and we have had our share of wet soils this past fall. If you have ever considered aerating, this is the year to do it. While you have the holes open in your yard, there are many products that you can add to that root zone area that will benefit your turf, trees, and shrubs.

Soil testing is also something to consider this year because of all the rain and the leaching of nutrients. Since I have tested many of the same properties soil annually for over twenty years, I can see that many nutrients have been flushed out by all the rain and need to be replaced.

Aerating reduces compaction, reduces thatch, increases oxygen movement to the roots, brings beneficial microorganisms to the surface, cuts runners, and allows better penetration of water, fertilizers, or control products into the soil.

Right after aerating, while the holes are open, is a good time to add SeaHume G, BGK 7500, products containing mycorrhiza, Crab Shell, Mule Mix and/or Cotton Burr Compost.  Even if you are not aerating, these products are great to add to your lawn and beds.

·         SeaHume G is a bio-stimulant humic acid product that will help your roots grow, soften up the soil, feed beneficial micro-organisms in the soil, make nutrients that are in the soil more available to the plants, and keep fertilizer from leaching. SeaHume G also contains 10% cold water seaweed. The seaweed also acts as a bio-stimulant and is a source of over 60 minor elements, amino acids, and natural chelating agents.

·         BGK 7500 is a granular organic product that has thatch eating bacteria mix in with a 03-03-03 fertilizer. BGK 7500 is also fortified with 6% humic acid.

·         04-04-04 Bolster and other products that contain mycorrhiza. By applying these products while the roots are exposed, the mycorrhiza can attach to the roots quickly. These friendly fungi will help the plant absorb water and nutrients from the soil while competing with bad fungus in the soil.

·         Crab Shell by Neptune’s Harvest will increase the chitin eating bacteria in the soil. These bacteria will help control nematodes and fungus. I would definitely use this product in areas that I have problems with large / brown patch.

·         Mule Mix (Turface) can last about 20 years in the soil and help manage moisture.  This is a clay product that has been super-heated until it pops!  This makes this product sterile as well as turns it into a little capillary.  This capillary holds water and then releases it as the plant needs it.  This product is used on baseball infields to manage the moisture levels in clay; otherwise the clay would be rock hard or moist and slimy. Mule Mix (Turface) will also keep fertilizer and water from leaching in sandy soils. Mule Mix (Turface) is great for wet or dry areas.

·         Cotton Burr Compost will add water holding capabilities to the soil by adding organic matter to the soil.  Cotton Burr Compost will soften up clay as well as giving sandy soil nutrient holding capacity.  Cotton Burr Compost is very high in nutrition and will also help increase populations of beneficial organisms in the soil.

All the above products will help conserve moisture as well.

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

Spring Is Coming

Thank you to those of you that check on my health the week after I recommended to hold off on using Cotton Burr Compost, if your yard was super saturated with all this rain! I appreciate your concern “that I had finally lost it”. Sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to dry things out. Pulling back mulch and not adding new mulch may seem drastic but necessary under certain extreme conditions (like your flower bed has been under water for months). Hopefully, we are going to have a dry week or two and get our yards back to the new normal.

With the grass staying green well into December and the conditions perfect for large patch fungus, be prepared to see a lot more fungus this spring. Using fungicides are like getting a flu shot, you want to put out the fungicide before you get the problem. Unlike the flu shot, fungicides do have curative rates; however, the curative rates usually involve putting out twice the product and putting out the fungicide twice as often.

Roses, Indian Hawthorne, Hydrangea, and other plants that are susceptible to black spot or other leaf spot diseases are going to need extra protection this year. Rake up old fallen leaves and be ready to protect the new growth as it emerges.

Have you applied a systemic insecticide to your plants that usually have insect issues like aphids, white flies, lace bugs, or scale? Gardenias, crepe myrtles, camellias, hollies, lantana and azaleas are just a few plants that will turn black from sooty mold if the insects are not maintained.

Trees and shrubs are beginning to put on new growth. Have you spread some spring food out for them yet? If you do not have a recent soil test, Possum’s 17-00-09 should get you going in the right direction. After all the rain last year a new soil test is a very good idea.

Did you apply your preemerge to your lawn and beds? It is not too late! Weed seeds germinate almost all year here.

This past week one of my stores was going to get a tune up for a blower. The small engine shop he called told him 2 months before they could look at it. I hope your mower is ready to go!

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

Indian Hawthorn

With all the rain we have had the Indian Hawthorn, Raphs or Raphiolepis have been really suffering. Raphs have been plagued with leaf spot for years; however, this wet year has taken its toll on them.  It seems like right after the Red Tips (Photinia) were virtually wiped out by Entomosporium leaf spot, the diseased began attacking the Indian Hawthorn.  Indian Hawthorn and Red Tips are in the same plant family as roses (Rosaceae). 

When dealing with a plant that is very susceptible to a leaf spot disease I like to think of several different factors:

1.      Is this plant worth keeping in the landscape or should I replace it with another plant that is not susceptible to disease.

2.      Is this plant worth spraying ever 14 – 28 days to keep it in my landscape?  To keep an Indian Hawthorn alive, it needs a life-support system.  The plant must be sprayed at least monthly or it will get leaf spot again.

3.      What cultural practices can I do to help relieve the pressure of the disease?  The removal of fallen foliage (sanitation) is key when dealing with a leaf spot disease.  Having a healthy soil, as determined by a soil test, is also very important because a stressed plant is more susceptible to disease.  Providing the correct amount of water preferably through a drip system, so the plants are not over-watered or drought stressed.  Proper fertility as determined by the soil test is also important.  Use nitrogen fertilizer very sparingly in small amounts because flushes of new growth are more susceptible to leaf spot.  Choose “resistant” varieties such as “Olivia”.    This does not mean that this plant will never get this disease; it is just more resistant to the disease. Mulch like Cotton Burr Compost will help prevent splashes of water drops that could spread the disease.  Also this mulch will lower the watering needs of the plants. Bioscience products like KeyPlex should be considered. KeyPlex will thicken the cuticle of the leaf making more resistant to the disease as well as more drought resistant. Pruning for good air movement.

4.      What control products will work best on this disease?  If you decide to spray, be prepared to spray often.  Honor Guard, Banner, Dithane (Mancozeb), and Kocide are good choices. These products should be used in rotation and according to label. I like the lime-sulfur idea or lime-copper spray for the reason that the original Lamson–Scribner invented this product in an effort to save the French wine crop in the late 1800’s. He called it Bordeaux mix (unfortunately Bordeaux mix is not available anymore). When spraying these chemicals, an appropriate surfactant should be used. Certain surfactants work better than others with particular products.

I’m in yards all the time and this disease is the most common disease I see in our Lowcountry landscape. I usually recommend replanting the area. I can understand spraying roses all the time. Indian Hawthorn – ah, not so much.

It is time to get your preemergent products out before your summer annual weeds start to germinate. Prevention, being pro-active, and protection is the best way to deal with summer annual weeds.

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