Shorter Days - Cooler Weather

 

                                                        Army Worm

                                                  Get Those Pests!

                                             Control Weeds!

Horticulture Hotline 07/22/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

A lot of the topics I choose for the “Horticulture Hotline” come from what are hot topics in the three Possum’s stores, questions people ask me during the week, pictures that have been sent to me, pictures I have taken myself, questions asked during “The Garden Clinic” radio show, observations I have made, or just knowing what is about to happen in the Lowcountry landscape.

 

Grassy weeds (including sedges – many types, goosegrass, crabgrass – many types, doveweed…), mosquitoes, roaches, fleas, flies, chinch bugs, army worms, wasps, spiders, spittlebugs, and mice have become much more visible with the hot weather. Localized pop-up thunder storms (fueling gray leaf spot on St. Augustine grass) have dominated our weather, so there is no telling how much rain we are getting across the area.

 

Army worms are showing up across the area. It seems like the first reports came from our customers that plant corn for doves and deer. Close behind came the reports on turfgrass. The moths are out laying eggs, then the hungry worm emerges and eats your grass. They eat a lot of grass very quickly. The spineless insects do not care that you worked all spring and summer on your lawn. They munch down on it quickly and weeds move in.  The worm then becomes a moth and the cycle begins again.

 

Many people will be taking vacation before school starts or dropping off that loved one to college. I put out 08-00-08 + Acelepyrn Saturday, so I do not come home to a munched-on lawn. These worms do a lot of damage fast.

 

While driving around and looking at my own yard, the grass is looking a little “washed out” from the high temperatures and the lack of fertilizer. Most people’s spring fertilizer has been consumed by the plant and turned into clippings. 07-00-14 + Allectus and 08-00-08 + Acelepyrn are two good fertilizers with insect control to get you through until it is preemergent time again. If you are working from information derived from a soil test or custom program, stick with those recommendations.

 

With three Possum stores in the area, I get a regular dose of how crazy our weather is in the Lowcountry. Possum’s West (West Ashley) might get an inch of rain, Possum’s North (North Charleston) might get a “spit” and Possum’s East (Mt. Pleasant) nothing at all. It is amazing how the waterways affect the weather patterns.

 

The Lowcountry is one area that a rain gauge is a must. Rain gauges come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very expensive and record your rainfall, and others are very basic and are less than five dollars. You can make your own “rain gauge” very easily from anything that has an equal top diameter and bottom diameter. Soup cans, tuna fish cans, a coffee cup, or an empty can of canned possum (the other white meat) make great rain gauges. Be sure to place your rain gauge in an area where your house or trees are not going to skew your results.

 

 

With all the insects that are active in the yard Cyonara Lawn and Garden Concentrate or RTS is an excellent product with a very broad label and a low price point. Cyonara is labeled to spray the outside of your house to keep roaches in check and even your vegetable garden, so you know it is safe. If you prefer organic products, EcoVia might be more to your liking.

 

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. 

 

Halfway

 

                                                     Mosquito in the Fridge

                                            Beautiful Crepe Myrtle

 

                                            Good for Sucking Bugs - Lace bugs

Horticulture Hotline 07/10/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

The summer is going by in record speed (and record heat)! The football, volleyball, fall soccer, and deer seasons are right around the corner. Soon we will be enjoying cooler weather! Soon your grass will not need mowing every 3 days! For now, we are fighting chinch bugs, mosquitoes, fire ants, lace bugs, mice, rats, fleas, roaches, flies (all kinds), biting  / stinging insects, gray leaf spot, and many other Lowcountry critters. Love the Possum and let them cross the road! 

 

The one pest that has got my attention the most this past week is the mosquito. I had one in my refrigerator of all places! Never seen that before. All the dry and windy (mosquitoes are very weak flyers) weather seem to keep them in check. It is always interesting how some people get bit more than others. Luckly, I must taste bad compare to some people that I am around.

 

Lace bugs on lantana is very common right now also. The dry weather has relocated the sucking bugs out of the dry woods and into our irrigated landscapes. If your lantana has stopped blooming and has mottled, dry, crispy leaves, there is a good chance that you have lace bugs. If you look on the underside of the leaves, you will see the sucking bug. Lace bugs are well camouflaged, so look closely or maybe use a hand lens. If you spray, watch for pollinators. I like the drench products (Dominion, Tree and Shrub drench) that last a whole season.

 

There are still some other things to take care of this summer. Try to find a source of gas for your lawn mower that does not contain ethanol. Use ethanol free gas in your small engines, boat motors, and generators (have you tested your generator recently?). Your mower will be happier next spring if you use ethanol free gas.

 

The mower blade needs to be inspected this time of year. Always remove the spark plug wire from the plug and tape it to the side of the mower to avoid accidently starting the mower when you turn the blade to inspect it (or remove the plug and inspect it). The mower blade works like an old-time airplane propeller, if you spin the blade, it will start the engine.

 

In the old days, we use to sharpen our mower blades ourselves. Now days, there is a lot of aerodynamics and engineering that goes into these blades, so you are better off buying a new blade. Be sure to buy a replacement that is suited for your mower. These blades move at high speeds, so be sure they are balanced correctly like the tires on your car.

 

You want a nice sharp blade that has not run over pine cones, small sticks, gum balls, the hose, or any other foreign object. A nice sharp blade will give your lawn a better cut (look) and the leaf blade will have less entry points for disease.

 

While you are checking out your mower, how clean is the air filter? If your air filter is not clean, a lawn mower can produce some nasty air pollution. Mowers do not have all the emission controls that our cars have, so a clean air filter is important. I guess a dirty air filter would be like your mower having an asthma attack – the engine needs good air flow.

 

The other main thing to check would be the engine oil. When was the last time it was changed? Have you mowed enough hours that it is time to change?

 

If this sounds like a Saturday morning of fun, have at it. If not, take it to your local small engine repair shop!

 

Always read and follow product label.

Year Is Flying By

                                                      Leafminer - Treat It or Not?

 

Horticulture Hotline 07/02/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

So far 2024 can be described as dry, windy, and hot! If you have an irrigation system, you got the opportunity to see exactly how good your coverage of water over your lawn your irrigation system provides. Many people did not realize that when the wind is constantly blowing and we are not getting any rain that grass is going to turn brown or just never come out of dormancy. Wetting agents came to the rescue of many people that tried them.

 

The good news was there was less need for fungicides because the environmental conditions (dry) were not favorable for turf fungus. Powdery Mildew does like dry weather and it was loving the environmental conditions on ornamentals (especially Crepe Myrtles).

 

Japanese beetles did not miss their annual chance to devour your roses and crepe myrtles. They emerge from the ground, eat, mate, and go back in the ground within a few weeks. Sneaky rascals! A good time to control them is late August when they are grubs (mole food) with Above and Below.

 

Flies, wasps, and fleas seem to be particularly bad this year. The windy and dry weather has kept the mosquitoes down, which is nice.

 

What bothers me the most is you have battled through the weather (we are finally getting some rain) and paid huge water bills to have your yard looking nice, and once it starts to look good, fall army worms and then sod webworms attack the grass. Look for areas that appeared to have been mowed low and with a dull blade. You can see that the leaf blades have been chewed. Also thatch type debris will be churned up on the surface. Moths will fly low, during the day but mainly in the evening, dropping eggs across the lawn. Birds and low flying wasps are also predators of army worms. Thanks to cell phones, I took a cool picture of a wasp attacking the head of an army worm. I think my definition of ‘cool’ has changed over the years.

 

Since army worms are in direct contact with the ground, they are very easy to control. Bug Blaster, Wisdom, Cyonara and Acephate will all put a hurting on army worms. If you get them while the worms are small, Thuricide (Bt), EcoVia EC and Spinosad are organic products that will also work well. Since the population of worms is so high and hit so fast, keep your eye out for a second hatching. Prostrate growing weeds like spurge, lespedeza and Virginia Buttonweed seem to come in the fastest to the damaged areas.

 

If your yard has thatch, dry spots, or compaction issues, now is a great time to address these issues. At Possum’s we have a granular organic product (BGK 7500) that is full of microorganisms that are thatch eaters. Easy to apply with a fertilizer spreader and very effective. Some of the zoysia grass lawns really benefit from regular use of this product.

 

 

I am getting calls about leafminers on tomatoes among other things. If you have your tomatoes for a long period of time you might want to control the leafminer with Spinosad (organic). On my citrus, I treat for leafminers because the tree lives year after year. On my tomatoes if I just have a few effected leaves, I let the leafminer eat, knowing that the plant will be dying soon. You should decide from your population of leafminers whether managing the pest is necessary.

 

With the recent rain, gray leaf spot is still alive and doing well and fire ants are mounding up everywhere – be careful where you step! Mosquitoes are out and biting, and the grass is growing like crazy. Scout around your yard for potential breeding sites for mosquitoes. It is amazing how many areas can hold enough water for a mosquito to breed. A magnolia leaf or a bottle cap can hold enough water for a mosquito to breed. Watch out for “the nasty Rascal, The Chinch Bug” on St. Augustine grass. Fresh fruits and vegetables have brought in the fruit flies and drain flies.

 

Make it a Great Week!

 

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.