Fall time is a busy time in the yard and around the house. I’m going to start with a list with a brief description and expand on the individual topics in other columns. There might be other products that will work; however, in the interest of space, I’m going to just list a few products.

Large Patch Fungus (aka Brown Patch) flared up big time with the recent rains and sudden drop in temperature. BioRush, Crab Shell, Nature’s Blend, and Serenade are a few organic controls. Cleary’s 3336, Prophesy, Dual Action Fungicide, and PCNB are all good control products. Try to get fungicides out preventively when conditions are right for the disease instead of curatively after the disease has damaged the lawn.

Sod webworms are hatching and munching on leaf blades. Bt and Spinosad are two good organic controls. Tirade and Sevin are two good control products. Again, if you can treat for these insects before they eat half your yard, you will be better off. With the cooler weather any recovery will be very slow, allowing weeds to move into the weakened areas.

The cooler temperatures will bring rats and mice into your house. Snap traps and lures for rodents have come a long way in recent years. Glue boards and baits also do a good job.
Using bait boxes outside your house might save your duct work and wiring.

Amending beds for fall vegetable garden or annual color will pay big dividends. A great one two punch is SeaHume granular and Flower Bed Amendment. For a sandy soil, use three inches of Flower Bed Amendment and till three inches down. For clay soils use two inches of Flower Bed Amendment and till four inches deep. Then top dress the area with the SeaHume. People across the Lowcountry have had great success with this simple recipe.

A simple bird feeder, a bag of high quality bird food, and a bottle of squirrel stopper can provide you a lot of entertainment for the whole family at a very low price. We are lucky to have many different types of birds that can add a new dimension to your landscape.

Stay away from the nationally advertised winterizer fertilizer. Most of the national name brand products are designed for Fescue or other cool season grasses. Try 00-00-25 with 10% iron, Possum Minors, or SeaHume, your grass will thank you in the spring.

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