A Few Things To Do Before Summer Vacation

Indian Hawthorn (AKA Raphs) finished blooming and can be pruned as needed. Watch out for the leaf spot disease that attacks these plants. If your plant’s foliage is thinning and it has spots on its leaves, there is a good chance your plant is under attack.  Honor Guard does a good job of keeping this fungus in check; however, this disease will always be out there so regular spraying is a must. Also, when spraying fungicides, it is important to switch chemical classes to avoid resistance. If they do not need pruning, hold off, because pruning encourages new growth and the disease likes new leaves.  

If you are taking a vacation this summer and have St. Augustine grass, be sure to put out an insecticide to protect your lawn from ‘the nasty rascal, the chinch bug’. Chinch bugs can do serious damage in a very short period of time. They love and multiple greatly in hot, dry weather, so this year has been a very bountiful year for them. Bug Blaster, ECO VIA (National Organics Program compliant), or Aloft (a newer product with some long term control – 3 months) should help you manage this lawn terrorist.

As the temperature and humidity rises, St. Augustine grass will also get a leaf spot disease called gray leaf spot. Even though I usually try to avoid scientific names, I have to use this one because there are different leaf spot diseases that are controlled with different products. Look for the name Pyricularia grisea on the label to get control of this leaf spot. Several years ago, I picked up a customer from another store (and he still shops with us) because the other store was selling him a product that was labeled for the leaf spot (Helminthosporium spp) and after repeated applications the customer was not getting any control. The product was not labeled for the gray leaf spot (Pyricularia grisea) that the customer was trying to control in his clients St. Augustine grass. Some products that are labeled for this disease include Prophesy, Cleary’s 3336, and Disarm.

Azaleas are getting ready to set their flower buds for next year, so it is very important to do any pruning on these plants right away. Even if you pruned them hard right after they bloomed, you can still do any touch up pruning to manage any growth that might have occurred since the last pruning. An application of KeyPlex or Mighty Plant should help them set more blooms for next year. Watch out for lace bugs sucking on your plants.

Any of the repeat blooming azaleas (Encore, Red Slipper) should be pruned right after they flower. If you prune fairly hard, you will likely lose some of the next flush of blooms; however, they should get back in sync fairly quickly, providing you multiple blooms.

A general rule of thumb is to be sure all your spring blooming plants have been pruned. Gardenias (unless they repeat in August), Camellias, Spirea, Forsythia, flowering quince …

If you haven’t fertilized your lawn, shrubs and trees, a midsummer feeding is a good idea. With the heavy rains and all the growing they have been doing, some food would be a great idea. I’m seeing a lot of yellow grass in my travels. A soil test is always the best guide for fertilization.

Snakes, Japanese Beetles, baby mole crickets killing, ants, aphids, chiggers, fleas, roaches and rats are all hot topics at Possum’s.

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

Water!

Grass is burning up and dying across the Lowcountry. You can really tell if your irrigation heads are not properly turning in this kind of weather. At Possum’s we are getting a lot of calls about dead grass and the people are emphatic that they are watering; however, their irrigation is not hitting everywhere it should be. Once they take a spoon out of the kitchen (don’t let your wife catch you) and dig in the area they realize it is dusty and dry. This past week I’ve been asked by several people “How much water should I be putting on my yard each week?” 

The quick answer is one inch of water per week, including rainfall.  I look at one inch per week as a starting point, and then adjust for other factors.  These factors include soil type, wind exposure, slope in the yard, berms, heat and exposure to the sun.

A clay soil is going to hold more water for a longer period of time than a sandy soil.  When watering a clay soil, if you put out too much water at once, it will begin to run off instead of penetrating the soil.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will help water penetrate clay better. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

Water tends to pass through sandy soils quickly.  If they receive too much water at once, the water tends to leach through the soil past where the plant roots can access it.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give sandy soils better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

Wind exposure can also play a big part in how much to water.  An ocean front or lake front lot with a constant breeze will require more water than a land-locked yard in the suburbs that is protected from wind.  Position of trees, fences, houses or other wind breaks can also affect wind exposure.  If your yard is very windy, you will have to water more than a yard that is more protected from the wind.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give windy areas better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

Depending on the elevation change in your yard, you could require more water.  Some houses sit up on hills that slope down toward the road.  These sloping yards require more water.  In the Lowcountry, this is less of a problem than an area in the mountains or hills.  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give hilly areas better water holding capacity and allow the water to penetrate the ground instead of running off into the road. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

If you have a lot of landscape berms, be sure these areas are getting enough water.  Many berms are made with landscape grade fill dirt (i.e. sand) that dry out quickly.  Being up on a hill, they have more exposure as well as slope, therefore they require more water. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give these areas better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

Just as we need to drink plenty of water, so do the plants and grass.  Some areas near sidewalks and streets are getting cooked!  The soil surface temperature is often well over 100 degrees.  Give your trees, flowers and turf a drink!  Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give hot soils better water holding capacity. Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

Exposure to the sun also affects the amount of water needed by a yard.  If your yard is shaded by a neighbor’s house or trees, it will require less water than if it is in the wide open sun.  Different areas of the same yard will require different amounts of water based on the exposure to the sun. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give exposed soils better water holding capacity.  Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

Always try to water early in the morning so your landscape does not stay wet too long and encourage fungus. Turf gets wet at night through guttation and dew. By watering early in the morning (3-7 am) you are not extending that wet period. If you water at 9 am and the grass has been wet all night, you could be giving disease the opportunity (moisture) it needs to flourish. Wetting agents (Possum’s Wetting Agent with Biostimulants) and organic matter (Cotton Burr Compost) will give your soils better water holding capacity and you will be able to reduce your watering and your water bill (and usually your fungicide bill as well). Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

If you have any doubt, just try one quart of wetting agent and or one bag of cotton burr compost and see for yourself the difference these products can make in your landscape.

Using a soil conditioner like Mule Mix or Turface will also help.

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

Fleas Part 2

Continuing from last week’s article about fleas…

Professional pest managers will always do a great job at controlling fleas because they are professionals and they do this for a living.  Since fleas are in so many different life cycles, give the exterminator at least two weeks for their product to work.  As mentioned last week, the flea population are in several different life cycles at any given time. Adult  biting fleas only account for about 2% of the population, the rest are in the egg, larva and pupae stage. 

When treating fleas, it is good to treat your animal, your house and your yard.  This three-prong attack gives you the best results. 

If you are a “do it yourselfer” there are a few products that can make a difficult job easy. 

Fleas can be controlled by starting with your animal.  There are two very safe products that you can apply directly to you animal that I use. Prefurred One and Petcor work great preventatively and will work once the pet is under attack. At Possum’s we sell several other products that are very effective. I just happen to use these because I have them at my house.

Ultracide (Precor 2000, Alpine IGR) should be sprayed inside your house.  As mentioned last week, it is important to vacuum your house daily when you are trying to control fleas.  If your vacuum has a bag, you want to remove it and put it in a plastic bag, and put it in the trash can outside after each vacuum.   Ultracide will kill the biting fleas and has a growth regulator that will prevent the treated population from maturing into reproducing, biting adult fleas. 

Since I am cheap, I usually limit my spraying of the house to a few key areas where my dog hangs out.  Remember from last week, when a dog gets up from a nap and shakes, he is shaking eggs off of his body.  I concentrate my spraying in and around those areas where he usually naps.  A can of Ultracide can last several seasons with this method.   

Outside use Lebanon Insect Control in the yard.  Be sure to treat mulched areas because the larvae live in moist wet areas.  This product will knock down the adult flea population.  Lebanon Insect Control will also control chiggers, ticks, chinch bugs, grubs,  fire ants and many other pests. Bug Blaster will also do a good job.

Nylar (Pivot) is a growth regulator that will prevent the fleas from becoming reproducing adults.  Be sure to spray the Nylar in your beds. Nylar is a great product outside because the sun doesn’t break it down like some growth regulators (Precor). Nylar can be used indoors as well.  Nylar mimics an insect hormone that can be sprayed around mammals, reptiles, birds, you, your pets and children.  Nylar also controls roaches and mosquitoes as a bonus.

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