Horticulture Hotline 08/28/17
Bill Lamson-Scribner
Football season is starting, so I guess it is time for the
Horticulture Hotline disclaimer.
For the new readers of the Horticulture Hotline, my To Do
Lists are designed to help you target a few activities in your yard and in your
home, that will benefit you in the future, giving you more free time. These lists are not designed to interfere
with high school, college, or professional football games, volleyball, soccer,
baseball, fishing, shrimping, hunting, golfing, eating chicken wings at a local
sports bar, oyster roasts, or watching NASCAR on the couch with closed
eyes! This is not designed to be a
“honey do” list.
With all the rain we have had, many plants, trees and grass
have grown like crazy. Are tree branches or shrubs rubbing against your house
removing the paint that protects your house from rot? Can squirrels and rats
now access your roof and find a way into your home? Is your view blocked while
trying to pull in or out of your driveway? Is your sidewalk overgrown with
shrubs? Remember that azaleas and camellias have already set their blooms for
next year, so be aware that you are removing some flowers. Have you noticed the
pecan trees? Many are so heavy with nuts the limbs are hanging down – way down –
and even splitting.
Large Patch Fungus (Brown Patch Fungus) and Gray Leaf Spot
are attacking lawns across the Lowcountry.
I rode through several neighborhoods this week and saw it
everywhere. These cooler nights make
conditions right for this disease. Fungi
like moisture and it has been raining a lot recently. If you can let your grass dry out between
watering, you will have less fungus (I understand this is not easy to do with
rainfall). There are organic products
that will increase the bio-diversity in the soil and help control Large Patch
Fungus and Gray Leaf Spot (Neptune Harvest Crab shell, SeaHume, and Back to
Nature’s Cotton Burr based products). If
you have an active infestation, a combination of T-Methyl, Prophesy and Fame are
good chemistries to rotate.
If you plan to plant bulbs this fall, purchase them now
while the selection is good. Look for
bigger bulbs. Bigger bulbs equal bigger
plants. When planting, try 04-04-04
Sustane in the hole. Use Mighty Plant on
the foliage to help create a bigger bulb next year.
Worms are still chowing on lawns. They like to feed under
the cover of rainfall when it is darker and birds are less apt to see them.
There has been a lot of spotty attacks this year. If you travel during the
fall, you might want to use something preventatively because worms can do a lot
of damage quickly. Most people notice the moths in their lawn first. These
moths lay the eggs that become the worms that eat your grass. This past
Saturday on my 15-minute drive to the radio station, I got two phone calls about
worms (and one about fungus). Our first call on the radio was about worms as well.
The wet, cooler weather will also run roaches and rodents
into your home. If you are prone to be
attacked by these two pests, be sure to prepare for their arrival.
Moles always get more active in the fall. Manage their food source with Lebanon Insect
Control and use Repellex around the perimeter to keep them out of your yard.
Now is the time to put out your fall fertilizer for your
trees, shrubs and turf. Fall fertilization is very important for the health of
your plants, trees and lawns especially when it has rained like it has this
year. A soil test will tell you a lot of valuable information.
Now that the weather has cooled down, it is a good time to
redefine your bed lines, prune anything that has gone wild over the summer,
sharpen your mower blade, and pull any vines that are strangling your plants.
Have you put out a preemergent product for winter weeds yet?
Mosquitoes?
If this sounds like too much work, hire a professional.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law.
