Horticulture Hotline 09/07/19
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
“Oh, a storm is threat’ning
My very life today
If I don’t get some shelter
Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away”
Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
Song writers: Keith Richards / Mick Jagger
I have family in Florida just above Ft Lauderdale, so that
slow moving Dorian almost drove me crazy. I was checking that weather off and
on (drives me crazy to watch especially since I always have work to do) since
about 8/26/19 when there were 180 mph 70 miles East of Ft Lauderdale until my power
went out 9/5/19 around 2:00 am. With the track and the slow speed I think that
is the longest I was aware of a single hurricane. The weirdest thing about a
hurricane is you almost have to wish it on your neighbor to the north of you or
to the south of you. What a crazy slow moving storm. I was surprised with so
much of it over the land that it didn’t weaken more. I guess the warm Gulf
Stream kept it fueled.
If the storm’s threat or the aftermath of the storm got you
to look up into your trees for broken limbs, diseased limbs, limbs with
cavities, or heavy overhanging limbs, then the storm did some good. Inspect
your trees closely for “widow makers”. Gravity will pull these limbs that are
hanging in the trees down to the ground, and hopefully, you or your loved ones
are not between the ground and the tree that they are hanging out of. Getting a
tree care professional out to your house is always a good idea. Remember most
injuries and deaths occur during cleanup.
Use local tree people to work on your trees. After Hugo, I
saw many safe trees that were removed that could have been left to grow. Some
could have been straightened and braced. Trees take a long time to grow, so you
do not necessarily have to remove them if they have a little lean. The topping
of trees after Hugo was also ridiculous. Again a reputable, local, insured tree
care professional should come inspect your trees for dangerous situations.
Be sure to listen to “The Garden Clinic” every Saturday and
especially this Saturday from noon until 1:00 pm on 1250 WTMA. Paul Mulkey (AKA
Super Garden Hero) the owner of The Tree Clinic will be glad to take questions
about your trees and share his over 30 years of experience (he is getting
old!)! If you are not available Saturday, “The Garden Clinic” is replayed on
WTMA Sunday from 11:00 am until noon.
Salt was the biggest issue with flooding the last few years,
and it appears that for many of you, salt is going to be a main issue again.
Gypsum, Salt Free, Excell, SeaHume G, ProMag and a soil test that test for
Sodium provide the road map for the recovery of your landscape. You would want
to take a soil test first so you know where your starting point is, then you
could immediately apply products to mitigate the salt damage (keep track of
what you use and at what rates so when your soil test results come back you
will know what you have already applied). At Possum’s Landscape and Pest
Control Supply we can help you through this process and help you with
directions on taking a soil test and using these products.
Although it is still 90 degrees, the daylight hours are
getting shorter and the start of football are making the weather feel like fall
is not too far away. Worms eating the grass and chinch bugs sucking the grass
are still in full force. The worms love the cloudy weather we have had because
the birds and the wasps that feed on them cannot see them as easily. I noticed
and the white flowers of Virginia Buttonweed are visible peeking through the
foliage of the turf grass. Protect your grass from fungus by applying Fame or
T-Methyl. Fungicides work best if used before you have a fungus (like the flu
shot for us).
Preemergent herbicides for the lawn and beds now will make
your spring landscape much nicer. Treating your lawn and beds with Cyonora will
keep mosquitoes, fleas, roaches, and other pests from bothering your pets, your
lawn, your shrubs, or yourself.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law.
