Horticulture Hotline 08/24/20
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Fall is coming and it is time to put your turf, shrubs, and trees to sleep with a full xylem (plant talk for belly). I think of one thing – ORGANICS!
Cotton Burr Compost, Nature’s Blend, 09-00-00 Corn Gluten, Blood Meal, Bone Meal, Feather Meal, Cotton Seed Meal, 08-02-04 Sustane, 06-04-00 and / or SeaHume are great products to use now on your ornamental plants and turf. If you plan to use just one product, I would go with SeaHume now. After the crepe myrtles lose their leaves, use Cotton Burr Compost, or Nature’s Blend (high nutrition) as a mulch instead of pine straw (low nutrition) or bark (nutrition not available). If you use Cotton Burr Compost or Nature’s Blend as a mulch, every time it rains your plants will get a drink of compost tea, and you know how we like our tea around here!
For best results spread over the whole bed; however, you can spread the products around individual plants. If you plan to do individual plants, be sure to cover where the roots are and out a little past where you think they are. Remember to keep compost or mulch off the trunk of trees and shrubs.
If you want to carry a few less bags, 17-00-09 and SeaHume will do a great job for you. Topped with some Cotton Burr Compost or Nature’s Blend as a mulch – ooh, la,la.
Crepe Myrtle leaves are starting to lose some of their chlorophyll, so the leaves look like they have a disease. Not to worry, the leaves are getting ready to drop off for the winter, so the green (chlorophyll) in the leaf that usually masks these other colors is leaving the leaf. The older varieties and the trees that are not on a good fertility program usually are the first to show these multi-colored leaves. Azaleas that are losing old leaves will make our phones ring at Possum’s as well. Magnolias are another one we get calls about. Although Azaleas and Magnolias are evergreens, they still lose leaves periodically.
The rain has brought the mosquitoes! Scout you yard for breeding sights. Mosquitoes only need a water bottle cap to bred. If you like organic, consider Possum’s Mosquito Swatter. Goat Island approved as well as many other pool owners and it works great under my fig tree at picking time!
The rain has brought the mushrooms! I have seen some of those perfect circles – aka fairy ring. If you have fairy ring and it bothers you enough or you have small children that might eat the mushrooms, Strobe G or Fame should work for you.
The rain has brought turf disease! The grass is slowing down with the reduced light hours, which makes the grass more susceptible to disease. Add frequent showers and look out. Strobe G is a good dual action systemic fungicide for this time of year.
The rain has brought the moisture that weeds need to germinate! winter weeds will be popping up soon. Have you applied your preemergent weed control product in your lawn and beds yet?
The rain has brought cover for the army worm and sod web worm to chow on your lawn! These worms like to eat in the evening and at night when the birds can not see them. A cloudy, rainy day gives them similar protection. Time to kill them!
Always read and follow product label.
