Horticulture Hotline 01/25/21
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Here are a few of the decade Top Performers:
This one I love. It hits you right between the eyes.
The tag is added to the neck of the Wet & Forget bottle. This tag is very red and states:
Failure!
This product is only
effective if you read the
instructions thoroughly.
Failure to do so will result in
you moaning and groaning
that the product doesn’t
work and generally being
a pain in the bottom. Make a
positive change in your life
will you, and read the
instructions
This tag makes my, “Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law,” seem pretty tame. Products have to adhere to EPA guidelines. To get the “label” for a product the manufacturer must do extensive research on the formulation and on the efficacy of the product.
I have been selling control products since 1991and using them for longer than that and I cannot remember the product ever not working when used according to the label (maybe because I’m so old, wet and forgot).
By the way, Wet & Forget is a super product for cleaning houses, sidewalks, driveways and many other things (check the label). Wet & Forget takes the chlorine out of cleaning outside and you do not need a pressure washer – just a pump-up sprayer. As the name implies just wet the surface and a few weeks later it will be clean.
Mike Williams, Head Grounds Keeper Charleston RiverDogs, won several awards during his stay in Charleston. Here is a small sample and many of these awards he won multiple times. The South Atlantic League’s Sport’s Turf Manager of the Year, The South Atlantic League’s Best Surface and Playability award, The South Carolina Sport’s Turf Managers Association award for Best Professional Field was also awarded to Mike. Mike has a very unique situation in that he has a college (The Citadel) that plays on his field as well as a professional team. Usually, you would have one or the other. In 2017 Mike won the National Award for Field of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association. Best in the Nation - great job, Mike!
In the Lowcountry we have many citrus trees. Citrus Leafminer can be an issue on these trees. An immediate Top Performer (this product was introduced in 2020), has been a pheromone trap that really attracts the leafminers onto a sticky trap. No pesticides, safe for organic use, lasts up to 15 weeks and you get the satisfaction of seeing the dead leafminers on the sticky trap!
Mole Patrol by RCO continues to control moles in a very cost-effective manner. New products on the market work well, but for the price, none beat Mole Patrol. After all, a dead mole is a dead mole. If you would rather not kill the mole, Repellex will do a good job of repelling the mole from an area.
Soil Test and Custom Programs probably should top the list, but someone with bed bugs in an apartment would not need these services. I was handed this testimonial from Greg Lienert. “I started using Possum’s recipe for my lawn 3 years ago and I have never had a better lawn in the 35 years that I have been trying to grow the perfect lawn. Possum’s is awesome! I have the best lawn in the neighborhood.” That’s what I’m talking about proactive lawn care!
