Horticulture Hotline 06/07/21
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Time is flying by once again! It is already June. The record cool nights changed the way the grass came out of dormancy, along with the lack of rain. The heat brings many situations in the landscape and yesterday seemed like the first good dose of humidity.
Right now, there is a great opportunity for those that love fragrance. I know I have mentioned this several times this spring, but usually the weather goes from cold to hot and these flowers don’t last as long. Magnolias and Gardenias will stop you in their tracks with their fragrance! Either flower is great to pick and throw in your truck, car or in a room of your house for good smells all day long.
With the recent rains and warm nights Brown Patch / Large Patch has exploded. Treat while the areas are small if you didn’t treat preventatively. I’m going to include a picture of the disease starting up and a picture of a leaf blade (I will give it a try anyway. I’m not very good at inserting pictures). On the leaf blade you will notice the black, dead area where the leaf blade connects to the runner. That is where the disease attacks, killing the grass blade.
If you haven’t feed your trees, shrubs or turf since early spring, it is probably about time to do it again. It is June.
If you have a sunny St. Augustine lawn, it is time to get some protection out there on your turf for chinch bugs. I don’t know how much any of us will be travelling, but you don’t want to leave town without protection for your lawn. Chinch bugs do a lot of damage – FAST! Your nice lawn then gets invaded by bermuda grass and other weeds where the chinch bugs attacked. EcoVia EC is a NOP (National Organic Program) compliant product. Allectus and Acelepryn long-term control product. Bug Blaster, Cyonara, Bifen, and Lebanon Sevin will provide short term control.
Speaking of sunny yards, remember to protect yourself from the sun. Since I hang around mostly people that spend time in the sun, I have witnessed and heard about many sun related horror stories. These stories revolve around getting areas cut out and tested for sun cancer. Sometimes these areas that have been tested will keep you out of a pool, ocean, or lake for months.
Drain flies are becoming an issue with all the good local vegetables and fruits being consumed in our kitchens. Using the scum eating microbes in InVade BioDrain will help eliminate the organic build up in drains that harbor the drain flies and the citrus oil will help reduce odors as well. The EcoVia EC (National Organic Program compliant) will help if they are already getting active.
Mosquitoes are out and about looking for a blood meal. The high tides and rains we had, have ditches and other areas with enough water for mosquitoes to breed. Scout your yard for potential breeding sites. EcoVia EC (National Organic Program compliant) is great on mosquitoes for an organic approach. LambaStar, Bifen, and Proflex for conventional control. Proflex has a built in growth regulator which is nice.
Moles just have had their spring babies, so expect a surge in their population – wonderful!
Japanese Beetles have emerged (pun intended) on the scene, tearing up Crepe Myrtles, Roses, and many other plants. These heavy eaters are easy to kill with a little persistence. Bifen, Cyonara, and many others will take care of the Japanese Beetle. Traps also work if placed away from where the preferred meal of the Japanese Beetle and are more of an organic approach. EcoVia EC is a Botanical Insecticide that is NOP (National Organic Program) compliant and works.
The baby mole crickets are hatching and the adults are dying off. Now is a good time to ‘flush’ an area that you think you might have mole crickets. Get two ounces of lemony dish soap in five gallons of water and slowly pour it over a 2 x 2 area where you have tunneling damage by mole crickets and see what comes out of the ground in the next 3 to 5 minutes. Depending on your tolerance level, you can decide whether or not to treat. A golf green would have zero tolerance because the tunnels would affect the ball roll. EcoVia EC and Intice Perimeter are two NOP compliant products that should work good for you. Allectus and Lebanon Sevin are conventional control products that will ‘kill the baby’ mole crickets.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
