Horticulture Hotline 05/23/22
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
“Summertime and the living is easy” was / is my sister-in- laws (a former school teacher) favorite song this time of year. If you like the fragrance of magnolias and gardenias, what a great time of year to work in the yard or take a walk. Three weeks ago, I was smelling the thick intoxicating smell of banana shrubs, and now, the clean smell of the gardenias and magnolias. Hibiscus are in bloom!
1. I have already seen the nasty rascal chinch bug in St. Augustine grass. If you have St. Augustine grass, be sure to put out a product labeled for chinch bugs such as Allectus, Bug Blaster, Bifen or Lebanon Insect Control. Pulling into your driveway to a dead lawn after a family vacation is not the “welcome home” you want.
2. With the lack of rain, the spring termite swarm has been really spotty. Usually, they swarm pretty much all at once after a spring rain; however, this year we haven’t had that spring rain to trigger them. If you have swarmers in your wood pile or in an old stump in the yard, not a big deal. If you have them in your house, you might want to call your Pest Management Professional that your house is under bond with and have them take a look.
3. We had a wet fall and are having a dry spring. The perfect combination for fleas. Fleas are easy to control with a three-prong attack. Treat the animal (I know you can’t treat all the squirrels, raccoons, and Possums), treat the yard (use growth regulator and adulticide), and treat your house (also use a growth regulator and adulticide). Pest Management Professionals can also handle this job.
4. While driving through neighborhoods, localized dry spots are very evident since we have had that dry spell. These are areas in the yard that turn that bluish gray color from lack of water. New neighborhoods with young grass and poor soils seem to be most susceptible to these dry areas. Exposed areas with lots of wind and areas at the beaches also are good candidates for these localized dry spots. Adding organic matter to the soil (Cotton Burr Composts or SeaHume), wetting agents, or adjusting sprinkler heads will help with these dry areas. Remember to water in the early a.m. before the wind picks up, so the grass will dry by nightfall. A good, long, slow rain is what we really need – just not during my outdoor function!
5. Moles seem to be particularly active this spring. They just had their young in April and now they are tunneling up a storm. The young moles are hungry! Manage the food source in your yard (grubs, mole crickets) with Lebanon Insect Control and go after the mole with Mole Patrol. Repellex will do a good job of repelling them, if you would rather go that route.
6. As with all products, you should read and follow product labels. More is not better when dealing with control products. Knowing your square footage if you are purchasing products, is sooo important. You need to know how much product to buy. Watch overlapping when applying your products. You also need to watch the weather forecast to ensure the products have a proper amount of time on your target pest prior to any rain. If the product needs to be watered into the ground, a slow watering by a sprinkler is better than a gully washer from the sky. A very hard rain can wash products into the storm water drains which can be bad for the environment and you have wasted a lot of money.
7. Also sweep or blow fertilizers or control products off of hard surfaces when you
finish applying them. In the case of fertilizer, this may prevent staining, and most importantly it will keep products from washing through storm drains to the marshes.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
