Horticulture Hotline 07/04/22
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
So far 2022 can be described as dry, windy and hot! If you have an irrigation system, you got the opportunity to see exactly how good your coverage of water over your lawn your irrigation system provides. Many people didn’t realize that when the wind is constantly blowing and we are not getting any rain that grass is going to turn brown or just never come out of dormancy. Wetting agents came to the rescue of many people that tried them.
The good news was there was less need for fungicides because the environmental conditions (dry) weren’t favorable for turf fungus. Powdery Mildew does like dry weather and it was loving the environmental conditions on ornamentals (especially Crepe Myrtles).
Japanese beetles didn’t miss their annual chance to devour your roses and crepe myrtles. They emerge from the ground, eat, mate, and go back in the ground within a few weeks. Sneaky rascals!
What bothers me the most is you have battled through the weather (we are finally getting some rain) and paid huge water bills to have your yard looking nice, and once it starts to look good, fall army worms and then sod webworms attack the grass. Look for areas that appeared to have been mowed low and with a dull blade. You can see that the leaf blades have been chewed. Also thatch type debris will be churned up on the surface. Moths will fly low, during the day but mainly in the evening, dropping eggs across the lawn. Birds and low flying wasps are also predators of army worms. Thanks to cell phones, I took a cool picture of a wasp attacking the head of an army worm. I think my definition of ‘
cool’ has changed over the years.
Since army worms are in direct contact with the ground, they are very easy to control. Bug Blaster, Bifen, Sevin, Cyonara and Acephate will all put a hurting on army worms. If you get them while the worms are small, Thuricide (Bt), EcoVia EC and Spinosad are organic products that will also work well. Since the population of worms is so high and hit so fast, keep your eye out for a second hatching. Prostrate growing weeds like spurge, lespedeza and Virginia Buttonweed seem to come in the fastest to the damaged areas.
If your yard has thatch, dry spots, or compaction issues, now is a great time to address these issues. At Possum’s we have a granular organic product (BGK 7500) that is full of microorganisms that are thatch eaters. Easy to apply with a fertilizer spreader and very effective. Some of the zoysia grass lawns really benefit from regular use of this product.
With the recent rain, gray leaf spot is still alive and doing well and fire ants are mounding up everywhere – be careful where you step! Mosquitoes are out and biting, and the grass is growing like crazy. Scout around your yard for potential breeding sites for mosquitoes. It is amazing how many areas can hold enough water for a mosquito to breed. A magnolia leaf or a bottle cap can hold enough water for a mosquito to breed. Flies, wasps and other biting insects are stinging. Fresh fruits and vegetables have brought in the fruit flies and drain flies.
Make it a Great Week!
Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
