Rocks to Soil

                                                                Fungi and Algae = Lichens

                                                                 

                                           Charleston Battery - Possum's Official Supplier

                                           Charleston RiverDogs - Possum's Official Supplier

 

Horticulture Hotline 04/30/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

When I was a kid, I learned that rocks became soil. After many years, that was my memory of the process and not much of the details. A while back, I was talking to a friend of mine that is a naturalist and he works mainly in Alaska. We were talking about groovy, cool things that naturalist and horticulturalist talk about when given the opportunity. This evening, we were talking about mountains, glaciers, and soils.

 

The conversation about rocks becoming soil was of particular interest to me, since I spend most of my adult life dealing with soil. When he mentioned lichens growing on rocks was the first step, he really had my attention. I have written and talked about lichens many, many times, usually as they relate to plants:

It sounds like you have lichens.  Lichens are grayish-green organisms that are a cross between fungi and algae.  They make their own food and collect their own water and minerals, so technically they do not harm the plant or tree on which they are growing. They are a sign that the tree or shrub is not flourishing. Lichens do not hurt what they are growing on – they are a sign that what they are growing on is hurting!

 

Since lichens manufacture their own food through photosynthesis, they need sunlight to carry on photosynthesis. A healthy actively growing plant or tree is the best defense against lichens. If the tree or shrub has a thick canopy, the lichens will not survive since they need sunlight to manufacture their food. Culturally, the plant must be planted in an area that provides the conditions that the plant can thrive, so it produces a dense canopy that will shade out the lichens. Proper fertilization based on soil tests and proper pruning will help to keep the canopy thick. Think of trying to grow grass under the thick canopy of a tree – the grass needs sunlight for photosynthesis like the lichens and will not grow in the dense shade.

 

Lichens will grow on rocks, plants, the side of your house, and anywhere else that they get sun and water. When lichens grow on rocks, dirt and dust begins to collect on its scaly growth. A random seed might get in that dirt and dust and begin to grow.

 

When hiking in the foothills above Clemson, I would see little stunted trees growing in the rocks. I always called them nature’s bonsai trees. These small trees growing out of rocks, would collect leaves, small branches, and other organic matter coming down the mountain.  Roots from the plants find tiny cracks in the rock. As the roots grow thicker, they could crack the rock. Water would also get into these fissures and freeze, expand, and crack the rock.

 

In Alaska, snow melt running down the side of mountains plays a huge part in turning rock into soil. A drop of water, a stream, a river, a glacier…

 

After a few chicken wings, lichens start the whole process. Depending on the minerals that make up the rock that is broken down to make your soil, will determine the type of soil you will have. That is why soil testing is so important.

Soil Tests, pots, potting soil, soil moist, neem oil, horticultural oil, Cotton Burr Compost, gift certificates, rodent control, roach control, mole crickets, fire ants, moles, pruning (azaleas and camellias), grass coming out of  dormancy are just a few things that seem very popular right now.

 

Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.

 

Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum’s has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or listen to the replay of Saturday’s show, Sundays from 11:00 to noon on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com. 

 

 

 

Mole Crickets, Amaryllis - The Beast and The Beauty

 

                                                     Mole Cricket Tunnel

                                                     Mole Cricket Adult

                                             Amaryllis

Horticulture Hotline 04/23/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

With some products being removed from the market, we are getting more complaints about mole crickets. They are terrible right now because they are up near the surface, tunneling, and mating to continue their species. Between looking at them, soil test, weeds, and the beautiful amaryllis, it has been a busy spring! 

 

Mole crickets damage turf.  Their damage is not caused by them eating the roots of the grass plants, as many people think, but is caused by them tunneling near the surface and separating the roots from the soil.  When the roots are separated from the soil, the grass plant dries out and dies.  This tunneling can cause big problems when there is little rainfall like we are having now. When the soil is dry, it separates quickly from the plant’s roots.  Regular rains, irrigation or rolling the ground with a sod roller, can help keep the plant alive by keeping the roots in contact with the soil.

 

I worked with a property (Bermuda grass) several years ago that we fertilized extra to out grow any damaged, rolled the grass to keep the roots in contact with the soil, and watered extra to keep the roots from drying, so we would not have to use insecticides. This cultural way of dealing with the issue worked; however, a new boss was hired and they went back to using control products.

 

To control mole crickets, it is best to scout for them.  Get two ounces of lemony dish soap in five gallons of water and slowly pour it over a 2 x 2 area where you may think you have mole crickets.  The soap irritates their equivalent to our lungs, and brings them to the surface gasping for air. This will bring them to the surface (and other creatures) and depending on how many come to the surface, you can then decide whether to treat your yard or not.  A golf course green because of putting would have a less tolerable amount than a home lawn. 

 

This time of year, mole crickets are in their adult stage. Now they are tunneling near the surface and flying often towards lights. In late March early April mole crickets will be mating and flying. Often you will notice a little volcano with a hole in the center the size on a number 2 pencil. The male mole cricket uses this volcano to amplify his mating call. This is a good time to treat them because you will break up their life cycle before they produce new babies. 

 

Later, in June and July, if you use a soap flush again; you will see the baby mole crickets.  Baby mole crickets are easy to kill because they do not fly. Baby mole crickets look like little adults. You might also see some adults that are getting ready to die. 

 

In the fall, the small mole crickets will have grown into young adults, have wings, and will tunnel near the surface and fly around. In the fall and winter these young mole crickets do a lot of damage. The grass is going dormant so the damage is harder to see, people tend to cut back on their irrigation, and we have low humidity, windy days. Depending on the amount of mole crickets in your yard, these are the three critical times to treat for them. 

 

Many control products are available to kill mole crickets.  Some work better depending on the stage of life of the mole cricket.   There are baits, parasitic nematodes, contact killers, granular products, spray products, etc.  When going after the baby mole cricket, always be sure to use a product that goes through the thatch layer and into the soil where the baby mole cricket resides. A lot of the baits (Intice), you do not water in.  Depending on your population of mole crickets, type of soil (they like sand – easier to tunnel), and number of lights you have on your property that they attract to, the number of applications can vary greatly. Mole Crickets tend to inhabit the same area of a landscape year after year (usually because of lights or soil type), so with good mapping, you can concentrate your efforts in these areas and save money by using less product.

 

Amaryllis are much prettier than mole crickets, unless you are a mama mole cricket!

 

Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.

 

Have you?

 

                          Kill Weeds Competing with your Lawn and Making Seeds for Next Year

                                            Get your Roots Growing

Horticulture Hotline 04/15/2024

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

Today’s article is not as much of a “to do list” as a “have you done it” list. The weekly rains have been great for knocking down the pollen and hydrating our landscapes. The windy, low humidity days has quickly dried out the landscape. Last year when we did not have the rain to go with the wind, some landscapes really suffered. Zoysia grass took the biggest hit, refusing to green up and come out of dormancy!

 

I have been asked some form of this question a lot recently. “Should I mow down lower than I usually mow (scalp) and or bag my clippings on the first cut of the year?”

 

Congratulations, you must be using a preemerge product for winter weeds or you would be mowing weeds! A lot of people will mow lower and collect the clippings to get rid of the "brown" in the grass. Not needed for good grass, just appearance. By mowing lower you remove the brown grass (your green grass from last fall), and your lawn will appear greener – basically you are removing the brown leaves from your grass like raking up leaves from your trees. If you did nothing different, the new leaf blades would come through the canopy and the brown leaves would decompose.

 

If you have a whole lot of brown grass that does not look like it is going to decompose in a reasonable amount of time, using a bagging mower may be a good option for the first cut. Get back to your mulching mower as soon as possible, so your grass benefits from the returned organic matter and nutrients.

 

If you have been waiting for the weather to warm up, here is a brief checklist of things that should have been completed around the yard:

• Test soil. All the rain has leached out very valuable nutrients out of the soil. Trees, bushes, and grass remove nutrients from the soil as well. I was looking at soil tests a few years ago and I had 2 tests for palm trees that 2 different people had put out way, way, way too much Magnesium. Just because people say that palms like Epsom Salt which is Magnesium sulfate, take a soil test first. You might be wasting your money. Over fertilizing could be true throughout your landscape. Soil test provide valuable information for accurate fertilizing!
• Have you applied SeaHume G to lawn and beds for a healthy start? Our warm season grasses (centipede, St. Augustine, zoysia, and Bermuda) slough off their roots this time of year, so it is good to apply products that promote rooting.
• Have you applied a preemergent to lawn and beds (this late use Dimension if it is your first application)? Remember it is never too late to start a preemerge program. It is never too late to preemerge, with our mild climate weeds germinate almost every day of the year.
• Have you drench Dominion around plants with a history of insect problems?
• Have you applied a preventive fungicide to turf if you have a history of fungus (T-Methyl, Strobe)? We are seeing a lot more pictures of fungus at Possum’s than we saw last year.
• Mole Crickets overwinter as adults and do their mating flights right now. Have you killed them now before they can make babies? Be sure your lawn and beds are free of fire ants, and if you have pets, fleas and ticks should be controlled. If you live near the woods, chiggers may be an issue.
• Have you gone through your irrigation system to be sure everything is operating correctly? In my travels through the Lowcountry, I have noticed many broken heads and heads that are spraying into the street. These low humidity days will dry out your grass and plants quickly. Plants and grass are putting out new leaves and need water!
• The little fury terrorist of the yard is having babies now. Have you killed a mole recently or at least repelled one out of your yard?
• Is your lawn mower ready for another season? New Blade? New Air Filter? New Spark Plug?
• Have you measured your turf and bed areas so you know how much product you need to buy and apply to your yard? Getting the right amount of product on your lawn will determine the success of your efforts.
• Mosquitoes are biting. With the flooded areas, there are plenty of places for them to bred.
• Feed your landscape now with all the new growth your landscape needs food. Without specific recommendations from a soil test, 17-00-09 is a great choice.
• Even though some of your winter weeds (annual bluegrass, Poa annua being the most hated), depending on the weather, will die soon, kill them now, so they do not produce seeds that you will have to fight next year. With the cool night time temperatures we are having, these winter weeds could continue to seed for a while. Some of the chemistries work slowly; however, they will stop the plant from developing seeds very quickly!

 

Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.