Get Those Pests!
Horticulture Hotline 07/22/24
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
A lot of the topics I choose for the “Horticulture Hotline” come from what are hot topics in the three Possum’s stores, questions people ask me during the week, pictures that have been sent to me, pictures I have taken myself, questions asked during “The Garden Clinic” radio show, observations I have made, or just knowing what is about to happen in the Lowcountry landscape.
Grassy weeds (including sedges – many types, goosegrass, crabgrass – many types, doveweed…), mosquitoes, roaches, fleas, flies, chinch bugs, army worms, wasps, spiders, spittlebugs, and mice have become much more visible with the hot weather. Localized pop-up thunder storms (fueling gray leaf spot on St. Augustine grass) have dominated our weather, so there is no telling how much rain we are getting across the area.
Army worms are showing up across the area. It seems like the first reports came from our customers that plant corn for doves and deer. Close behind came the reports on turfgrass. The moths are out laying eggs, then the hungry worm emerges and eats your grass. They eat a lot of grass very quickly. The spineless insects do not care that you worked all spring and summer on your lawn. They munch down on it quickly and weeds move in. The worm then becomes a moth and the cycle begins again.
Many people will be taking vacation before school starts or dropping off that loved one to college. I put out 08-00-08 + Acelepyrn Saturday, so I do not come home to a munched-on lawn. These worms do a lot of damage fast.
While driving around and looking at my own yard, the grass is looking a little “washed out” from the high temperatures and the lack of fertilizer. Most people’s spring fertilizer has been consumed by the plant and turned into clippings. 07-00-14 + Allectus and 08-00-08 + Acelepyrn are two good fertilizers with insect control to get you through until it is preemergent time again. If you are working from information derived from a soil test or custom program, stick with those recommendations.
With three Possum stores in the area, I get a regular dose of how crazy our weather is in the Lowcountry. Possum’s West (West Ashley) might get an inch of rain, Possum’s North (North Charleston) might get a “spit” and Possum’s East (Mt. Pleasant) nothing at all. It is amazing how the waterways affect the weather patterns.
The Lowcountry is one area that a rain gauge is a must. Rain gauges come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very expensive and record your rainfall, and others are very basic and are less than five dollars. You can make your own “rain gauge” very easily from anything that has an equal top diameter and bottom diameter. Soup cans, tuna fish cans, a coffee cup, or an empty can of canned possum (the other white meat) make great rain gauges. Be sure to place your rain gauge in an area where your house or trees are not going to skew your results.
With all the insects that are active in the yard Cyonara Lawn and Garden Concentrate or RTS is an excellent product with a very broad label and a low price point. Cyonara is labeled to spray the outside of your house to keep roaches in check and even your vegetable garden, so you know it is safe. If you prefer organic products, EcoVia might be more to your liking.
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.
