Horticulture Hotline 07/02/24
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
So far 2024 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 did not 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) were not favorable for turf fungus. Powdery Mildew does like dry weather and it was loving the environmental conditions on ornamentals (especially Crepe Myrtles).
Japanese beetles did not 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! A good time to control them is late August when they are grubs (mole food) with Above and Below.
Flies, wasps, and fleas seem to be particularly bad this year. The windy and dry weather has kept the mosquitoes down, which is nice.
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, Wisdom, 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.
I am getting calls about leafminers on tomatoes among other things. If you have your tomatoes for a long period of time you might want to control the leafminer with Spinosad (organic). On my citrus, I treat for leafminers because the tree lives year after year. On my tomatoes if I just have a few effected leaves, I let the leafminer eat, knowing that the plant will be dying soon. You should decide from your population of leafminers whether managing the pest is necessary.
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. Watch out for “the nasty Rascal, The Chinch Bug” on St. Augustine grass. 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.
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.
