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Horticulture Hotline 08/07/24
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
“Oh, a storm is threat’ning
My very life today
If I don’t get some shelter
Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away”
Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
Song writers: Keith Richards / Mick Jagger
With the type of storm Debby was (is), I think of a few things right away that should be done in the aftermath of the major rain event. Army worms, mosquitoes, fire ants, fertilizer, fungus, and for some people, salt intrusion should all be addressed.
Army worms were getting bad before the storm. The storm came up through northern Florida, which is the main overwintering / breeding grounds of army worms. Rainy and cloudy weather prevent birds and wasps (natural predators) from eating the army worm. A single moth can lay up to 1000 eggs. When these eggs hatch, you have 1000 hungry worms eating your grass. If you have a hundred moths, that is 100,000 hungry caterpillar looking worms eating your grass. Look for areas of your grass that appeared to have been mowed with a dull mower blade and bite marks out of individual leaf blades.
Mosquitoes were also getting bad before the storm. Not only are they a nuisance, they are a Public Health concern. Just think of how many new breeding areas were created with all the rain we had.
Fire ants are also a Public Health issue. Be careful cleaning out ditches because there might be ants or even snakes in the ditches!
With over 10 inches of rain, many of the nutrients in the soil leached out of the soil profile. Now would be a great time to test your soil (Possum’s does soil testing) and get a baseline of where it is. If you think you have salt issues from flooding, request a sodium test. SeaHume G (organic) will provide many minor nutrients, bio-stimulants, and carbon to the depleted soil. Since it is so close to preemergent, I would use a 15-00-15 or a 23-00-08 with 0.19% Dimension.
Protect your grass from fungus by applying Strobe Pro G or T-Methyl. Fungicides work best if used before you have a fungus (like the flu shot for us). Walking around, I am already seeing fungus pop up. The grass is slowing down (light hours) and the fungus takes advantage of that, especially with the nutrients stripped from the grass.
Salt was the biggest issue with flooding the last few years, and it appears that for many of you, salt is going to be a main issue again. Gypsum, Salt Free, Excell, SeaHume G, ProMag and a soil test that test for Sodium provide the road map for the recovery of your landscape. You would want to take a soil test first so you know where your starting point is, then you could immediately apply products to mitigate the salt damage (keep track of what you use and at what rates so when your soil test results come back you will know what you have already applied). At Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply we can help you through this process and help you with directions on taking a soil test and using these products.
Cyonara RTS and Mosquito Pro RTS will protect you from army worms, mosquitoes, and fire ants as well as many other pest (roaches, chinch bugs, …). With the potential issues out there, I really like the Mosquito Pro because it has growth regulators that help break up the life cycle of the insects. We can help you with organic options as well.
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.
