Gnats + Pollen = Spring

 
                                                       Large Patch Fungus

                                                      Dandelion

                                                       Henbit

Horticulture Hotline 03/22/26

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

The pollen and the gnats are here and so is Spring! Spring is like St. Patrick’s Day when everyone is Irish for the day. It seems like everyone is a gardener in the Spring.

 

Liriope (monkey grass), holly fern, and cast-iron plant will benefit from cutting back to remove old, discolored foliage this time of year. Some people use a lawn mower, others hedge shears.  I do not know why, but I can convince people to cut back their Liriope; however, trying to get them to cut back holly fern and cast-iron plant is not as easy. I see more people pruning individual leaves than just cutting the whole plant back to the crown. The completely new growth from the cast iron plant and the holly fern will look as spectacular as the new growth from the Liriope. Get rid of all that tattered old foliage! 

 

It is very important to manage your winter weeds now. Burweed (low to the ground with a sticker in April to May – it’s seed), henbit, chickweed, and the dreaded Poa (annual blue grass) are a few of the more prevalent, troublesome winter weeds. Although winter weeds will die when the temperatures warm, they will be producing thousands of seeds for next year’s crop until they die. These seeds add seeds to the “seed bank”. A manufacturer of preemergent products once told me that they like a minimum of 85% of control of weeds with their product before turning it over to the EPA for testing and labeling. If your seed bank is 100, you would have 15 weeds. If your seed bank is 100,000, you would have 15,000 weeds! The seed bank is a good bank to have overdrawn.

 

Control small seeded annual summer weeds now with a pre-emergent product. We (Possum people) talk about target dates to put out pre-emergent products in the lawn and beds; however, different weeds germinate at different soil temperatures provided they have adequate moisture. Weed seeds germinate throughout the year here, so be sure to have out your protection. Always follow the label of the product you are using so you do not overdo it and be sure you are waiting for the proper intervals between applications.

 

If mulching, 2 – 3 inches is the latest recommendation. Keep the mulch off the trunk of the tree. Cotton Burr Compost as a mulch can add a lot of nutrition and a sip of compost tea (and lord knows we love our tea) every time it is irrigated.

 

Soil Test? Bring them to Possum’s for accurate testing and an easy-to-follow interpretation of the results.

 

After you have done some ‘Spring Cleaning’, SeaHume and Cotton Burr Compost with their loaded micronutrients and biostimulants should help your plants and turf come out of dormancy healthy.

 

If you have plants like Viburnum (white flies), Camellias (scale), Gardenias (white flies), Crepe Myrtles (bark scale, aphids), Lantana (lace bugs), or any other plant that you know regularly turns black from sooty mold, consider drenching with Dominion Tree and Shrub for season long control of sucking insects. This systemic product is awesome!

 

Two more things since I am running out of column inches. Large patch fungus is active again now that the soil temperatures have warmed. If you have a history of the disease, use a control product preventatively. If you have an irrigation system, go through it and make sure everything is working.

 

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

 

Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply (follow us on Facebook). 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. 

 

 

Custom Program? Hire a Professional?

 

                                                            

Horticulture Hotline 03/08/2026

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

While in Possum’s the other day, I was amazed we were already getting hit with the question, “who is a good lawn care company?”

 

I have been hit with some variation of this question a lot recently in different situations. Since we sell products to many different companies, it is best to ask your friends. We rarely see the end results of our customers’ applications to various yards. Also, we wouldn’t want you to be at a family reunion talking to your distant cousin that is also a good customer of ours and say that Possum’s recommended a different company other than your distant cousin.

 

Lawn care companies can spray several different products to solve several different issues at once. To tank mix different control products, they need to make sure the products are compatible with each other.  Also, the lawn care applicator must calibrate the sprayer to make sure they are getting the proper amount of product out, in the given amount of square feet according to the product labels.  Knowing the correct amounts to put into the sprayer to control what you are trying to control is critical.  Does this all sound “Greek” to you?

 

A professional lawn service is licensed by the state to apply control products, and they have to take continuing education courses to maintain their license. Most companies have different programs, and they will either treat your yard on an “on call” basis, quarterly program, or complete yearly programs.  Check with the individual companies for what they have to offer. Just beware that if your yard is all green weeds and they kill all your weeds, then your yard will be brown. I have been told, “Bill, they came out and killed my yard!” When the yard was weeds and they killed the weeds.

 

When choosing a lawn care company or any contractor, it is good to get references from neighbors and friends.  With lawn care companies, it is especially important to find one that is doing good work in your neighborhood.  Most applicators that work for a lawn care company have a route in a certain area and different applicators have different abilities and experience.  If you sign up with a company who is doing a good job at your neighbor’s two doors down, chances are you will get the same applicator that they have. Whereas if your friend from across town recommends a company, you might be assigned an applicator with more experience or less experience – a little bit of a gamble.

 

One thing to remember, even though your house is right next to another house, the results of lawn care can be totally different because of sun / shade patterns. Trees and the way your house is positioned on your lot can greatly affect the way the grass grows. A sunny yard is best for good grass growth. The type of grass and soil could vary as well.

 

If you would rather, do it yourself, get on a custom program based on your soil from Possum’s. I know that I can buy paint, but I would rather the professionals handle that job!