Horticulture Hotline 07/05/2026
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
- The
nasty rascal, the chinch bug in St. Augustine grass has been killing large
areas of turf in the Lowcountry. Remember the products that control chinch
bugs generally have a short residual. If you are going out of town for any
length of time, be sure you treat the lawn before you leave. Sod webworms
and armyworms will be out soon as well – you have been warned.
- Fleas have been a close second to chinch
bugs this year. The wet fall seemed to help increase the flea population. Fleas
are hard to control. Plan to treat the animal, the house, and the yard.
The use of growth regulators will make an impossible task much easier.
Expect about two weeks to get this pest managed.
- Wasps,
flies, mosquitoes, fire ants, and ticks should be controlled. Prevent
disease or allergic reactions by controlling these pests. Fresh fruit and
vegetables bring drain flies and fruit flies.
- Japanese
beetles have been chowing down. Bifen or Mosquito Pro will take care of
them.
- Be
sure to get your azaleas and camellias pruned as soon as you can. They
will be making their flower buds that you see much later soon. Do you have
azaleas and camellias on a good fertilization program as they have big
appetites to perform their best?
- Many
of us have palm trees. I’m always talking / writing about preemergent
products for lawns and beds to control weed seeds. Now is the time to
preform palm seed control on your palm trees to prevent those hard to
control palm seedlings from sprouting up everywhere you do not want them
to sprout. Simply remove the stalks that will produce seeds from the palm
now. Granted it is not an easy task, but it is easier than removing the
volunteer palms later. Because it involves pole saws, or ladders, or lifts,
this job might be best off left for a professional.
- Moles
seem to be particularly active this year.
They just had their young in April and now they are tunneling up a
storm. The young moles are
hungry! Manage the food source in
your yard (grubs, crickets) with Above and Below and go after the mole
with Mole Patrol.
- Be
sure to change or sharpen that dull mower blade. A sharp blade will give
your grass a cleaner cut and will allow less entry points for disease.
Inspect your blade for nicks and damage if you are going to continue to
use the same blade. Since a mower blade spin at very high speeds, any
nicks or bends can lead to the blade being out of balance. When a blade is
out of balance, the mower will vibrate (like your tire out of balance on
your car) and you could damage the spindle and other parts of your mower
that cost far more than a new blade.
- Look
up at your trees. If you have any tree work that needs to be done, I would
get it done as soon as possible.
Look for trees that have cavities at the base of the tree and look
at the tops for broken limbs, dying tips and weak crotch angles. Have a tree care professional inspect
your trees to be sure it is safe. Most tree care companies will inspect
for free. Try to get this done before the Lowcountry is in that cone for a
direct hit for a hurricane! The tree companies are usually very busy year-round
in the Lowcountry.
10. As with all
products, you should read and follow product labels. More is not better when dealing with control
products. Measure your yard so you know
your square footage and watch overlapping when applying your products. Watch the weather forecast to ensure the
products have a proper amount of time on your lawn prior to any rain. If the product needs to be watered into the
ground, slow watering by a sprinkler is better than a gully washer from the
sky. A very hard rain can wash products
into the storm water drains which are bad for the environment and you have
wasted a lot of money. Sweep or blow fertilizers or control products off hard
surfaces when you are finished applying them. In the case of fertilizer this
may prevent staining, and most importantly it will keep products from washing
through storm drains to the marshes.
- With
the dry weather we had earlier this year, spider mites have come out in
full force. Be sure to use a product labeled for mites when trying to
control these plant juice suckers. Mites are not insects, so all insecticides
do not control them.
- Another
plant juice sucker that is out in full force is lace bugs on azaleas and
lantana. If the leaves look mottled, flip the leaf over and look very
closely for the pest. The lace bug is small and well camouflaged so you
might need a magnifying glass. Dominion Tree and Shrub will give you long
term control of this pest.
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
