It Is June

Horticulture Hotline 06/06/23

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

Time is flying by once again! It is already June. The record cool nights changed the way the grass came out of dormancy, along with the lack of rain. The heat brings many situations in the landscape and yesterday seemed like the first good dose of humidity.

 

Right now, there is a great opportunity for those that love fragrance. I know I have mentioned this several times this spring, but usually the weather goes from cold to hot and these flowers do not last as long. Magnolias and Gardenias will stop you in their tracks with their fragrance! Either flower is great to pick and throw in your truck, car or in a room of your house for good smells all day long.

 

We have been lucky with high winds and lack of rain on the mosquito front. Mosquitoes will be out and about looking for a blood meal after those recent high tides. The high tides and rains we had, have ditches and other areas with enough water for mosquitoes to breed. Scout your yard for potential breeding sites. EcoVia EC (National Organic Program compliant) is great on mosquitoes for an organic approach. LambaStar, Cyonara (easy hose-end connection), Wisdom, DuraFlex and Proflex for conventional control. Proflex and DuraFlex have built in growth regulators which is a nice bonus.

 

With the recent rains and warm nights Brown Patch / Large Patch has exploded. Treat while the areas are small if you did not treat preventatively. On the leaf blade of a grass that is being attacked by brown patch, you will notice the black, dead area where the leaf blade connects to the runner. That is where the disease attacks, killing the grass blade. Strobe Pro and T-Methyl are good systemic fungicides.

Brown Patch Can Be Round or Just Explode

 

If you have not feed your trees, shrubs or turf since early spring, it is probably about time to do it again. It is June.

 

If you have a sunny St. Augustine lawn, it is time to get some protection out there on your turf for chinch bugs. I do not know how much any of us will be travelling, but you don’t want to leave town without protection for your lawn. Chinch bugs do a lot of damage – FAST! Your nice lawn then gets invaded by bermuda grass and other weeds where the chinch bugs attacked. EcoVia EC is a NOP (National Organic Program) compliant product. Allectus and Acelepryn long-term control product. Bug Blaster, Cyonara, Wisdom, and Lebanon Sevin will provide short term control.

 

Speaking of sunny yards, remember to protect yourself from the sun. Since I hang around mostly people that spend time in the sun, I have witnessed and heard about many sun related horror stories. These stories revolve around getting areas cut out and tested for sun cancer. Sometimes these areas that have been tested will keep you out of a pool, ocean, or lake for months.

 

Drain flies are becoming an issue with all the good local vegetables and fruits being consumed in our kitchens. Using the scum eating microbes in InVade BioDrain will help eliminate the organic build up in drains that harbor the drain flies and the citrus oil will help reduce odors as well. Always empty your trash often, if they are an issue.The EcoVia EC (National Organic Program compliant) will help if they are already getting active. We also carry fruit fly traps that are very effective.

 

Moles just have had their spring babies, so expect a surge in their population – wonderful!

 

Japanese Beetles have emerged (pun intended) on the scene, tearing up Crepe Myrtles, Roses, and many other plants. These heavy eaters are easy to kill with a little persistence. Wisdom, Cyonara, and many others will take care of the Japanese Beetle. Traps also work if placed away from where the preferred meal of the Japanese Beetle and are more of an organic approach. EcoVia EC is a Botanical Insecticide that is NOP (National Organic Program) compliant and works.

 

The baby mole crickets are hatching and the adults are dying off. Now is a good time to ‘flush’ an area that you think you might have mole crickets. Get two ounces of lemony dish soap in five gallons of water and slowly pour it over a 2 x 2 area where you have tunneling damage by mole crickets and see what comes out of the ground in the next 3 to 5 minutes. Depending on your tolerance level, you can decide whether to treat. A golf green would have zero tolerance because the tunnels would affect the ball roll. EcoVia EC and Intice Perimeter are two NOP compliant products that should work good for you. 07-00-14 + Allectus, Above and Below, and 08-00-08 + Acelepryn are conventional control products that will ‘kill the baby’ mole crickets.

 

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

 

 

Slime Mold

                                                     Black Areas - Slime Mold

 

Horticulture Hotline 05/30/23

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

Many people are coming in to Possum’s with pictures and texting me pictures of a black film over the leaf blades of grass. What you see is the fruiting body of a fungus that is decomposing thatch and other organic matter in the soil. When the fungus tries to reproduce, it sends spores up the leaf blade of the grass where it is higher up in the air, so the wind will catch a spore more easily. With the spore up in the air, it will travel further also. This fungus is called slime mold. Very nasty looking, but beneficial since it is helping to control thatch.

 

Slime mold does not hurt the grass, except for the shading of the sun from the leaf surface where photosynthesis takes place. This shading is usually not an issue because these spores disappear very quickly. The weather was perfect for this mold to want to reproduce. Overcast, rainy and humid days are ideal conditions for this fungus.

 

 Since slime mold’s main purpose is to decompose organic matter in the soil and it really does not damage the grass, I have never recommended any chemical control for slime molds. I do suggest you spray it off the leaf blades of your grass with a hose if you can’t stand it. In a commercial setting or golf course (read and follow product label), you could use Protect DF.

 

All grasses are a susceptible host, but remember the spores are just using the grass like a ladder for a little elevation. Slime mold is helping to break down thatch and other organic matter, which is a good thing. I would leave it alone and let mother nature lend me a hand in controlling thatch.

 

With the still cool weather some grass is still slowly coming out of dormancy. The other day it was in the 50’s during the daytime – crazy! The recent rain (of course on Saturday – I was still glad to see it) and the cool nights might make the conditions right for brown patch / large patch disease. Japanese beetles have attacked some roses and crepe myrtles in the area. Fire ants have popped up to the surface with the rain. Gardenias and Magnolias have been smelling good. Crepe Myrtles are showing some color.

 

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

 

Dinosaur Scales on My Tree

Horticulture Hotline 05/23/23

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

Bill,

 

On the bark of my tree, I noticed grayish growth.  I can peel this growth off easily.  What is this growth and is it hurting my tree?

 

I have been asked some form of this question in Possum’s, on the radio, or in the grocery store many times. It sounds like you have lichens.  Lichens are grayish-green organisms that are a cross between fungi and algae.  They make their own food and collect their own water and minerals, so technically they do not harm the plant or tree on which they are growing. They are a sign that the tree or shrub is not flourishing. Lichens do not hurt what they are growing on – they are a sign that what they are growing on is hurting!

 

Since lichens manufacture their own food through photosynthesis, they need sunlight to carry on photosynthesis. A healthy actively growing plant or tree is the best defense against lichens. If the tree or shrub has a thick canopy, the lichens will not survive since they need sunlight to manufacture their food. Culturally, the plant must be planted in an area that provides the conditions that the plant can thrive, so it produces a dense canopy that will shade out the lichens. Proper fertilization based on soil tests and proper pruning will help to keep the canopy thick. Think of trying to grow grass under the thick canopy of a tree – the grass needs sunlight for photosynthesis like the lichens and will not grow in the dense shade.

 

Lichens thrive in these conditions which are not very favorable for plant growth.  With our on-again, off-again rain, it is hard to control these moist conditions.  If you have an irrigation system, be sure you are not over-watering, as this contributes to the problem.  Irrigation systems are great; however, if over used can cause great problems in the landscape.  Large patch fungus and lichens could be a couple of examples of over-watering issues. 

 

The best control for lichens is cultural controls. Try to minimize the moisture in the soil and maximize air movement around the plants and trees.  Pruning to increase air movement will help dry the soil.  Excessive mulch whether fallen leaves, pine straw or wood mulch will keep moisture high in this area and should be limited to 2-3 inches in depth. A good fertility program derived from a soil test helps a whole bunch.

 

Lichens, although a bit unsightly, do not harm the plant. If a plant or tree is planted too deep, lacks proper fertility, stays too wet or too dry, is planted in the sun when it prefers the shade or visa versa, improper mulching, in a windy beach setting when the plant prefers a different environment … Happy plant = no lichens.

 

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that lives in our trees.  It manufactures its own food; however, it has a root-like growth that penetrates the bark and collects minerals and water from the host tree.  If left to grow, it will eventually kill the host tree.  Mistletoe produces seeds that birds eat and spread.  These seeds also get under the soft bark and germinate spreading the parasitic plant. Mistletoe can get you a kiss during the holiday season, but it can also kill a tree.

 

Soil Tests, pots, potting soil, soil moist, neem oil, horticultural oil, Cotton Burr Compost, gift certificates, rodent control, roach control, mole crickets, fire ants, moles, pruning (azaleas and camellias), grass coming out sssllloooww are just a few things that seem very popular right now.

 

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