Landscaping

June in review

For the second year in a row, June was unusually WET! Usually, I am hoping for one good rain of an inch or more to give us some good ground moisture before the typical summer high temperatures dry everything out. Ants were bothersome, mosquitoes were thick, and the ground was mushy.

July – Action items for your lawn and garden

Garden

Cooler temperatures in June, thanks to the rain, may have kept some of the more temperate crops going longer than usual. Okra, melons, and purple hull peas are the Southern garden staples that continue to produce in the heat we can expect over the next 60 days. Tomatoes are unlikely to set any more fruit for a few months. If you have indeterminate or “vining” type tomatoes you can propagate new plants from their suckers and use this time of year to get those plants ready for a later summer planting for fall harvest. Last year we were harvesting tomatoes in December. Just cut the sucker when it 8” long or more, and put it in a cup of water for a week or so. It will make roots from the hairs, and those can be potted to strengthen them. I usually make sure these are in the ground by September 1.

Lawn

• Mowing
  If you are following our fertilization system, your lawn probably needs to be mowed at least every 7 days and possibly as often as every 5 days.  The Rule of Thumb is to cut no more than 1/3 of the leaf when you mow.

• Fertilization
  Good news, we don’t have to fertilize your yard this month! However, don’t forget to continue feeding your landscape plants.

• Pests/Insects
  Fire ants and mosquitoes are going to be a problem at least for the first two weeks of the month. Webworms are continuing to attack oak trees (last months post had details on treatment).We do want to keep an eye out for “gray leaf spot,” it is fungal, and Consan, Daconil, or Banner fungicides will deal with it. Making sure you are watering intermittently and the top of your soil is drying out between watering days will help a lot.

Warm weather and green grass,

Hunter Soape

TLDR- “too long, didn’t read”

• It’s irritating pest season- ants, mosquitos, caterpillars that eat tree leaves. PG 2, 2nd bullet point

• Fertilize your grass, then get ready to mow

• Triple check your irrigation Pg 2, 4th bullet point

• Enjoy Summer

May in review

May was relatively dry until the end, when we experienced wet conditions for a brief period. Temperatures have been pretty mild, despite my prediction of summer hitting you in the face this past month. If you are an early riser, you may have noticed the mid 70-degree mornings.

June — Action items for your lawn, landscape, and garden

Garden

If you have a home garden, you should be enjoying the fruits of your labor. You can expect to see tomatoes stop setting fruit later in the month when high temperatures get up around 95 degrees. The heat-loving crops will really take off this month. Melons, okra, peppers, and purple hull peas become the garden staples for the next 75-90 days.

Lawn

Mowing

Father’s Day is coming, and if the dad in your life is responsible for mowing the lawn, here are some things that might make it more enjoyable: noise-canceling earbuds, a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off, and someone else who mows while he sits in the shade and sips lemonade. I am joking about the last one…. unless he doesn’t enjoy mowing.

In seriousness, if you are fertilizing on schedule the recent rains and heat are going to send your lawn into overdrive. Weekly mowings are the bare minimum and cutting every 4-5 days may be even better. The rule of thumb is we don’t want to cut more than 1/3 of the leave off. Again, frequently sharpening the mower blades are good for the health of your grass and the appearance of the lawn.

Fertilization

It’s time to fertilize again. I am a big fan of the silver bag Nitro-Phos Super Turf this time of year. It has a very slow-release nitrogen, so you don’t get excessive growth to mow extremely frequently. It also has extra Iron that helps with a nice dark green color.

Pest/Insects

Pest problems are likely to show up in the next month. I am seeing lots webworms in trees. We previously referred to these as “fall webworm” but now we are seeing them as early as May. Here is a great pamphlet about webworms and treatment options.

Fire ants will continue to be a problem, especially with the upcoming rains. Last month’s article had the full gamut of fire ant treatment.

Mosquitoes are likely to appear in force after the late May rains, and we are now expecting another rainy week in the second week of June.

Herbicide

Spot treatment of weeds may be needed in the summer, but we tend to see more grassy weed problems, such as crabgrass. If you have followed the pre-emergent plan, the pressure from those should be minimal. However, the big box stores do sell some crabgrass killer products, which are advertised for crabgrass control on the label.

Irrigation

Yes, it rained a lot in late May, and we are expecting a wet week in the second week of June. It isn’t likely that the rain will continue every week of the summer. Ensure that your system is ready to operate effectively, but manage it accordingly during periods of rain.

Early summer rains and green grass,

Hunter Soape

TLDR – “Too long, didn’t read”

• Get ready for summer
• Ants bite (actually sting) PG 2, 1st bullet point
• Mow frequently
• Irrigation check-up

April in review

April mainly had “chamber of commerce” weather, as expected. We did have a few rainy days, but overall, it was dry enough that we didn’t have persistent soggy conditions.

May – Action items for your lawn, landscape, and garden

In our area and for my money, Summer starts this month. I can’t tell you which day, but one morning you will walk out the door in the morning to temps in the mid-80s and 90% plus humidity and the sun will just be coming up and you will know, “it’s summer”.

Garden

Gardeners should expect their work to pay off heavily this month. Many of our traditional crops, like tomatoes and squash, produce best this month. True high heat crops like peppers, melons, purple hull peas, and okra, will start to take off as well

Lawn

• Mowing – Weekly mowing should persist until late October. Let me ask you one question though, “when was the last time you changed or sharpened your mower blade?” Sharp mower blades make mowing easier especially on a push mower, they give you a sharper finished look to your lawn, and the clean cut of the grass is healthier for your lawn.
• Fertilization
  • Lawns – if you still have not fertilized your lawn yet this year go ahead. Otherwise, let hold off and plan our next application for the first of June.
  • Roses – monthly applications of a quality rose food will give the best rose bushes on the block.
• Herbicide – The following is a rehash of what I said last month, but it works and weeds happen. I recommend using a spot treatment with a sprayer for any weeds that appear. Here are a few options that come ready to use Spectracide Weed Stop or Bioadvanced All in One. Either of those will treat weeds and crabgrass. Wait 2-3 days after you mow to treat, and don’t mow for 2-3 days after treating.
• Pest – “April showers bring May flowers” is a song or nursery rhyme, in reality, “showers bring ants.” With more heat and humidity, we tend to have more showers this time of year, and the ants come out to play….. or sting. Three approaches have proven successful for me.
  • Option 1 – Fipronil is a chemical that provides 12 months of protection. It both kills active mounds quickly and remains active for a long time. The downside is that a professional licensed applicator must apply it. This also treats for fleas and ticks, so if you have pets, there is another benefit.
  • Option 2 – Apply a DIY granule insecticide like Amdro, Extinguish Plus, or Once and Done. Then follow up with mound treatment with a dust or liquid. The granule is slow to kill but is a great preventative. The mound treatment gives you fast results.
  • Option 3 – “Tarrow” is a Borax solution you apply to a piece of cardboard, and the workers carry the poison down to the colony. I have observed significantly higher kill rates than many of the mound treatments, where you see dead ants on top of the mound, followed by a new mound 5 feet away. It is also cheap, and you pick up the cardboard with the chemical on it and discard it a day or two later, and you are not leaving ant poison in your yard. I like this option if you have children or animals you don’t want to expose to the chemical pesticides used in other treatments.
• Irrigation – this is your last warning: “CHECK YOUR IRRIGATION SYSTEM!” Will you need it to save your lawn and landscape this month? Probably not, but next month, you likely will. If you have a busted backflow preventer from a freeze, now is the time to deal with it.

Gentle rains and green grass,

Hunter Soape

TLDR – Too long, didn’t read:

• Enjoy nice weather this month, the heat is coming
• Ants are in full force- PG 2, second bullet point
• Feed your lawn and plants, treat weeds before they get worse
• Mow frequently

March in review

The winter and spring were quite soggy, but March brought a change of pace, with some weeks experiencing no rain. If you have applied fertilizer and granular herbicide as recommended, it may have been watered in just recently, but that’s still okay. If your grass is not green and your landscape is not blooming, it’s time to take a close look at what’s going wrong and consider seeking help.

April – Action items for your lawn, landscape, and garden

This is likely our last pleasant and mild weather month for a while to work on your lawn, garden, and landscape. Hopefully, rainfall will continue to be moderate and timely.

Garden

If you’re a home gardener, this is the month you’re expecting to see some of your first harvest. Furthermore, it is a big month for planting more heat-tolerant plants. If you have drip irrigation systems in place (I highly recommend), you should be checking for problems this month before the May heat kicks in.

Lawn

• Mowing – It’s time to get back to weekly cuttings. Remember, we don’t want to cut more than one-third of the grass height at a time when we mow. I know I recommended cutting your lawn close on your first mow for the spring, now it’s time to raise that mower deck back up to at least 3 inches. I mow mine even higher where I have St. Augustine. The higher mower setting will allow the grass to naturally suppress weeds by shading them out and help maintain soil moisture.
• Fertilization – the question of when to fertilize is based on when you fertilized previously
  • “I can’t remember the last time I fertilized, or I haven’t fertilized” – then fertilize NOW!
  • “The last time I fertilized was in February or March” – we want to fertilize 45-60 following your last application with Nitro Phos 10-4-10 Super Turf.

Do not forget to feed your roses monthly. If you haven’t fertilized your shrubs and trees yet this spring, now is the time. 1 pound of fertilizer for 1” of trunk diameter.

• Herbicide – If you have applied a pre-emergent herbicide, you should not be experiencing many weeds at this point. However, it will not give you 100% control. I recommend using a spot treatment with a sprayer for any weeds that appear. Here are a few options that come ready to use Spectracide Weed stop  or Bioadvanced All in One. Either of those will treat weeds and crabgrass. Wait 2-3 days after you mow to treat, and don’t mow for 2-3 days after treating.
• Pest- Ants are the worst, right? They seem to have multiplied over winter at my house and probably yours too. Fire ants will become more active with warmer weather and pop up new mounds after every coming rain, it seems like. Three approaches have proven successful for me.
  • Option 1- Fipronil is a chemical that provides 12 months of protection. It both kills active mounds quickly and remains active for a long time. The downside is that a professional licensed applicator must apply it. This also treats for fleas and ticks, so if you have pets, there is another benefit.
  • Option 2- Apply a DIY granule insecticide like Amdro, Extinguish Plus, or Once and Done. Then follow up with mound treatment with a dust or liquid. The granule is slow to kill, but it acts as a great preventative. The mound treatment gives you fast results.
  • Option 3- “Tarrow” is a Borax solution you apply to a piece of cardboard, and the workers carry the poison down to the colony. I have observed significantly higher kill rates compared to many of the mound treatments, where you see some dead ants on top of the mound, followed by a new mound 5 feet away. It is cheap as well, and you pick up the cardboard with the chemical on it and discard it a day or two later, and you are not leaving ant poison in your yard. I really like this option if you have children or animals you don’t want to expose to the chemical pesticides used in other treatments.

Spring rains and green grass,

Hunter Soape