Jesse Jenkins

Have you ever wondered why everything looks so green after a thunderstorm?

The air in the atmosphere is 78% nitrogen. Plants require nitrogen to grow, but are unable to absorb the nitrogen in the atmosphere until a lightning storm. A lightning bolt contains up to a billion volts of electricity, and that enormous blast of energy breaks apart those nitrogen molecules. In a process called atmospheric nitrogen fixation, some of the free nitrogen atoms combine with oxygen to form compounds called nitrates that mix with the rain, making them available for plants to absorb.

So, a thunderstorm is effectively a giant liquid fertilizing event that not only provides your garden with plenty of water but also with loads of nitrogen that encourages leafy growth on plants. Watering your plants 10 times won’t do near as good as one nitrogen charged thunderstorm.

I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying the fertilizer mother nature has provided in one of her purest forms and best of all – free of charge!

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-Whitney

Shortly after graduating from the University of Texas, I began dating a handsome young man, our very own James Gill. Months after we started dating, we got the idea (from one of James’ friends, honestly) of starting a landscape business. I went to my parents and told them of our plans. The looks on their faces were priceless. I’m sure they were thinking…and our daughter is doing what? It didn’t take my dad long to come around to the idea of his daughter going into business for herself. And yes, James and I got married. The first year we operated with no outside financial assistance. I sold my car, we combined what little savings we had and between landscape jobs we threw newspapers for the Corpus Christi Caller Times. It wasn’t until the second year of business we realized the value of a retail garden center, which required land and more money.

I’ll never forget the day James, my dad and I visited every banker we knew in town, presenting our business plan, doing our best to sell the idea to the bank, hoping someone would loan us the money to buy the land we had found on Airline to build our store. It was a tough day; no one was interested. Eventually, after much number crunching, and consulting with my dad, we borrowed money from my parents and James’ parents, thank goodness. For the record we did pay them both back in short order. Interest rates at the time ran around 18%; crazy!

Besides helping to finance Gill’s early years, my dad also spent many evenings with James and me at his engineering firm, teaching us accounting. Now, that was painful! James and I knew absolutely nothing of debits and credits.

Another critical thing my dad helped us with was the layout of our garden center, including setting a good grade on our Airline property so that when it rained, it would drain. Believe me, James and I have visited many a garden center with puddles throughout due to poor drainage. It hurt when he said we needed 35 truckloads of soil, but we did it, and have been forever grateful to him for his advice.

Most importantly, I have to thank my dad, “Daddy”, for setting a good example for me. Many, many people over the years have told me how much they liked working with Roy because of his strong character and commitment to doing a good job for his clients. He was honest, he treated his co-workers and clients with respect and he did what he said he would do.

I am very thankful to my dad for his support, his advice, his encouragement, his love, and I celebrate his life this very special weekend! I wish all whose dads are still around a joyful Father’s Day celebration!

-Sally

Update: The city’s current irrigation guidelines limit watering to once a week, between the hours of 6:00 pm and 10:00 am, using a sprinkler or sprinkler system. Hand watering can still be done at anytime.

On the heavy clay soil that most of us “enjoy” in the Coastal Bend, a long and slow watering once a week will give your lawn all the water it needs. It is good for it to dry and stress just slightly before the next watering, and once a week is about right for that. Watering deeply but infrequently trains roots to grow deeper, giving better drought resistance, and allowing the top few inches of soil to dry slightly between waterings discourages fungus problems.

Here is a website for the best method for maximizing watering efficiency: Cycle & Soak Method of Lawn Irrigation.

If you live on the few sandy areas in the Coastal Bend your watering will be different. Water multiple times per week with a shorter duration, or eliminate turf and use only highly drought tolerant plants.

-James

A couple of weeks ago I grabbed some hot pink Samba portuluca, orange profusion zinnias, purple angelonia, and purple gomphrena (some of my favorites), planted them in two large pots by the pool and 2 weeks later they are grown in and gorgeous! Right now is a great time to plant annuals that thrive in the heat – periwinkles, purslane, penta, etc… + the plants listed above. EASY EASY!!

-Sally

We all know how hard you’ve worked to have a beautiful landscape. Now how do you keep it thriving and surviving the summer heat? Here are some of our top tips for keeping everyone happy and healthy:

Water….we need it and so do your plants. Water in the morning or evening before 10am or after 6pm. Keep the water on the plants, lawn, flowerbeds, not in the gutter, sidewalk, or street. Sprinkler systems are great for established lawns and landscapes. Water established lawns once a week. New plantings really need to be hand watered to insure the water is getting to the root system. Check new plantings daily for water needs.
Fertilize the lawn, shrubs, trees, and tropicals with Milorganite, Medina Growin Green, or Gill Lawn & Garden Fertilizer. Be sure to apply early morning or evening and water in. Milorganite won’t burn but needs water to start working.
Feed your veggies and herbs Espoma Plant Tone. Citrus and fruit trees with Espoma Citrus Tone.
Treat the lawn with Bayer Season Long Grub Control if you see brown areas in the lawn that are easily pulled up, usually a sign of grubs eating the roots of your grass.
Chinch bugs love hot dry areas in lawns. They make the lawn look dried out along sidewalks and pavement. Treat with Cyonara, or Triazicide in easy ready to spray bottles. For organic control, use Spinosad or Diatomaceous Earth.
Revamp your old spring annuals with some die-hard summer color. Flowers like purslane, zinnias, moss rose, periwinkles and sweet potato vine will need water but thrive in our summer heat. If you are so inclined, try adding spineless prickly pear, Texas sage, and other desert beauties that add color and form to landscapes.
Prune the old spent blooms and seed heads from your crape myrtles. It’ll help them to repeat their summer show of color.
Nothing wrong with playing in the water hose or sprinkler with your kids. My dogs and I have a grand time in the evening playing, cooling off and watering the lawn all at the same time.
Treat for fungus if needed. Roses, crape myrtles, and gerbera daisies are prone to powdery mildew and plumeria develop rust. Good air circulation is important and if needed use Fertilome Systemic Fungicide, Serenade, or Actinovate.
Trim to shape plants to keep good form but avoid heavy pruning during the summer heat. This is good for the plants and you.
Mulch everything including your potted plants to help hold moisture and reduce weeds.
Most important…enjoy some time in your outdoors!

-DeAnna & Debbie

I was recently speaking with a customer and a co-worker regarding mycorrhizal fungi and it’s benefits. This reminded me of a documentary I saw on PBS that mentioned a field of clover that was connected via a “Wood Wide Web” of fungi threads called mycelium that stretched over 5 miles! These long thin threads of mycelium, better known as mycorrhizal fungi, act as an information superhighway between plant species to share nutrients and information. It is believed that saplings that are not getting enough light and are short on food are actually supported by donor trees who share their carbon and nitrogen with them. It’s amazing that plants can communicate with and help each other.

Equally as fascinating, is that plants can ward off unwelcome plants and predators by releasing odorous chemicals called volatile organic compounds or VOCs through the soil by way of these fungi. These fungi also trigger other types of defense-related chemicals within plants which in turn resulted in quicker immune response time to attack, also known as priming.

Do I think plants communicate with us? Sure they do. We should all talk to our plants and hope they understand us and we should to learn more how to listen to them.

-Whitney

Take a close look at the stems and leaves of your Jatropha. Do you see large white clumps of soft scale? This insect begins along the stems looking like a pale yellow goo. After a day or two the yellow soft scale produces a white cotton covering to protect itself from insecticides and predators.

Insecticidal Soap or Neem Oil can be used in the evening to kill these pests. Cyonara hose-end is also very effective. Many insects thrive in the summer, so be good bug scout. While watering or walking and admiring your landscape, take the time to get a closer look to see if any of these summer insects are attacking your favorite plants.

-DeAnna

It’s a wonder to watch crape myrtles go from ordinary to extraordinary in what seems a matter of days. Look down most neighborhood streets to find a multitude of white, pinks, reds, and purples high above homes. Crapes are a beautiful long lived addition to your landscape. They are cold hardy, great color for summer; provide fall colored foliage, interesting bark, and drought tolerant once they’re established.

Crape myrtles come in groups of sizes; the tallest reaching 30’ or so, the smallest barely 2’. Something to consider when adding them to your landscape! All need lots of sun and room to grow to their potential. Now’s the best time to pick your favorite color; plan to water every day. They are thirsty the first summer.

There are a few things to help with your crape myrtle success. Please do not commit crape murder trimming your trees like hedges each winter. No tree should ever be topped like a crew cut.

Aphids and lace bugs can leave black sooty mold on the leaves. We recommend using the Bayer Tree & Shrub drench to keep your plants clean and pest free. Apply in the spring when your tree first starts to put on new growth. It lasts a season so 1 treatment will take care of the time when bugs are their worst. If you’re planting now, keep an eye for these critters, and treat with a topical control like Cyonara.

Consider a crape myrtle for some wow in your summer landscape, they will give you years of enjoyment!

-Debbie

Jesse Jenkins

Have you ever wondered why everything looks so green after a thunderstorm?

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