Bugs

Water lilies are a wonderful way to add color and the coolness of water to your patio or landscape. A large pond or lake is not necessary for these floating beauties, they can be enjoyed in any container that holds water. They only need a depth of 18 inches and around 24 inches across. They come in submersible pots. Place them in at least partial sun. Water circulation is not necessary. Feed with Pond Tabs Fertilizer Tablets every month. Water lilies love heavy clay soil which we have plenty of. When your lily outgrows its pot, find a slightly larger pot, go dig up some clay dirt and mix with water, make a “mud pie”, place your lily in the new pot, pour your mud around it. It’s good to put some pebbles on top of the mud to help keep your water clean. Water gardens draw lots of fun bugs like dragonflies but also grow mosquitoes so be sure to throw in a mosquito dunk, ok for good bugs…death to those flying vampires! Or put in a guppie or two and they will eat ’em up. Have Fun!

-Debbie

New Tree Do’s and Don’ts!

Do plant the tree at the right depth, with the top of the root ball as high or slightly higher than surrounding soil.
Do eliminate competition from lawn by clearing the grass out a minimum of 18″ (more is better) from the trunk and keeping the cleared area mulched.
Don’t “volcano mulch” the trunk of your new tree, 2″ of mulch over the roots and 1″ or less touching the trunk.
Don’t let a string trimmer get close enough to strip off the bark of your new tree.
Don’t use “weed-and-feed” fertilizer near your new tree.
Don’t excessively prune all lower growth off your new tree thinking it will make your tree grow up faster; it will actually slow growth of roots, trunk diameter, and height.
Do check watering frequently through the first summer and water as
needed.

Spring Insect Explosion

With the warm wet days of spring, the insect population explodes. Mother Nature multiplies at an amazing rate. Aphids, scale, thrips, and caterpillars of every size and shape have appeared. Do not hesitate to prevent these insects now.

We talked a couple of weeks ago about using the Bayer Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed as a drench to prevent the big spring bug invasion. Well, it is upon us, but still not too late to treat. We have plenty in stock, so come see us soon.

We are also hearing a lot about snails, slugs, pill bugs and cutworms out in enormous numbers. As soon as we plant our pretty spring flowers these bugs look at it as their own breakfast buffet. A safe and effective organic treatment is Monterey Sluggo Plus. Safe to use around vegetables, fruit trees, citrus, berries, flowers, ornamentals and all landscape plants. 1 lb. treats 2000 sq. ft. and lasts up to 4 weeks. Evening is the best time to apply the bait as pest travel and feed mostly by night or early morning.

Life has Never Been So Easy!

“A month ago, I installed a “Livin’ Easy” Rose in one of my front beds. It started out at about 18″ tall. Now, its 4 feet tall and full of bright orange 4 inch blooms which smell wonderful! The “Livin’ Easy” Rose is very “gardener friendly”, even for beginners. I look forward to many years of this wonderful Floribunda’s show. For roses and for other flowering plants, I recommend Maestro Rose Glo as a great source of nutrition to keep ’em blooming and looking their best!”

-Matt

Time to fertilize your lawn, trees & shrubs! Hopefully by the time you get this, the sunshine will have warmed and dried the soil enough to fertilize. Use Gill Lawn and Garden for all your trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers. Also feeds the vegetable garden. Covers 6000 sq. ft. per bag.

-DeAnna

For weed control in your lawn, use Weed B Gon for St. Augustine. We have a new formulation that is safe to use on Floratam St. Augustine Grass. Treats up to 2500 sq. ft. and comes in a ready to spray hose-end bottle. Image will kill some broadleaf weeds (dollarweed) as well as a few grassy weeds (grassburrs) without hurting your St. Augustine. Another new product we have is Topshot. It also kills all broadleaf weeds in the lawn and comes in a package with 2 ampules which cover 5000 sq. ft. Simply add 1 ampule with water in either a pump sprayer or Dial n Spray to cover 2500 sq. ft.. For best results apply weed killers when weather is warm (not hot) and sunny for 3-4 days. Do not use in flowerbeds for weed control (except Image), only as a lawn application.

-DeAnna

For insect control, use Bayer Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed Liquid. Mix according to directions and drench at the base of your trees and shrubs to prevent aphids, borers, caterpillars, scale, whitefly, mealybugs and more. Plants that are prone to getting bugs, like Hackberry trees that get wooly aphids every June, Hibiscus, Jatropha and other tropicals that get mealybugs every summer, and Bougainvilleas that are constantly eaten by caterpillars can be protected by using this product. If you have ever noticed black soot on your plants, this is the product to use since sooty mold is caused by insects.

-DeAnna

For a quick and easy craft, make Lavender Sachets! Sachets are little bags of dried herbs that freshen up your clothes, linens, or your entire closet. Once your lavender plant has produced its blossoms, cut the flower stalks and tie them together. Place the bundle in a dry and dark place for about a week (they should be dry enough to use then), then strip off the blossoms and buds. Then either sew or buy little bags of sheer material and place about ¼ to ½ cup of dried lavender blooms in each. And there you go! It’s simple and easy, and

your clothes will always smell great!

-Marta

THERE’S FUNGUS AMONG US.

With all this rain, our plants are happy to be well watered. But lurking around the corner are the fungal problems bound to happen, especially with roses, squash, and gerbera daisies. Use Fertilome Systemic Fungicide for control of powdery mildew, black spot, etc. It also works best as a preventative measure to stop the problem before it happens. If you’re an organic gardener, try using Serenade Fungicide instead. -Marta

We have a fresh shipment of Ladybugs and Beneficial Nematodes!

Fun facts about Ladybugs- Ladybugs aren’t really bugs at all, they’re beetles. There are almost 400 different kinds of ladybugs in North America. Female ladybugs can eat as many as 75 aphids in one day. They also like to eat scale, mealybugs and spider mites. Ladybugs smell with their feet and antennae. A ladybug’s jaws chew from side to side instead of up and down like our jaws. The color of a ladybug’s spots begin to fade as it gets older. Ladybugs are most active when their body temperature is 75 degrees or warmer. A ladybug’s bright color warns birds that it does not taste good. When a ladybug flies, its wings beat 85 times every second. Female ladybugs are larger than male ladybugs. Aphids are the first pest to hit in the spring. They love the new growth on plants. Buy your ladybugs now and keep them dormant in the refrigerator till your first outbreak of aphids, then release a few hundred at a time.

Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic creatures that live in soil where they feed on the eggs and larvae of soil borne-pests. They’re voracious predators of fire ants, fleas and white grub worms (the grubs that eat plant roots). Beneficial Nematodes are the ideal organic pest control because they’re a naturallyoccurring predator of pests but they don’t harm plants, animals or people. They’re completely non-toxic and they’re easy to use. You mix the nematodes with water, and then put the solution into a watering can or sprayer. A hose-end type sprayer is fine, as city water is fine to mix with the nematodes. Speaking of water, beneficial nematodes do need rain or supplemental watering in order to live and reproduce in your soil, so they’re not appropriate for dry land farms or completely xeric landscapes. Spray them out now to establish a colony to feed on ants, fleas and

grubs.

–DeAnna

Fresh Sprouts

Love fresh sprouts, but can’t eat them fast enough before they get old? That was my problem before I got my Botanical Interests Seed Sprouter (sold at our stores). Now I grow my own fresh and healthy sprouts from USDA Certified Organic seed, when I need them and only as much as I need. So easy, in just 7″x7″ on my kitchen counter.

– James

UNMISTAKABLY BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE ROSES!

If you want an old fashioned rose, come in and get them while they’re here! Unlike shrub roses, antique roses have a full rich fragrance, and often have a much higher petal count, making for a fuller, more complex bloom. They’re also less disease prone than hybrid roses. Our antique rose selection includes colors like deep red, pale pink, bright yellow and more. So if you want to expand your rose garden, or even start a new one, you’ll want to grab these old-fashioned roses now. –Marta

GOOD, FERTILE SOIL…

Without organic matter, dirt is just dirt. Soil is a mix of minerals (dirt) andcomposted organics. In nature, it might include rotting leaves and branches and bird poop. In a home garden or landscape, it might include composted cotton hulls (Back to Nature Compost or Nature’s Blend with Manure and Alfalfa), composted pine bark, and again with the bird poop (Medina Grow N Green, my favorite), or home-made leaf and branch and vegetable waste compost. Adding composted organic matter helps maintain healthy soil moisture levels (neither too wet nor too dry), fertility (available nutrients), and aids in development of healthy roots and suppression of harmful diseases. –James

ARE THEY LADYBUGS?

No they are Boxelder Bugs. Boxelder bugs are about ½ inch long and 1/3

inch wide. They are browninsh-gray to black with distinctive red markings. Boxelder babies have dull red bodies with black legs. You will find them by the hundreds, if not thousands gathered on the fence, in the bark of trees or hiding in your mulch. Adults deposit their eggs in cracks and crevices of tree bark in the spring, about the time buds begin to open. There are two or more generations per year in Texas. Boxelder Bugs are not considered to be damaging to host plants. Although they feed by sucking plant juices, they seldom cause harm to plants. They are considered more of a nuisance pest. You can choose to ignore them, or if need, they can be sprayed with any insecticide i.e. Cyonara or Triazicide. An organic alternative is Spinosad. –DeAnna

TIME TO PRUNE ROSES! Valentine’s Day is a time to remember our loved ones with candy and flowers. It also is the perfect time to prune roses. Late January to mid February is the best time. Prune established hybrid teas, removing dead and small twiggy growth, leaving strong healthy canes to a plant height of 18-24 inches. Try to prune to an outward facing bud to maintain spreading, open growth. Prune shrub roses like Knockouts 1/3 to 1/2 the plant height. Do not prune climbers until after the Spring bloom, then removing only the oldest canes and cutting back healthy, vigorous canes no more than 1/3. Remove spent blooms throughout the season on all rose varieties, cutting back to the first 5 leaflet cluster. You can also begin fertilizing your roses in late February with Bayer Systemic Rose and Flower Care, or organically with Maestro Rose Glo. Gill Landscape Nursery stocks disease resistant roses (ask for them), but if you have hybrid teas, as soon as new growth appears you should begin a spray program to control insects and diseases. Bayer 3 in 1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control, takes care of all rose problems. For organic controls, use Neem Oil for insects and disease or Serenade to control diseases. A regular spray program keeps your roses healthy and happy. Remember fungal diseases are always easier to prevent than to cure.

Crab Grass? Probably not, King Ranch Bluestem is more likely the ugly ogre in your lawn. KR Bluestem was imported as a forage grass from Africa a long time ago by guess who? It is very tough, grows with hardly any rainfall, but can spoil the look of your nice lawn. There is no selective herbicide to remove it without harming the desirable lawn grass mixed with it, so you either dig (not easy or thorough) or apply RoundUp. Since the RoundUp will kill everything you spray it on, limit your spray by knocking out the bottom of a small box and placing the box on top of each bluestem clump. Inside the box, spray to wet foliage, not to soak the ground, do not mow for 4 days before or after spraying. Your St. Augustine will be free to run across and cover these limited dead spots within a period of a few weeks, if done in March or April after fertilizing.

Venus Fly Trap

“The infamous Venus Fly Trap! It’s one of the coolest plants we get in, and is surprisingly easy to take care of. Simply pot the plant in sphagnum peat moss, and put the pot in a saucer full of charcoal. Then water the plant by putting water in the saucer and letting it suck it up. The charcoal in the saucer keeps the water fresh, and since they’re naturally a bog

plant, they love to be standing in water. Venus fly trapslove sunny windowsills, but don’t let them get too hot! I feed mine pill bugs since mine live inside, but if you put them outside they’ll catch their own dinner. I even had a 2 year venus fly trap that caught a wasp; I was so proud!!”

-Marta

In South Texas, bees swarm to form new colonies April through July. Two of my landscapers were attacked yesterday, and stung over 200 times. But they are back at work today, with just a small residual amount of pain. So let’s talk about bees, and hopefully avoid that pain.
This is the time of year that it may pay to scout an area before doing yard work, or sending kids or pets out to play. Listen for buzzing, watch for numbers of bees flying in a straight line (usually to or from a hive). Swarms may form on house eaves or branches, or in brush piles. Hives may establish in tree hollows, brush, building walls, wood piles, or meter boxes. Swarms may be European bees (not so aggressive) or Africanized bees (very aggressive) but don’t try to distinguish which yourself. The potency of the individual sting is the same, it is the number of stings delivered that is different. Call an expert, such as South Texas Apiary, 361-299-2337, for diagnosis and removal. City of Corpus Christi Vector Control, 361-826-2489, will also respond to swarm sightings or attacks, and will do some exterminations if exposed, but no rescue and relocation of bees.

The safe zone that Africanized bees normally defend is initially 20’ to 40’ from the hive or swarm, but once agitated, they will follow and continue to attack a victim to half a mile. They are sensitive to vibrations (lawn mower or weedeater), dark clothing, and the smell of bananas! So don’t mow the lawn wearing a mink coat and waving a banana. They will key in on dark areas of the face, such as nostrils, eyes, and ears, so if attacked, run fast and far (over ½ mile), protect your face if possible, find an enclosed space such as car or building if close. Better to be stung by the 20 bees that followed you into the garage than the 2000 bees that are right behind them. Do not stop at a water faucet and attempt to wash them off, the attack will continue, and people have died because they did not continue to run or find a safe haven. Flailing your arms or smashing bees will only attract more bees, so just run!

Less than 1% of the population is allergic to bee stings, so most adults can suffer over 1000 stings before their life is in danger, less for children and the elderly. The stingers continue to pump venom into the skin for 1 minute after the initial sting, so removing the stingers by scraping with credit card, fingernail, or knife should be done as soon as you can safely stop running. If you see a healthy adult being attacked, do not approach them, encourage them to keep running. You cannot stop the bees from attacking them, you will just bring more bees attacking you. Follow them at a distance, and aid them once the attack has ceased due to shelter or distance. A 2% mix of dishwashing liquid in water, sprayed over a victim, will kill any remaining bees, and remove the attack chemical signal the victim has been marked with. Removing clothing will remove many stingers, scrape away the rest, and Benadryl will likely be indicated, but if stings are numerous, seek medical attention, as steroids and anti-nausea medications may provide further relief.

-James

When you begin seeing June bugs flying around the porch light, you wait 5-6 weeks and then treat with Bayer Season Long Grub Control Granules. If you have not fertilized the lawn yet, you can spread Gill Lawn and Garden Fertilizer, then the Bayer Grub Granules and water them both in at the same time. Season long for this product means maximum 3 months, so a follow-up application may be necessary by mid July. Also note, these granules do not bother earthworms!

-DeAnna

Bugs

New Tree Do’s and Don’ts!

Spring Insect Explosion

THERE’S FUNGUS AMONG US.

We have a fresh shipment of Ladybugs and Beneficial Nematodes!

UNMISTAKABLY BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE ROSES!

GOOD, FERTILE SOIL…

ARE THEY LADYBUGS?

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