Caterpillars

With quite a bit of rain in the forecast, what should we do? Let’s start with getting excess water off the roof and out of the yard. The short recent drought was enough to get some trees to drop quite a few leaves, so check your gutters and downspouts and clear them if needed.

Check downspout exits to see that the ends have not been crimped closed by wayward mower wheels, and that there are not bags of mulch or pots or bricks obstructing their flow. Same goes for drainage pathways away from rainfall off the roof, removing any boxes, bags, etc. that would slow the flow of excess rainfall trying to exit the yard.

A common problem is where the bottom of the fence has inadequate clearance above the ground, and so grass, leaves, and branches get caught at the base of the fence and create a dam that allows water to get high enough to flow into the house. Mow grass or use a weed trimmer along flow pathways, as water will move much faster over short grass.

If you have an automatic irrigation system, turn it off now! Assuming you get 1″ or more of rainfall, wait a week, then check soil to see if the lawn is ready for water again. Turn the system back on when it is hard to push a screwdriver into the soil because it is dry.

Mosquitos will be a problem on the other side of these rains. Be sure to turn wheelbarrows and other potential vessels over to prevent accumulation of water that would hatch mosquitos. Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits (for saucers or birdbaths) will prevent mosquitos from hatching in standing water, without harming any other organisms. We will also have Mosquito Beater sprays and granules to help control adult mosquitos.

Caterpillars are also likely to be a problem after the rains. Some caterpillars will become beautiful butterflies, but others will become small nondescript moths that will then lay more eggs and eat until your lawn is gone! So, ask us about any potential problem you may have. We can tell you whether treatment is warranted or not, and if so, what is the safest and most sensible method of control.

–James Gill

We were watering Pentas earlier this week and came across this funky looking fellow (above). At first, we thought it was a more common Tomato Hornworm, but after doing some research, it’s a Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa) caterpillar! Actually, both in the photo are Tersa Sphinx caterpillars at different stages. Pretty soon they’ll transform into their beautiful moth form.

Caterpillars have been a big topic of conversation here at Gill’s this Summer; more rain than usual = more caterpillars. A good rule of thumb is to leave them alone unless you see a large congregation and they’re eating enough of a plant to cause harm. A few munched leaves here and there is not a problem. If you do get a large infestation, you can treat with organic Thuricide that only targets caterpillars.

Most different species of caterpillars are only attracted to specific host plants. Pentas are a host plant for the Tersa Sphinx, which was a big clue for identification. We know that Monarch caterpillars like milkweed, Gulf fritillary’s host plant is Passion Vine, and Swallowtail caterpillars like Rue and Dutchman’s Pipe Vine.

Once caterpillars reach their butterfly or moth form, they feed on nectar from a broader variety of South Texas plants like Lantana, Zinnia, Mist flowers, Turk’s Cap, and lots more. So, it’s a good idea to plant host plants and nectar plants together to enjoy the caterpillar’s full life cycle.

-Jesse

I have had several customers bring me Tussock Moth Caterpillars they found munching on their oak tree leaves.

The creamy white hairs on the caterpillar are long and bristle-like and spread out in tufts down the sides. Two long, sharp black pencil like hairs protrude near the front and rear and these hairs are connected to poison glands, which excrete venom on contact. Contact with the venom may result in itchy irritation.

You can spray your tree with Hi Yield Thuricide Concentrate or Natural Guard Spinosad Hose-end. Both of these products are organic and safe to use on all plants. Thuricide reacts with the cells of the stomach lining of the target pest causing them to not be able to feed within hours of ingesting. Spinosad is a contact kill, but still safe and organic for all plants.

(photo via ocala.com)

-DeAnna

Attention parents and kids: join us here at Gill’s this Saturday for a talk and tree planting demo.

All kids will receive a free native Live Oak tree seedling and soil blend for planting! We thought it would be fun to teach kids how to plant trees and give them their own tiny tree to care for and watch it grow. Here’s a preview of what we’ll discuss – see you Saturday!

Fall is the Best Time to Plant Trees

Planting trees in the fall, as temps start to cool down, helps their root systems get a head start. They spend all fall and winter focusing energy on growing deeper and stronger roots so that next Spring they can explode with growth of new leaves and branches. Also, those strong and deep roots help prepare them to withstand hot summer temps next year.

Planting Small Trees is Easy!

Digging a big hole and planting a big tree gives you a big impact, but planting a small tree is a lot easier. It takes a lot less water too. Yes, it takes a long time to get a huge mature oak tree, but that’s a great reason to plant one as a kid! You get to nurture the tree and watch it grow, which is so rewarding.

Planting Trees Makes a Big Environmental Impact

Native trees, like Live Oaks, provide the biggest benefit to our local ecosystem. They host a large number of caterpillars that turn into pollinators (butterflies and moths). And, they help provide a food source and habitat for native and migrating birds. Not to mention, they trap carbon and create clean oxygen!

All from a shiny reddish ball. Or a fuzzy white ball. Or a corky brown ball. I’m talking oak galls, which commonly strike terror into the hearts of live oak tree owners this time of year. They are all caused by various species of small, stingless, solitary wasps. These wasps insert an egg (or several) into the tissue of small oak branches or young leaves, and are thought to modify the DNA of the plant, forcing the plant to produce a growth (the gall) that supplies both housing and food to the wasp larvae living inside. The saliva of the wasp applied at the time of the egg laying is thought to contain a virus that produces the genetic changes, so wasp larvae have been eating GMO’s for millions of years.

So wasps are defacing and eating your oak tree this fall, what you gonna do about it? As one writer says, “I recommend a cold drink, a good book and a comfortable chair.” ‘Cuz there’s nothing you can do or should do about it. Oak galls come in periodic waves, a few one year, more the next, and none the year after. Or close thereabouts. This is thought to be due variously to the tree buildup up of tannins to discourage the gall formers, and to a buildup of parasitic wasps (also stingless) that drill into the galls and lay their eggs on the gall inhabitant. Wild Mother Nature, there are even wasps that lay their eggs on wasp larvae that are consuming the original gall wasp larvae (did I put one too many eaters of larvae in there, I must proofread). The galls do not do substantial damage to your trees, and there’s really no way to get involved in the crazy gladiator’s pit of nature without screwing things up, SO DON’T SPRAY, just sit back in awe (or take a nap). And empty oak galls actually take in desirable boarders such as lacewing larvae and small spiders, scavenger ants and more beneficial wasps, all feeding on caterpillars and aphids.

Other fascinating factoids:

Oak galls were an important source of dark and permanent ink used for writing for over 12 centuries, and iron gall ink is still used by artists today. Did you know that a pen knife (aka a folding pocket knife) was constructed to make quill pens from feathers, and to periodically shape a new point on the quill as it wears? You cannot use the medieval oak gall recipe for black ink with a metal tip pen because it is too corrosive to metals.

Oak galls have recognized medicinal uses due to the high tannin content (and also used for tanning).

Before his landmark work on human sexuality, Alfred Kinsey was known for his study of gall wasps.

– James

Have you noticed lots of holes and chunks missing from the leaves of your fall veggies like cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower? These are delicacies for caterpillars! A little snacking is nothing to worry about, but here’s how to prevent a feast!

First, decide for yourself how much caterpillar snacking you can tolerate. If it’s a few holes here and there, you might leave them alone or try to find and relocate them. If you decide it’s time to treat, bacteria is your friend. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a naturally occurring bacteria that targets caterpillars but is safe and harmless for humans, pets, birds, and other wildlife. We carry it in a spray (Captain Jack’s Bt) or a powder form (Dipel Dust) – same active ingredient that works when caterpillars eat it. Some folks prefer the spray because you can spray all over the plant, up under the leaves, etc. Some prefer the dust because it’s easy to sprinkle over the plant. Both work great!

We’re in the dog days of summer right now, but not for long! If you want gorgeous tomatoes this fall, right now’s the time to get started. Depending on the variety, tomatoes take between 60-100 days to produce ripe fruit, which would put us into late October through early December if we start now. Unless you’re growing in a heated greenhouse, you want to harvest your tomatoes before we have chances of cold weather. So, without further ado, here’s the Gill’s formula for fall tomato success!

Start from Seed or Plants

Late August is an exciting time at Gill’s. We’ve received our 2025-2026 veggie seeds, and we’re stocking up on tomato plants too. You have your choice right now – start from seed or start with tomato plants that are ready to go. If you plan to start tomatoes from seed, you need to get them going before the end of August. Sure, starting from seed is more work, but you also have a lot more options, especially for heirloom varieties. We recommend starting seeds indoors or on a shady, protected patio. Try our new Cow Pots + organic Fertilome seed starting soil. Once the seedlings sprout and grow their first true set of leaves, they’re ready to plant outside. Just plant the whole Cow Pot – they’re made of composted cattle manure and will break down and add nutrients to the soil. Or skip the seeds and start growing some tried and true tomato plant varieties now, like Tycoon, Red Snapper, Sun Gold, and the beloved Celebrity.

Prepare Your Soil & Spot

Pick a spot for your tomatoes that gets at least 6 hours of full sun each day. They’ll need it to be able to produce flowers then fruit. If you’re growing in the ground in clay or sandy soil, you’ll need to add some compost to create a better soil structure and add nutrients. Our fav for veggie gardens is Nature’s Blend Compost. Add about 1 bag per 12 sq. ft. of bed space. If you’ve got your own compost pile, use a similar approximate amount. If you’re growing in raised beds or big pots, you can’t go wrong with Gardener’s Magic soil – it’s specially formulated for container gardening with some compost and other nutrients. Just pour and plant!

Prune Up + Plant Deep

Tomatoes are one of the only plants that you can plant deep without suffocating the plant. In fact, tomatoes benefit from being planted deep because they grow new roots off the main stem. So, simply pinch the lower leaves off the stem, leave the main ones up top, dig a deep hole and plant the tomato all the way up to the top leaves. Some gardeners even like to dig a shallow trench and plant tomatoes on their side to let the roots grow down from the stem. Either way, more roots = more fruits!

BioTone + Worm Castings When you Plant

This is truly a winning combo for root health. When you dig your hole, mix in a small handful of Bio-Tone starter fertilizer and a large handful of worm castings when you backfill. The Bio-Tone contains mycorrhizal fungi which form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots and gives you a much more robust root system. Worm castings add refined nutrients, make soil more absorbent, and even helps prevent fungal disease and insects. Think of Bio-Tone and worm castings as superfoods for your plants!

Cage Now, Not Later!

It’s very important to give tomatoes a support structure, whether it’s a tomato cage or a simple trellis system. Either way, the key is to install that support when you plant, not later. That way you can gently train and tie the plant onto the support as it grows, rather than trying to bend and twist a big floppy tomato plant and risk breaking branches. Cage now, not later!

Follow Our Fertilizer Schedule

The most common problem we see with veggie gardens is not enough regular fertilizer to keep them performing their best. Tomato plants use lots of energy to produce fruit, so they absolutely need regular fertilization. Keep it simple and use our tried and true prescription: feed with a good organic granular fertilizer (like Medina Growin Green, Plant Tone, or Rose Glo) on the 1st of the month, then feed with Medina’s liquid Hasta Gro on the 15th. Add reminders or alarms for these dates in your calendar so you don’t forget. If you stick to this schedule, you’ll have lots of tomatoes to enjoy and share.

Treat for Pests + Prevent Fungus

Your 2 main issues to watch out for when growing tomatoes are hungry caterpillars and fungus problems. You can prevent fungus by simply mulching around your tomato plants so wet soil doesn’t splash up onto them when you water. Horticultural cornmeal applied around the base of the plant can help also. For caterpillars, you just need to be vigilant. Inspect your plants often and look for chewed leaves and frass aka black specks of caterpillar poop. If it’s just a couple of caterpillars here and there, you can easily relocate them. If you have an infestation, you can use organic Bt spray or Bt powder to control.

Water Early and Often!

You’ve likely heard us preach about the benefits of watering in the morning vs. the evening. This is especially important for tomatoes. As DeAnna says, you wouldn’t want to run a race all day and only have water at the finish line. Tomatoes need to be well-hydrated in the morning, or they’ll be very unhappy during the hot part of the day. While the weather’s still warm, they will likely need supplemental watering in the afternoon too. Once temps cool down and plants mature, you’ll be able to back off on watering some. Mornings can be hectic – we get it! If you run short on time to water in the morning, consider setting up an automatic soaker hose in your tomato bed. We carry soaker hoses and simple timers that are easy to attach to any hose spigot.

We are absolutely thrilled to host Stephanie Lopez, Executive Director of the National Butterfly Center for a garden talk here at Gill’s this Saturday, March 21st!

Discover how to transform your garden into a vibrant butterfly haven using native plants. In this engaging talk, the National Butterfly Center will explore why native species are essential for supporting butterflies at every stage of their life cycle. Learn to create a beautiful, resilient garden that supports local biodiversity. Perfect for gardeners of all levels who want to make a meaningful impact right in their own backyard. And guess what – Stephanie is bringing plants for sale! The National Butterfly Center grows lots of cool native varieties that are rarely available commercially. Pick up a few this Saturday at the talk and the proceeds from those plants will go back to supporting the National Butterfly Center!

Free event – no RSVP required!