fungus

Mealybugs are here! Look on the tips, stems, and undersides of the leaves for these white insects clustered together. If they go unnoticed for a short period of time , they will produce a protective cottony barrier over their bodies to protect themselves. Many times we hear “I have a white fungus on my plants”. Insecticidal Soap or Neem Oil can be used to kill these pests. Multiple applications may be needed. Thorough coverage is a must, and I usually recommend spraying once a week for 2-3 weeks to make sure you have killed them all. If you only have a few clusters of them at the tips of your plants you could smash them with your fingers and rinse, or cut off the affected tips and throw away the bugs in a sealed bag. Be a bug scout. Keep your eyes open and search. These pests usually last most of the summer.

-DeAnna

We’ve covered organic fertilizers and organic insecticides. This week we will talk about organic fungicides. Serenade Garden Disease Control can be used on roses, vegetables, fruits, flowering plants, trees, shrubs and lawns. Use prior to disease development or at the first sign of foliar disease infection. Serenade prevents and controls black spot, leaf spot, powdery mildew, anthracnose, gray mold, scab and early blight. With all the recent rains black spot and powdery mildew are a problem, especially on roses. Actinovate and Actino-iron are also organic fungicides used for soil borne pl ant root rot and damping off fungi. Can be used to control diseases on vegetables, roses, trees, shrubs and lawns. It is a must for the control of phytophthera fungus which kills periwinkles. Actino-iron can be worked into the soil prior to planting or Actinovate can be mixed with water and sprayed or drenched around your flowers to prevent disease after planting and through the growing season. Horticultural Cornmeal is another natural substance that stimulates beneficial microorganisms to feed on pathogens such as brown patch in St. Augustine, damping off in seedlings, phytophthera and other fungal diseases. It also helps to build the soil. Remember all diseases are easier to prevent than to cure. Isn’t there an old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

-DeAnna

Oak Tree Caterpillars

Be on the look-out for oak tree caterpillars in your oak trees. They cluster together in large groups feeding on the leaves of your trees or you may notice poop under your tree (on your patio or walk.) They can be killed with Thuricide sprayed onto the leaves or with Spinosad. If your trees are too large to spray or you just don’t want to, they will not kill your trees. The tree will leaf back out in the Spring. I have had customers say that early in the mornings they could hear them chewing the hard oak leaves. Crunch, Crunch, Crunch!

Powdery Mildew on Mesquite Trees

With the cooler temperatures, shorter days and rains in the past few weeks, powdery mildew fungus has attacked mesquite trees. Since the trees are getting ready to drop their leaves for the winter, it is not necessary to spray them. They will leaf out and be fine next spring.

-DeAnna

Plumeria are suffering from rust fungus caused by our wet conditions. The undersides of the leaves have yellow- orange or reddish brown pustules. Since you should be withholding water from the plumeria so they can go dormant for the winter, be sure to gather up the leaves as they drop and discard in the trash. It is not necessary to spray unless the condition re-occurs in the spring.

This time of year your lawn might not be looking so great. It might be patchy, or pale yellow, or just unhappy. Since St. Augustine grass goes dormant in the winter, fertilizer might not be the best choice. Instead try using Nature’s Blend compost. It’s an alfalfa humate blend that helps your lawn against fungus and feeds the roots. One bag covers 50 square feet of a healthy lawn, or if it’s struggling use one bag per 25sqft. Make sure you spread it to 1/2” or less! Nature’s Blend provides protection against temperature and moisture extremes too, so your lawn has the best chance of surviving the winter and emerging in spring.

-Marta

Pre Spring tips…do now & save time later!

Do

Apply Pre-emergents Amaze or Hi Yield Weed and Grass Preventor with Dimension to prevent spring weeds.
Spray All Seasons Oil to kill and prevent scale insects this spring on flax lily, cast iron plant, irises, pittosporums & hollies.
Treat for lawn fungus as a cure and preventative due to damp weather with F-Stop or Bayer Lawn Fungus Control, organically with Serenade or Natures Blend.
Prepare veggie gardens for spring plantings. Pull up all old vegetables, and rework the soil with Cotton Burr Compost or Natures Blend.

Don’t

Prune indian hawthorns, azaleas, or carolina jasmine since they are an early spring bloomer.
Prune tropicals, ex. hibiscus, bougainvilleas, lantanas, plumbagos, etc..
Spray a weed killer (it is too cold to be effective).

Vinca a.k.a. Periwinkle is one the best summer flowers you can grow when planted at the right time and with a few extra steps to insure success. First, wait for longer & drier days to plant. They do not like wet conditions which leads to Phytophthora Stem Blight and Root Rot Fungus. Water management is the main preventative measure. It is important to provide excellent drainage and full sun.When preparing a planting bed be sure to work in plenty of organic matter such as Cotton Burr Compost. Treat the area with Actinovate or Actino-Iron, a biological fungicide to help prevent disease. Space the plants 8-10 inches apart since air circulation is key and mulch heavily with Hardwood Mulch to prevent water from splattering off the soil onto the plants. Always water slow and deep at the base of the plant, never over the top if possible. Once you get these beauties established , they can provide you with easy year round color for several years.

-DeAnna

It is not webworms! Webbing on the bark of trunks and branches is a good thing. Don’t spray!! Bark lice is natures clean-up crew. These tiny creatures are scouring the bark for plant, animal, or fungus life which they eat, and while they perform this housekeeping chore, they spin this web for protection. Usually the web will disintegrate in two or three days and will disappear almost a suddenly as it appeared. Leave them alone and let them do their job of cleaning up your trees or shrubs. Thank goodness for good bugs!

-DeAnna

fungus

Pre Spring tips…do now & save time later!

Do

Don’t

Footer