Lawn Care

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!

(Photo)

-DeAnna

Now is the time of year to attack those unwanted weeds in the lawn.

First, fertilize the lawn in October to mid-November while the grass is still actively growing.

Water in well.

Next spread your pre-emergent.

The pre-emergent is a granule that prevents weed seeds from germinating. We carry two different ones depending on the weed problem you may have. Gallery can be used in the lawn to prevent most all broadleaf weeds and some grassy weeds, but cannot be used in the flowerbeds. Dimension is the other one that will control broadleaf weeds as well as crabgrass and sand burrs. Dimension can be used in the flower beds around established plants listed.

Third, kill any existing weeds that are up and growing with a post emergent.

Weed B Gon spray can be used now since our temperatures are in the mid 80’s. It will kill the broadleaf weeds without hurting your St. Augustine, including Floratam. We also carry a new product Roundup Weed Control for Lawns that will kill many broadleaf weeds as well as wild carrot and wild onion and other grassy weeds. If Dollarweed or sand burrs are your main problem, use Image. Weed killers need to be used soon since they cannot be used as a winter weed control!

Fourth, remember to alter your sprinkler systems to only once a week until mid- November, then turn to the off position and only turn on as needed every 10 days to 2 weeks if we get no rain.

With the shorter days and the dormant season upon us the lawn does not require as much water. You also do not want to encourage fungus due to excessive moisture. Come see us with any questions you may have about your lawn!

-DeAnna

Trees, shrubs, and perennials get a great bonus when planted in Fall. South Texas enjoys relatively warm soil temperatures through Fall and Winter, and cooler air temperatures direct the new plant to grow roots all through this time.

So, a plant put into the ground in Fall will grow twice as fast the following Spring as one planted in Spring due to having developed twice the root system, and it will also suffer much less stress in its first South Texas Summer.

We are lucky that we can garden year-round here, but Fall is our best season for planting!

Do These for Tree Success:

Choose a space suited for the size of mature trees
Plant in Fall to benefit from cooler temps & root development. Dig the hole as deep as the container & about 12” wider. Use compost to improve existing soil if needed.
Fertilize with Agriform tablets or Plant Tone mixed into soil around the root ball.
Mulch around trees & keep grass & weed eaters away from tree trunks
Stake trees especially in high wind areas
Follow watering directions

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fall-planting

-James and Debbie

We have customers of all ages. Maybe two of our youngest gardeners, very active gardeners, are brother and sister Kai & Isla. Kai is a third grader and Isla a first grader, both attending Windsor Park Elementary.

It’s no surprise, they’ve grown up watching their parents and grandparents garden. And it seems they all love to experiment with what they plant, where they plant it and how they take care of it.

I asked the kids what they are thankful this Thanksgiving. Kai said he is thankful for nature and camping; Isla for being outside, NOT watching TV & NOT eating fast food!

For starters, they prefer raised beds. They use sandy loam topsoil mixed with Nature’s Blend from Gill’s and then they add compost between crops. Kai says their compost is made up of kitchen scraps (veggie peels, egg shells, strawberry tops, etc…) mixed with leaves and grass clippings.

The kids have three different growing areas in their backyard. One garden is behind the garage along the back fence where they grow veggies on a string trellis. They have a crop of green beans ready to harvest right now!

The second garden is along the side of their house where they have huge tomato plants mixed with marigolds and lots and lots of basil.

Their third garden is in the back corner where Jeff, their dad, built a L shaped raised garden. It was a gift to his wife Erika! It’s the largest garden and has the most diversity with different greens, radishes, herbs, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, pumpkin, broccoli & Bok Choy.

And to top it off, they have a big pot of beautiful fresh spearmint on their patio next to a pot of pineapple and a grow bag with potatoes they’re experimenting with!

I asked them if they liked to eat what they grow. Yes, they do! One of Isla’s favorite recipes is fresh kale from the garden mixed with olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic and lemon. Yum! They also love simply munching on leaves while playing in the backyard!

I thought my visit was going to just be about plants, until they asked me if I wanted to see their chickens. They have four chickens, soon to be producing eggs. One of their fun pastimes is picking worms off their greens to feed their chickens!

Kai & Isla both seem to love digging in the dirt, watching veggies grow, and eating healthy food! So this Thanksgiving week, one of the many things I will give thanks for is parents that share the miracles of nature, gardening and good old healthy living with their children!

-Sally

Even though your lawn has filled with weeds it is not too late to apply a pre-emergent. The weeds you have now will put on a flower and drop seeds to sprout more weeds. A pre-emergent will not kill the existing weeds but will prevent more from sprouting. Broadleaf Weed Control with Gallery is recommended for most broadleaf weeds and Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension will kill some broadleaf as well as grassy weeds like sticker burrs.

Once our weather warms up to 70-80 degrees with no rain for 5 days or more it will be time to apply Weed-B-Gon for Southern Lawns to kill the existing weeds. It is safe for Floratam St. Augustine and Bermuda. Give it 2 weeks to fully work and then it should be time to fertilize the lawn as well. Remember that fertilizer is taken up with active growth, so until we are mowing consistently every week for 2-3 weeks it is too early to get the full benefit of lawn food. Be patient with your spring lawn care. We all want to see results and have a pretty lawn again this spring.

-DeAnna

Wow! Snow and 2 hard freezes has really hurt my lawn. The only thing growing are the weeds. The weather is now warm enough, but not quite sunny enough to spray your Weed b Gon Spray. Weed killer sprays will work their best with sunshine and no rain. Be sure to check the forecast to see if we are sunny for 3-5 days with no rain or your irrigation system.

Wait to fertilize once your grass is completely out of winter dormancy so it will absorb the fertilizer and give you the results you are looking for.

Have you finished pruning? It not, please prune quickly. The spring flush of new growth is about to happen since the weather has warmed up and you don’t want to miss the opportunity for Mother Nature to give you all that new foliage and then just cut it all off. Watch the video below for tips to proper spring pruning.

Once everything is pruned and new growth begins flushing it is time to fertilize. You will fertilize your tropicals and shrubs with Hibiscus Food, Rose Glo or even easier, Gill Lawn and Garden Food when you fertilize your lawn. Timing is key to a beautiful lawn and landscape once again.

-DeAnna

Floratam

Pro- Good drought tolerance, better disease tolerance, vigorous growth quick to heal damage and resist weeds

Con- Less shade tolerant than some varieties, less tolerant of some weed killers, less resistant to severe freeze (not a factor this far south), most coarse in texture

TamStar

Pro- Said to have good drought, disease, cold, and shade tolerance

Con- Very new introduction, so we don’t know for sure if these claims will pan out for us

Raleigh

Pro- Good shade, cold tolerance

Con- Poor resistance to drought, disease

Note: There is no St. Augustine resistant to grub worms, and there are situations too shady for any St. Augustine to grow. If shade might be a problem, buy one piece of grass, cut into plugs, plant, water, and fertilize carefully, and if it does not grow over spring and summer, consider flagstone paving, wood deck, shade tolerant groundcovers and shrubs, or a combination of these.

Note: Due to our cold winter, Floratam & Tamstar will be available beginning in April 2018!

-James

One of my favorite pastimes, in between planting, fertilizing, trimming, and mulching, is sitting in my backyard and watching the butterflies dance around my garden. Here’s a few tips to entice these beauties to YOUR GARDEN!

Locate a sunny area.

Butterflies and most butterfly attracting plants require bright sunshine.

Plant nectar producing flowers.

Butterflies visit flowers in search of nectar to eat. Many butterflies seem to prefer purple, yellow, orange and red- orange blossoms. Clusters of short, tubular flowers or flat-topped blossoms provide the ideal shapes for butterflies to easily land and feed.

Select single flowers rather than double flowers.

The nectar of single flowers is more accessible and easier for butterflies to extract than the nectar of double flowers, which have more petals per flower.

Use large splashes of color in your landscape.

Butterflies are first attracted to flowers by their color. Groups of flowers are easier for butterflies to locate than isolated plants.

Plan for continuous bloom throughout the season.

Butterflies are active from early spring until late fall. Plant a selection of flowers that will provide nectar throughout the entire growing season. For blooms throughout the year, plant hamelia, shrimp plant. jatropha, lantana, bulbine, buddleia, mist flower, & penta. For flowers spring and fall, try mexican flame vine, verbena, mexican mint marigold, pavonia, passion vine, salvias, & fall chrysanthemums.

Clockwise from Top Left: Lantana, Mist Flower, Salvia Mystic Spires, Salvia Gregii, Shrimp Plant, Mexican Mint Marigold

Plant for perching.

Plant some evergreen trees or shrubs for perching and rain shelter. Example: Yaupon holly or desert willow.

Include host plants in your garden design.

Host plants provide food for the caterpillar and lure female butterflies into the garden to lay eggs.

Common Name: Larval Food Source
Black Swallowtail: dill, parsley, fennel, carrot tops
Fritillaries: passionflowers
Giant Swallowtail: citrus, rue
Julias: passionflowers
Monarchs & Queens: milkweeds
Pipevine Swallowtail: Dutchman’s pipevine
Skippers: mallows
Snouts: hackberry
Sulphurs: cassias
Viceroys: pear, cottonwood, willow
Whites: mustards, pepper-grass
Zebra Longwings: passionflowers

Clockwise from Top Left: Black Swallowtail, Monarch, Snout, Zebra Longwing

Include damp areas or shallow puddles in the garden.

Some butterflies drink and extract salts from moist soil. Occasionally large numbers of male butterflies congregate around a moist area to drink, forming a “puddle club”.

Place flat stones in the garden.

Butterflies often perch on stones, bare soil or vegetation, spread their wings and bask in the sun. Basking raises their body temperature so they are able to fly and remain active.

Do not use pesticides in or near a butterfly garden.

Most traditional garden pesticides are toxic to butterflies. Use predatory insects, insecticidal soap or hand remove the pests if problems occur.

Become a butterfly watcher!

Get to know the colorful butterflies that visit your garden. They are easy to identify with a field guide or butterfly app!

-Sally

Lawn Care

Now is the time of year to attack those unwanted weeds in the lawn.

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