lawn

In the past few weeks, lots of customers have been bringing us grass samples and photos of their lawns with tell-tale signs of 3 of the most common summertime pests: Take All Root Rot (fungus), chinch bugs, and grubworms. Here’s what to look for and some tips for prevention and treatment.

1. Take All Root Rot

TARR is the most serious and may be the most likely. We have seen lot of cases this year and it’s becoming a more common problem. Be on the lookout for yellowing areas in the lawn that eventually die leaving weakened brown or black dead roots. Spread Natures Blend compost over the area if the symptoms are mild or Disease X fungicide if more widespread. To be sure – bring us a grass sample and we can diagnose.

2. Chinch Bugs

Watch the edges of lawn near the sidewalk and driveway that look dry and wilted after you know you have watered well. Watch our quick video on how to check for chinch bugs, or bring us a grass sample and we can diagnose. Once you determine that chinch bugs are present, you can treat with hose-end Cyonara or Diatomaceaus Earth for an organic control.

Chinch bugs are more likely to attack a dry stressed lawn before a healthy, well-hydrated lawn. Look at your grass blades early in the morning. If the blades are folded, then the lawn is dry and ready to be watered. It will naturally be folded in the heat of the day which is why you should check early in the morning.

3. Grubworms

Areas of the lawn show signs of wilt even after you have watered. Dig down and look for grubworms under the soil. They eat the roots off your grass and other plants as well. You can treat for grubs with Season Long Grubworm Killer or Bayer 24 hour Grub Killer. Temperatures are too warm right now, but a good organic solution is to apply beneficial nematodes in the Spring so that they can colonize and be ready to eat grubs when they arrive in late Summer.

-DeAnna

Now that we’ve weathered our first big storm this season, we’re cleaning up and thinking about how to be better prepared next time. Here are some important tips for keeping your landscape storm-ready.

Trim Your Trees

Remove dead or rotting tree limbs, brown palm fronds, and even healthy limbs that pose a threat to homes, other structures, people, or traffic. Do not remove healthy tree limbs or green palm fronds that are not a hazard; excess vegetative removal is detrimental to plant health. Try to do this far enough ahead that limbs are removed from property well ahead of a windstorm. A good habit is to trim trees once a year, that way you don’t need to scramble when a storm is coming.

Protect Potted Plants

Move potted plants inside the garage or other protected area, especially those with delicate structure or foliage. If they are too heavy or not enough room, move them into a corner, or behind hedges, and tip them over (water first so soil is heavier). Of course, also stow away lawn furniture, bird feeders, wind chimes, bbq pit, etc.

Keep Storm Water Flowing

Clean gutters, clear downspouts, do drainage repairs as necessary, including digging/cutting drainage swales and removing any impediments to drainage. Double check that drainage paths are clear to speed runoff of storm water. We often find stacks of bricks, lumber, firewood, etc. placed where they prevent fast water flow out to the front yard.

What About the Lawn?

Remember to shut off sprinkler system. If we are likely to get excessive rain, don’t start with saturated soil. Mow the lawn. It may be awhile before you can mow it again, plus water runoff flows faster with short grass, and short grass makes it easier to rake up debris after the storm.

Assess Your Trees and Plants After the Storm

Start by clearing streets of broken branches and straightening small trees that have become tilted, if feasible. If you need guidance on which trees or plants can be saved and what should be removed, call a trusted tree care professional or garden center. We can help save you time and effort.

-James

August is almost here! It’s time to start making the transition into an exciting new Fall planting season. Here are our top must-do’s for this coming month.

Check out our August Garden Guide for more tips and remember that trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted 12 months out of the year! The only difference is the amount of water they need depending on temperatures and wind!

1. Choose Plants that Provide for Wildlife

Important fact: birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. Plants attract and provide food for them to keep the cycle going. For example – plant Zinnia and sunflower seeds now, and they’ll be ready to feed migrating birds this Fall. Take it a step further and plant Texas natives! They provide for pollinators and require less water once established.

2. Pick Out Your Seeds

Watching your plants grow from a tiny seed is exciting and rewarding! Our Fall Vegetable Planting Guide provides the specific seed-planting dates to help plan your Fall garden. Most new seeds are already here! Look out for some of the rare and heirloom seeds we’re bringing in over the next couple weeks! We’ve been researching how to use liquid seaweed to improve seed germination. Worth a try! Another tip: use peat pots or seed starting trays to start seeds indoors, then move to a covered patio once they sprout. This will protect the seedlings and slowly acclimate them to the outdoor heat.

3. Prepare Your Garden Beds

August is the time to start preparing for Fall vegetables. Clean out beds and pull weeds. To get your soil ready, we recommend mixing Nature’s Blend Compost or Cotton Burr Compost into your soil to replenish nutrients and loosen the soil before planting. About 1 bag per 12 sq. ft. is good. Once prepped, add a thick layer of pine straw mulch, which will help retain moisture, keep weeds from sprouting, and keep the soil cooler until you’re ready to plant. As you plan your space, think crop rotation – don’t plant the same veggies in the exact same place you planted them last season, or you encourage pests and diseases.

4. Water Sufficiently AND Efficiently

With our temps and lack of rain, it’s vital to water your plants and lawn sufficiently AND efficiently. The goal with summer watering (with or without watering restrictions) should be to create depth moisture. For lawns and established plants and trees, this means watering less frequently, but watering deeply when you water. New plantings will require water every day to get the roots established. Use a water wand with a cut-off valve to make it easy on you and conserve water. Pro tip: Conserve water by watering at ground level, not spraying from above. This way, water soaks down to the roots rather than evaporating off the leaves.

5. Mulch for Moisture Retention

We know fresh mulch is the quickest way to refresh the look of your landscape. Proper mulching has other big benefits, especially during dry and hot weather. A good 2-3” deep layer of mulch will keep your plants and the soil moist and cool for longer after you water. Give the main trunks or stems of your plants a little space – mulch 2-3” deep throughout the bed, but no more than 1” deep against the main trunks/stems of plants.

6. Beware of Bad Bugs

White cottony clumps on tips, stems, and undersides of leaves in summer are most likely mealy bugs! People often think these are a fungus because of their appearance but one squish with your fingers will tell you they’re insects feeding on your plants. They especially love Hibiscus, Jatropha and some Salvias. We’ve been seeing a lot of spider mites too. You’ll notice a fine webbing and small sandy speckles (see photo). The mites themselves are usually on the underside of leaves. Both can be treated organically with Spinosad soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1 spray, or Neem Oil during cooler evening hours.

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

Brown patch/Large patch fungus and Take-all Root Rot (TARR) are two unwelcome Fall and Winter visitors to our South Texas lawns. Cool nighttime temperatures and moisture on the grass from rain, dew, or excessive watering frequency are the two main factors promoting these diseases. Large patch is relatively easy to diagnose visually if you are familiar with the symptoms. TARR has more subtle and varying symptoms and requires 60x or greater magnification to positively ID. Large patch is an unsightly annoyance for Fall and Winter, but damaged grass will regrow in Spring. TARR does not show much damage while the disease is spreading over Winter, but when hot temperatures arrive in Summer, the weakened roots and runners are unable to support the water requirements of the infected areas, and they decline or die.

There is no “curing” or eliminating these diseases, but you can attempt to prevent them, or manage them, by various means. Culturally, you should “goldilocks” your lawn: not too much water, not too little, but just right. Water deeply when needed to avoid drought stress but keep the frequency of application to a minimum. Mow as often as needed. Do not let grass grow too tall, but do not cut it too short. Fertilize according to recommended timing and quantity, not too much or too little. If you see a fungus damaged area, mow it last to minimize spreading into healthy areas. Keep mower blades sharp, so grass is cleanly sliced rather than ripped with slower-healing ragged edges. Any stresses make the lawn more vulnerable to infection by a harmful fungus.

We have fungicides that can help prevent or suppress harmful fungus, but keep in mind that there are also beneficial fungal organisms that recycle dead organic matter into plant nutrients and help prevent thatch. So excessive fungicide use, like most excesses, can cause new problems. My personal recommendation is to let large patch fungus run its course, as it does no permanent damage, just temporary unsightliness. But I recommend topdressing TARR infected lawns with peat moss, to control (can’t eliminate) the disease, as the damage is permanent. Best is for you to bring in some samples (still alive but with symptoms) and photos for us to look at, and offer to you various courses of action, for you to choose whatever approach you are most comfortable with.

-James

They’re coming – weeds! Due to our relatively warm Winter and recent rains, weeds are sprouting earlier than usual. Control them now before they get out of hand – here’s how.

Weeds in Lawns

Start simple instead of going directly to battle mode. If your lawn is stressed, think about using a good organic like Nature’s Blend compost to give the grass a boost before doing any weed control. Healthy grass will prevent weeds on its own and using chemicals can have negative effects on the quality of the underlying soil.

If you have a chronic weed issue and need to use a chemical, right now (late Jan/early Feb) is your last chance to use a pre-emergent weed control. We recommend spreading Bonide Weed & Crabgrass Preventer. If you’re already seeing some weeds, you can spread Weed Beater Complete which kills existing weeds and helps stop new ones from sprouting.

Once its consistently warmer and sunnier, you can use hose-end Weed b Gon Spray to spray your entire lawn for weeds. Be sure to check the forecast to see if we are sunny for 4-5 days with no rain and don’t water or run your irrigation system before you spray.

Wait for the right time to fertilize. Grass has just started to come out of Winter dormancy, and as we continue to get warmer, it will grow quicker. Once your lawn is growing and you’re mowing about once every 1-2 weeks, you know it’s time to fertilize – wait until then! If you fertilize too early, your grass doesn’t get the full benefit.

Weeds in Garden and Landscape Beds

Controlling weeds in beds is simple if you keep up with it. Most weeds are smothered by keeping a good layer of mulch (2-3”) in your beds. Mulch also helps retain moisture and adds organic material to the soil as it breaks down. If you see a large weed – don’t spray, just pull it! Patrolling your garden beds and pulling weeds is therapeutic and great exercise. Be sure to get the root.

If you need to spray for weeds, use horticultural 20% vinegar or the new organic Ortho GroundClear. Both are very effective against small weeds before they spread, which means you should inspect and apply frequently (weekly). You can also use these to spot-treat for weeds in your lawn. Spray directly on the weed, wait a few hours, then pull up the dead weed – nice and easy.

Our first reaction to make it all better is to water our grass and plants. Do not water unless the ground is close to dry. Watering damaged plants will encourage fungal and bacterial growth, which we want to avoid. Stick your finger in the soil and check for moisture. If it is moist, do not water yet.

You can mow your grass if it is taller and needs to be mowed. Place your mower setting one setting lower; do not cut too short. Cutting too short will add stress to grass that’s already stressed from the freeze.

Do not fertilize your lawn until it is greened up and actively growing. That is when the grass can best absorb the fertilizer in its roots and benefit from the nutrients.

Start removing the dead/damaged portion on your plants. Some examples below are:

If the plant is mushy (tropicals like ginger, Moses in the boat, bird of paradise) trim back to firm stem or to ground. Watch video: “Freeze Remedy: Initial Assessments”
Plants like salvia, plumbago, firecracker plant, and flax lily, trim down to within 4” from ground.
Plants like ixora, duranta, schefflera, hibiscus, and bougainvillea: scratch trunk and trim back to where you see green in the cambium layer of the trunk (maybe to ground).
Philodendron – Watch video: “Freeze Remedy: How To Save Philodendrons”
Palms – Watch video: “Freeze Remedy: Palm Trees”
Citrus– if you scratch a branch and there is no green underneath you can remove it, but no hurry. Keep any suckers that arise from below the graft cut off, they will grow fast but produce sour fruit. If your tree is frozen all the way to the graft, fertilize with Citrus Tone now, May 1st, and September 15th to promote plenty of healthy regrowth from freeze damage.

We know it looks bad but we are here to help you get your landscape back as best we can. We are bringing in new, healthy plants from California, Florida and all over Texas. Our Texas growers learned from the 80’s freezes how to protect plants.

Thank you for your questions on our website, Facebook, Instagram, on the phone, and in person! We will continue creating videos as we see the need and as always, we’re open 7 days a week to help you with your garden!

Just like us, plants can’t live on water alone. To thrive, plants must have food, especially in Spring when they are actively growing. Rather than try to carry every fertilizer imaginable (there are hundreds!), we focus on the ones that we can really stand behind. Here is our menu of favorite plant foods, tested and used by the pros here at Gill’s.

Medina Growin’ Green

Our most versatile plant food. Organic and great for lawns, trees, shrubs, veggies, flowers, potted plants, you name it! Use a spreader to spread over your lawn. Each bag covers 3,000 sq. ft. Or sprinkle a small handful of granules on the soil around your plants, then water it in well.

Gill Lawn and Garden Food

Back in the 80s, James worked with Texas A&M to create a fertilizer formulated specially for South Texas lawns and gardens. It’s been a fav ever since. Each bag covers 6,000 sq. ft. of lawn. Or broadcast under trees and shrubs and water in well.

HastaGro

Another amazing organic food. Also very versatile. Mix the liquid with water (or use the hose-end sprayer) and use almost everywhere. Great for veggie gardens, blooming plants, succulents and more. HastaGro provides excellent nutrients for houseplants and none of the smell! You may not want to bring stinky granular plant food inside the house 🙂

Espoma “Tone” Foods

We love organic foods by Espoma. BioTone starter fertilizer with beneficial microbes is great to use at planting time to stimulate root growth. PlantTone is an excellent granular for veggies and flowering plants, CitrusTone is specifically formulated for citrus or other fruiting trees, and AzaleaTone for Azaleas, Magnolia, and Gardenias.

Pro tip: Fish Emulsion is another very popular and effective organic that works great for leafy veggies. Just be aware that cats go crazy for it too!