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.
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, orange, 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
We all know how hard you’ve worked to have a beautiful landscape. Now how do you keep it thriving and surviving the summer heat? Here are some of our top tips for keeping everyone happy and healthy:
- Water….we need it and so do your plants. Water in the morning or evening before 10am or after 6pm. Keep the water on the plants, lawn, flowerbeds, not in the gutter, sidewalk, or street. Sprinkler systems are great for established lawns and landscapes. Water established lawns once a week. New plantings really need to be hand watered to insure the water is getting to the root system. Check new plantings daily for water needs.
- Fertilize the lawn, shrubs, trees, and tropicals with Milorganite, Medina Growin Green, or Gill Lawn & Garden Fertilizer. Be sure to apply early morning or evening and water in. Milorganite won’t burn but needs water to start working.
- Feed your veggies and herbs Espoma Plant Tone. Citrus and fruit trees with Espoma Citrus Tone.
- Treat the lawn with Bayer Season Long Grub Control if you see brown areas in the lawn that are easily pulled up, usually a sign of grubs eating the roots of your grass.
- Chinch bugs love hot dry areas in lawns. They make the lawn look dried out along sidewalks and pavement. Treat with Cyonara, or Triazicide in easy ready to spray bottles. For organic control, use Spinosad or Diatomaceous Earth.
- Revamp your old spring annuals with some die-hard summer color. Flowers like purslane, zinnias, moss rose, periwinkles and sweet potato vine will need water but thrive in our summer heat. If you are so inclined, try adding spineless prickly pear, Texas sage, and other desert beauties that add color and form to landscapes.
- Prune the old spent blooms and seed heads from your crape myrtles. It’ll help them to repeat their summer show of color.
- Nothing wrong with playing in the water hose or sprinkler with your kids. My dogs and I have a grand time in the evening playing, cooling off and watering the lawn all at the same time.
- Treat for fungus if needed. Roses, crape myrtles, and gerbera daisies are prone to powdery mildew and plumeria develop rust. Good air circulation is important and if needed use Fertilome Systemic Fungicide, Serenade, or Actinovate.
- Trim to shape plants to keep good form but avoid heavy pruning during the summer heat. This is good for the plants and you.
- Mulch everything including your potted plants to help hold moisture and reduce weeds.
- Most important…enjoy some time in your outdoors!
-DeAnna & Debbie
Lawn Care
Weed Control
Spot treat existing weeds growing now with natural horticultural vinegar or Captain Jack's Deadweed Brew. Both will burn any foliage so take care to not spray your plants or lawn.
To prevent weeds, apply Hi Yield Grass and Weed Stopper or Weed Beater Complete to help control existing weeds and prevent new ones.
Apply Weed-B-Gon for Southern Lawns or Image to kill the existing weeds once our weather warms up to 70-80 degrees with no rain for about 5 days. They are safe for Floratam & Raleigh St. Augustine and Bermuda. Give them 2 weeks to fully work and then it should be time to fertilize the lawn.
Fertilize
Fertilize when the grass is actively growing. Apply organic Medina Growin Green or Milorganite to your lawn. Water in well (approximately 30 minutes per area). These organic fertilizers will feed your lawn and soil with minimal watering. Lay new sod anytime, bermuda seed anytime this month.
What To Plant
Most annuals and perennials can now be purchased as transplants this month. Here is a list of some of our favorites: (L-R) caladiums (plants and bulbs), larkspur, petunias, salvia, gerbera daisy, alyssum, false heather, celosia, lantana, coleus.
Read: Fuel For Your Hungry Hummers
Vegetable Seeds
Beans, okra, radish, pumpkins, and watermelons, squash, cantaloupe, basil, corn
Vegetable Transplants
Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, and strawberries
Garden Guide: Vegetable Planting Dates
Hardy Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Grasses
All hardy and tropical trees, shrubs, vines and grasses. I can’t think of one that can’t be planted now!
Bulbs & Caladiums
Late spring and summer bulbs such as caladiums, and elephant ears
Houseplants
March is a great time to clean, trim, and feed your houseplants. As the sun becomes stronger, plants may require more waterings. Check more often. Consider repotting in Spring. Over Winter, houseplant roots can outgrow their existing pots.
Fertilize
AZALEAS, GARDENIAS, MAGNOLIAS
Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo or Espoma Azalea Tone.
HIBISCUS & TROPICAL BLOOMERS
Fertilize all hibiscus and tropical bloomers organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or conventionally with Hibiscus Food.
ALL TREES & SHRUBS
Fertilize organically with Milorganite, Medina Growin Green, Plant Tone, or Hasta Gro.
ANNUALS & PERENNIALS
Fertilize organically with Medina Growing Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone, or conventionally with Osmocote Time Release Granules.
ESTABLISHED ROSES
Fertilize organically with Maestro Rose Glo or Plant Tone.
ESTABLISHED CITRUS TREES
Fertilize organically with Citrus Tone.
Read: Fertilize Your Citrus Now
All granular fertilizer should be watered in well.
Prune
- All dead and freeze damaged wood from hardy and tropical trees, shrubs, vines and perennials
- Wait to prune early spring bloomers like Azaleas, Carolina Jessamine, climbing roses, Texas Mountain Laurels, and Indian Hawthorn until after they finish their bloom.
Water
- Water all plants well after planting, and regularly through the first year. Plants will begin to use more water as they grow and bloom.
- Outdoor potted plants dry out quickly, as do hanging baskets and small annuals.
- Mulch all plants to help hold moisture.
Garden Guide: Good Water Practice for Established Trees, Shrubs, and Lawns
What to Watch Out For
Protect your Lawn from Oak Leaves
Live oaks are following their natural pattern of dropping old leaves before the new leaves come on. Now it’s time to get those oak leaves off your lawn before it suffocates the grass. Under large oaks, since the grass is often thin and stressed anyway because of shade, using a blower is less stressful on the weak turf than a rake.
Lawn Care
Fertilize when the grass is actively growing
Treat organically with Medina Growin’ Green or Milorganite. Organic lawn food is best for long-term root and soil health.
Water in well (approximately 30 minutes per area).
Eliminate broadleaf weeds
Treat with Ortho Weed B Gon for Southern Lawns for broadleaf weeds, Image for grassy weeds and sticker burrs.
Water lawn 2 days prior to application.
If you treat for weeds, wait 3 weeks before you fertilize.
Read: Time to Fertilize and Get Rid of the Weeds!
Lay new sod
Lay new sod or plant Bermuda seed anytime this month.
Read: St. Augustine Turf Grass: Varieties We Sell and Their Characteristics
Watch: How to Repair Dead Patches in Your Lawn
Watch: How to Collect a Grass Sample
Water
Only water every 7 to 14 days if we don’t get rain.
Water deeply (1”per area.)
It’s best to water in the morning. This helps to reduce problems with fungus.
Set your sprinkler:
For best lawn health in clay soil, sprinklers should be run for short times but repeated several times in the same morning, so water can soak in before more water is added. Water deep to train roots to go deep.
What To Plant
Late spring/summer blooming annuals and perennials:
For sunny areas:
Zinnias, periwinkles, moss rose, purslane, lantana, blue daze, false heather, salvia, ice plant, gomphrena, ruellia, coreopsis, and pentas.
Read: Create Your Own Butterfly Garden
For shady areas:
Shrimp plant, ageratum, agapanthus, caladiums, coleus, begonia
Vegetables
Seeds:
Okra, beans, black eyed peas, watermelon, ornamental gourds, cantaloupe
Transplants:
Peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, okra
Indoor Plants
Pro Tips for Houseplants
- If your houseplant looks unhappy, think location first. It may need to be moved to a different spot with different lighting.
- Keep them away from the AC vents (they like humidity and the AC dries them out)
- General rule for watering; water well then re-water once the soil feels dry to the touch
- Spring is time to start fertilizing your houseplants. Your plants will love organic Hasta Gro
- If they are getting too big for their pots, bump up to a slightly larger pot. Watch video
Read: Plants, the Perfect Rx for Clean Air, Pro Planting Tip: Not Too Deep
Fertilize
Established citrus trees
(3 years or older)
Fertilize organically with Citrus Tone, Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Plant Tone, or conventionally with Ammonium Sulfate 21-0-0.
Azaleas, gardenias, and magnolias
Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or Espoma Azalea Tone.
Annuals and perennials
Fertilize organically with Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo, PlantTone, or conventionally with Hibiscus Food.
Established roses
Treat organically with Maestro Rose Glo, PlantTone, or conventionally with Hibiscus Food
Trees and shrubs
Fertilize trees organically with Medina Growin’ Green or Milorganite. Feed shrubs organically with Medina Growin’ Green, Plant Tone, or Liquid Hasta Gro.
Warm weather vegetables
Fertilize organically with Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone.
Prune
Early spring bloomers:
Early spring bloomers: Including azaleas, indian hawthorn and caroline jessamine – wait to prune until AFTER they bloom
Hedges:
Trim hedges as needed to maintain good form.
Poinsettias:
Prune to approximately 12” tall.
Watch Out For
Watch out for pest outbreaks on everything from vegetables to trees. They should be out in full force and hungry. Watch for powdery mildew and blackspot on roses.
Read: With The Spring Flush Comes Insects
Caterpillars:
Treat organically with Spinosad or Thuricide, or conventionally with Cyonara.
Read: Caterpillar Alert!
Read: Are Your Bougainvilleas Being Chewed?
Scale:
Treat organically with Neem Oil Spray or Spinosad Soap, or conventionally with Cyonara.
Read: Does Your Hackberry Have Wooly Aphids?
Beetles, Aphids:
Treat organically with Spinosad Soap or Diatomaceous Earth, or conventionally with Cyonara.
Fungus, Powdery Mildew:
Treat organically with Neem Oil or Revitalize Fungicide 5, or conventionally with Fertilome Broad Spectrum Fungicide, Systemic Fungicide
White Fly:
Treat organically with Insecticidal Soap, Neem Oil or conventionally with Cyonara.
Mulch
Apply mulch around trees, flowerbeds and vegetable gardens to reduce weeds and help retain moisture.
We recommend: Cypress, hardwood, black velvet, and pine straw mulch. These reduce weeds well and will not float away.
Lawn Care
Apply Medina Growin’ Green or Milorganite to your lawn. Water in well approximately 30 minutes per area to begin working. These feed the soil and your lawn.
Prevent broadleaf weeds
Use Hi-Yield Crabgrass & Weed Preventer
Plant new grass
Lay new sod or Bermuda seed anytime this month – plan to make time for watering!
Follow city watering guidelines
Continue watering established lawns if we don’t have rain.
Visit: City Watering Guidelines
Fix yellow spots
Apply Nature’s Blend Compost to yellow spots in lawn.
Plant
Sunny areas:
Zinnias, Periwinkles, Moss Rose, Purslane, Lantana, Blue Daze, False Heather, Salvia, Ice Plant, Gomphrena, Ruellia, Coreopsis, Pentas
Shady areas:
Caladiums, Coleus, Begonias, Ageratum, Shrimp Plant, Torenia, Agapanthus, Snowbush
Seeds:
Morning Glory, Moonflower, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Gomphrena
All container grown hardy and tropical trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, groundcover, and citrus trees
Read: Fruit Trees and Citrus in Your Own Backyard
Indoor Plants
Warm temps allow you to take your indoor plants outdoors for some fresh air. Just be sure to keep them protected from the sun. Shady patios are perfect for a short stay. Wash off the dust and bring them back in nice and clean.
Read: Plants, the Perfect Rx for Clean Air, Pro Planting Tip: Not Too Deep
Pro Tips for Houseplants
- If your houseplant looks unhappy, think location first. It may need to be moved to a different spot with different lighting.
- Keep them away from the AC vents (they like humidity and the AC dries them out)
- General rule for watering; water well then re-water once the soil feels dry to the touch
- Spring is time to start fertilizing your houseplants. Your plants will love organic Hasta Gro
- If they are getting too big for their pots, bump up to a slightly larger pot.
Fertilize
All granular fertilizer should be watered in well.
Tomato & Pepper Plants
Fertilize regularly with organic Rose Glo or Hasta Gro, Plant Tone, or Medina Growin' Green, or conventionally with High Yield 21-0-0 (ammonium sulfate).
Annuals & Perennials
Use organic Medina Growin' Green, Rose Glo or Plant Tone, or Hasta Gro.
Azaleas, Magnolias, Gardenias
Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or Espoma Azalea Food.
Roses
Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo.
Hibiscus & Tropical Bloomers
Use organic Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food.
Trees & Shrubs
Fertilize organically with Milorganite, Medina Growin' Green.
Prune
All early spring bloomers if not already done, such as Azaleas, Indian Hawthorn and Carolina Jessamine.
Trim hedges as needed to maintain good form.
Poinsettias to approximately 12” tall.
Watch Out For
Fungus, Powdery Mildew
Treat organically with Neem Oil. Use Fertilome Liquid Systemic Fungicide on ornamentals.
Grub Worms
Use organic Spinosad Soap, or conventional Season Long Grub Control.
Spider Mites
Treat organically with Spinosad Soap or conventionally with Cyonara, Bonide Systemic.
Chinch Bugs
Use organic Diatomaceous Earth, or Spinosad, or conventional Cyonara.
Read: Check For Chinch Bugs If Your Lawn Looks Dry Even Though You Know It’s Not!
Mealy Bugs
Treat organically with Neem Oil, or Insecticidal Soap, or conventionally with Bonide Systemic.
Read: Mealy Bugs are Here
Fleas & Ticks
Treat organically with Spinosad, Diatomaceous Earth, or conventionally with Cyonara.
Read: Got Fleas?
Water
When watering during periods of windy dry conditions, it’s important to water slow and deep. Be sure to watch the spray of your sprinkler and adjust accordingly with the wind
Water all plants well after planting and regularly through the first year. Plants will begin to use more water as they grow and bloom. Outdoor potted plants dry out quickly as do hanging baskets and small annuals.
Mulch
Apply mulch around trees, flowerbeds and vegetable gardens to reduce weeds and help retain moisture. We like cypress, hardwood and pinestraw mulch. These reduce weeds well and will not float away.
Plant
September is vegetable and seed month.
There are numerous selections of vegetables to be started in the garden or in containers. Come in and pick up our fall vegetable guide.
Tomatoes & Peppers
Tomatoes and peppers can be planted through the middle of the month.
Planting Guide: Our Tomato Varieties
Read: New! Grape Tomato ‘Ruby Crush’
Read: Fall Tomatoes
Herbs
A large selection of herbs will be ready to add spice to your garden.
Garden Guide: Herbs
Bluebonnets & Other Wildflowers, Nasturtiums & Fall Marigolds
Plant by seed or transplants.
Read: Fall is Wildflower Time!, Benefits of Marigolds in Your Veggie Garden, Nasturtiums – Super Pretty & Easy (Yummy Too!)
Don’t plant pansies or snapdragons until temperatures have cooled down!
There is still time to add quick summer color such as zinnias, coleus, purslane, moss rose and periwinkles.
Read: Success with Fall Flowers, Best Tips of Planting Trees This Fall, Organic Gardening, Fuel For Your Hungry Hummers
Fertilize
Tropicals
We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food
Vegetables
We recommend organic Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo or Plant Tone, or conventional Hi Yield Ammonium Sulphate.
Roses
We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo.
Poinsettias
We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo or Hasta Gro.
Blooming Annuals and Perennials
We recommend Organic: Medina Growin Green, Hasta Gro or Maestro Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food.
All plants that are especially stressed, or recently transplated
We recommend organic Hasta Gro Organic Fertilizer or Super Thrive
Christmas Cactus
We recommend organic Hasta Gro.
Read: How to Get Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom!
Read: It's Time to Fertilize For Fall!
Prune
- Continue removing faded flowers from annuals and perennials to encourage new blooms.
- Faded blooms and seedpods from crape myrtles to promote additional blooming.
- Rule of thumb for fall pruning is no more than 1/3. Wait until January for heavy cutbacks.
Lawns
Apply organic Nature's Blend or Peat Moss for lawns, or conventional F-Stop granules as a preventative to brown patch fungus, which shows up as temperatures drop during fall and winter months.
Watch: Brown Patch Fungus
Apply organic Nature's Blend, Peat Moss or conventional Hi Yield Iron Plus to yellowing lawns.
Apply Nature’s Blend, Peat Moss, or Scotts Disease Ex to lawns prone to Take All Patch Fungus.
Continue to water deeply every 1 to 2 weeks if little rainfall.
Wait to apply fall fertilizer until October!
Water
- Check all newly planted material for water every day.
- Check pots, containers and hanging baskets often as they dry out quickly and need more water.
- Apply mulch as needed to help conserve moisture.
- Make arrangements for someone to water if leaving for more than 2 days, especially with new plants.
- Follow City Guidelines.
Read: Summer Watering 101
Weed Control
Spray only growing weeds with Captain Jacks Deadweed Brew or Horticultural Vinegar. These products kill all vegetation; so protect plants from drift or over spray.
Apply organic Corn Gluten meal, or Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension in the fall and spring to prevent seeds from sprouting. It will not control already growing weeds.
Weed B Gon or Image can be applied once we cool down into the 80’s temps. An organic option is Captain Jack’s Lawn Weed Brew.
Watch For
Masses of worms eating your oak tree.
Treat with organic Spinosad or Thuricide, or conventional Cyonara. Read: Oak Tree Caterpillars
White Flies on tropicals and perennials, especially lantana and hibiscus.
Treat with organic Insecticidal Soap, Neem Oil, Spinosad Soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1 Spray, or conventional Cyonara or a long acting drench like Fertilome Tree & Shrub
Watch: Yucky Whitefly
Fleas and Ticks
Treat lawns with organic Spinosad, or Diatomaceous Earth Crawling Insect Killer, or conventional Cyonara
Mealy Bugs
Treat with organic Bee Safe 3-in-1 Spray or Insecticidal Soap or Spinosad Soap, or conventional Cyonara, or Bonide Systemic Liquid or Granule
Read: Mealy Bugs are Here!
Caterpillars or their damage (chewed leaves).
Spray organically with Spinosad or Thuricide.
Read: Not All Caterpillars are Bad!
Mosquitoes
Use Mosquito Beater Liquid for quick kill or Mosquito Beater Granules to repel.
Read: Mosquito Solutions
Note: Please, Please, Please, don’t kill the bees!
They are one of the best sources we have to pollinate our fruits, vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.
Planting Season!
Fall is Our Best Planting Season!
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!
Plant
Vegetable Seeds
Beet, carrot, cilantro, collards, lettuce, mustard, onion, parsley, radish, Swiss chard, spinach, and turnip.
Read: Best Timing for Popular Fall Veggies, Keith’s Swiss Chard Success Story
Flower Seeds
Bluebonnets and other wildflowers, larkspur, sweet peas, nasturtiums.
Read: Fall is Wildflower Planting Time!
Vegetable Transplants
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, strawberries, parsley, cilantro, and other herbs.
Read: How to Keep Your Vegetable Garden Healthy This Fall, Get Your Greens! Sally’s Kale Smoothie Recipe
Flower Transplants
Alyssum, begonias, bluebonnet, calendula, chrysanthemum, dianthus (pinks) dusty miller, flowering cabbage and kale, geraniums, gerbera daisy, impatiens, lobelia, marigolds, pansies, petunias, phlox, salvia, snapdragons, stock, verbenas, and viola.
Read: Success with Fall Flowers, Marigolds & Mums!
Flower Bulbs
Begin refrigerating bulbs that require chilling such as paperwhites. Amaryllis can be planted now.
Read: Amaryllis & Paperwhites
All container grown trees and shrubs
Read: Burr Oak – an Awesome South Texas Tree
Read: Best Tips of Planting Trees This Fall
Indoor Plants
- Check the window lighting for your indoor plants. The sun is moving with the change of the season and may bring more or less light indoors.
- Heater vents can cause blemished foliage and dry plants out more quickly. Watch your placement of any new plants coming indoors.
- With cold fronts coming, plan to move your house plants indoors, if you have moved any outside during warmer weather. Provide adequate lighting & adjust watering.
- Let this be your last feeding for your outdoor tropical plants that are becoming houseplants for the winter. They need to rest.
- Keep watch for any tagalong critters or insects & move them back outdoors. Treat if needed.
Fertilize
Read: Organic Gardening
Winterize Your Lawn
Winterize your lawn with organic Milorganite or Medina Growin’ Green.
Tropicals
We recommend: Organic Maestro Rose Glo, Hasta Gro, or conventional Hibiscus Food
Roses
Organic: Maestro Rose Glo
Poinsettias
Organic: with Maestro Rose Glo
Blooming Annuals and Perennials
Organic: Medina Growin Green, Hasta Gro or Maestro Rose Glo
Conventional: Hibiscus Food, or Osmocote 14-14-14 Time Release
Read: Success with Fall Flowers
Vegetables
Organic: Hasta Gro, Medina Growin Green, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone
Conventional: Hi Yield Ammonium Sulphate, or Osmocote 14-4-14 Time Release Granules
Christmas Cactus
Organic: Hasta Gro
Read: How to Get Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom!
All plants that are especially stressed, or recently transplanted
We recommend organic Hasta Gro.
Lawn Care
Apply conventional Fertilome F-Stop as a preventative to brown patch fungus, which shows up as temperatures drop during fall and winter months.
Apply organic Nature’s Blend or Peat Moss to lawns prone to Take All Patch Fungus, or conventional Scotts Disease X.
Read: Protect Your Lawn: Recent Take All Root Rot Sightings (TARR)
Continue to water deeply every 1 to 2 weeks if little rainfall.
Read: Top Five Tips for a Beautiful Fall Lawn, Fall and Winter Lawn Care
Watch Out For
Masses of worms eating your oak tree.
Treat with organic Spinosad or Thuricide or conventional Cyonara
Read: Oak Tree Caterpillars
Grub Worms in Lawns
Treat with Bayer 24 hour Grub Control Granules
White Flies on tropicals and perennials, especially lantana and hibiscus.
Treat with organic Spinosad Soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1, Neem Oil, or conventional Eight Garden Spray Tree & Shrub drench, or Bonide Systemic Garanules.
Chinch Bugs in Lawns
Treat with organic Diatomaceous Earth, Spinosad or conventional Cyonara
Mealy Bugs
Treat with organic Neem Oil, Spinosad Soap, or Bee Safe 3-in-1, or conventional Cyonara, or Bonide Systemic Liquid or Granule
Read: Mealy Bugs are Here!
Mosquitoes
Use Mosquito Beater Liquid for quick kill or Mosquito Beater Granules to repel
Read: Mosquito Solutions
Fleas and Ticks
Treat lawns with organic Spinosad, or Diatomaceous Earth Crawling Insect Killer or conventional Cyonara
Powdery Mildew on Crape Myrtles & Roses
Use organic Neem Oil or conventional Fertilome Systemic Fungicide
Note: Please, Please, Please, don’t kill the bees!
They are one of the best sources we have to pollinate our fruits, vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.
Read: Best for Bees!
Water
Water your newly planted vegetables and bedding plants regularly, but take care not to overwater with cooler nighttime temperatures.
Cut back on watering your established plants and lawn as temperatures cool down, since they use less water. If you are unsure when to water, use a moisture meter to take out the guesswork.
Prune
Your hardy, woody ornamentals and tropicals only to shape, not severely.
Summer perennials.
