seeds

Prepare Your Spring Gardens!

Now’s the time to prepare the soil with fresh compost and plan your garden layout. Sow seeds of root crops, ex. beets, carrots, radish and turnips. Don’t forget your leafy vegetables such as chard, collards, kale, lettuce, mustard and spinach. Transplants of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower can also be planted now. If you are limited on space, you may want to take this time to let the garden rest. In just a few weeks it will be time to think about tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers, squash and more of the warm season veggies. We will begin bringing in tomatoes the middle of the month, but suggest you transplant them into 1 gal pots so you can take them in on the cold nights. If you prefer to wait till after fear of frost, we will have 1 gallon plants already established for you to plant at a later date. The longer you wait, the bigger you need to buy.

Stop Weeds Now

Now is the time to prevent spring weeds. Apply Amaze Granules to the lawn and flowerbeds to stop weeds from sprouting. By preventing weeds now, you will have less or no weeds to spray later. This is especially important with Floratam St. Augustine since you are limited on what you can spray for weeds without harming the lawn.

Planning For Spring Flowers

Everyone admires the beautiful flowerbeds of geraniums in spring and the sooner you plant them the longer you will get to enjoy them. Geraniums are troopers in the winter and take cold temps just fine. They need ample sun and good drainage. Buy them in our super 6-packs to save both time and money. We have great colors in stock now!

Instantaneous!

Flowers are the best way to bring a little sunshine into the gloomy days of winter. Blooming containers of Stocks bring sweet perfume and pretty spires of flowers

reminiscent of grandmothers and country living. They make great cut flowers too. They love the cold and last well into spring!

Let Your Plants Rest…

Resist the temptation your next sunny Saturday…to trim. Our plants are in a dormant state of growth right now due to cold temperatures. If you trim them, it sends a message to the plant that it’s time to grow which will damage the plant with the next cold snap. So…just enjoy the winter season and rest, with your plants.

Impatiens & Wildflower Seeds

Get ’em in the ground now!

Plant Impatiens now for winter color in part sun to shade. They will give you show-stopping color into May of next year.

Sow wildflower seeds now for spring blooms.

Amaryllis & Paperwhite Bulbs

October is the month to dig and divide mature, crowded Amaryllis bulbs. This needs to be done every 3 years. We are receiving our Amaryllis bulbs next week at both stores.

We have Narcissus Paperwhite bulbs now! For successful bloom, refrigerate now for 4 weeks. Pot them in soil or water the weekend of Thanksgiving and they will be ready to give as gifts with buds and blooms for Christmas.

Beneficial Insects for Natural Pest Control

Ladybugs’ favorite foods are aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and many other soft bodied insects. They should be released in the evening or very early morning or when it is cool or overcast. Moisten the infested plants first and then release the Ladybugs at the base of the plant. Each package contains approx. 1500 Ladybugs for $10.00.

Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic worms that seek out and destroy over 200 kinds of soil dwelling insects including grubs, flea larvae, cutworms, and root knot nematodes. Each package contains approx. 5 million Nematodes for $20.00.

The 2 days of freezing weather did not help our lawns at all, but I think there may be more happening than just the cold weather. I am hearing customers finding grub worms in the lawns, flowerbeds and potted plants. I have also seen chinch bugs in lawn samples brought in for diagnosis. I would first check the lawn for insects before treating for fungus or fertilizing. If you are uncertain you can dig up a shovel width sample of soil, grass and all wrapped in newspaper or placed in a box for us to look at.

Once we determine insects, fungus or neither, it is time to think about fertilizing. Once the grass is actively growing to the point you are mowing once a week, then it is time to apply fertilizer. I always say, “you can put a bowl of food by a sleeping dog and he won’t eat till he wakes up.” The same is true for the lawn. Since we want our lawns to recover quickly and look good again, timing is key. We need to make sure it has woke up from winter dormancy.

There are also lots of weeds in the lawn. Pre-emergents such as Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension prevent weed seeds from sprouting and should be applied in January to stop Spring weeds, but can be applied year around for weed prevention. Existing weeds can be killed with Weed b Gon hose-end spray. It is most effective applied with 3-5 days of warm weather and sunshine in the forecast and no watering or rain for at least 3 days. Also make sure you are watering slow and deep enough since we have had several months of record heat. With a little time , patience and TLC the lawns should recover and look great once again.

-DeAnna

weed-b-gon — **Weed B Gon** kills many different types of broadleaf weeds without harming your grass.

Days are staying warm and our lawns are growing. Now’s the time, sometime in the next few weeks, to get your lawn, trees and shrubs fertilized. Great for the spring application is our Gill 13-1-3 Lawn & Garden Fertilizer for all your trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers. Also feeds the vegetable garden. One bag covers 6,000 square feet.

Winter weeds many times will just go away once your lawn starts growing. Some lawns, though just have too many weeds and need some pro-active weed killing. Ortho Weed B Gon For St. Augustine is safe to use on Floratam St. Augustine and comes in an easy to spray hose-end bottle and kills many, many different types of broadleaf weeds without harming your grass.

Image is great for grassy weeds like grassburs and also works on nutsedge and some broadleaf weeds without hurting your St. Augustine, also available in a easy to use hose end sprayer.

Post emergent weed killers are best used when it will be warm & sunny for a few days.

turf — Kill weeds before they sprout with **Hi-Yield** pre-emergent.

Another great weed management product is pre-emergent Hi Yield Grass Stopper With Dimension. It can be used any time of year to keep weed seeds from sprouting – in the first place!!

We know it’s a lot to learn. Please know we’re happy to help you make the best product choice for your landscape. And remember, it’s always important to read the label before using any lawn product. Come see us!

– DeAnna

Sally and I, as members of the South Texas Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas, spent a very pleasant day touring Rancho Lomitas Native Plant Nursery and RV Park in far South Texas, near Rio Grande City. Our hosts were Benito and Toni Trevino, he is an ethnobotanist (knows plants and how people have utilized them as food, medicine, tools, and such) and Toni is his longtime sidekick/boss.

Our tour started with Toni roasting mature ebony beans to brew up some South Texas coffee substitute, popular with early settlers and vaqueros, as coffee was hard to come by on the frontier. Benito took over with stories of how, as one of 14 siblings (and another 12 cousins) they would gather younger ebony seeds and eat them fresh as a snack, or roast them over mesquite coals for even better flavor, and techniques for gathering and preparing yucca blooms for cooking or pickling and canning. Meanwhile, Toni was roasting up a dish full of nopalitos (young prickly pear cactus pads) and she soon called us for fresh, hot tacos de nopales. As we munched, Benito explained how regular consumption of nopales has shown great benefit for controlling blood sugar levels in diabetics.

We were then loaded into the cattle trailer (the people got to ride that day, while the longhorns walked) and toured their property with Benito giving a running lecture about the native plants and terrain. He pointed out the amargoso with pretty purple blooms, which he and all other family members would use as an anti-dysentery decoction, very necessary as they were often required to drink whatever water was available, whether from the Rio Grande, or even stagnant pools. Benito said the large majority of South Texas folk medicines have not been verified scientifically, but the amargoso is an exception, having been shown to kill amoebas in laboratory conditions.

He showed us how to break off the sharp tip of an Agave lechuguilla and strip out the very strong fiber to use as a needle and thread, for sewing clothes or a shelter or bag, or even an open wound of people or livestock. The lechuguilla is much preferred, as most other Agave species have an extremely caustic sap, causing blistering. As the dust blew up behind the cattle trailer, he told how wild longhorns were driven north to market after the Civil War, and the cowboys in the rear of the herd were riding in almost constant dust. They would relieve the irritation in their eyes with eyewash made of young mesquite leaves crushed in water.

All in all it was a fascinating day in great company. Thanks Benito and Toni, and NPSOT South Texas Chapter.

– James

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

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

September

It’s not too late to get your squash, cucumber and beans seeds in the ground for a fall crop. It’s important to get them up and going before a cold snap.

Mid-September Through Fall

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower & brussel sprouts best planted now from transplant.

Lettuce, kale & spinach can be planted in seed & transplant now through the fall for winter and spring harvest. Same with radishes, carrots & beets.

Mid November

Onion seeds are planted mid October. We will have the onion sets in the store mid-November for planting. Harvest period is January, February and March.