Caterpillars In The Lawn: Sod Web Worms and Army Worms are eating lawns right now. Signs of this pest are areas in your lawn not growing like the rest of the yard and the grass blades have chew marks or are eaten down to the nub. Also, flocks of birds in your yard feeding is another sign. Use Cyonara Hose-End for a quick kill, or Thuricide for organic control. Reapply as needed.
Landscape Watering: It’s always better to water your plants and lawn during the first half of the day, anywhere from 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning through to 10 a.m. in the morning, when the city require all sprinklers be turned off. Early morning watering is best because winds are the lowest, temperatures are the lowest and humidity is the highest, allowing for less water evaporation and runoff. And remember, city rules state we can (and should) only water our landscape one day a week. You can use a tuna fish can to measure how much water you’re getting out with your sprinkler. Texas A&M recommends clay loam soils get one inch of water once a week.
Brown Patch Fungus is also active after all the recent rains. To avoid cosmetic damage, spread Bayer Fungus Granules or F-Stop to the lawn. If the fungus is not present, and you’ve had fungus issues in the past, you can apply as a preventative. Disease is always easier to prevent than cure. Fertilome Liquid Systemic Fungicide II can also be sprayed to areas that are suspicious and just beginning. Spray two feet beyond infected areas and re-apply after heavy rains, or as the area appears to be growing. Fungus will remain active through the fall and winter with shorter days, damp nights and rain with cold fronts. Nature’s Blend organic compost spread over the areas will also help prevent, and will aid the area in recovering quicker from the damage. If you don’t choose to treat through the fall and winter, your lawn will recover on its own in spring.
Care For Succulents In The Fall: As our days shorten and cool, your succulents will need less water and no fertilizer until spring. Watch for hungry caterpilla
With all the recent rains, cool nights and shorter days, lawns are prone to get fungus. Circular brown patches appear with some green blades in center of the patch, and a thin band of subtle rusty red at the outer edge. If you tug on the rusty red blades at the edge and they pull off the runner easily and look like rotting old celery at the base, then you have fungus. We carry Fertilome Liquid Systemic Fungicide hose-end, Bayer Lawn Fungus Granules, or Fertilome F-Stop Granules. For an organic treatment, use Serenade, or Nature’s Blend compost. You will need to re-treat if the weather conditions and symptoms persist. Be aware these problem areas can grow quickly, so prompt treatment is needed to maintain an attractive lawn.
inch wide. They are browninsh-gray to black with distinctive red markings. Boxelder babies have dull red bodies with black legs. You will find them by the hundreds, if not thousands gathered on the fence, in the bark of trees or hiding in your mulch. Adults deposit their eggs in cracks and crevices of tree bark in the spring, about the time buds begin to open. There are two or more generations per year in Texas. Boxelder Bugs are not considered to be damaging to host plants. Although they feed by sucking plant juices, they seldom cause harm to plants. They are considered more of a nuisance pest. You can choose to ignore them, or if need, they can be sprayed with any insecticide i.e. Cyonara or Triazicide. An organic alternative is Spinosad. –DeAnna
(exotic looking and a butterfly host plant). They’re itching to get into the ground and take off, so why not add some vertical color to your garden?
by adding Lady Bug Expanded Shale.
JUST LIKE MAGIC!
Grace spoke to the kids about her job at Gill’s. They were fascinated that Grace could be given a pencil drawn rough sketch and she could transform it into a colorful scaled landscape using an computer aided drafting program. Just like magic!
Shortly after graduating from the University of Texas, I began dating a handsome young man, our very own James Gill. Months after we started dating, we got the idea (from one of James’ friends, honestly) of starting a landscape business. I went to my parents and told them of our plans. The looks on their faces were priceless. I’m sure they were thinking…and our daughter is doing what? It didn’t take my dad long to come around to the idea of his daughter going into business for herself.
I usually recommend the one that meets your square footage needs. With all the recent rains and summer upon us, it is time to think about fertilizing the lawn and all your tropical shrubs again.
