Weeds

The weather was warm & dry last week and I have been watering a little each morning and evening. It is keeping our plants perky. I did our first Hastagro feeding on October 17^th, after fixing my cutoff hose with a new end and invested in a new hand sprinkler. My old one was used as a chew toy. Even though we hoed and pulled weeds before prepping our garden….guess what’s already coming back? The war is coming and I am hoping to have a new secret weapon to use…its organic, smells great and it works….more on that soon. Our seeds are sprouting nicely; all the transplants doing well, the mystery chewers have found the swiss chard already. Think I’ll start with a pan of beer for snails and slugs. If that does not fix it, I will try Dipel Dust or Spinosad. Both are natural and very effective for most chewing critters!

Maybe then I’ll drink the beer☺

-Debbie

Last week, I shared my before & after soil prep of our veggie garden at home. I tried to plant before last Friday’s rain but did not make it. Good thing, as I realized I had a few areas holding too much water. So after some shoveling to correct the problem, we planted our hearts out Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. We planted by transplants, tuscano kale, seabor kale, redbor kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green cabbage, red cabbage, bright lights chard, rubarb chard, tango celery, thyme, dill, and an artichoke for fun. Then we sowed Botanical Interest seeds of cherry belle radish, purple top white globe turnip, cilantro, kuroda carrots, carnival blend carrots, gourmet blend beets, and red sails lettuce. Before seeding in our root beds, I mixed Bio-tone and Rocket Fuel in the soil. Both of these are very beneficial in root development. As we planted transplants, we added just Bio-tone into the hole, mixed it with the soil, and then planted. This is because we foliar feed with Hasta Gro which helps with both root and plant development. Our last step was a few bales of pine straw to help with water, weeds and looks. Now we say a blessing and a prayer that our garden will be bountiful with plenty to share!

-Debbie

October is the month to do your fall lawn fertilizing and weed prevention. After that it is getting late to have maximum effect. If weeds are a problem every winter and spring, use a pre-emergent to prevent the weeds from sprouting. Amaze granules or Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension are the best to use in October to prevent winter weeds and again in January to prevent spring weeds. An organic alternative is Corn Gluten. These chemicals only last one season, so be sure to re-apply in 3 months. If you have any other questions on Lawn care for the fall and winter, come see me at the Airline Store on Saturday October 10^th from 10:00-11:00, for our fall Garden Talk.

-DeAnna

If you’ve evenoticed at the bottom of our advertising, we say “Over 400 Collective Years of Gardening with Gills!” This comes from the number of years we have worked here combined…I think we are at just over 40 staff members so we average around 10 years per person although some of us are 20 years or more. You know why? It’s because we love gardening. It’s in our blood and we have learned A LOT over our years of sharing garden stories with each other. So how can we share our success with all of you? Garden Talks! As we start this new gardening season…the best in my eyes…so we start our new garden talks beginning September 12^th. They are full of fun, new, interesting topics fitting for all kinds of gardeners. New to the area? These are a perfect way to learn about what lives (and dies) in south Texas. They are packed full of good information, practical suggestions, & we welcome questions. We love to have them outdoors weather permitting but we can move indoors as needed. They are held at our Airline location on Saturdays. Peruse our upcoming topics below, come to one or all! See you soon. Oh did I mention they’re free? Just one more reason to come!

Garden Talks

September-October 2015

Saturdays 10:00 to 11:00am, 2810 Airline
Free – questions always welcome!!

September 12^th

“A Garden For Hummers”

Speaker Marta Swanner, mgr. Gill Landscape Nursery

Hummingbirds are one of nature’s most fascinating creatures with their brilliant colors and supersonic speed. They migrate through South Texas twice a year seeking food and shelter. Join Marta as she talks about the best plants to attract and provide a natural food source for them throughout the seasons.

September 19^th

“Veggies For Fall Gardens”

Speaker Debbie Pinkerton, buyer for Gill Landscape Nursery

Fresh homegrown foods are always the best for you and the most delicious! Fall is the perfect time to plant a food garden with a plethora of choices sure to bring a feast to your table. Come learn about basics of growing food from the soil to the harvest.

September 26^th

“Ireland-Edibles & Garden Designs”

Speaker Kathy Hubner, Landscape Designer, Gill Landscape Nursery

From the ordinary to the extraordinary, Kathy will take you on a journey across the Atlantic to the isle of Ireland! See through her eyes their fantastic gardens filled with flowers, food, and then how you can apply these design ideas to your landscapes. This slideshow presentation brings the weaving of food plants into the landscape creating seamless garden designs.

October 3^rd

“Fall Planting For Trees & Shrubs”

Speaker James Gill, owner, Gill Landscape Nursery

We love the fall weather with its cool nights, warm days, and added rainfall and so do all the plants in South Texas! It is the very best time to plant hardy trees and shrubs. Join James as he talks about the best plant selections, planting practices, and maintenance during the fall and winter seasons.

October 10^th

“Lawn Care & Weed Control For Fall”

Speaker DeAnna Baumgartner, mgr. Gill Landscape Nursery

Lawns hold a top spot in our landscapes…we want them to look good and be free of pests and weeds. DeAnna gives out good sound practices for your lawns during the fall season. From fertilizing, weed control, and watering, she will help “weed out” those questions of what, when and how much.

October 17^th

“More Fun With Containers”

Speaker Merlien Wilder, artist, Gill Landscape Nursery

Join Merlien as she plays with plants perfect for fall patio gardens. Come learn about great combinations, seasonal ideas, new creative projects, and practical tips for small and large containers.

-Debbie

If you are not going to plant into your newly prepped vegetable gardens right away, please be sure to keep them moist and mulched. By doing this, you will prevent the heat from removing all that great organic material you’ve just mixed into your beds. Water is a staple of life, for both plants and the little microorganisms in the soil, and without it both will inevitably die. The mulch will help you control weeds, and if any do pop up, well, it’s a lot easier to pull weeds from mulch than it is from dense soil. Right before you plant your transplants or seeds, you could mix a modest handful of Gardenville Rocket Fuel at the bottom of the planting hole. Also, mix a little Espoma Plant Tone into the dirt when you plant. Happy Gardening!

-Matt

Now is the time to kill any weeds that have popped up in the lawn. The weather needs to be warm and sunny for 3-5 days with no rain or water on the lawn for Weed B Gon to work the best. It comes with a hose-end applicator on the bottle and enough to spray over 2500 sq. ft of lawn area. Do not mow first, but do make sure the lawn is watered well before spraying. And yes, it is safe to use on Floratam St. Augustine. Give it a full 2 weeks to work its magic and by then the grass should be out of winter dormancy and it will be time to fertilize.

–DeAnna

Here is a couple of natural products to kill those weeds without using pesticides. Try Vinegar to kill those unwanted weeds in flowerbeds and cracks of the sidewalk or driveway. The vinegar at the grocery store is usually 5%. You will need 20% vinegar (acetic acid ) to kill weeds effectively. We carry Natures Guide 20% Vinegar Weed Control in a Ready to Use spray bottle and also by the gallon. It is applied undiluted to unwanted weeds in flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. It can also be used in the lawn for weed control, but remember it is non-selective therefore it kills everything, including your lawn grass. For waxy leaves you may want to add a squirt of dish soap as a surfactant to help it stick to the leaf surface. Give it several days to work and all the weeds are dead. We also carry Molasses. Did you know molasses controls nutsedge? Drench problem spots with Liquid Horticultural Molasses at ¼ to ½ cup per gallon of water. Start with about a gallon of drench per 9-10 sq. ft. This simple technique fires up the microbes in the soil and the nutsedge simply fades away. It takes a while to work and requires at least 2-3 applications. As opposed to toxic chemicals, it makes the soil healthier with every application. It also stops the development of the nodes or nutlets underground.

-Deanna

A Few Summer Tips

If your watering hose is in the sun, make sure to let the water run through for a little while before watering your plants. Hot hoses make for hot water!
Caladiums last longer if you pinch off the bloom stalks, which are always great for bouquets.
If your tomatoes or cucumbers remind you of Jack and the Beanstalk, use Takiron stakes and jute twine to lengthen your cage and keep those veggies contained.
You CAN give perennials a haircut in the summertime if you need to, but please nothing too drastic. Shearing blooms and gentle pruning are great ways to keep perennials looking fresh.
Weeds love to encroach on your garden beds in the summer. Walk your beds once a week! Pulling up small weeds now is always easier, and can save you a lot of sweat.
If you have to spray insecticides or fungicides, do in early in the morning or late afternoon, not in the middle of the day! Water droplets have this nasty little habit of acting like magnifying glasses in 90 degree weather, and can cause burns.

-Marta

Got webbing on your trees?

It is not webworms! Webbing on the bark of trunks and branches is a good thing. Don’t spray!! Bark lice is natures clean-up crew. These tiny creatures are scouring the bark for plant, animal, or fungus life which they eat, and while they perform this housekeeping chore, they spin this web for protection. Usually the web will disintegrate in two or three days and will disappear almost a suddenly as it appeared. Leave them alone and let them do their job of cleaning up your trees or shrubs. Thank goodness for good bugs!

-DeAnna