whitefly

New! The Corpus Christi Garden Book 2015!

We now have the Corpus Christi Garden Book for sale. There have been three books prior to this one; 1949, 1970 & 1992. This book is specific to our area and contains a wealth of updated information for gardening in South Texas and the Coastal Bend.

Fungus is Among Us

With the cold temperatures and rain we have had recently, the ground has been kept moist with no chance to dry out, which can lead to fungus. Apply F-stop or Bayer Fungus Granules to lawns prone to get fungus. Remember it is always easier to prevent than to cure.

Stop Scale Insects

It is also time to apply your All Season Dormant Oil Spray.Spray all plants that get Scale and other insects in the Spring. Ex. Flax Lily, Cast Iron, Irises, Pittosporum, Hollies and more. It also smothers dormant insect eggs of Spider Mites, Mealybugs and Whitefly. Spray all Citrus Trees now to control Citrus Blackfly and Leafminer. May be used up to the day of harvest.

Time to fertilize your lawn, trees & shrubs! Hopefully by the time you get this, the sunshine will have warmed and dried the soil enough to fertilize. Use Gill Lawn and Garden for all your trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers. Also feeds the vegetable garden. Covers 6000 sq. ft. per bag.

-DeAnna

For weed control in your lawn, use Weed B Gon for St. Augustine. We have a new formulation that is safe to use on Floratam St. Augustine Grass. Treats up to 2500 sq. ft. and comes in a ready to spray hose-end bottle. Image will kill some broadleaf weeds (dollarweed) as well as a few grassy weeds (grassburrs) without hurting your St. Augustine. Another new product we have is Topshot. It also kills all broadleaf weeds in the lawn and comes in a package with 2 ampules which cover 5000 sq. ft. Simply add 1 ampule with water in either a pump sprayer or Dial n Spray to cover 2500 sq. ft.. For best results apply weed killers when weather is warm (not hot) and sunny for 3-4 days. Do not use in flowerbeds for weed control (except Image), only as a lawn application.

-DeAnna

For insect control, use Bayer Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed Liquid. Mix according to directions and drench at the base of your trees and shrubs to prevent aphids, borers, caterpillars, scale, whitefly, mealybugs and more. Plants that are prone to getting bugs, like Hackberry trees that get wooly aphids every June, Hibiscus, Jatropha and other tropicals that get mealybugs every summer, and Bougainvilleas that are constantly eaten by caterpillars can be protected by using this product. If you have ever noticed black soot on your plants, this is the product to use since sooty mold is caused by insects.

-DeAnna

For a quick and easy craft, make Lavender Sachets! Sachets are little bags of dried herbs that freshen up your clothes, linens, or your entire closet. Once your lavender plant has produced its blossoms, cut the flower stalks and tie them together. Place the bundle in a dry and dark place for about a week (they should be dry enough to use then), then strip off the blossoms and buds. Then either sew or buy little bags of sheer material and place about ¼ to ½ cup of dried lavender blooms in each. And there you go! It’s simple and easy, and

your clothes will always smell great!

-Marta

Organic Insecticide: Insecticidal Soap is based on potassium fatty acids and is used to control many plant pests. Because insecticidal soap only works on direct contact with the pests, it is important to thoroughly spray the entire area of the plant where you see the pests. It is used to kill aphids, scales, whitefly, mealybugs and spider mites.

Some plants can be sensitive to it, so be sure and read the label before spraying. (You should spray a small part of the plant, wait a couple of days to see if there is any reaction before you spray the entire plant.) It also cannot be sprayed when the temperatures are above 90 degrees. I usually recommend to spray in the early evening once the plants are in the shade. This gives them all night to dry before the sun hits them the next day. The same is true for Neem Oil. It works to kill and repel a wide variety of insects.

It also can be used as a fungicide and miticide. Neem Oil is not known to be harmful to mammals, birds, earthworms or some beneficial insects such as butterflies, honeybees and ladybugs if it is not concentrated directly into their area of habitat or on their food source. Spinosad is another insecticide used to kill borers, bagworms, caterpillars, leafminers, thrips, fleas , scales and beetles to name a few.

It is also available in a granular bait form to kill fire ants. And lastly Diatomaceaous Earth. This is a powder used to scratch the exoskeleton of insects causing them to dehydrate and die. Works on roaches, fleas, pill bugs, ants and more. Depending on what insects you are trying to control, we can help you find the best product to meet your needs.

-DeAnna

Last year I planted my hummingbird and butterfly garden with over 30 milkweed, Turks cap, passion vine and native lantana. It grew beautifully in the back corner of my yard, and I pretty much just left it alone. Since now is the time to prune, I rolled up my sleeves, got out my pruners and started to go to town. Oddly enough, as I was whacking back a lantana I noticed in my peripheral vision movement all around me. So I stopped pruning and sat down and started to meditate. After about five minutes of sitting still, I opened my eyes and was absolutely floored! Every bug I have ever seen in my life was there in my garden. There were honey bees and bumblebees, fritillary butterflies and big bold monarchs, assassin bugs, ladybugs galore, orb weaver and large wolf spiders, a praying mantis, mud-dobber wasps, horseflies, house flies and soil gnats. And about 150 monarch butterfly caterpillars! It was like an optical illusion. The more I sat still, the more I saw everything moving around me. Not only were there bugs, but there were toads, lizards, and a bold mockingbird that decided to land not five feet from me. Of course there were aphids and whitefly, but I watched as ladybugs flew down and began to munch them all up, and a praying mantis was going to town on the flies. It was absolutely astounding! All this life was in a 10 foot by 10 foot bed. If you have a section of your garden that you can let be pesticide free and 100% organic, please let it be! You’ll be amazed by what life does in the garden when you’re not looking.

-Marta

Not flies, not moths, whitefly are about the size of gnats. If you see these little clusters of flies when you brush through your foliage, you need to control them.

Whitefly sucks the sap out of the plants – resist damage organically with Neem Oil. Mix your Neem oil in a sprayer, and spray all over the plant. Don’t miss the undersides of the leaves.

You’ll need more than one treatment – apply again in a week and then a week after that. Neem oil will also help with a variety of other soft-bodied insects like aphids and spider mites.

Happy gardening!

Spring is upon us once again and with that comes the flush of new growth followed by the awakening of hungry insects! One good product to help keep your new young foliage beautiful this spring is All Seasons Horticultural & Dormant Spray Oil.

Dormant Oil is an easy and organic way of deterring pests by suffocating out anything that may have overwintered on your plants, including any eggs that may have also made it through the winter. January, February and March is the only time we’re cool enough to use it. Use it much later and you run the risk of burning your plants as it is an oil. It’s easy to use- just hook it up to your hose and spray to the point of dripping. It can be used on woody ornamentals, Crape Myrtles, Hibiscus, Allamandas, and many more. I have also found that it helps to soften up the black sooty mold that tends to stay around after an infestation of aphids, whitefly, etc. making it easier to wash/spray off. It also makes the plant sprayed all shiny and new looking again!

Note: Do not use on ferns or succulents!

-Whitney

Are you challenged with caterpillars, leafminers or whitefly every year? On your bougainvillea, hibiscus, ash or oak trees? If so, now’s the time to apply Bayer Tree & Shrub Drench. Be careful though, not to use on your herbs, veggies & fruit trees.

Another great drench and less expensive, Fertilome Tree & Shrub Systemic Insect Drench doesn’t work well on caterpillars but is great for wooly aphids in hackberry trees, asian cycad scale on sago palms, lace bug on lantana, aphids and whitefly on crape myrtle or even mealy bug that attack your hibiscus every year and drive you crazy with spraying. Again, do not use systemic insecticides on herbs, veggies & fruit trees.

It’s best to monitor your plants and spot spray individual plants when needed, but we all get busy and so the systemic may be the best option for you. We have both products in stock now for your spring application.

We always recommend you use the least toxic product to get rid of damaging insects. For example, aphids get on more plants than anything else in the spring, but on the bright side, they are also very easy to control. Sharp sprays of water many times works to rinse them off the new foliage.

Whatever your insect challenge, come and see us for help in determining the best way to control them. Many times you do not need to spray but rather let Mother Nature take care of the problem with her many beneficial insects preying on the damaging insects. We have ladybugs in stock right now, a great beneficial insect and fun to watch!

-DeAnna

Last week James and I were visiting some friends of ours, Anita & Rolf Nelson, also in the garden center business. They own Nelson’s Water Gardens in Katy, Texas. Anita reads our blogs and read what we recommended for whitefly.

She shared with me their way of controlling whitefly in the garden, organically. They spread worm castings in late spring at the base of plants that are susceptible to white fly. The digestive system of earthworms produces an enzyme called chitinase, which repels insects. They recommend working into the top few inches of soil and then watering in. Then in the dog days of summer when insects abound, your plants become a repellant to the sucking insects.

Great to know! Next May we’ll post in our monthly to do’s to add worm castings to your soil! Thank you Anita and Rolf!

-Sally

whitefly

New! The Corpus Christi Garden Book 2015!

Fungus is Among Us

Stop Scale Insects

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