Top 6 Gardening Must Do’s for August 2024
Temperatures may not feel like it yet, but it’s time to start making the transition into an exciting new Fall planting season! There’s a lot to do in August to set yourself up for big garden success this Fall and beyond. Here are our top must-do’s! Check out our August Garden Guide for more tips and remember […]
Time to Fertilize Lawns and Landscapes! Here’s How…
After a long summer, the recent rains and cooler temps have worked wonders for our lawns and landscapes. Everything is bursting with new growth, which means everything is using a lot of energy, which means…we need to fertilize!! Use our simple fertilizing tips and you’ll see a big difference: healthier, stronger, more disease and pest-resistant, […]
How Long Should You Water Your Lawn?
Most people (and I’m most people too) just guess how long to leave their sprinkler in one place, or how many minutes to set their automatic sprinkler zones for. 10 minutes per zone? 45 minutes? You don’t really know, and neither did I, I had just set them for 12 minutes per zone and 3 […]
Last Chance to Feed Lawns and Treat Weeds + Slow Down Watering!
Fertilizing lawns now (before November 15th!) helps develop strong roots for healthy growth next Spring and Summer. And, if you’re concerned about weeds, now’s the time to take care of them. Here’s how! Step 1: Fertilize Now! Fertilizing while it is still warm is best because lawns are still in their active growing season and taking up […]
3 Steps to Great Grass
Spring is in full swing and everyone is ready to get their lawn and landscape in shape for the season. Take these 3 steps to healthy grass that looks and feels great. Remember – a healthy lawn keeps weeds and disease away. If you are having a problem with either, we can help! Bring us […]
Protect Your Lawn – Recent Take-All Root Rot Sightings
Take-All Root Rot (TARR), or Take-All Patch, is a serious fungal disease affecting St. Augustine and Bermuda grass lawns in the Coastal Bend. I have diagnosed 4 cases in the last 7 days, with lawn damage ranging from a few small dead spots up to an 80% dead lawn overrun by weeds, which last year […]
You Gotta Do It… Fertilize Now… For A Beautiful Lawn & Garden!
Feeding your lawn and garden during Fall (mid-September thru early November) provides the nutrients needed for Fall & Winter; AND a healthy start for next Spring. While the soil is still warm, plants and lawns are actively growing. They take up and store food, but not so much as it gets colder. Fall fertilizing […]
Fall Lawn Care
Lawn’s green, no weeds, so why do anything? Our lawns are so green after all this rain! You’re probably thinking “Well shoot, do I have to fertilize or worry about weeds?” The answer is “Yes you do!” Mother Nature gave us a boost with beneficial rains; with a few easy steps your lawn can be […]
Two Sprinklers, One Water Faucet!
Water! It’s a vital part of having a healthy lawn and landscape. Rain is always our best source of water but since summer is here and rain is scarce, I want to show you a little trick I learned. Personally, I love to hand water with a hose, watering pots and flowerbeds, playing with […]
Is Your Lawn and Landscape Prepared for Summer?
Watering slow and deep but not too often is the key to a strong and deep root system. By contrast, frequent, short watering encourages roots to stay shallow, in a zone that dries out faster. Texas A&M recommends applying one inch of water once a week or less, on your chosen watering day. You can […]
St. Augustine Turf Grass: Varieties We Sell & Their Characteristics
Floratam Pro- Good drought tolerance, better disease tolerance, vigorous growth quick to heal damage and resist weeds Con- Less shade tolerant than some varieties, less tolerant of some weed killers, less resistant to severe freeze (not a factor this far south), most coarse in texture TamStar Pro- Said to have good drought, disease, cold, and […]
Does Your Lawn Look as Bad as Mine?
Wow! Snow and 2 hard freezes has really hurt my lawn. The only thing growing are the weeds. The weather is now warm enough, but not quite sunny enough to spray your Weed b Gon Spray. Weed killer sprays will work their best with sunshine and no rain. Be sure to check the forecast to […]
Got Lawn Weeds?
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 […]
Top Five Tips for a Beautiful Fall Lawn
1. Fertilize in Fall. It’s great to fertilize in spring, and again early summer, but fall fertilization is probably the most important of all, and the most neglected. September 15 to November 15 application makes the nutrients available while the roots are still active. This will result in better turf density (and so fewer weeds), stronger […]
Current Lawn Irrigation Guidelines From The City
Update: The city’s current irrigation guidelines limit watering to once a week, between the hours of 6:00 pm and 10:00 am, using a sprinkler or sprinkler system. Hand watering can still be done at anytime. On the heavy clay soil that most of us “enjoy” in the Coastal Bend, a long and slow watering once […]
Early Spring: Time to Fertilize and Get Rid of the Weeds!
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 […]
How Do I Revive My March Lawn?
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 […]
Why Won’t My Weed Killer Work?
One day you look outside at your lawn and BAM, you notice there are weeds everywhere! Before you start spraying with an herbicide, make sure you read the label. Some weed killers have temperature restrictions and either take longer to work or don’t work at all! A better option for this time of year is […]
Post-Summer Lawn Recovery
How to heal your lawn from a long summer: identify and treat damage from Chinch Bugs and Sod Webworms; apply pre-emergent to prevent weeds; fertilize in fall for healthy roots come spring. Also, keep an eye out for the fungus among us. Watch James’ video on Brown Patch Fungus for more info. If you are […]
Watch: Brown Patch Fungus
Watch this video from James to help you identify & prevent Brown Patch Fungus. With shorter days and cooler, damp nights, your lawn is susceptible to this disease.
Top Five Tips for a Beautiful Lawn
1. Fertilize in Fall. It’s great to fertilize in spring, and again early summer, but fall fertilization is probably the most important of all, and the most neglected. September 15 to November 15 application makes the nutrients available while the roots are still active. This will result in better turf density (and so fewer weeds), […]
Is Your Grass Stressed?
In the past week or two lawns all over town are looking like they are drying up from the heat of summer. Well, this could be true if you are not watering slow and deep enough. Make sure you are applying a least an inch of water when you do water. Use a cat food can or tuna […]
Got weeds in your lawn?
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 […]
Dead Areas In Your Lawn?
Have you been working the soil in the flowerbeds or vegetable gardens and found small grubworms? I have seen lots of cases this past week from customers who are finding them in the beds and also in the lawn. If you are seeing dead areas in the lawn, dig down with a shovel width size […]
Nature’s Blend: Our Secret Ingredient for a Happy Lawn
This time of year your lawn might not be looking so great. It might be patchy, or pale yellow, or just unhappy. Since St. Augustine grass goes dormant in the winter, fertilizer might not be the best choice. Instead try using Nature’s Blend compost. It’s an alfalfa humate blend that helps your lawn against fungus […]
Clover Imposter!
Growing up on a farm, I learned that Clover is a good thing. It adds nitrogen back into your soil, has adorable ball-like flowers, and covers your field in gorgeous green. However, there’s also a weed called Oxalis that has Clover-like leaves, and is deep dark green. Oxalis is a weed through and through, and […]
New Product Alert! Burn Out Weed Killer
This stuff works! We tried it out last week on a patch of weeds here in the nursery in a side by side comparison with 20% Vinegar. Within about 5 minutes (I kid you not!) the weeds started drooping. They were dead within an hour. It was amazing! I was floored by its effects. Not only did […]
Fall And Winter Lawn Care
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 […]
October is Time To Fertilize For Fall!
Anytime between mid-September and mid-October is prime time to fertilize the lawn, trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers. Fertilizing while it is still warm is best because plants are still in their active growing season and taking up the nutrients provided. Here’s a repost of DeAnna’s fertilizing guide from earlier this year: “Anytime between mid-September and mid-October is […]
Lawn Looking Tired and Worn?
After all the spring rains giving us lush green lawns, it sure didn’t take long for the dog days of summer to take its toll on some. We are diagnosing lots of chinch bugs and grub worm damage. James has a couple of videos on our website and You Tube about lawns. Be sure to […]
Time to fertilize for the Fall
Anytime between mid-September and mid-October is prime time to fertilize the lawn, trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers. Fertilizing while it is still warm is best because plants are still in their active growing season and taking up the nutrients provided. Once the weather starts cooling down plants begin going into dormancy and therefore are not […]
If You Have a Lawn Irrigation System…
It likely is not working properly! Just like your mower needs the sparkplug adjusted, oil changed, blade sharpened, and maybe a wheel or starter rope replaced, things will go wrong with your irrigation system. But since it operates while you are in bed, you don’t know what needs fixing. I had not operated my sprinkler […]
Organic Gardening 101: Got Weeds?
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 […]
Backyard Drainage Problems + Solutions
I’ve had quite a few calls recently about back yard drainage problems. The first two solutions people tend to ask about are “French drains” or filling the low spots. These might end up being part of the solution, but are not the best place to start. The best solution is usually a swale, which is […]
Tips For Fighting Fleas + Pesky Lawn Weeds
Last chance to kill those pesky lawn weeds. The new formulation of Weed B Gon is totally safe on all lawn grasses including Floratam St. Augustine. The past few weeks of rainy weather has made it difficult to treat, but you must do it soon before our daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees. It comes with […]
Weed & Insect Control: What To Use On Your Lawn Now
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, […]
Tips For Mowing
Dull Mower Blades Damage Lawns Take the time now to sharpen mower blades, pruners, hedge shears and loppers.In the next few weeks it will be time to prune and a sharp tool will make for a better trim. If your mower blades are dull the grass tips will appear shredded and have a threadlike appearance. […]
How to Knock Out Brown Patch & Fire Ants
Brown Patch Fungus In Lawns 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 […]