Horticulture Hotline
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
As any of you know that listen to the radio show ("The Garden Clinic" on WTMA 1250 AM Saturday mornings from noon until 1 p.m.), my co-host Paul is always kidding me about being cheap. I like to think of it as living within my means, being practical, ...
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The cool, wet spring made it rough on predators and diseases that usually keep army worms in check, and the results have manifested themselves across the Lowcountry (and Southeast).
If you have a bermuda grass lawn or pasture, you may want to take ...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
I have to tell myself again, "it will get cooler soon." When it gets cooler, the winter weeds that you see in your otherwise brown January grass will germinate. They can begin to germinate as early as late August, depending on soil temperature and mi ...
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
August is the month that the yard begins to transition out of the summer mode and into the fall / winter mode. Even though it is 135 degrees outside with 150 percent humidity, the air will cool, the kids will go back to school, football and volleybal ...
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Q: Bill, on WTMA last Saturday you provided information on removal of a Red Japanese Maple for transplant. Please provide the informationagain.
A : Here are my guidelines for transplanting plants or trees:
Decide the size of your root ball. For eve ...
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Q: Bill, they can send a man to the moon but I have been told there is not a way to kill common bermuda grass growing in St. Augustine grass. Is this true? I was told the only way I could get rid of the bermuda grass was to pull it up and because th ...
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Q: Bill, I have a white, sticky, fuzzy fungus on my Sweetgrass plant. What can I do? I am retired now and my wife expects me to help her keep a nice yard when I'm not fishing or e-mailing my friends. A: Congratulations on your retirement! Good luck w ...
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Many people are hyper-allergic to fire ant stings. Several people each year die from fire ant bites as well as many more end up in the hospital. Bait products are best used over your entire yard (beds and lawn areas) and are very inexpensive. Over ...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
With the strange weather we are having, the sucking bugs are coming out in big numbers. Mites and lace bugs have sucked much valuable plant juices from our ornamental shrubs and trees, and "the nasty rascal, the chinch bug" has been fooling folks onc ...
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Mosquitoes, roaches, fleas, flies, chinch bugs, wasps, spiders, spittlebugs, and mice have become much more visible with the hot weather. Localized pop up thunder storms have dominated our weather, so there is no telling how much rain we are getting ...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Japanese Beetles have emerged from the ground and are munching down on our ornamental plants like there is no tomorrow, leaving behind lacelike foliage everywhere they dine. The warm weather has also caused the cockroach to move inside for a little a ...
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
With the recent rain and pop up thunderstorms, gray leaf spot and other diseases have been flourishing in the area. Japanese Beetles (June Beetles) have also gone to town on our ornamentals, eating up our foliage like the Spoleto people are eating up ...
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
EcoPCO WP-X is a newer product made from three botanical insecticides that can help fill in the gaps (or cracks and crevices - a little Pest Control Manager lingo) of a "green" program. EcoPCO WP-X can be used indoors and outdoors. Chinch bugs, spide ...
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Last week I got a little side tracked writing about the amazing job that Tony Bakker and his team of people at The Charleston Battery have been able to accomplish through "going green." This week I'm going to concentrate more on some of the newer pro ...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Here is a quick check list of current events in the yard.Lawn Mower - sharp (new) blade, new oil, new air filter, new spark plug?Prune azaleas, camellias and other spring flowering plants after they bloom? Fertilize daffodils and spray them with Mess ...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
As the night time temperatures warm up and the grass starts to actively grow, aerating should be considered for the health of your whole landscape. While you have the holes open in your yard, there are many products that you can add to that root zone ...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Alright, I guess I will give the soil amendment standards at least a week off. I have heard from the critic (anyone that is married knows who I'm talking about), and the recent articles were too technical, boring, like reading a boring college organi ...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
This Horticulture Hotline is a continuation of last week's article about soil modification around trees. The article is the ANSI standards for soil modification. These are just a few situations that I see all the time. If you would like to read the c ...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
This Horticulture Hotline is a continuation of last week's article about soil modification around trees. The article is the ANSI standards for soil modification that are under public review through March 22. These are just a few situations that I see ...
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Over the weekend, I was reading an article about soil management that had several interesting points that could help everyone that has a yard. The article was the ANSI standards for soil modification that are under public review through March 22. The ...
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Q: My oleanders look terrible! I have noticed that there are many around town and they looked just like mine. Do they have the plague? I just moved here two years ago and I have never seen anything like this before. My plants went from green and heal ...
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Over the weekend I was reading how dogs are misbehaving because they have cabin fever. When is this crazy weather going to warm up to normal temperatures? I think 55 degrees is the new 65 degrees. I have this friend in Walterboro that always says, "D ...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
My landscaping and yard were installed last winter (a new house.) During last spring, I decided to relocate (transplant) some variegated liriope. (The species as I recall was Aztec).Most of these transplanted well and grew to a mature size by summer. ...
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
With all the rain and cold and all the rain and cold and all the rain and cold, time to see if you need to work on drainage for your whole yard, areas of your yard, or just have some small areas that puddle.Starting with gutters, do you have them? Do ...
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Q: Continued from last weeks question: With all the rain in the fall and all the cold this winter, I'm ready to get out there and do something in the yard. What is something I can do that will not cause me trouble later (like fertilize too early)?A: ...
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