The Landscape Thread - Blues and Borders!

[Sirhornsalot]

Are these Fire Ants?

Also, how/where did you upload your picture of the tomato plants? I thought I read that Aaron said it was now possible to upload photos to Hornsports but I haven't been able to figure it out yet. I was going to post some pictures of my plants.

Let me know if they're fire ants. We have to use a different type of chemical for them as opposed to all the other ants.

 

[popdaddy]

I think this stuff that's driving me mad is chickweed.  Last year I dug a bunch out and used Roundup where I could.  Do you have any other chemical recommendations? It gets into the Bermuda I don't want to kill with Roundup. 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

I think this stuff that's driving me mad is chickweed.  Last year I dug a bunch out and used Roundup where I could.  Do you have any other chemical recommendations? It gets into the Bermuda I don't want to kill with Roundup. 

Hey pop daddy, hope all is well aside from the chickweed. You can kill using Trimec (available on amazon) which is for Bermuda only. Mix with water in a tank sprayer, include a couple squirts of dish soap to make it stick to the leaves.

Also, you can go beyond that and get a product called Celsius WG which will kill about any weeds in any lawn without hurting the turf grass, including the broadleaf. However, at $100 per bottle, it's pricey. But it's what we use. It's available at doyourownpestcontrol.com  I think they sell it for about $150 a bottle. I can sell to you for the $100 price, depending on where you are located.

Also, I have a product made at Howard Johnson lab in Dallas that I call "Viper" which we use on Bermuda lawns. It's a weed/feed (15-0-6) that is mild, but the weed killing ability is unmatched by any other Bermuda product. It will clean a lawn up quick.

If you need my assistance on any of this, you can email me at greenthumbtx@verizon.net

BTW - grubs are feeding early this year. I suggest you get a grub kill down pronto. We use "Arena" but a product like Grub-ex will do this trick with two applications (two weeks apart). If you're wondering why your bermuda isn't a little healthier, this could be why.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

ATTENTION BEAR19 - I've been notified by one of my nurseries that your order of Horse Herb ground cover has arrived. They've tagged it for me but that will only last about a week (reserved). I've emailed you but haven't received a response. 

I need to do something with this pretty quick. FYI

 

[SFlonghorngirl]

Help!  My tomato plants are wilting and dying.  Everything else is growing but my tomatoes.  Do they have a disease?  Ugh...so sad!  I was really looking forward to these Early Girls!  

 

[Sirhornsalot]

It's hard to tell from the photo. You had previously mentioned that they went a while without water while you were away. That probably gave them a bad start.

The goal with tomato growing is once they're planted, get them as big and healthy as you can as fast as you can. The more leaf growth during the early period the better as this is what the plant uses to protect itself when it gets hotter.

You will see that yours are lacking some leaf content and are suffering as this heat begins to ramp up. What I would consider doing is buying a small amount of that green shade cloth (comes in green, black, brown, beige) and affix it to where it provides shaded/filtered sun for the last half of the day. Aside from that, keep them damp, don't let them go dry again.

Do not apply any fertlizers at this point. That would have been best to do during the 3rd or 4th week after planting. It would burn them up now.

Just think how much you're going to know going into this next year!

 

[Bobo]

Can I still trim back my Azaleas or is it to late?

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Bob, don't know where you are. If you're in the Houston area, you can probably get away with it. But if you in DFW - Austin - San Antonio - no way, wait until fall.

 

[Bobo]

Live in Tyler

 

[Sirhornsalot]

You guys in Tyler are out of the drought so you could probably get away with doing it now. If you do, keep an eye on them for a few weeks and keep them moist.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

You folks in Frisco, your water restrictions just got a bit more intense.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/collin/Frisco-votes-to-curtail-automatic-sprinkler-use-262243341.html?c=n&fb=y&can=n

 

[MikeV73]

SHA, quick yard question. I have a downward slopped from yard of St Augustine grass. Replaced dead spots two years ago, but the exact spots have died off again. This starts behind a small/medium oak which shades in the AM (house faces East), but Early afternoon sun hits it hard before the sun moves West behind my two story. I've heard the sun reflection from my front windows might be burning out these spots, or the tree might be sucking up the water. Is this worth replacing before the heat of summer? Will adding topsoil and seed do the trick or is sod a necessity? Don't want to waste time/money if I should ride out the summer. I guess my "quick yard question" was a misnomer! Thanks for any advice you can dish out my friend. I live in Leander just to let you know this is a Texas Summer issue.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

I wouldn't hesitate to sod again. However, I would not simply repeat your average sod job. I would do some things that will help make it work.

1. I think you're right on that being a "hot spot" and it could be telling you it really needs more water than it's getting. I would "up" the time on that zone. There are some other things that can be done that I will go into in the next Landscape Thread (coming in a couple days!).

2. I would lay down some spongy peat moss after stripping everything off the slope. Follow with a layer of topsoil or compost. Then scatter expanded shale all over the area to be sodded. Then wet the area in small sections as you go. Do it in small sections so you don't make a muddy mess. The objective is to have the surface wet when you lay the sod for better adhesion.

3. Before we dismiss this issue, this location could also just be a favorite spot for grub worms. They will damage a lawn badly if left untreated. It could also be chinch bugs at work. It depends on what the look of the turf is when it's dying as to which of those could be responsible.

There's a product that I'll be talking about in the next landscape thread that you'll be particularly interested in. FYI.

 

[MikeV73]

I wouldn't hesitate to sod again. However, I would not simply repeat your average sod job. I would do some things that will help make it work.

1. I think you're right on that being a "hot spot" and it could be telling you it really needs more water than it's getting. I would "up" the time on that zone. There are some other things that can be done that I will go into in the next Landscape Thread (coming in a couple days!).

2. I would lay down some spongy peat moss after stripping everything off the slope. Follow with a layer of topsoil or compost. Then scatter expanded shale all over the area to be sodded. Then wet the area in small sections as you go. Do it in small sections so you don't make a muddy mess. The objective is to have the surface wet when you lay the sod for better adhesion.

3. Before we dismiss this issue, this location could also just be a favorite spot for grub worms. They will damage a lawn badly if left untreated. It could also be chinch bugs at work. It depends on what the look of the turf is when it's dying as to which of those could be responsible.

There's a product that I'll be talking about in the next landscape thread that you'll be particularly interested in. FYI.

Thanks for the expertise, appreciate the info.

 

[simmsan43]

Are we going to get a June landscape thread?

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Are we going to get a June landscape thread?

Yes you are! I've been working on it for the past two days. Should have it completed this evening.