Are thinking of planting a new lawn or just filling in your existing one? Don’t just think about it, do it! I am a huge fan of seeding, whether it is a brand new lawn, filling in bare patches, or thickening up your existing turf, now is the perfect time to tackle this project. Put a little sweat into your lawn. Mow, rake, aerate, seed, fertilize, and water… it is so worth it!

When doing a seeding project all of the above steps are important, but water is the key. If you are thirsty, so is your grass seed. Sounds silly? I am serious. The thirstier you are on any given day, the quicker your grass seed is drying out. Water is the difference between success and failure, so it’s important to do it right the first time! 

So, you just went to the refrigerator to get yourself another glass of ________(Fill in the blank with your beverage of choice.) This should be your signal to head outside and check your new grass seed. If it is dry, give it some water. Grass seed needs to stay moist every day. If it dries out, the seed will not even have a chance to split open. Grass seed is close to the surface so it can germinate, this is where the soil needs to stay damp. The top layer of soil can dry out quickly. The sunnier and windier the day is, the quicker the seed dries out. New seed does not need to be watered long, 30 minutes is usually sufficient. However, you may need to water 2X’s in a day. The sunnier the spot is, the more water it needs. Areas along driveways, walkways, curbs, and slopes tend to dry out quicker. Be sure to give these spots a little extra attention.

Is there a better time to water than others? Of course, there is. Morning is the best time to water, but the afternoon is acceptable too. The fall is the perfect time to seed because the soil is warm and nights are getting cooler, leaving a nice coating of morning dew. There may occasionally be enough dew to get you off the hook from watering! Be careful though, if it gets sunny through the day, the lawn may dry out quickly and need another watering in the afternoon. Try to avoid watering at all in the evening, however, if that is the only time you have to do it, then evening water is better than no water at all. New seedlings can get a disease called Pythium, which can wipe them out in a day if the seedlings remain too wet through the night.

Note: There is such a thing as over-watering. If you over-water your new seed, the seed may rot, wash away, or float above the soil. Be careful not to leave puddles or make mud pies out of your lawn. If this is the case, you are being too good of a caregiver of your newly seeded lawn.

It is a good idea to cover the seed with mulch. I really like Mainely Mulch. It is a weed-free straw/hay combo that covers new seeds nicely, holding in moisture, keeping birds from eating the seed, and slowing down erosion. The best thing about Mainely Mulch is you do not have to rake it up after the grass grows. It will biodegrade into the soil, adding a little bit of organic matter. A little extra bonus! Greenview’s Seed Accelerator is my favorite for smaller patches. It is a recycled paper mulch pellet with built-in starter fertilizer. You sprinkle the pellets right over the grass seed and water them in. They expand, hold in moisture, and fertilize at the same time!

Don’t be fooled. Just when you think you are done watering your new grass seed, you may have to keep going. Different types of grass germinate at different rates. Perennial Ryegrass is your quickest one to sprout, coming up in 5 to 7 days if conditions are right. Kentucky Blue is a beauty but you have to be patient since it can take up to 25 days to see any germination. Please do not stop watering just because you see a few green sprouts… There are a lot more to come.

Here is my rule of 3 for newly seeded lawns: In the first 3 weeks, water your grass seed 2 times per day for approximately 30 minutes. In the second 3 weeks, water your lawn, 3 times per week for a longer period of time, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. This will encourage a deeper root system and a much healthier lawn. Give your lawn one last treat around Thanksgiving. Feed it with a Fall lawn fertilizer by Greenview or Espoma. It will go to bed happy and healthy for its long winter nap.

Lawn & Plant Care

THE RIGHT STEP FOR YOUR LAWN NOW

CHOOSE MILORGANITE OR ESPOMA ORGANIC ALL-SEASON LAWN FOOD

IT IS NOT FALL YET! Do not get too hasty. It is not quite time for Fall Lawn Food. I know as soon as September hits, we all get a little impatient and start rushing Fall. Don’t rush. Take your time. You have plenty of time before Step-4(Fall Lawn Food) needs to go down. It is, however, time to put down the green bag, otherwise known as, Step-3. The green bag contains All Season Lawn Food. This is the perfect fertilizer to use for this time of the year to help your poor lawn recover from the summer heat.

You have the freedom to choose Milorganite or Espoma’s Organic All Season Lawn Food. Both are wonderful. They will help replenish your lawn’s lost nutrients, organic matter, and growth. 3 great things! The Milorganite will give your lawn the little extra treat of Iron to give extra green-up.

It is not that I do not like Step-4. It really is nothing personal. Step-4/Fall Lawn Food is great! I just prefer that you wait a wee bit before applying to get the maximum benefit from it. You can wait all the way until you have mowed your lawn for the very last time this year and then apply Step-4. The secret is…when your lawn stops growing up top, apply Fall Fertilizer and it only pushes root growth. This is great because your lawn will develop a much deeper root system, thus, a healthier lawn next year. Patience pays off in this case.

With all this hubbub about Step 3 & Step 4, don’t forget about Lime. Lime is flexible. It can go down with Step 3 or Step 4. It does not play favorites. I recommend Pelletized Lawn Lime. It breaks down slowly and can work its’ magic over the winter. We could take a lesson in patience and pacing ourselves from Lime. Good ole’ Lime!

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

SHOPPING LIST:

*Milorganite

*Espoma’s Organic All Season Lawn Food

*Soil Doctor Pelletized Lawn Lime

WE LOVE FERTILIZER! Yes, there is a fertilizer for every seed, every plant, and for every time of the year. Fertilizer is amazing because it can be so helpful to our plants and the environment. Veggie gardens will give you a much greater yield, annuals will push out more bloom, trees will establish deeper root systems, shrubs will be less prone to disease, etc. We are not suggesting that you over-fertilize. This possibility does exist and will negatively affect your plants. Be sure to read the label! Twice the serving does not mean twice as good. Be judicious. Be wise. We can help.

Remember that there is a fertilizer for every time of the year? Well, there is. For this hot, August month, you have got to try Van Wilgen’s Root Boost and/or Van Wilgen’s Fish & Seaweed Fertilizers. They are perfect for any type of plant from veggies to houseplants. There is no risk of burning your plants with these fertilizers. They will enhance the plant’s vigor with kelp, beneficial bacteria, and nutrients. Use one or both together every week. You will truly notice a difference.

Fall is coming. In spite of this terribly hot, humid, dry weather, fall is on the way and this means it is time to restock the garage with fertilizers or to pull the ones you already have, out of the garden shed. This heat is brutal on plants. They will need your help to recover from the stress of summer. Pay attention to your struggling lawn. September is the time to apply Espoma’s Organic Summer Revitalizer or Greenview’s Lawn Food. Fertilize the heck out of your annuals and veggies. Give them a last hoorah with Van Wilgen’s Bloom Booster. Push them to their maximum. Trees and shrubs are screaming for Espoma’s Plant-Tone or Holly-Tone. Use half the rate, at this time of the year and quiet their screams. Do not let your lawns and gardens go hungry.

So, stop by the “smelly” department when you are visiting Van Wilgen’s. We will help you choose the right fertilizer for the right plant at the right time of the year.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

stacey tips art 1Have you ever been innocently working in your garden or enjoying a cocktail on your patio, when all of a sudden, “IN-COMING!” you get dive-bombed by a beetle that proceeds to get trapped in your hair or stuck to your shirt?! This crazy kamikaze pilot is either the Japanese Beetle, Oriental Beetle, Asiatic Garden Beetle, or European Chafer. They are notorious this time of the year in Connecticut.

The metallic, brown and green, Japanese Beetle gets all the fame or blame, depending on how you look at it. Every hole we see on a rose, a weeping cherry, basil, or pepper plant, we tend to blame the showy Japanese Beetle. Its coppery color shines in the sun and they tend to cluster on a plant while they feed and mate. They get all the glory but they should be sharing the spotlight with a few other scarab beetles. Oriental Beetles can be out spotted during the day but their mottled gray and black body is just not as interesting as the Japanese Beetle. Because they do their flying at night, they are not as obvious until they end up tangled in your ponytail. The Asiatic Garden Beetle and European Chafers are other nighttime flying beetles that fall under the radar due to their nighttime clandestine activities. Don’t be fooled by that plump, little, chestnut brown Asiatic Garden Beetle. It can do a lot of damage to plants at night and then it stealthily burrows itself in the soil during the day. Have you ever noticed devoured Basil leaves but no critter? I bet the Asiatic Garden Beetle is the sneaky bandit. Dig at the base of an eaten Basil and you may find him hiding in the soil.

This nighttime dive-bombing of Kamikaze Scarab Beetles will not last forever. They are busy flying, eating, mating, and laying eggs right now, but in a couple of weeks, they will be done. BEWARE OF WHAT LURKS BELOW…GRUBS! All of these Scarab Beetles lay eggs in the soil of our gardens and lawns. The next phase that we have to pay attention to is the white, c-shaped grub stage that will be hatching sometime in August. We can’t see them lurking below the mulch or our turf but they can really be a menace, especially to our lawns. It’s hard to believe that these ugly-looking grubs come from these somewhat flashy beetles. The newly hatching grub babies are very hungry and feed on roots from summer hatch too late fall. We don’t even notice the damage until next spring. Those sneaky, little devils!

What should we do to stop these dive-bombing beetles and sneaky little grubs?! The beetles are pretty easy to control. There are several good products that will wipe them out especially when it comes to ornamental plants.

Products for Ornamentals:

Products for Veggies:

Products for Herbs:

The discreet grub stage of the beetle requires a different form of treatment and product timing. Here are the products that work to control the grubs on the lawn.

Pro-Active Product to control grubs before they hatch:

Re-Active Product to control grubs after they hatch:

Take charge of these crazy nighttime feeders and sneaky underground dwellers. Don’t spend one more evening untangling them from your hair.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

stacey tips art 1

Summer is the best time to run barefoot through the grass. Who wants to wear shoes this time of the year? Step your bare tootsies onto the lawn and run free. I try and go shoeless as often as possible in the summer. The problem I encounter when walking free is that I can’t help but pause at every weed, investigate for insects, and scout for crabgrass. Oh well, I am a lawn nerd. What can I say?! I find them interesting. It is pretty amazing that we can grow these “crops” of grass in so many different conditions. Lawns are the anchors of our yards. They frame our homes and garden beds and provide recreation areas for our families.

Summer is a time to have fun but hopefully not at the expense of our lawns. Don’t forget about that green carpet under your bare toes. It serves you well. Give it a little TLC. Here’s what we can do this time of the year:

*Water if you can. Your lawn needs a minimum of 1 inch of water per week. If Mother Nature does not provide this, it’s time for you to step up with those bare feet and set up some sprinklers. Buy a simple rain gauge to measure how much water your lawn is getting per week or set up an empty tuna can to capture the water. It is really important to give your lawn a deep, root soaking. Instead of watering daily for a short period of time, I would much rather that you water 2 to 3 times per week for a much longer time. Most people set their sprinklers to run 20 minutes per day. Change this up and go every other day for a minimum of an hour. This way, water will seep deeper into the soil, encouraging deeper grass root growth. Water in the early part of the day to avoid water evaporation and disease promotion caused by late day watering.

*Let your lawn go dormant if you can’t water. Lawns have an amazing survival instinct to shut down and go dormant in the heat and drought of summer. The bad news is, our lawns are brown and crunchy during this time period. The good news is, they usually recover once the cooler weather of September returns. Trying to get a sleeping summer lawn to wake up with just a little bit of water in the heat, is not the best idea. It will wake up grumpy.

*Mow your lawn high. The taller your grass blades are, the softer, cool grass you have to run your toes through, and the better the chances of your lawn’s survival. A taller grass blade has more surface area and provides more shade for the grass below, therefore, the ability to retain moisture is better.

*Let the clippings fall. The grass is made up of approximately 80% water. If you leave the clippings on the lawn, they give back moisture and act as a “green” fertilizer providing a gentle Nitrogen feed for your lawn.

*Keep your blades sharp. Believe it or not, the sharper your mower blades, the softer the grass will be on your summer feet. Grass that is ragtag from dull mower blades is more vulnerable to diseases and drying out.

*1/3rd at a time. Don’t mow off more than a third of a grass blade at a time. If you mow off more, you will stress out your lawn, making it much more susceptible to burnout.

*Treat for grubs. Now is the time to apply Bayer’s Season Long Grub Control. This is no joke folks. Pretty soon grubs will be hatching and lurking beneath your feet, eating the roots of your lovely lawn. Don’t wait. Apply Bayer’s Season Long Grub Control through mid-August. Be sure to water it in or apply before a heavy rainfall. The more rain it gets, the better it works.

*Bring out the post-emergent weed controls. Pay attention to new weeds popping up and nasty crabgrass and Nutsedge. Crabgrass loves the heat and is one of the greatest summer bullies on the lawn. Use a liquid broadleaf weed control such as; Ortho’s Weed-B-Gon plus Crabgrass Control. Use Nutsedge Killer by Ortho to control that nuisance Nutsedge. It is best to use these products when temperatures are below 85 degrees.

*Give your lawn, a non-burning summer treat. Milorganite is one of my favorite products. It is organic, non-burning, and has Iron for quick green-up. Espoma makes a nice, organic Summer Revitalizer that is perfect for this summer heat. Encap’s Fast-Acting Iron is great at putting the green back into your summer lawn.

Everybody, kick off your shoes, run barefoot through your lawn, do cartwheels, have a picnic, play ball, etc. Be sure to thank your lawn for all it does for you and your family. It provides you with a fun place to play, a perfect backdrop for your garden, and a lot of oxygen to run around.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

Hey, we got some notorious bugs comin’ at ya this spring. Keep your eyes open for these trouble makers. Here is the line-up:

THE 4-LINED PLANT BUG is tearing it up on Catmint, Montauk Daisies, Basil, Salvia, Hydrangeas and many more.

Damage: Usually you see the damage before you see this speedy artist. Look for irregular, depressed circles on leaves. Circles are small and dark in color. If many feeding spots are close together, they tend to coalesce and turn into one large, brown area. Leaves may curl, dry up and look plain ole’ ugly. I’ve seen them destroy an entire Montauk Daisy. Ugh!

Insect: This tricky shapeshifter looks completely different as a young nymph than as an adult. Unfortunately, these bad guys do damage at all stages. They are fast and hard to see. The young nymphs are tiny and reddish/orangish in color. They have tiny little wing pads that show a little black color. The grown adults do not set a good example for their young ones. These limey yellow and black striped adults keep sucking the good stuff out of our plants and injecting bad stuff as they feed.

Control:

*Organic – Pyrethrins work the best to knock down this thug. You can use straight Pyrethrin or you can find it in Japanese Beetle Killer or End-All.

*Conventional – There are so many choices that work but my go-to products are Rose & Flower Insect Killer or Eight.

*Be sure to cut back affected plants in the fall and throw clippings into the garbage. They lay their eggs in these plants. Eggs overwinter and then the bad bugs hatch and begin their party.

THE ROSE SAWFLY is wreckin’ it on our beautiful rose bushes. In particular, it loves the Knock Out roses.

Damage: These bad dudes are sneaky and just eat the green layer of the rose leaf, top, and bottom. The leaves end up looking like skeletons of themselves. They become tan-colored window panes that you can see right through. Eventually, these flimsy window panes break and become holes, often mistaken for a disease.

Insect: It’s the babies of the Rose Sawfly that are the real trouble makers. These little slug-like characters use camouflage to go about their dirty business. You can barely see these light yellowish-green insects creeping around your rose leaves. Their head is usually orange and the whole body is just about a ½ inch long.

Control:

*Organic – The best product is Captain Jacks Dead Bug Brew. Not many organics are labeled for Sawfly larvae. I also like End-All & Insecticidal Soap. They will give you good control with direct contact. Don’t be fooled by these little buggers and try and use BT. BT is only good for caterpillars. This is not a caterpillar. I repeat this is not a caterpillar.

*Conventional – Bayer Rose & Flower Insect Killer is my go-to product, however, Eight also does a great job.

THE GYPSY MOTH is putting on a big show this year, showing up on every Oak, Maple, Rose, and even Blueberry.

Damage: They chomp through every part of the leaf, tearin’ it up. Little pieces of leaves fall to the ground as they eat it to nothing, bite by bite.

Insect: The Gypsy Moth Caterpillar is the culprit. When it first hatches in the spring it looks small, grayish-black, and fuzzy. As it grows, it gets fancier with blue and red spots. Don’t be fooled by this handsome caterpillar. He is up to no good!

Control:

*Organic – BT is great when the Gypsy Moth Caterpillar is small. As the caterpillar gets bigger switch to Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew. It will take them out.

*Conventional – Eight with the hose-end sprayer works great. For smaller areas, Rose and Flower Insect Killer will take them down.

*Note – Banding the trees with Paper Tree Wrap & Tree Banding Gum will catch those culprits as they travel up and down the tree.

Holla’ back at these bad bugs. Don’t let them take over and destroy your favorite plants.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

SHOPPING LIST:

*Pyrethrin by Bonide

*Japanese Beetle Killer by Bonide

*Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew

*End-All by Safer

*Insecticidal Soap by Safer

*BT

*Eight by Bonide

*Paper Tree Wrap

*Tree Banding Gum

stacey tips art 1Two weeks ago, we got out of our car after a fun, family dinner. We were standing under the two, huge Oak trees in our yard. I have always loved them. They shade our home perfectly and our hammock is stretched comfortably between them. “Shh”, my daughter said. “Listen”. I wondered what we were listening to. The bullfrogs in the pond? The peepers on the trees? “What? What do you hear?”, I asked. My daughter scolded us to be really quiet. “I hear it! Rain”. No, that was not it. It was a perfectly clear night. It sure sounded like rain but unfortunately, it was not. It was the sound of Gypsy Moth caterpillars chewing, chomping, and tearing at the leaves of our giant Oaks. Little pieces of leaves fell to the ground and their feast sounded just like raindrops hitting the foliage. Darn!

2015 proved to be a resurgence year for Gypsy Moths in many parts of Connecticut or possibly just at my house. Ugh! Gypsy Moths are always around us at low levels but I was hoping that they would not be as active for 2016. 2015 was really dry so I understand why the natural virus did not kick in and kill off the caterpillars, but I thought maybe because we had a little more rain this spring that we might be in better shape. WRONG. I will be the first to admit that I was wrong but I wish I was not. Gypsy Moths prefer to feed on trees such as; Oak, Aspen, Willow, Birch, and Apple. However, if the population is high enough, they will feed on almost any tree. They even love blueberry bushes. I personally have found them on my Hickory, Beech, Stewartia, Maple, and even the Heuchera below the trees. They will attack some needled conifers and evergreens. A sad customer sent me photos of an Azalea and Blue Spruce being devoured by these furry creatures. Not good!

So, what do we do? Do we let them continue their little tap dance on our tree’s foliage? Nonsense. There is always something we can do. Isn’t there? At this stage in the game, Gypsy Moth caterpillars are getting larger. I spotted them on my tree trunk this morning. Typically they will reach a length of 2&1/2 inches but the caterpillars on my Oak definitely reached 4 inches long. My poor Oak trees. I went into my garage and pulled out Bayer Rose & Flower Insect Killer. As I moved over to Oak tree #2, I ran out of my spray. Back into the garage. This time, Bayer’s Vegetable & Garden Insect Spray or Bonide’s Eight will do the trick. I have some wonderful, organic products in my garage that are also very effective but I was being impatient and could not find them right away. Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew and Monterey’s BT are my two go-to organic products. When I head home today, I will be putting Tanglefoot Tree Wrap and Tanglefoot Insect Barriers around my two big Oaks right away!

Here we are at the beginning of June and the Gypsy Moth caterpillar is happily feasting. They should be winding down towards the end of June/beginning of July. Let’s hope the natural fungus and virus kick in and eliminates them before they get to complete their nasty feast.

Unfortunately, they will do a significant amount of damage until then unless we take action.

They will be pupating in a few weeks. Let’s catch them before they go to this stage. The only natural control Connecticut has for the pupal stage is the white-footed mouse. This little mouse can only eat so many pupae!

Pull out The Gypsy Moth Trap by Safer to control the brown, male moths that make it through the pupa stage. The trap is filled with a pheromone that the male Gypsy Moth adult loves. They think they are going to find a female moth to mate with but instead, they fall into the trap and can’t get out. This will help cut down on the reproductive cycle.

After they pupate, out pops the white, flightless Gypsy Moth mama and the brown, Gypsy Moth papa. They do not live long. They don’t even eat. Their sole purpose is to mate and make more babies. The white, female moth will lay one sac of eggs on trunks of trees, branches, rocks, patio furniture, etc. Each egg case holds anywhere from 100 to 1,000 eggs. At this point, I will be heading back into my garage and pulling out Bonide’s Horticultural Oil. The horticultural oil sprayed on the buff-colored, hairy egg cases will suffocate the eggs so they will not be able to hatch in the Spring of 2017. If you miss the chance to spray the egg cases this Fall, there is always early, next Spring. The Gypsy Moth overwinters as an egg.

Get prepared for Spring of 2017. Stock your shed or garage with Bayer 12 Month Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed. It is a systemic product, applied to the soil, at the base of the tree. The tree will absorb it all the way up into the leaves. When Gypsy Moth caterpillars hatch in the Spring and make their journey up the tree to eat, they will get a mouth full of product. If your tree is very large, like my Oak, I would consider doing your treatment in the Fall of 2016 or early Spring of 2017. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a wetter Spring next year. There is a fungus and a virus that naturally keep the population of Gypsy Moths low. When the Spring is very dry, like last season, the fungus and virus are not as active, thus the Gypsy Moth explosion.

One night, go outside and stand under the largest tree on your property (preferably an Oak) and just listen. If it sounds like rain but there is not a cloud in the night sky, look close, it may be the very hungry caterpillar.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

stacey tips art 1I saw it with my own eyes… the 4-Lined Plant Bug! This is the quick-moving culprit that is attacking my Montauk Daisy right now. I was working in the garden and a little too close for this bug’s comfort. It immediately felt my presence and scattered fast! This bug looks like it is built for speed. The adult’s yellowish/green, sleek body is colorfully patterned with 4 black racing stripes. The nymphs(young stage) tend to be more reddish/orange with black spots on their abdomen. If you have the chance, head out to your garden today and see if you can spot this speedy plant feeder. Take a look at your herbs; especially mint, basil, lemon verbena, and sage. No sign of the plant bug there? Head over to your flowers such as; nepeta, coreopsis, dahlias, morning glory, lupine, geranium, zinnia, and marigolds. Still no sign? Walk to the woody plant section of your garden and investigate your azalea, dogwood, forsythia, honeysuckle, hydrangea, viburnum, caryopteris, and weigela. Veggie gardeners, you may even want to look at your lettuce, squash, melons, and cucumbers. Frustrating! This bug is not too fussy.

The best time to begin your 4-lined plant bug hunt is in May. The adults lay their banana-shaped eggs in right angles on the top stems of plants in the Fall. The eggs overwinter and the nymphs begin hatching and feeding usually sometime in May. They will not show themselves until all of the lush, green foliage on your plants has appeared. They will wait patiently until your plants are looking their greenest before they attack. For goodness sake, they need something pretty to feed on!

The nymphs with their reddish bodies and small black wing pads, hatch and immediately begin siphoning out the delicious green chlorophyll from the leaves. It is kind of like they have their own juicing program. They inject a toxin into the leaf that helps break it down and make it easier for them to digest. Their mouths look like little needles or straws. They pierce the top of the leaf surface and suck out the yummy, green juice. This feeding action leaves your plants with round, uniform dots on the leaves. The dots can be very close together. They look kind of blackish/brown at first and may turn white to clear. The dots may even fall out, leaving a hole in the leaf. Usually, the diagnosis for a plant with round, brown dots on the leaf is a fungal leaf spot and often a fungicide is prescribed. Be careful! It may be our speedy culprit. He is swift and likes to hide under the leaf or drop to the ground so you cannot see him, but the round, little dots he leaves behind are a sure sign that he has been there.

The best way to control this “true” bug is to start your spray treatments early on, probably sometime in May, when they first hatch. In April, begin with Bonide’s All Season Horticultural Oil. It will do a good job at suffocating the overwintering eggs of the 4-Lined Plant Bug before they hatch. Once those buggers have hatched, it is time to switch to a different product. In the organic category, Bonide’s Japanese Beetle Killer and Safer’s Insecticidal Soap & End All will do the trick. For something that packs a little more punch, conventional products, such as; Bonide’s Eight & Bayer’s Rose & Flower Insect Killer will really knock them out.

There are other methods that require a little closer inspection but if you have the time and interest, may work for you. In the Fall, you can inspect the top 2 inches of your garden plants for the banana-shaped eggs of the 4-Lined Plant Bug. They usually lay them in groups of 6 and at 90-degree angles. The eggs are kind of easy to spot. If you see them, you can remove them by hand or prune them off. Sometimes, a Spring clean-up consisting of a 3-inch shearing off of plants can also do the trick. I have also heard of planting mint as a “trap crop”. They like it so much that it may be the only plant they attack, leaving your others alone.

The bottom line is, the 4-Lined Plant Bug does not usually kill your plants, especially large ornamental plants. They can be more destructive on herbs and veggies and of course, make your ornamental look not-so-pretty. If you don’t mind brown spearmint leaves in your Mojito or spotted basil leaves in your tomato, basil, mozzarella salad, then you have nothing to worry about. If you like entertaining your guests with more edible-looking herbs, then an early-timed spray or two may be the right answer for you!

Come see us at Van Wilgen. We would love to help!

PUSH YOUR ANNUALS TO THE MAXIMUM

THEY CAN HANDLE IT!

(Annual plant care in containers)

Push your annuals to the maximum this year. They can handle it. I promise! We get to enjoy annual flowers for such a short period of time so let’s get the most out of them. Darlene in the greenhouse put together a top 10 list of her annual favorites and it is important that we take good care of the special choices she made or any annual you fancy. Annual flowers in pots are such a treat because they bloom for us practically every day. We get to sit out on our patios, lounge in our chairs, dine on our decks surrounded by beautiful patio annuals, filled with gorgeous blooms, in any color you choose. It is definitely ok to lounge and enjoy. In fact, I encourage it any chance we get. Just don’t relax so much that you completely forget to take care of those gorgeous potted annuals! Remember, plant care is always a little bit of a give-and-take relationship. We give our plants a little love and attention and they give us a whole lot in return.

Let’s show our annuals a little TLC when we take them home from the nursery. Billy P. and the rest of the Van Wilgen’s growing team give them so much love in our growing department. We need to continue to spread the love and care to them when we plant them into our containers at home.

The TLC begins with the soil you use to plant your lovely annuals in. Use a well-draining, fresh, light potting soil such as our Van Wilgen’s Professional Potting Mix. It is just the right consistency for your plants to thrive. Place a layer of rocks at the bottom of your pot to help with drainage and fill the pot up with new soil. Be sure your pot has a good drainage hole in it too. If you have a really large pot and using rocks just makes it too heavy for you, cheat and throw some empty plastic bottles you have from the recycle bin into the bottom of the container. They will add some bulk to the bottom of the large pot and still allow drainage without the weight. If you have some soil in the pots from last year, it is okay to keep some of it but not all. You really need to refresh last year’s soil with some new potting mix. Last year’s annuals most likely sucked the nutrients out of it.

I highly recommend adding some Soil Moist into the potting soil. We have a very cool Soil Moist that has Mycorrhiza in it. Mycorrhiza is this awesome beneficial bacteria that attaches to the roots of the annual plants, allowing them to absorb more water and nutrients. The Soil Moist is most important for helping the pots retain moisture just in case you get a little busy and forget to water one day. If you use our Van Wilgen’s Container Mix, the Soil Moist and fertilizer are already built into it…3 steps in one!

Next comes the fertilizer. I cannot stress enough how important it is to fertilize your annuals in containers. We water our pots so often that the nutrients leach out quickly. Begin by mixing in Van Wilgen’s All Purpose Slow Release Plant Food. This food serves as a good base for planting because it feeds slowly over a long period of time. Use the slow-release food every 2 months in your containers. Don’t stop there! Now it is time to push them to the maximum. Remember, annuals can handle it. Use VW Bloom Booster. The Bloom Booster is loaded with phosphorus and pushes tons of blooms. Use the Bloom Booster every 2 weeks through the season. Why the heck not?!

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Do not forget the basics such as water, sun, and dead-heading. No matter how good the soil is or how often you fertilize, without the basics, your annuals will not thrive. Be sure to water your annual pots daily. If the temperatures get above 85 degrees, you will need to water those pots two times per day. Don’t forget the sun. The annuals on Darlene’s top 10 list need full sun to give you the bloom you desire. Dead-heading is key to keep them looking sharp and perky.

Give a little to your annuals and you will get a whole lot of flowers and joy in return.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

SHOPPING LIST:

*Annuals from Darlene’s top 10 list or any that you like

*Van Wilgen’s Professional Potting Mix or Container Mix

*Soil Moist

*Van Wilgen’s All Purpose Slow Release Plant Food

*Van Wilgen’s Bloom Booster

*TLC

*Water

*Sun

“AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE”

(TICK CONTROL IS NO JOKE)

Ticks are no joke. Ticks are one arachnid that no one should mess around with. The diseases that they carry and transfer to humans and pets are serious. There is even a new disease caused by ticks known as Powassan. Right now there is no cure for this and the long-term effects can be devastating. The control we take over ticks needs to be serious. Don’t wait till the infestation becomes so big that you are pulling 10 or more ticks off your dog at one time. Start now. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!”

You can tackle tick control on your own if you follow a good DIY program. Here is what I recommend for the best tick control program in your own yard:

*Long, weedy, grassy, wet areas are breeding grounds for ticks.*

*Ticks do not like the heat. Although they are around in the summer, they are not as prolific and treatment is not as crucial. Ticks resurge at the end of summer when temperatures begin to cool off again. September or October treat

Remember, don’t delay treatment. The sooner the better. Ticks are really no joke!

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

SHOPPING LIST:

*Eight by Bonide

*EcoSmart Mosquito & Tick Control

*Sevin

*Bonide Insect & Grub Control

*EcoSmart Granular Insect Killer

*Nantucket Spider Extra Strength Tick Control

*Repel