Advertisement

Timely Tendings: Keep on top of vigorous plants during the summer

 
credit: Steven Arthurs, University of Florida
credit: Steven Arthurs, University of Florida
Published July 2, 2015

Keep on top of vigorous plants

Summer brings vigorous plant growth and lots to do to maintain the landscape. Check this list to keep your landscape looking good and give you some time to play.

• Put down a layer of organic mulch 2 to 3 inches deep around the plants to help conserve moisture and keep down weeds. Be sure to keep mulch 2 inches away from the base of all plants.

• Prune dead parts from shrubs, trees and herbaceous plants anytime it appears. Dead wood and stems are the perfect entryway for disease and wood-eating insects.

• Consider replacing shrubs that require constant pruning to keep them in bounds with more manageable shrubs like dwarf Walter's viburnum (Viburnum obovatum "Mrs. Schiller's Delight"), Indian hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis indica), dwarf Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria "Schillings Dwarf") or dwarf Ixora (Ixora coccinea "Nora Grant").

Watch out for sod webworm

Dingy brown moths flying around grassy areas are often an indication that eggs are being laid in your lawn by the sod webworm.

These eggs will hatch in about five to seven days into small, green caterpillars that primarily feed at night and remain in a curled position on or near the soil surface during the day.

Injured grass has notches chewed along the sides of the blades. The foliage may be completely stripped in patches.

A soap flush is a good way to detect sod webworms. Mix two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid in a gallon sprinkler can. Fill with water and drench a 4-square-foot area. Observe the area for about two minutes. Soap is an irritant, causing insects to surface.

Pesticides labeled for sod webworm control are Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt, Dipel, Thuricide) and Carbaryl (Sevin). Bt is a bacterial product that will cause the caterpillars to stop feeding and die without harming beneficial insects (except butterfly caterpillars), wildlife, pets or humans. So, it is a more environmentally friendly choice.

Sod webworms may reinfest the lawn within one to three weeks after treatment. Continue to examine the lawn and reapply pesticide as required.

Compiled by Theresa Badurek, urban horticulture extension agent, UF/IFAS Pinellas County Extension Service. For additional landscape and garden information, visit pinellascountyextension.org. For regular tips and information about what's growing in Pinellas, go to facebook.com/growpinellas.