This video is all about treating with preemerge but before we get to that, Gregg talks a bit about a serious pest, crapemyrtle bark scale.

Crapemyrtle Bark Scale

It’s a serious pest on one of our favorite landscape trees and it’s not going away.  In fact, we had more customers than ever come in to talk with us about this issue in 2021.  For details on how to identify and treat this pest, please visit our complete blog post.

If you skipped going to that post and you have crapemyrtles, we suggest you go inspect them for any odd looking spots on the bark and make sure that your tree’s bark is the color it should be and not black.  If you see any signs of an issue, visit the post or come see us with pictures and we will help you get started on a treatment plan.

As with anything, it’s key to treat properly… use the right chemical control at the right time.  Not treating leads to the spreading of this pest.  And like with an antibiotic, you need to go the distance; it’s not a one and done thing.  There are steps that need to be following for a few growing seasons to get the scale under control.

Treating with Pre Emerge

What is pre emerge?  This is a chemical, usually in granular form, that is applied to lawn and landscape beds to prevent weeds. It prevents weeds by creating a chemical barrier in the soil that is several inches in depth.  This barrier keeps any weed seeds that are in that soil area from germinating.

Pre emerge does not take care of perennial weeds such as onion and clover.  Please visit our post on spreader sticker and weed control for information on these hard to kill weeds.

Pre emerge also won’t kill annual weeds that are established; a post emerge product will have to applied to control those.

When to Treat with Pre Emerge

Because weed seeds germinate at all different temperatures, this chemical barrier layer needs to stay present year round.  Apply pre emerge every 60 to 90 days in both lawn and landscape bed areas to control new weed outbreaks.

So, if you haven’t applied pre emerge in the past 60 to 90 days, it’s time to apply it!  When grass is dormant or going dormant, apply a pre emerge without fertilizer in it.  We recommend Hi Yield Turf and Ornamental Weed and Grass Stopper which can be applied in both lawn and landscape beds.  During the growing season, apply a pre emerge containing fertilizer, such as Good Earth brand Grass and Weed Preventer.

Wondering how to apply pre emerge?  Check out our post on using a spreader.

Please note that these tips are for zoysiagrass and bermuda grass; for St. Augustine, please visit us. Also, if you are planning on starting any type of seed, whether it’s overseeding your lawn or seeding annuals in your landscape beds, don’t use pre emerge in those areas.  It does not differentiate between plant seed types!

The post Treating with Preemerge appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

If your spreader type isn’t mentioned on the bag, follow these steps to figure out the proper setting:  If the bag says to use 2 lbs per 1000 square feet, start by measuring off 1,000 square feet, use a low setting and see how long it takes to cover the 1,000 square feet.  Adjust setting accordingly.

Close the spreader when you get close to beds or sidewalks so no product is wasted.  Remember, for good coverage, go one way at ½ recommended rate, and then the other way at ½ recommended rate.  Broadcast spreaders are made to overlap so don’t worry if your lines aren’t exact.  Rinse the spreader well after use.

Spreaders are used on lawns to apply insect control, pelletized lime, fertilizers, fungicides, weed preventers and weed killers.

That’s it! Now you know how to use a spreader!

The post How to Use a Broadcast Spreader appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Pruning is a great place to begin the process of getting that landscape back on track.  Prune back struggling and heat stressed perennials.  Then fertilize perennials (by early September) with a natural slow release fertilizer like Espoma Plant-Tone or Milorganite.  Shrubs and trees will also benefit from a slow release fertilizer application.

Rain and frequent watering means your last fertilizer application was used up long ago and fungus has also been a big issue this year.  To insure that your lawn greens up nice and healthy next spring, treat fungus now with Bonide’s Infuse or Hi-Yield F-Stop, and add nutrients back by applying slow release fertilizer such as Milorganite (by mid-September).  Spray existing weeds with Ferti-Lome Weed Out and prevent weeds by applying weed preventer every 60-90 days in both lawns and landscape beds. Use Good Earth brand Grass & Weed Preventer with Slow Release Nitrogen Fertilizer in early fall.  As the grass begins to go dormant, switch to Hi-Yield Turf and Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper.

As temperatures cool down and we get more natural rainfall, sprinkler water times can be reduced.  Watch your landscape carefully to make sure you aren’t over or under watering.

It’s time to get rid of summer annuals!  If you wait until temperatures are much cooler to plant, the soil will be cooler as well, resulting in less root establishment before winter arrives. Bring on the pansies and mums! Prep your color areas by removing the summer annuals, and breaking up the existing soil.  Breaking up the soil adds oxygen to the soil, increases water percolation, and increases nutrient levels, all of which will help the roots of your fall plantings grow and get established quickly.  Next, it’s time to do some soil amending. For perennial and annual color areas, we suggest using what we professionals use; Good Earth Brand Professional Growing Mix.  Its mix of organic matter, perlite, pH adjusters and Actino root protection provide an optimum growing environment.  Now you are ready to shop, plant, fertilize and mulch!

Speaking of shopping and planting, now is the best of year to plant trees and shrubs!  The warm soil temperatures encourage root establishment, which means you get an extra season of growth.  Use Good Earth brand Jump Start at planting to further increase root development.  Jump Start contains mycorrhizae, beneficial fungi that form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots, and increasing the root system surface area exponentially.  Bottom line, mycorrhizae can increase the absorption of water and nutrients by up to 1,000 times.  The stronger root system means that the plants will be able to withstand environmental stress, such as summer heat, with more success.

The post Fall Tips for Your Landscape! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Today on the Good Earth Greenhouse, Gregg and Jeff are talking about Spreader Sticker.  Keep reading to learn what it is, and why using it so important to good weed control.

Crapemyrtle Bark Scale

Before we get to Spreader Sticker, we wanted to mention that this past year, we saw more crapemyrtle bark scale issues than in any other year since it was discovered locally about 5 years ago.  This could be due to lack of treatment or even incorrect treatment on affected crepe myrtles.  For details on how to treat this detrimental pest, please visit our blog post.

Controlling Wild Onions

Wild onions are a difficult weed to kill. When you are walking around your lawn or drive up to your home and see these evergreen sprouts in your landscape, the issue may look too small to really get concerned about. While the clump may look small from the top, there could be as many as 100 bulbs in the root area. If not treated correctly, the clump will continue to grow and spread.

What Will Not Work?

Here are some tips on what NOT to do:

• Cut the top growth off with mower or weed eater
• Use Round-Up to control wild onions
• Try to pull it up

Removing the top growth or removing just some of the bulbs can encourage the plant to grow more and at a faster rate than if it had been left alone.

What Will Work?

Apply Image and Spreader Sticker solution. Image is a chemical weed control product that works by stopping the plant’s photosynthesis process, which is the process of producing nutrients for the plant.  Without photosynthesis producing nutrients for the plant, it is forced to use up what has been stored in the bulb.  Once that is gone, the plant will decline and die.  This can take up to 6 weeks to happen so patience is key.

What is Spreader Sticker?

Spreader Sticker helps chemical controls be more effective by increasing the distribution and adhesion of them. It also opens pores, allowing more of the chemical control to enter. Because using Spreader Sticker increases effectiveness, it decreases chemical usage.

As an example of Spreader Sticker opening and allowing chemicals through pores, Gregg put Spreader Sticker in a styrofoam cup with red food coloring.  In the video, you can clearly see how the solution has come through the cup sides.  This would not happen with regular water!

Does it Matter?

Yes.  Using the right product, applying at labelled rates and at the right time of year absolutely matters. Chemical controls only work as intended if they are applied properly.  Incorrectly applying chemicals can waste valuable time and money.

We invite you to call or email us with any treatment questions on this or other topics.

The post What is Spreader Sticker? appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Learn about fertilizer, azaleas and crabgrass here!

Apply Fertilizer in Summer

Summer chores can make all the difference this fall.  Remember to fertilize azaleas several times through the end of summer.  Apply Ferti-Lome Azalea/ Evergreen Food Plus; this will both feed your azaleas and control lacebugs.  Lacebugs are the most common insect pest on azaleas.   For more information on growing azaleas, visit this blog post.

Lawns also benefit from summer fertilizer applications.  Apply Good Earth brand Weed Preventer with Slow Release Nitrogen Fertilizer every 60 to 90 days during the growing season.  This will provide nutrients for your lawn and prevent weed seeds from germinating.

Kill Existing Weeds

A post emerge weed killer, such as Ferti-Lome Weed Out will take care of many broadleaf and grassy weeds.  Image or Sedge Ender may be necessary for nutgrass and other difficult to control weeds.

Treat for Fungus

If you had lawn fungus issues last fall or this spring, stay diligent.  Apply fungicide through fall to keep fungus from spreading.  We have both fungicide granules and sprays available.

Finish the season strong by fertilizing azaleas and treating for weeds, such as crabgrass, and fungus in lawns!

The post Fertilizer, Azaleas, and Crabgrass Control appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

The post Prevent and Control Weeds appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

To Begin, Document problem areas

We have been getting many reports about small twigs on lawns; these can be caused by wind, or squirrels but they may also be victims of twig girdlers.  These insects feed on the tender bark near branch ends and mate before laying eggs and girdling twigs (see image above for a visual of twig girdler symptoms).  Twigs are girdled because the larvae cannot overwinter in living twigs so the branches are girdled and either remain on the tree or fall off.  Cleaning up and destroying those that fall is a good control method; it removes the larvae that would become adults and repeat the process next year.  Another great reason to do a fall clean up of landscape areas.  Removing dead landscape material reduces insect eggs and fungus spores that could emerge next year.

Now is the time to take some notes on problem areas.  If those azaleas always have lacebugs, note it.  If the gardenias were covered in whiteflies all season, put it on paper.  With gardening and landscaping, half the battle is planning and prevention, so taking stock this time of year will give you a some helpful reminders of what you need to do next spring, when the bright, exciting newness of annuals blocking out the realities of late summer!

This is also a good time to take notes on possible transplanting.  Stand back and take a good look at what you have going on and what worked and didn’t work in it’s current location so that once it goes dormant and loses it’s leaves, you will remember the transplanting plan.  On perennials, mark them so that when they go dormant, you know right where to dig.

The lawn is going dormant but there are still important lawn chores!  Kill existing weeds by applying a post emerge such as Weed Out, apply pre-emerge to prevent new weeds from emerging, apply winterizer, and treat for grubs one last time, if you haven’t done so this fall.  Last but not least, we are seeing brown patch show up in lawns right now (mid-October).  With soil temperatures still warm, it would be good to treat with a systemic fungicide this fall and follow up next spring with another  These chores will insure that your lawn is healthier next year!

Pruning tips

If those perennials are looking more like weeds than garden plants, consider trimming them back.  For example, when the hosta leaves are turn yellow…you might as well trim off those leaves!  Other perennials with foliage going dormant can be trimmed off too.

Don’t get too carried away on the pruning; be careful not to prune shrubs that bloom off old growth.  This includes Encore azaleas, which should be pruned after the spring blooming, and most hydrangeas, which should be pruned after the blooming ends in the summer.

It’s time to shop!

Fall is the BEST time of year for planting trees and shrubs.  Use Good Earth brand Jump Start at planting…this product will help your plants absorb up to 1,000 times more nutrients and water.  Mulching will help the soil retail moisture and it will also reduce weeds!

Annual color should be fertilized, mulched and watered in well.  Encourage blooming by fertilizing with Ferti-Lome Premium Bedding Plant Food, which has a high phosphate number reflected by the middle number on the package.  Supplement with water soluable, high phosphate fertilizer, such as BR-61, during the fall, winter and early spring.  Plants are growing when temperatures are above 45 degrees for a few days.  Removing spent blooms throughout the season will promote blooms.  Treat the planted areas with a pre-emerge every 60 to 90 days for weed control of winter weeds.  Applying at least 3 inches of mulch will also discourage weed growth.

These are a few things to consider this time of year, but there are many more, so stop by Good Earth Garden Center for more information and great gardening tips from the experts!

The post Whip that landscape back into shape! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

The post Weed Control – Seasonal appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Take the simple steps to increase your home value

One of the first steps when trying to sell your house is to research ways to increase your home value.  Landscape economist John Harris estimates that good landscaping can add up to 28% to overall home value.  Even taking your landscaping from “good” to “excellent,” in term of design, condition and placement, can add 6 to 7% to a home’s value, according to a Clemson University study of homes in Greenville, S.C.

Another important consideration; bad landscaping can decrease your home’s value by as much as 10%!  Besides the monetary value, there are other values associated with landscaping such as stress level, providing a safe and comfortable play areas for kids, and giving you a beautiful and satisfying place to come home to.  Whether you are planning to sell soon or looking toward the future, these simple steps will instantly provide better curb appeal and a great first impression.

Lawn maintenance

A good looking lawn should be the first step for any prospective home seller.  As important as flooring is to the interior of the home, a lush green lawn can instantly upgrade the perception of our home.  It’s important to get started early because a lawn transformation can take a few seasons of diligent work.  This process can be started any time year; the basic steps are to control existing weeds, prevent new weeds from growing and feed the lawn to promote strong growth.  While the chemicals are doing their job, regular mowing and edging will provide that professional well-maintained look that will help your yard stand out.  If your lawn is a lost cause, consider investing in sod, as there simply isn’t a more important aspect of your landscaping than a healthy lawn.  For detailed steps to a better lawn, click here.

Mulch

Add a fresh coat of mulch to your landscape beds; it is cheap, easy, and instantly provides a manicured look.  It also provides an excellent contrast to vegetation and lawns, making them really pop.  Mulch also suppresses weeds, helps the soil retain moisture, and makes your landscape look even.

Trimming overgrown vegetation

Trim plants that are blocking light from getting into windows, covering the front porch, or distracting from photos.  Being able to get natural light into the windows and see out of them will be important to the buyer once they are inside your home. Clearing sight lines will subconsciously make your home more friendly and inviting by drawing the eye to the front door.  Trimming for these purposes can be done pretty much any time of year.  If you find yourself needing to cut more than 40% of a particular plant, you may consider pulling it up and replacing it with a younger, smaller variety, as a trim of more than 40% can affect the viability of your tree or shrub.

Seasonal color

Providing a splash of seasonal color will increase the brightness and add a lived-in feel to your landscape.  Work from the front door out.  A couple of pots framing the door filled with a large blooming tropical or a nice evergreen with trailing blooms provide a good starting point, and adding hanging baskets will increase interest.  Blooming annuals around the walkways will further enhance this effect and can be done for a modest investment. More seasonal color ideas can be found here.

Landscape lighting

Adding landscape lighting is an underrated factor when showing your home.  Lighting is a very transferable upgrade to your home value and is almost a must if a potential buyer will be viewing the home after dark.  The Good Earth offers professional planning and installation of landscape lighting; contact us for more information.

The post Increase Your Home Value! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

The New Year is a time for fresh starts; how about some resolutions for your outdoor space? These will make gardening a more joyful experience!

1.  Get a soil test

Soil tests can determine soil pH and indicate which fertilizers are needed. Test kits can be found at Good Earth or soil can be sent off through University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service county offices.

2.  Be proactive in weed control

Weeds use up space, nutrients and water that your desirable plants need. Preventative measures such as applying weed pre-emerge to lawns and landscape beds help prevent weed infestations. Spot treat weeds that sprout.

3.  Try new plants

Bring some excitement back to gardening! New plants are released each year and The Good Earth knows which ones work well here in Central Arkansas!

4.  Grow something you can eat

The first gardens were born from necessity. There is a special satisfaction that comes from growing food for your family. If edible gardening is new to you, just remember that successfully growing one tomato plant or patio blueberry can be just as exciting as a larger scale garden. Be aware of how much time you are willing to invest in your new adventure!

5.  Spend time in your outdoor space

Sometimes just the simple act of touching a plant leaf or smelling a flower can be uplifting… in fact, there is a whole profession based on the therapeutic benefits of horticulture! Be kind to yourself; your space doesn’t have to be perfect to make your day better. Just appreciate the effort you have put into creating a beautiful, functional space for you and your family. Good job!

The post Gardening Resolutions for 2016! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.