Fall Fertilizers, Soil Prep, Pre-Emergence Herbicide Tips!

Skip gives advice on best preparation of soil, the proper fall fertilization approach, and herbicide tips, all while taking calls!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Katie r h. Garden Line with Skip rictor esmell.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
The basis the basis gas can you use shrim You
just watching as worm got gassies and gas?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Can you las?

Speaker 4 (00:20):
Many girl takes the sapback basic in the bay the
bassis and gas and again you did the samos becubles
back tacking.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
They're not a salmon. Credit the glasses and gas and.

Speaker 4 (00:35):
The sun beamon of tweets.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
The basis a gas baby can you jam?

Speaker 4 (00:42):
By first starting in and out of treating you.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
See Sunday.

Speaker 5 (01:00):
With the calendar. And here's why we know that the
average frostedate arrives fill in the blank for your area.
It varies a lot through the garden Line listening area,
but when it's scheduled to generally arrive, that's probably on
the average when it's going to arrive, and so we
got to do things to be ready for it. Now

(01:21):
that means we need to be fertilizing our lawns right now,
Right now is the time to get out there and
get your fall fertilization down. We are in the big
prime time for getting that done. October big month, big
month that as we go further into fall, grassroot growth
slows down, and we would like to get those nutrients

(01:41):
down so they can take them up so that grass
plant can be as strong as possible going into winter
and coming out in spring. And that's something that's hard
for people to follow or to I guess, well, get
their head around. Maybe is the idea that we think
about fertilizing like we think about eating us for example,

(02:01):
like if I go eat breakfast this morning, that food
is taking care of me today, but not so much tomorrow.
I have to eat again tomorrow. Well, when we fertilize
our turf, we're not just feeding the grass in the
sense of we put it down and the grass takes
it all up and eats it like I would my breakfast.
What we are doing is we're putting it in the
soil so that as the grass day by day by

(02:24):
day by day needs nutrient, it's taking those nutrients up
day by day by day by day. So the sooner
you get it down, the sooner it can begin to
do that. And with our nice warm temperatures right now,
it will take it up very rapidly. And as we
go further and further in fall, once we get into
mid November and so it slowed down a lot, a lot,

(02:44):
and so get those fertilizations done now. Night Fist has
their three step program. I like that term three step.
It's kind of like you dance on the dance floor,
the two step, you dance on the lawn. The three
step and the three step is number one in the
fall special fertilizer. It's a winneriser. It helps your grass
get ready for winter and therefore come out better in spring. Secondly,

(03:09):
the second step of the three step is barricade, which
is a pre emergent weed prevention. All the weeds that
you saw taking over your lawn last spring, late winter
and spring, they sprouted in the fall, and barricade stops
at If you put it down now watered in about
a half inch of water, then those weed seeds. When

(03:30):
we get a col front and a little bit of
a rain and a cold front, those weeds are going
to sprout because the sul tent drops down to where
they can it triggers them to sprout. You want the
barricade down before that because that way, when they try
to sprout, barricade is there forming a barricade over the
ground and they can't. Second or third excuse me Nitrifus

(03:51):
eagle turf fungicide. Eagle turf fungicides is a stomach. And
one thing about preventing diseases in the lawn that's different
from preventing somewhat different from preventing diseases in our bodies,
is that we get sick and you go the doctor
and they give you medicine to fix it. Unless it's
a virus or something well in the lawn. We have

(04:13):
to put that down ahead of time, so when the
disease shows up, the preventative is there in the grass plant, okay,
or on the grass plant. In the case of nitrophoss eagle,
it's a systemic It moves in the plant. So when
again here comes a cold front, some cool temperatures, and
those big brown circles start to appear in your lawn.
When the circles are there, that means the leaves have

(04:35):
been rotted off the runners and you're gonna have a
brown circle all winter, and when it warms up in
spring the grass will regreen. But you look at the
circle all winter. The sunlight hits the soil all winter,
the weeds are sprouting, and other issues happen. Go backwards
in time before that, put the eagle down, and now
when the disease shows up, it's prevented from infecting the grass.

(04:58):
Same thing is true with take all root rot, which
also occurs in the fall. So here's what I'm saying,
do the three step and do it now, especially doing
the barricade and especially getting the eagle turf fungicide down.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Now.

Speaker 5 (05:13):
I would do all three right now, but time wise,
the most important is getting the weed control ahead of
time and the fungicide protection ahead of time. Nitrofoss Texas
three step, It's as simple as that. You're going to
find nitrofoss Texas three step at d and de Feed
and Tumbull. You're going to find it at Plantation Ace
Hardware out in Richmond, and you're going to find it

(05:34):
at Sinco Ranch the Ace hardware out there as well.
It's widely available and it works. I want to thank everybody,
Buchanans and the folks that came out yesterday. We had
a really good time there. Boy, their fall fest was outstanding,
those of you who are there. I mean it was
something every time everywhere I went, Every time I turned around,

(05:55):
there was some kids activity and kids are getting their
faces painted there were painting pumpkins. I mean, it was
just on and on and on. It was a blast,
had a good time. Loved meeting all the folks out there,
and so it's kind of fun meeting people that listen
to garden Line and helping folks with their questions and
directing the things and quite the shindig there. Thank you

(06:16):
Buchanons for having me out and for everybody for coming out.
That was those of you who came, no just how
much fun that was, and it really really was fun.

Speaker 6 (06:26):
You know.

Speaker 5 (06:26):
Buchanans is on Eleventh Street in the Heights and it's easy.
It's easy to get to, it's easy to get in
and out of the product they have there is outstanding.
Oh my gosh, the fall color that they have is stupendous.
The pumpkins and all the gourds and ornamentals and things.
I mean, you could decorate a gymnasium of all the

(06:47):
different things that they have. They're ready to go in
the way of pumpkins, you know, the carving pumpkins if
you want to do Jack O Lennard, the little fairy
tail pumpkins which are flattened. They kind of look like
What'srella's coach or something like that, miniature pumpkins and gourds
and everything native plants. I was directing people to native
plants all day out there lots of really cool things,

(07:10):
including things to attract butterflies, things to attract hummingbirds. And
of course we spend time in the houseplat Greenhouse. My
wife loves strings, a string of If they created a
new string of, I think we'd be out there buying
it the next day because we love strings at our house. Anyway,
They've got you set up for all that and more
out there at Buchanans Native Plants in the Heights on

(07:33):
eleven Street. By the way, Buchanans Plants dot COM's their
website Buchanans Plants dot com. You need to go check
that out. Their newsletter is outstanding, their website is outstanding.
There are monthly to do lists on there. There are
other kinds of resources, you know, how to videos, gardening articles,
garden guides and so on. Makes it easy, makes it

(07:56):
really really easy. This is a call in show, and
you know what the first thing that a host should
do on a call in show is give you the
phone number. How about I do that? Maybe not first thing,
how about second thing? Seven one three two one two
KTRH seven one three two one two ktrh. You'd like
to give me a call talk about the things that

(08:17):
are of interest to you. Hey, let's do that. Let
us do that. We're going to take a break right
now and I'll be right back.

Speaker 4 (08:25):
Like while you still can don't even try.

Speaker 5 (08:30):
Well, well, welcome, welcome back to Guardenline. Good to have
you with us. He our phone number seven one three
two one two fifty eight seventy four.

Speaker 7 (08:38):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (08:39):
You know that when you're looking for supplies for anything
to make your garden, landscaping, lawn beautiful, Ace Hardware is
the place to go. ACE is the place, that's what
they say, and it is a place for everything. It's
a place for fertilizers like the fall fertilizers. It's a
place for fire, ink control, mosquito control. It's the place
to get your decorations for inc and for outside. It's

(09:01):
a place to create that beautiful outdoor patio that you
so much enjoy. And when you're dealing with pests and
weeds and diseases, ACE is a place for that as well.
Ace Hardware stores forty of them in the Greater Houston area.
So if you're listening to Guardline, there's an ACE Hardware
store near you. And ACE Hardware stores are going to
stay stocked with those things that you need to have

(09:22):
that gorgeous landscape, to have that bountiful garden. So just
check it out Acehardware dot Com, find the store locator,
find the store near you, and everything you need is there.
And oh, the holidays are coming, holiday decorations, lands are
lighting and all the I'll be taking a lot about
that really soon because it's just around the corner and
it's also available at ACE. I talk about fall fertilizing,

(09:48):
and sometimes people get a little confused, like, well, why
not just use your summer lawn fertilizer for fall. Well,
here's why. You know, you can fertilize with a summer
fertilizer all year round, but the best fertilizer for fall
is one that's a little lower in nitrogen, a little
higher in the third number, which is potassium, and nitrogen
pushes growth. That makes things, you know, take off green,

(10:11):
grow fast and in warm temperatures. That's what we're doing
all summer to our lawns. But in the fall, we
want things to slow down because they are slowing down,
the days are getting shorter, the temperatures are cool enough,
and we want less nitrogen and a little more potassium
the third number. Those two nitrogen and potassium, the first
number of the third number. They go into the grass
plant together and they help build winter hardiness. They help

(10:34):
the plant produce carbohydrates that prepare it for cold weather. Secondly,
they stock that plant with carbohydrates. The grass plant so
in the spring it can take off growing. In the spring,
the old root system is going away and the new
root system is beginning to get established, and that early
growth needs carbs that are stored in the grass plant

(10:58):
to take off and do its. So your best early
spring growth spurring along is done by your fall fertilization.
Very important, probably the most important fertilization of the year.
That I would say, the fall fertilization. We want to
get it down in October here in the gardenline listening area.
That's the best time to do it. A little earlier

(11:20):
better than is better than a little bit later. But
go ahead and get those down and that's how those work.
That's why we make that change in the fall. And
it's all available on my schedule at gardening with Skip
dot com. Youne see the whole thing right there. I
was talking about things you could get at ACE Hardware.
Another thing you can get at ACE Hardware is azomite.
You know. Asi Mite is the micro nutrient supplement that

(11:43):
we put down to build the bank account in the soil.
So when grass needs those obscure nutrients that you may
have heard of but you certainly never see on the
numbers on a fertilizer bag, it's in the soil and
the grass is able to just continue growth as normal.
There's twenty nutrients that plants need to do well and

(12:06):
they're essential. When I see need, I don't mean it
would be nice. I mean they have to have them,
and if you don't have them, if there's not enough,
it limits plant growth. And asumite that's why we put
that down to buy once a year's enough, do as
sult test and then you know exactly what you need
on every nutrient. That's the best. I mean, we give
you guidelines and stuff, but in the absence of that,

(12:27):
an ASMIE application about once a year is a good
way to go. You can go to azmite Texas dot com.
Just remember it's a small particle sized product, So don't
mix it with your fertilize other fertilizers, because you know,
when you got large particles and small particles, they don't
all get spread at the same rate. One of them
settles and one of them comes up in the in

(12:47):
the hopper as it bounces along. So do your fertilization
and do your asmite applications separately. Do them separately, but
you can do them the same day, you can do
them the same hour. Just just do them separately. As
Mite's widely available, you're gonna find it pretty much everywhere
you hear me talk about on garden line. Feed stores,
garden centers, ace hardware stores, Southwest fertilizer, all those kinds

(13:11):
of places and more will carry the asmite. You are
listening to garden Line, I'm your host, Skip Richter, and
the number, if you'd like to give us a call
is seven one three two one two fifty eight seventy
four seven one three two one two five eight seven four. Now,
one of my favorite things to say on garden line

(13:33):
is brown stuff before green stuff. And why do I
do that? Well, here's why it's easy to go to
a garden center and get excited about plants. You know,
here's all these green, beautiful flowers. There's a tomato I'm
gonna eat like a king. I can't wait to put
it in the ground. It's easy to get and good
for you. I mean, I get excited about that. But

(13:54):
the success of any plant you bring home, and hopefully
you're bringing one that's adapted and wants to grow here.
This success up any plant is based on the soil.
Think of it this way. Plants live in their roots.
That's that's one way to think about it. That makes
the point I'm trying to make, and that is when
the soil is well aer rated, that could be expanded shale,

(14:14):
that could be compost additions, bed mixes that you're buying
to grow the plants in. When it's well aer rated
and well drained, it's going to thrive. When it can
hole water but drain well. Also, when it can hold
nutrients and keep them available, the plants have a chance
to thrive. It's setting them up for success. You know.

(14:35):
It's like you want to go on a trip and
what you're going to take your car, Well, your car's
got to have tires on it. Your car's got to
have gas in the tank. You know, you see what
I'm saying. You need all that there, so when you
go to go somewhere, you got everything you need to go.
That is what we do. When we build the soil,
we get those plants ready to go. The roots can thrive,
they can grow in a big area. They have lots

(14:56):
of zone to draw water and nutrients from. There's good
root health. There's not soggy anaerobic conditions and root rots
and stuff like that. It's all in the soil. Very
very important. Cnamlts south of Houston, Ciena Malts is your
bronze stuff place. That's the way I'll put it. That

(15:16):
means the composts, that means the expanded shill, that means
every fertilizer I talk about on Guardline is at Cienamalts.
It is when you drive in there and drive out,
you have the foundation for success. Whether you're growing a lawn,
a flowerbed, herbs, vegetables, you name it, it's all there
at Cenamalts. Now. They're down on Highway near Highway six

(15:38):
and two eighty eight, just north of ROAs Sharon on
FM five twenty one. Right down their website. Sienna Maltz
dot com, cnamlts dot com Monday through Friday seven thirty
to five, Saturday seven thirty to two, closed on Sundays.
But when you come out of Cienamalts, you're ready to go.
You're ready to get it ready for a successful planting

(15:58):
falls the best planting season. Now's the time to build
your beds. Get over there to see them all and
get the stuff you need. I see so many people.
One of the main reasons people fail when they plant
things is because they don't prepare their soul first. That's
one of the main things. Don't be that person. Get
it ready to go before you get started. We're going

(16:19):
to go out now to Kingwood and talk to Pamela. Hello, Pamela,
welcome to garden Line.

Speaker 8 (16:27):
She started.

Speaker 9 (16:29):
Yes, can you hear me? Now?

Speaker 5 (16:32):
I can go ahead?

Speaker 9 (16:33):
Okay, great, Yes, I'm leaving for Spain for a month.
And I lost the trees that shaded my azaleus and
they're turning kind of a brighter light green with.

Speaker 7 (16:47):
A little bit of.

Speaker 9 (16:49):
Brown that not dying the stuff. What can I do
to shave them? Could I put like that freeze cloth
on top of them until it cool off. I've got
somebody watering them every day while I'm gone, plus the
sprinkler system.

Speaker 5 (17:09):
Well, I think I think if you're concerned about too
much sun on those asalias, suddenly a shade cloth could
be put over them. You can purchase shake cloth materials.
It's very very thin, and it helps, you know, keep
the some of the sun off. You don't want to
get all the sun off, you just want to take

(17:29):
it down a little bit. That's probably what I would use,
Just lay that over them. But how long ago did
these trees go away.

Speaker 10 (17:40):
Barrel?

Speaker 5 (17:42):
Well, that's been long. That's been a long time. Those
azaleas ought to be okay for right now, I don't
know that, you know, I mean certainly right after Barrel,
through the hot, hot summer weathers and all that kind
of stuff, that was a critical time. But I think
we're kind of hitting a time now where I'm not
as concerned about them. They've made it through up to now.
I don't know. There's a lot more damage to be

(18:03):
done on that.

Speaker 9 (18:05):
Okay, I'm going to have some trees planted when the
Kingwood Garden Club has their Trees Sail in November. I'll
buy some gonna put where they'll shade them. The other
thing I wanted to talk to you because I've watched
you told me about the power point you did about
composting for kids.

Speaker 5 (18:25):
Why don't you.

Speaker 9 (18:26):
Think about, yeah, doing a children's hour once or twice
a month on garden line and parents get parents get
their grandchildren.

Speaker 5 (18:38):
You know.

Speaker 9 (18:38):
I bring my neighbors kids over because the parents won't
listen to you, and fix some pancakes and then you
can do some like the power points, you know, because
everybody's got a laptop, computer, you know, tablet, and you
know that you can see stuff.

Speaker 5 (19:00):
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know about that, but
but that's a good that's a fun thought. Uh yeah,
My my composting for kids PowerPoint thing is online at
the Aggie Horticulture website. You just have to do a
search for composting four kids and put my name in there.
Skip Richter.

Speaker 9 (19:16):
Yeah, I've done by the way I've done it. The
kids would love to dig those trenches and put the
leads down.

Speaker 8 (19:25):
And what kid wouldn't learn to do that?

Speaker 5 (19:28):
Yeah, you gotta have to play in the dirt. That's right. Well,
let me tell you another thing. There there is a
some really good youth gardening stuff at the Aggie Horticulture
website that the that if anybody goes there, oh my gosh,
they have a ton of really really good stuff.

Speaker 11 (19:50):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (19:50):
And I would I would recommend that. I've I've worked
on their youth with them on their youth programs a
number of times. And it's it's top not it really
is called. It's called j MG Junior Master Gardener j MG.

Speaker 9 (20:05):
Oh okay, god.

Speaker 5 (20:07):
Aggie Horticulture. There's a whole section, and there is a
there's curriculums for teachers, you know if at homeschool or
public school uses those both uh and lots of good stuff.
So anybody wanted to gardening with kids, I would just
start by going to the Junior Master Garden. The website's easy.
It's j MG kids dot U s J do that.

Speaker 9 (20:29):
And you once said something and you had the dean
of the.

Speaker 12 (20:34):
Horticultural school on yes.

Speaker 9 (20:37):
Man, the Horticultural school they only have about thirty students
and basically if you go to A and M and
go into that you get a full ride.

Speaker 5 (20:46):
And I checked, well, there's not there's more than thirty.
There's way more than thirty students todaymore.

Speaker 9 (20:52):
Okay, okay, because I checked it out that.

Speaker 5 (20:59):
I'm hearing in my I'm here in my ear that
I got to take a break for the news. For
the news, I'm gonna have to run. I'm sorry I
have to cut us off, but I'm up against a heartbreak.
Thank you so much for your call, though I appreciate that.

Speaker 12 (21:09):
Thank you.

Speaker 5 (21:11):
Bye bye the cow. Not a little bit of yodling
music this morning. You can thank me later.

Speaker 13 (21:20):
I want to be a Canbu site live the best audiari.

Speaker 5 (21:30):
All right, folks, welcome back to garden Line. Getting a
little smooth start this morning before we play some weird stuff.
By the way, stay tuned. I got some weird stuff
coming up later. Thanks for being a listener to garden Line.
We're glad to have you here with us today. If
you've been out to in Channa Gardens recently, they're in
Richmond on the Katie fullsher Side. It's up on FM

(21:52):
three nine f three fifty nine, just north of Richmond.
H In Channa Gardens is the kind of place you
go just you could go there just to see right now,
I'm just to see what they have because it is
so cool. There is like the Pumpkin House, but just
wall of pumpkins on a building. Go see it. You'll

(22:12):
see what I'm talking about. There's things for photo shop
or a field photoshop, photo taking with kids. You need
to get your picture made by the Pumpkin House. There's
a big old butterfly that you stand in front of.
It looks like you got the wings. Kids are gonna
like that kind of stuff. And then there's always plenty
of things to do and purchase there. Right now, the
fall color is unbe believable. You want, you want snap dragons,

(22:35):
you want crotons, you want I mean, what are you
looking for in the fall? It is? It is there
at in Chanda Gardens and Chanted Gardens is the kind
of place where you're gonna get good advice because they
have trained people that know what they're talking about. And
it's expensive. Grab a friend or tooth, throw them in
the car. Head out there. If you're already in Richmond Rosenberg, congratulations,

(22:56):
that's a great place. You're gonna find everything you need
and you're going to really really enjoy your trip to
They just make it fun. Their shops are cool, that
the containers that they have are just outstanding, outstanding containers,
really whimsicle. If you're looking for a gift for somebody
through this holiday season, you're going to visit somebody, grab

(23:18):
something from a Chenna garden to take it with you.
But just know this that no matter what season you
go out there, you're going to find the widest selection
of all kinds of things. You're going to find any place.
It is an outstanding place in Chenna gardens. Adam Richmond
Rosenberg on three fifty nine FM three fifty nine just
north of the of Richmond. What let's head out to

(23:40):
the phones here. We're going to go to northwest Houston
and talk to Paula. Hello, Paula, Welcome to garden Line.

Speaker 12 (23:46):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 14 (23:48):
Listen. I have three large spicebush plants that I had
to attract spotsbush small tailed butterflies, and I bought I
bought two all aer ones last spring because I wanted
to do I don't know that for some reason, the
spice this caterpillars must taste really good because they had

(24:09):
so many predators, so I like to put them in
cages and raise them in cages. So I bought two
smaller spice bitch plants last spring, and they ended up
dying in the pots. Before they even you know, grew
very much and so with in Buchanan's last Friday, and
they had some beautiful spice besh plants, so I bought

(24:31):
some more. So my question is how long should I
keep them in their original containers? And then when I
do RePOP them, what is the best kind of potting
full to use? Because I mean I'm going to be
putting them in cages, you know for the cats.

Speaker 5 (24:53):
Yeah, there's no need to keep them in their containing
I mean, you pot them up the day, bring them home. Uh,
But just as you pot them up, noticed the rich
on the outside. If they're kind of all packed on
the outside of the pot, you can you can do
some uh we say, teasing them apart. You know, you're
kind of pulling them out with your fingers or with
a little gardening car to open them up a little

(25:13):
bit and then replant. If it's real packed, I would
even cut some roots. But if you put them in
the new container and watermen, well keep them moderately moist
They don't want to be in a swamp, but they
do need so moisture. Well you might have yeah, you
absolutely might have their native from everywhere from over in

(25:36):
central Texas across. They go the whole southeastern up to Oklahoma,
all the way over to the east coast, even up
into to Maine in Ontario. That's uh, spice bushes. It's
got a wide area, it tolerates dry sites. Once it's established,
can take you know a range of different conditions, which

(25:57):
that wide area would would give them a range.

Speaker 15 (25:59):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (26:00):
But you know, just make sure there's drainer tolls, but
then keep them adequately moist and they'll do good. Any
point you put in a container is more stressed because
its roots are confined, you know, as a nature where
it has this wide root system, so you can grow
them in a container. Just just keep in mind that
you're watering and things have to be a little more regular.

Speaker 14 (26:22):
Is there any kind of soil, any specific kind of
soil that they should.

Speaker 5 (26:26):
Have, just a good quality good quality blood well okay, okay, yeah, yeah,
you could use you could use what they call rose
soil around here, you know, for example, or whatever they
grow and alkaline soils, soils they grow in both kinds
of soils. So okay, I've got a I've got a

(26:46):
run for a break here. But I hope that helps.
And that's a great, you made a good choice. That's
a great plant. Really is cool. Thanks, thanks a lot.
All right, folks, I'll be right back. All right, Little
Aretha Franklin this morning, on a good Sunday morning, Welcome

(27:09):
to Guardline. Good to have you with us today. We
are here to answer your gardening questions, whatever kinds of
questions you might have to have a more beautiful lawn,
more successful garden. Maybe you've never gardened before. This is
a safe place. I say this often, but there's no
stupid questions on garden Line. There's just stupid answer. So
the pressure's on me. Give us a call. Seven one

(27:32):
three two one two kt r H seven one three
two two. Kid your age. I know, I know you're
sitting there going, oh, I've heard stupid questions in life before.
I well, okay, but we don't treat things that way.
You know, if it's your question, if you're wondering about it,
somebody else is too, and it's okay. We don't expect
you to be experts here. We just expect you to
ask me some questions. Let's help you have success. Gardening

(27:54):
is the best hobby I think in the world. I'm biased,
but that doesn't mean, I'm wrong. It is a great hobby.
It's good physical exercise, it's good mental exercise, and the
benefits of gardening go on and on and on, and
I mean that I talk about this often, but if
you're talking about senior adults struggling with dementia, gardening research

(28:18):
proven huge, huge benefits. If you're talking about people that
are trying to get out and get active but they
can't play sports or go jogging or things, gardening is
great exercise. I mean, we know we live sedentary lifestyles,
and just getting up out of your chair and walking
around over thirty minutes helps. We'll put gardening in there,
and you've got even more of a benefit of that,

(28:39):
and the peace of mind, the joy, the beauty, the hope.
Gardeners are forever optimists because every year is going to
be the best. When I plan a tomato, it's always
I can already tell you how many fruit it's going
to have and how good it's going to taste. Even
if it's not right, I still think I know because
I'm hopeful. That is what we do as gardeners, and

(29:00):
that in and of itself, as they say, is worth
the price of admission. Plants for All Seasons is your
garden Center on FM two forty nine Tombo Parkway just
north of Luata, right there on Tombo Parkway. It has
been around since nineteen seventy three. And when you go
in there, you're going to find all the plants of
any season you need, like right now, fall color, yep,

(29:22):
they got it. Do you need plant herbs followers for
planting herbs, They've got it. Are you doing your fall
fertilization of your lawn? They have a wide selection of
the fertilizers I talk about on garden line. Do you
need soil? Have I convinced you to fix the soil
before you plant the plant? They have got you set
up at Plants for All Seasons. That's the website too,
Plants for All Seasons dot com. If you want to

(29:45):
give them a call two eight one, three, seven six,
sixteen forty six, get in there and they will help you.
As they say, get your green on at Plants for
All Seasons. That's true. I was talking to somebody the
other day that had some issues where they saw cracks
in the sheet rock of their house and then outside
of their house on the brick call tie. That's what

(30:09):
I tell people call Tie fix my slab foundation repair.
And why do I say call Tie? I'll tell you why.
He's been doing it for twenty three years. Here in
the Greater Houston area. We have plenty of clay soils
that shrink and swell as they get wet and dry
and so on. When you see a crack, when a
door is sticking, it's time to check into it. Tie
will not jump to conclusions. He'll take a look at it.

(30:33):
I talked to him one time about a situation. He said,
you know what, Yes, that's movement, but it's not enough
to worry about. Let's just keep an eye on it.
And that's how he is an honest fellow Free estimates.
By the way, if you tell him you're a gardenline listener,
you got a driveway? Do you got a sidewalk that's
heaving and cracking? Call Tie. Ty is a native Estonian,
fifth generation Texan. He has three goals that I think

(30:55):
I wish every service business in the world had, and
that is he shows up on time, he fixes it right,
and he charges a fair price. What more can you ask?
Fixmislab dot com two eight one, two five, five forty
nine forty nine. Don't delay, give him a call, have
him look at it. He'll give you an honest assessment,

(31:17):
and I really believe that he will two eight one
two f five forty nine forty nine fix myslab dot com.
Nobody wants to deal with foundation issues, but I'm telling you,
putting your head in the sand doesn't make it get better.
Let's go ahead and deal with it. Let's get a
professional in there. Let's get some peace of mind. That
is important. I was visiting with some of the folks

(31:41):
from Microlife yesterday when I was at at Buchanan's Native Plants,
and it just reminded me of the wide variety of
products that Microlife has out there on the market. And
they do. You know, we talk about the green fertilizer
all summer, the six two four green bag, green fertilizer,
green bag. In the fall we switch to the fall

(32:02):
fertilizer and it's called Microlife brown Patch because brown patch
occurs mostly in the fall. It can occur in the
winter and a mile see part of the season. It
can occur in the spring as well, but Microlife brown
Patch is your fall fertilizer. If you go to my
gardening schedule at gardening with skip dot com. My lawn schedule.

(32:22):
Excuse me, my lawn schedule gardening with skip dot com.
You'll see the microlife of brown patch on there. You
need to get that down now, and you need to
water it in because it's loaded with microbes that help
populate the surfaces of your grass plant to make it
a more hosp inhospitable place for something like a brown

(32:44):
patch spore. Take all root rot things like that to infect. Now,
microgrow bianoculant. Is there burgundy or maroon bag that is
loaded with sixty three different strains of microbes, a lot
of beneficial. There's microbes in there that produce antibiotics to
help fight disease. There's microbes in there that work with

(33:05):
plant roots to enhance the growth of the plant and
the disease resistant. Did you know that there are microbes
that make a plant more disease resistant?

Speaker 11 (33:14):
Here?

Speaker 5 (33:15):
Okay, for all you horticultural Cliff clavens s ja'll ever
watch cheers. Yeah, you know Cliff Claven the middlement, Well,
you can become the horticultural Cliff Claven. Just write this down.
Basillis amelolycopations because on type yeah, we have BT for caterpillars. Right,
we have basillis amelo licopations. It gets on the roots

(33:36):
of plants. It gets on the plants, and it causes
the plants to grow differently in a way that helps
fight disease. Isn't that cool? Well, sixty three different strains
I just named one right there of basillis and other
good microbes. In micro grow bioanoculant, I would do both.
I do the fertilization with brown patch and micro like

(33:58):
brown patch, and then I do the bio ooculant. I
think that you will find that to be very helpful
for your long especially those of you wanting to garden
organically and wanting to help suppress some of the issues
that we do have here with diseases in our area.
You are listening to Guarden Line, We're coming out pretty
close here on a little break, and if you'd like

(34:19):
to give us a call, our phone number is seven
one three two one two k t r H. Seven
one three two one two k t r H. If
you get on the boards and we're not able to
come to you'll be first up when we come back.
But I would like to try to help with the
kinds of questions that you do have, and I know

(34:40):
I get by yesterday, I think I answered so many
questions my brain turned to jello and kind of flowed
out my ears. It was it was a great I
love doing that. I love talking to gardeners and helping
them have success because I know that when I give
you a good answer to a question, one based on research,
one based on my personal experience, that you can have success.

(35:03):
The thing that breaks my heart most is to talk
to a gardener who says things like, yeah, I just
have a brown thumb, or I tried to grow gardening
once and I just killed everything. Okay, you got to
kill a lot of plants to be a good gardener.
Just accept that. That's okay, you can do that. We
can help you get better and have more success because
gardening is fun and you don't have a brown thumb.

(35:25):
I promise you you do not. You may have an
uninformed thumb, and we know how to inform your thumbs.
When your thumb gets smarter, it turns green. I'm just
saying that's kind of how that works. It really and
it really really does work. We're about to take a
little break here. I can hear some music playing here

(35:47):
in the background, So just a fun fact as we're
heading out. Guess what happens next weekend. I'm going to
be at Are you ready for this Nature's Way Resources
up toward Conrod, Texas. Nature's Way is a place you
go for high quality, high quality soil products. You want

(36:08):
to make your soil good, to make your plants good,
to make you look like you have a green thumb. Yes,
Nature's Way Resource. I'm gonna be there there having their fallfest.
It is one heck of a shin dig it is.
They got bands, they got music, and food and all
kinds of stuff for kids. It's gonna be a blast.
I'll be there answering your gardening questions from eleven thirty

(36:29):
to one thirty at Nature's Way Resources up Interstate forty
five out where fourteen eighty eight comes in from Magnolia.
I'll tell you more about that a little bit later
this morning.

Speaker 1 (36:41):
Welcome to kt RH Garden Line with Scamp Rickard.

Speaker 4 (36:45):
It's just watch him as the world God.

Speaker 3 (37:00):
What so many a sign?

Speaker 5 (37:17):
Well, Hello, well, hello, welcome back. We are glad you're
with us today. We got a lot to talk about.
That's what we do here. On Guardline, we answer gardening
questions and talk to you. What do you want to
visit about? You tell me give us a call seven
to one three two one two k t r H
seven one three two one two k t r H.
If you want to have success with your plants, you

(37:39):
need to make those plants happy from the time they
are roots hit the ground, and that means getting the
soil right. If you're going to grow something like shrubs
and and uh perennials and flowers and vegetables and herbs
and all the things you'd want a plant, you got
to have good soil to put them in. For example,
Landscapeer's Pride they have a two dozen different kinds of

(38:02):
blends of soils and mulches and things. Their planting mix
is a blend of locally sourced pine bark, sandy loam,
soil and organics, various types of decomposed organic materials, which
just creates a root zone where plants can thrive. It
is high quality stuff they're planting mixed from landscapers Pride.
Now they also got something called compost Peat. It's made

(38:24):
from locally sourced pine excellent soil additive. It helps with
the structure in the soil, and that's important because that
helps with internal drainage and getting oxygen in the roots.
Roots have to have oxygen to thrive. It does it
very very well. Now on top of the ground, you
always want to have a mulch, and their black velvet
is probably the prettiest maults you're going to see. It

(38:47):
is not dyed. It is naturally just dark, soft, rich,
velvety color material. It keeps the soil cooler in the summer,
which is a deal. It keeps a moderate soel temperature
in winter too, for that matter. But it blocks the
sunlight and when sunlight can't hit the soil, read seats
can't get started. And maltz takes a lot of the

(39:08):
workout of things for you. Plus it just makes the
place prettier. Also about maltz, it decomposes over time. So
when you use black velvet after a while, if it's
getting a little thinner, it's decomposing. Away. Put some more
black velvet on top of it. Don't take the old away.
The old is just getting to become good soil building stuff.
Now throw some more on top and you do. Just

(39:28):
find Landscaperspride dot Com is a website for all those products.
As they say, with Landscaper's Pride, let's grow together, and
you're going to find their products all over the greater
Houston area. When I talk about garden centers and feed
stores and ace hardware stores and Southwest Fertilizer, those are
all the kinds of places where you find Landscaper's Pride

(39:49):
products and they're widely available. Someone had asked me about
fall fertilizer. What is fall fertilizer? What is fallfuri? What
fall fertilizer is is it's basically a higher potassium a
little bit lower nitrogen level fertilizer than we use in

(40:09):
the summertime, and it's to help the plant build cold
hardiness going into fall. That is very important. Now we
don't need to push with nitrogen, but we need some
nitrogen in the fall. So there is nitrogen in fall fertilizer.
It's taken up with the potassium to create in the
plant with sunlight carbohydrates that make winter hardiness and put

(40:33):
the energy in the plant. So coming out in the
fall when the root system in this coming out of
the fall, when the root system in spring is not
taking off early enough to really create that early growth spurt.
It's using stored energy to do that, and that's exactly
what faull fertilizers do. That's why on my schedule there
are fertilizers for spring and summer, and then there's fertilizers

(40:55):
for the fall. And that's why we go with a
different blend. And that's why our quality fertilizer manufactur choose
a different blend based on turf grass science and research
for what's best for your lawn in the fall, and
that is a fall type fertilizer. Some people call them
win arisers. You can do that if you want fall
type fertilizer. Look at my schedule guarding with skip dot

(41:16):
com and you'll find out more about them there. I
recently I was looking at a listing of mascots. Mascots, yeah,
high school mascots. And you know, mascots are supposed to
be some formidable thing, like the hornets. You know they're

(41:40):
going to attack you and the wildcats that are going
to eat you up and stuff. I want to tell
you about a few of the mascots that I found
across the country. The snails. The snails. Now, doesn't that
strike terror in your heart? That you're going to go
up against the snails. There's an the one. There's another

(42:01):
one in Key West, Florida. The conks. Yeah, all that
is is a saltwater snail underground. What are you gonna do?
Slime them snails? I'd like to hear the fight song
for that. Anyway. Hey, if any of you are from
these places, my apologies, but really, you gotta you gotta
work on your mascots. How about the mighty bunnies from Omaha,
Nebraska eat their vegetable garden bunnies, go go go? What

(42:24):
I come on?

Speaker 3 (42:25):
Man?

Speaker 5 (42:26):
Okay, let's let's let's uh, let's be fair here. How
about some horticultural mascots. Well, but no, first I have
to do an insect mascot. The crickets, the Fall Creek,
Wisconsin crickets. What is the fight song? What is the chant?
Make noise and keep them up all night? Crickets? I
don't know. Okay, horticulture. The beat diggers from Sandy, Utah.

(42:52):
Now there's one I can get behind, you know, help
them garden. How about this the dustin California tillers. That's
based on the farming community around Historically, the farming community
they're on tusk in California. The tillers break up their soil,
you know, dig up the weeds. I don't know, we
need to work on that anyway, since it's football season.

(43:13):
I thought you might get a kick out of that.
Or it's just me. You know what do they say?
Simple pleasure, simple minds. You're listening to garden Line the
phone number seven one three two one two kt RH
to give us a call. Spare your friends these bad jokes.
Nelson plant Food has the fall fertilizer that will do

(43:35):
two things in your lawn. Number one, it will provide
the nutrients like I was just describing, little less nitrogen,
little more potassium to get that plant ready to go.
It's called carbo load because it helps your plant produce carbohydrates,
which is winter hardiness and spring growth. That's what carbohydrates do.
That's why sunlight shines on green leaves, and plants make

(43:57):
carbohydrates for supporting that growth. Now, carbo load also has
a pre emergent herbicide in it. You put it down,
you watered in. You gotta water it in. Anytime you're
doing fertilizers and pre emergent herbicides, you need get a
little water on them, about a half inch or so,
could be a little more, and move that down into
the soil and that's where it does its work. Also,
because carbo load has the pre emergent, don't delay on

(44:21):
my schedule for fall fertilizers. You will see that the
month of October is a good time to put those
down as well as for weed prevention. But you won't
do it sooner rather than later. Those things last a
while in the soil, and if you wait until we
get a call front, some rain and the weed sprout, well,

(44:41):
now you're not needing a pre emergent, You're needing a
post emergent fertilizer or herbicide. So carbo load, I'd get
that done the next week or two. I'd do it
in this week if I were you, Just to head
your bet and get ahead of things. Because the analogy
I use for fall disease in the garden fall weed
control in the garden is baseball. You swing. You start

(45:05):
your swing before the ball gets to the plate. If
you wait until it's in the catcher's mitt to start
your swing, you're never going to hit the ball. Right.
Let's just put it this way. The ball is on
the way for lawn weeds, and the ball is on
the way already for the lawn diseases, and just you
need to get out there, get ahead of it so

(45:25):
that when they finally arrive and it's just around the corner,
you're ready to go. And Nelson carbo Load can do
you just that. And they're available widely all over the area.
Let's go now to north west Houston. We're going to
talk to Ralph. Good morning, Ralph, good morning.

Speaker 11 (45:41):
It is a good of a morning. Help and walk
and you know, help me this old and all that. Anyway,
my garden needs help too. So I need to put
down a top saw on our guard cause the last
year I just planted and this just didn't do right. No,
so I need to really add some to it, like
your c whatever you say.

Speaker 5 (46:03):
Yeah, what kind of do you have? Is it is
your soil of clay or sand or what kind of
soil do you have?

Speaker 11 (46:10):
It's bit noise, it's pretty, it's don't know it it's
not sand. Is whole clay work like the front yard.

Speaker 16 (46:20):
I got it.

Speaker 11 (46:21):
It's really by front yard too. If I haven't grass
won't even growing that whrse stuff. Well it's got hard
this year, and I told you it's like growing.

Speaker 5 (46:32):
Yeah, Ralph, I would. I would get a compost material
to put on your garden. Any kind of a decomposed
organic matter compost. If you want to get a veggie,
a nerd mix, that would be good. Put about two
inches of compost out there, mix it into your garden.
You may have to wet the soil a little a
day or two ahead of time so that you can
mix it in. But always, every time you get a chance,
mix some compost into your garden soil. And I think

(46:54):
that's going to do a world of good for you.
All right, Okay, that's what I need you to do. Yes,
you bet well. They're telling me I got to go
to a break. Okay, they're telling me I got to
go to a break. Thank you for the call, Ralph.
Take care. I'll be right back. Folks. Just consider this

(47:16):
your moment is zen. You can thank me later.

Speaker 3 (47:24):
Sorry.

Speaker 5 (47:24):
Everybody that's ever heard yodling chickens, raise your hand. That's
what I thought. That's what I Welcome back to garden Line. Hey,
we try to have a little bit of fun at
least keep you on your toeser here. So yeah, send
money if you don't ever want to hear that again,
I'll be happy to be paid hush money for the
yodling chickens. Oh gosh, our phone number seven one three

(47:48):
two one two k t r H. Seven one three
two one two k t r H. Let's have some
fun together today on garden Line. Lots to talk about,
you know, when it comes to every kind of supply
of whatever, talk about here on guard Line, from fertilizers
to pesticides, to disease control, insect control, weed control, you
name it. Southwest Fertilizer has got it all and then

(48:10):
some They stay so on top of things. When any
kind of new technology in terms of pest management comes
onto the market, they've got it. They just do. That's
how Bob is there. Southwest been doing it since nineteen
fifty five at Southwest Fertilizer, and they're still the place.
People drive good distances really to go there because they
know when they get there, they're gonna have options. They're

(48:32):
gonna have people that know what they're talking about. You know,
you walk into Southwest with a weed and you go, hey,
what's this and how do I kill it? Or you
take a picture of something you go is this some problem,
and they'll say, no, that's not a problem, you don't
need to worry about. Oh yeah, here it is, and
they give you your options because they know their stuff.
That's how that works. If you are organic, they have
the largest selection of organic products pretty much anywhere you're

(48:53):
going to find. If you don't care whether it's organic
or synthetic, they've got the largest selection you're going to
find any That's what they do. Eighty foot wall of tools,
eighty feet of tools. My weed wiper, skips weedwiper on
my website gardening with skip dot com. If you want
to build one, they've got the little tool that has
the section cops to build it with.

Speaker 17 (49:14):
There.

Speaker 5 (49:15):
That's what I'm talking about. They have everything there. We're
entering fall, we're going to be putting that lawn mower up.
Why not have them get that sharpened. They got a
shop in the back. Do you need some engine repair?
They got a shop in the back for that. Whatever
you need is going to be there at Southwest Fertilizer.
I have never mentioned a productor or a fertilizer that

(49:35):
they already don't have there at Southwest Fertilizer. Southwest Fertilizer
dot com. They're on the corner of Bissinet and Runwick
in Southwest Houston. If you haven't been there, you need
to go. And when you go, say I want to
see your kneeling bench. One of my top five tools
is the kneeling bench. You can sit on it, you
can flip it over and kneel on it. The legs

(49:57):
become handles to get up and down. If you're north
of four years old, you will thank me for this tool.
I promise you. It is wonderful. I'm talking to my
sister the other day who I bought one for, and
it'll change your life, it really will. It's a cool deal.
And if you want a gift for somebody that's a gardener,
go to Southwest grab tell Bobby you need to see

(50:20):
the nailing men. Grab one of those and go home
with it. And it is an awesome, awesome gift for you.
In fact, I gave one to my sister who is
older than me, a point that I love to point out.
Uh and uh. After I gave a churist kind of
like maybe I need one of those too, And I
got one myself this years ago, and boy do I
ever love that thing? All right? Well, I hope I

(50:42):
convinced you, because trust me, you will like it. We're
going to go to Spring Branch now and talk to Daisy. Hello, Daisy,
welcome to garden Line.

Speaker 15 (50:52):
Hi, thank you. How are you today?

Speaker 5 (50:56):
I'm good, I'm good.

Speaker 13 (50:57):
How can we help today?

Speaker 15 (51:00):
Well, I'm calling.

Speaker 18 (51:01):
I've had on I guess an issue is needing to
get some planting done in the back of the pool
area I previously had I want to say, American hollies
that died almost a year ago, and I bought two
good sized bogun vas to just put color because it's

(51:21):
maybe seven foot maximum area that wraps around the back
of the pool.

Speaker 15 (51:28):
So our bogunv is a.

Speaker 18 (51:29):
Bad idea, a good idea or do you have any
other suggestions for what we can put there?

Speaker 5 (51:35):
Yeah, they're a nice plant. They grow in the they
bloom in the summertime when you're using the pool. A
couple of other good color plants for summer are the
Pride of Barbados. It is a orange, yellow, and red
colored flower that attracts swallowtail one type of swallowtail, butterfly,
and some others. It doesn't even want to really be

(51:58):
growing and stuff until about May, so it's a great
one for summer color all the way up until late
in the season. There are other plants. The esperanza or
yellowbells looks good. The fire bush fire bush is one
that has red tubular flowers. Uh, and it's a it's
an attractive little plant that does good in an area
like that. If you were placing an American holly, that

(52:21):
of course that would be a evergreen screen plant. So
there are plants that will give you, you know, good
foliage cover that block of you. If that's part of
the strategy too. Those some of the other evergreen shrubs
could be used like that.

Speaker 18 (52:38):
Okay, what about a tall evergreen shrub to be the backdrop.
Do you have any suggestions for that that could kind
of maybe go in back of the esperanzas.

Speaker 5 (52:48):
Something tall. The Japanese u ye w u does really good.
It can be trimmed to make a hedge that's not
too thick. You know, with with plants they get tall.
If they get wide too, they're taking up all your
area and that's not good. So Japanese you could be
trimmed to make a very nice backdrop hedge that's evergreen.

(53:11):
They could go behind whatever you're going.

Speaker 15 (53:13):
To plant that'll look pretty Okay. So on bogun villas,
I didn't realize they all drop their flowers, is that?
Why don't Why don't I see that all over town?

Speaker 18 (53:23):
You see them everywhere and they look gorgeous. But I
have them home now and I'm noticing like a lot
of their droppings all over.

Speaker 5 (53:31):
Yeah. Well, everything's that has a everything that has a bloom,
Eventually that bloom falls off. And so with boogainvillias, as
we get into cooler weather, you're going to see that.
Of course it's not cooler weather yet, but different kinds
of stresses can cause a plant to drop flowers earlier
than it normally would. But yes, they can do that,
they sure can, but that's not just unique to booginvillas.

Speaker 15 (53:58):
Got it?

Speaker 10 (53:59):
Okay?

Speaker 15 (54:00):
All right, Well I will definitely look into the use that.
That'll look pretty.

Speaker 5 (54:05):
Yeah. Another another option to daisy is is to do
a yopon, an upright burying type of yopon. Then you
would have the beauty of the evergreen of the opon.
Plus you would have the potential at least for berries
on the plant during the cooler season, so you could

(54:25):
enjoy that. And again with some sheer some sharing, the
density gets better.

Speaker 15 (54:31):
Is that a tree or a shrub?

Speaker 5 (54:34):
It's a it's a shrub, but can also be a
mini tree, you know, like the smaller types of crape
myrtles that form a little tree shape. A yopon can
be pruned into that kind of shape, or it can
be sheared into just a shrub like shape. There's one
called Pride of Houston. It's not real tall, but Pride
of Houston is one that's real nice and has berries

(54:55):
on it. Okay, Pride of Houston, upright, yocon, Yeah, and
just go online and look at these take looks at
pictures and see if I like that or not I
don't like that, And you'll be able to find some
good things that way too. And you're you're up there
in the Spring Branch area, so you've got a lot
of garden centers and places where you can get some

(55:16):
great plants.

Speaker 15 (55:18):
Okay, perfect, okay, thank you so much.

Speaker 5 (55:21):
All right, all right, thank you for the call. Appreciate that.
All right, if you'd like to give us a call
on garden line seven one three two one two k
t r H seven one three two one two k
t RH. I'm not good garden centers, you know, not
too far from Spring. I go out toward Tumball and
you've got Arburgate Nursery and Arburgate is a show place,

(55:43):
been around for a long time. Arburgate is the kind
of place that people from around Texas know about. People
come from a long way to go to Arburgate. I
can tell you that I'm out there, and I always
like to visit with customers when I'm at garden centers
and find out where you're from, what you're looking for,
stuff like that. You know, gardeners like to talk about plants. Well,

(56:03):
at Arburgate, you're going to find the best ball color
that you can imagine right now and it is. They
are loaded, They're ready. Do you need decorations? Their gift
shops are just taken off. They're even getting ready even
for some Christmas things coming up soon here at the
gift shops at Arburgate, the bling for the landscape is there.

(56:26):
But the plants, it's the plants year round. They sell
fruit trees at Arburgate. You always get a free tree
there at Arburgate. Shrubs and trees and herbs at everything.
Arborgate is the place that you find everything you need
to have that really unique, special place that's.

Speaker 14 (56:44):
Just for you.

Speaker 5 (56:45):
You know, that's one thing about gardens. We can create
whatever kind of garden we want, from a zen garden
to just a big edible garden of herbs, fruits and vegetables.
Arborgate can set you up for any direction you want,
knowledgeable staff and quality of trey. While you're there by
the way they're they're west of Tumbul get their organic
food complete, Organic soil complete, and organic compost complete. Those

(57:08):
three bags are what I call the brown stuff to
set the plants you take home from Arburgate up for
true success. Those products work. I'm going to take a
break and I'll be right back, folks. We've got money,
all right, folks, welcome back to guarden Line. Glad you're

(57:29):
listening in today. If you'd like to give us a call.
Got a gardening question, that'd be a good time to
do it. Seven one three two one two kt r
H seven one three two one two kt r H.
I want to remind you that if you are interested
in purchasing some quality composts this fall, Nature's Way Resources

(57:50):
still has their Fungal Friday sale going on every Friday.
You can save twenty percent off of their fungal compost.
This is good for top dressing of your lawn, this
is good for mixing into the soil. You can even
put on top of the soil as a malt if
you want. But fungal compost is just a high quality mix.
You know, everything they do at Nature's Way is high

(58:11):
quality mixes. They a lot of the things that now
just are like fixtures in the Houston area gardening world
had their birth at Nature's Way, things like rose soil,
things like leaf mole compost or the fungal compost. John
Ferguson has for decades been a student of the soil,

(58:34):
a student of quality composting, and I'm telling you the
products show it. Ian his son a run in operation
right now. It just continues that tradition. It always is
a good day to buy stuff for the soil. It's
always good to buy stuff with the soil. And I
really mean that. We get excited about leaves and flowers

(58:56):
and vegetables and fruits and things, and those are great,
but those only half and when the soil is right,
those only happen when you have provided the foundation for success.
And Nature's Way is the Foundation for success. By the way,
next Saturday, please write this on your calendar if you
are anywhere up north in the listening area. In fact,

(59:16):
I would say anywhere I find that. In these events
people come from all over. But the Fall Festival is
the Nature's Way Shindig next Saturday. Latin food, local vendors.
Of course, i have plant sales, live music, children's activities.
I'll be there from eleven thirty to one thirty. Eleven
thirty to one thirty next Saturday. Come and see me.

(59:37):
Those of you in Conrod, those of you in Willis,
the Woodlands, all through that region North Houston. Come from
wherever you want. Like I said, I'm always surprised. You know,
I was at Buchanans this yesterday and I can't remember
where it was. Somebody came from way down South Galveston
direction to come up there for their deal. Come on out,

(01:00:01):
let's meet. Bring me samples in plastic bags, Let's identify them,
Let's help you diagnose them. Bring me pictures on your
phone of things we can identify, diagnose. Or maybe you
just have an area you like some advice with. Here's
your chance. You know, on Guardline, we have a short
time to answer phone calls with you moving on to

(01:00:21):
another caller or other information. But to I there, this
is our opportunity to get your gardens in the best
shape that they can be. And I'll be there Nature's
Way next Saturday, that is the twelfth of October, and
I'll be there from eleven thirty to one thirty. By
the way, the event starts at nine in the morning
and goes till two. There's no charge for the event,

(01:00:43):
and it will be a good time. I've been there
those before and they're always a good time. Ian and
the team out there really knows how to put on
a really good event, so I hope you'll make it.
Come on out. I I've talked about a number of
different things, and you know, I like to take the
moment where we have a little bit of a break

(01:01:05):
in the calls just to I guess, discuss some of
the things that I think are important points to consider
that people really may not be aware of. And for example,
I want to talk a little bit about pre emergent
herbicide tips and I'm going to give you five and
I'll do them real quick. Number one, you've got to

(01:01:27):
get the right product for the weeds. There are pre
emergent herbicides that just work on broadleaf weeds. There's some
that work on broad leaf and grassy weeds. Barricade is
one of those. It does both, but you've got to
get the right product to go after the weeds you're
going after. Secondly, Tip two, Timing is everything. Like playing baseball.
You got to start swinging before the ball gets to

(01:01:49):
the plate or you're never going to hit the ball. Well.
If you don't get your pre emergence down ahead of
the seed sprouting, you're missing the boat. It's like swinging
after the catcher's got the ball. And as I am
saying these days, now that we're in October, the ball
is on the way. The picture has let go, and
the ball is on the way, it's time to get
that swing started, meaning get those things down. Third, put

(01:02:12):
them at the right rate. Rates are important. You don't
put enough, it doesn't work. You overdo a rate of
an insecticide, a fungicide, a herbicide, or a fertilizer and
you can damage plants. Follow the label. The right rate
is critical. Fourth, uniform application. It works. The product works,

(01:02:33):
but if you have twice as much in one spot,
and not enough in another that's not a uniform application
and you're going to get spotty results. Fifth, and finally
is watered in half inch of water or so to
get it down into the soil surface. They stick to
the surface right there in the soil, and when a
weed seed tries to come through, they shut it down.

(01:02:54):
For it gets started, for it's able to establish a plant.
You gotta water it in dry premerent herbicide sitting on
the soil doesn't control anything. When you watered in, it's
ready to go. And as they say, with the product barricade,
it forms a barricade over the surface and weeds can't
get through again. All five appropriate product for the weed

(01:03:14):
you have. Timing is everything rate follow the label number four,
uniform application number five watered in. There you go, ABC's
of Success five tips for premerger and herbicide. Let's go
out to Hurta in spring Brands. Hello Hurte, welcome to
garden line.

Speaker 19 (01:03:33):
Thank you, good morning.

Speaker 11 (01:03:36):
Morning.

Speaker 19 (01:03:37):
About a Scheffeller it's in the yard. Well, I've actually
had it.

Speaker 14 (01:03:43):
I talked to.

Speaker 19 (01:03:46):
Our former garden about it, but he said it was
too large to leave it in the yard. But one
of the stams died, but well, okay, but at the
bottom of another stem about a whole crusher of leaves

(01:04:12):
or turning yellow.

Speaker 5 (01:04:14):
Okay, okay, Well, if it's down low, it could be
a couple of things. Most likely hurta that is some
sort of a soul moisture, fluctuation, got a little dry
something like that, maybe stayed a little too soggy wet,
or maybe it fluctuated from one to the other. Those
are all things that will cause leaves to yellow. We

(01:04:35):
see that on our houseplants. If you get to water
your pathos and then you water it and suddenly you
see these yellow leaves, and that's just part of that
water fluctuation thing. It could also be a lack of
nitrogen that shows up on the older leaves, which would
be the lower ones on the branch, or the ones
closest to the toward the base of the plant. So
it could be a lack of nitrogen. At this point

(01:04:57):
in time, your chufflers are growing in the ground, right
it's not in a pot or okay, well, if it's
in the ground I don't want to push it with
a lot of fertilizer right now, because you know they're
not fully cold, hardy. You know, we get by get
you're getting by with them there. But in general, a

(01:05:17):
houseplant put outside is going to freeze in the winter,
and so I wouldn't want to give it a lot
of nitrogen because that just makes it more susceptible to
an early hard freeze. But it could be that there's
a little nutrient lacking. I think it's a soul moisture thing.
And you know that thing's been You've had it for
a long time. And plants, you know, over time, things happen.

(01:05:39):
You know, you can lose a branch, you can lose
a stem or. It's just kind of how plants are.
So who knows over over time the things that happen
in nature and just the age of the plant and stuff.
Things can, things can happen. I think overall the plant
looks good though, from what.

Speaker 19 (01:05:56):
I'm hearing, right, Hey, yes, sir, yes, sir.

Speaker 10 (01:06:00):
Oh, I'll love it.

Speaker 5 (01:06:01):
Yeah, well, obviously you're taking care of it. It must
love you too if it's doing that good. All right,
thank you, thank you so much. I appreciate that. All right, Well,
let's see here, folks, I'm going to have to take
a break here and Paul and Laporte. You'll be our

(01:06:21):
first stup when we come back.

Speaker 3 (01:06:30):
Cold.

Speaker 5 (01:06:31):
Let any of you knew who Nat King Cole was.
That guy had a voice loud velvet. This is Doc
all right, folks, welcome back to the garden. I good
to have you with us. By the way, if you
can't tell, I like music and I like a variety
of things, typically stuff that people don't normally listen to.

(01:06:52):
But anyway, uh, if you've got a question on guardline,
you can give us call seven one three two one
two k t r H seven one three two one
two KTRH. Quality Home Products of Texas. You've heard me
talk about them. Their Generaic generators are outstanding. Their service
is unmatched. Quality Home is the best, absolutely the best

(01:07:17):
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Chronicle twenty twenty three best of the Best Home contractor Company.
That is why they have the standard for the Better
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times they've won that thing. They are a company that
you want to get your generator from, but they're also
the company you want to work for. If you're an electrician,
if you're a plumber, you need to give them a call.
All you have to do is go online to QUALITYTX
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They're looking for electricians and plumbers because they hire in house.

(01:07:59):
In other words, they don't contract out your work. When
you get a generator, try to find some electrician or
plumber that's going to come in and coordinate all that
They have it in house. They take care of their people,
competitive pay, good, medical, dental and vision coverage good. Their
retirement four one K plan matching plan is great, paid holidays,
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(01:08:22):
to be the best when you go into somebody's home
or outside their home to help create the kinds of
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opportunities for career growth. Again, just go to QUALITYTX dot com.
That's where you're going to find more information. Alrighty, here,
let's go to find my right there we go, We're

(01:08:42):
going to go to Paul and Laporte. Hey, Paul, welcome
to Guardline. Good morning, skip How are you today, sir?
I'm doing well, sir. Thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:08:50):
Well.

Speaker 5 (01:08:51):
Good called.

Speaker 20 (01:08:52):
Last weekend you said it's time to get my roses in.
I got my roses. I tilled up the soul around
my fence line. I'm going to put them the soil.
That's okay. But should I mend that with some composts
just fortify it?

Speaker 5 (01:09:08):
You should, But instead of you could use compost, what
I would do is I would get some of Heirloom's soils.
It's called Roses and Bloomers Blend. It's a multipurpose. Rose
soil comes in one cubic foot bags. Some of these
products from airlom Mute and by Bulk as well, but
one cubic foot bags Heirloom soils. There rose soil is.

(01:09:31):
It's called Roses and Bloomers Blend. It's got a big
picture of a rose on the front that is outstanding
that I would put. I'd lay it about four inches
thick and mix it as deeply into the soil as
you can. And if your area is not high and dry,
if it's maybe a little poorly drained, I would then
add another four inches on top of that, just to
create a bed high enough to get those rose roots

(01:09:53):
out of soggy conditions. Okay, where would you suggest I
could buy that ad and report? You can buy it
all over the place. If you go to heirloomsoils dot com.
Heirloomsoils dot com, there's a little button where to buy
heirloom heirloom soils and so you know, whatever part of

(01:10:13):
the area, and you can fill out a little thing there.
But they they're widely available. You're going to find them,
you know, at these hardware stores. You're going to find
them at garden centers, you're going to find them. Southwest Fertilizer,
just a lot of places to their products. We've got
a great area report. So yeah, you sure do another question,

(01:10:33):
uh real quick? Yeah, okay.

Speaker 20 (01:10:35):
I'm also ordered some hardy blueberries for this area. I
was told, okay, blueberries like acidic soil, and I don't
know how to tests that.

Speaker 5 (01:10:46):
I was told that I could.

Speaker 20 (01:10:47):
Put heat at the bottom of the whole before I
plant them with the blueberries and that would help with
the acidity.

Speaker 5 (01:10:55):
We're going to change that. Yeah, we're going to change
that advice a little bit. What you want to do
is you can lay lay peat, spag and pete moss,
spread it out over a bed. Mix it in again,
like I was telling you, the roso mix it in
and then lay more peat a peat and sand mixes.
But you if you go, you know, wherever you get

(01:11:16):
the heirloom soil products, you're going to also find products
for acid loving plants. They've got some really good materials
for acid loving plants as well. There's a fruit berry
and citrus mix that would work really well for that also.
But anytime, yeah, anytime you can acidify, add organic matter

(01:11:38):
and get the roots out of soggy conditions. Your blueberries
are going to do really really well. They like that,
and then get you an acid loving plant food for
them as well. Okay, we'll skip. I appreciate your time today, sir, Yes, sir,
you bet, thank you. I appreciate that. Appreciate that call
a lot. Yeah, that is the case. Where are we now?

(01:12:02):
We are trying to watch the time and the callers. Okay,
we'll go now to Sharon West University. Hey, Sharon, how
can we help.

Speaker 21 (01:12:11):
Well, Skip, I have a garden that is had multiple problems.
We've had sod web worms, We've had fungus, We've had
construction damage from the sidewalk being repaired where the water
was broken and we had no water on our lawn,

(01:12:35):
and my husband hired the construction guys who were replacing
the sidewalk to replace because the city was replacing sod
lawn uh and they just did a horrible job. So
so now my lawn just looks terrible, to the point
that my husband's thinking artificial turf would be better.

Speaker 5 (01:12:59):
Oh I cankay, I.

Speaker 21 (01:13:02):
Deny that.

Speaker 5 (01:13:05):
Okay, Well, I saw the pictures you sent and the area.
First of all, the area is pretty shady, so when
you look at the actual hours of sunlight, it's somewhat limited,
especially under those trees where the lawn looks the worse.
I think you have a disease called take all root rot. Now,
looking at a picture and diagnosing take all is a
little bit of a stretch, but I've seen so many

(01:13:27):
yards with it that I've kind of gotten a pretty
good eye for it. And I'm ninety percent sure you
got some take all root rot in there. Fall is
the time to treat for that. And if you go
to my website, Gardening with Skip dot com, you'll see
the products to use, and you'll see the timing and
you're going to want to do that in October and
in November both twice. It's on the schedule that way,

(01:13:51):
and then you want to treat it really good. With that,
I would get some peat moss, some spagnum peat moss
that you buy in little compressed bag. They're like the
size of a hay bale almost, but it's a compressed
bag of se peat moss. You break it up and
just turn a rake upside down and spread it over
the lawn. Do you have a question, no, I said,

(01:14:13):
I'm familiar with peat moss like that. Yeah, okay, So
I turned like a soil rake upside down where the
times are pointing up, and then it's like you're playing
shuffleboard on the lawn, just spreading it around. Or you
can use a leaf rake to spread it around a bail.
A three point eight cubic foot bail should cover about
a thousand square feet. If you put it heavier than that,

(01:14:35):
that's fine. Spread it over that and watered in really well.
And with the first thing you're going to do, though,
is spray the grass with the fungicide for the peep moss.
It's on my schedule. Then I'm sorry for the take all,
then put the peat moss down and then watered in,
watered in a little bit. You just a little bit

(01:14:56):
of water to move that peete down around the root.
That's going to give it every chance to try to
start fighting that disease. And coming back. Now in areas
underneath the tree where there's just no grass, I would
look at making a big bed of some type of
a groundcover under there, because I think it's just too shady.
I see signs of some drought damage on it as well,

(01:15:18):
but that could be due to the take all killing
the roots. And if you don't have roots, even if
there's water in the soil, you have drought symptoms.

Speaker 17 (01:15:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 22 (01:15:27):
Skip, we know we've had funguses on one side of
the lawn and I was told that, of course, not
all fungicides kills all funguses. So in your recommendation, do
you think the one treatment of the fungicide's going to work?

Speaker 5 (01:15:51):
Well, I would do too. At the degree of damage
you have. It's not quite like fungicides kills all funguses
that are out there, but they they do help. And
with take all, it's a tough disease. And the products
I've listed applied in October outer repeat them and in November,

(01:16:13):
I think is your better way to go on that.
And so it should take care of of like you
shouldn't have brown patch in your lawn this fall. If
you do those products, that's for sure too. But when
they when they work.

Speaker 22 (01:16:28):
We had one other one other question was when they
worked on the lawn before they laid.

Speaker 5 (01:16:32):
Down the.

Speaker 22 (01:16:35):
Grass, we now, did they put in a layer of sand,
which it turns out to be construction sand. Would that
be a detriment to August now growing?

Speaker 14 (01:16:49):
No?

Speaker 5 (01:16:49):
I mean they they use sand on golf course greens
and other things for drainage and stuff, so that the
sand's not really a problem. You know, some compost top
dressing never hurts. We're going to pete moss though. If
you're going to do that for the for the take all. Uh,
some aerration in a small area like you have, you
could hand air rate at yourself. Uh, you know, punching

(01:17:10):
some holes and putting a top dressing on it. But
I think right now the big thing is the disease.
The grass is very much going downhill in a in
a mid to lighter stage of the disease killing it out.
And so you got to shut that down as a
p that's that's the first thing, because you don't at
the reside, and I'd hate to see you put a
plastic lawn in, but that's your yard, all right, Okay,

(01:17:35):
thank you, all right, thank you very much. You'll take care,
you bet if you put a plastic lawn in, I'm
going to show up with a hot glow gun and
put plastic weeds in your yard. Y'all have fun, Bye bye,
all right, folks, we'll be back.

Speaker 1 (01:17:52):
Welcome to kt r H Garden Line with Scip Richard.

Speaker 3 (01:17:56):
It's just watch him as the world to see blocks

(01:18:22):
a sun.

Speaker 5 (01:18:29):
All right, folks, welcome back to garden Line. Glad to
have you with us today. We're gonna run straight out
to the phones.

Speaker 4 (01:18:34):
Here.

Speaker 5 (01:18:34):
We got some boards of a ford full board of calls.
It's not easy for me to say. We're gonna go
to Sonya in Pariland. Hey, Sonya, how can we help today?
On guard line?

Speaker 23 (01:18:46):
Good morning Skip.

Speaker 13 (01:18:47):
I'm actually calling for my grandfather. He lives in the
Webster area and he has his house has some pecan
trees and peach trees in the backyard. But he's wanting
to add something orange or tangerine variety. Do you have
any recommendations for that?

Speaker 5 (01:19:05):
Tell me again his area please, Webster where he is Webster, Yeah,
he's done. Yeah, there's a lot of things, yeah, Webster,
you know, I mean, you could do like a if
you wanted a blood orange. Those are really cool, kind
of different, not the heartiest of all our ceterrus, but
they would grow there. Satsumas are mandarin type oranges. They

(01:19:25):
got the baggy skin, not many seeds like the little
if you bought those little bags acuties in the store,
those little small things, it's like a big version of that.
So they are among the more hearty of the centrus
types of trees. You could certainly do limes and lemons,
but they are not very hardy. Usually people do those

(01:19:47):
in containers and so that they can put a little dolly,
strap it onto a dolly and roll it into a
garage when it's going to be real cold. With a dolly.
It's not hard to move a container ceterris.

Speaker 23 (01:20:00):
Okay, So let's when would I think the tattoom is
probably what he's looking for. When would we plant something
like that?

Speaker 5 (01:20:10):
You know, you could plan them now, you could plan
them in the spring. It doesn't really matter. They're they're
pretty flexible. Just know that the first year or two especially,
you need to be ready to protect them once a
satsuma is established, unless you just have a sudden, very
cold snap and the plants weren't ready for it. Once

(01:20:32):
asatsuma is established, it should take it down in the
definitely in the mid twenties and be okay, but not
the first year or two.

Speaker 23 (01:20:42):
And so protecting would just be like frost blankets or
combination of that, and maybe some Christmas lights around the
base or something.

Speaker 5 (01:20:50):
Yes, And in order to give you the best answer,
I'm going to refer you to a publication I put
on my website. It's a free download there and it's
it's protecting Landscape Plans from cold and it's my website
is Gardening with Skip dot com though Gardening with Skip. Yeah.
If you go down there, scroll down look for the
cold protection publication. It's full color, it's got pictures, and

(01:21:14):
it tells you a whole thing. And in a nutshell,
what it's going to tell you is you want to
drape a cover that the wind can't blow through from
the top of the plant straight down to the ground
and then secure it with bricks, rocks, soil, whatever around
the plant so that air is stagnant underneath there overnight.
Then you put a little bit of a heat source

(01:21:35):
under it, like a clamp light those things you get
at a hardware store that have ice. Hardware carries them,
and put about a one hundred and fifty flood light
bulb in there that produces enough heat and it goes
up around the plant and keeps it just warm enough.
We just have to remember we don't have to make
it warm under there. We have to make it above
thirty two under there. That's what we're aiming for, so

(01:21:58):
that that can be done.

Speaker 23 (01:22:00):
And the only other thing I need to protect them
from our squirrels. Any recommendations from those pests, Well, I
have recipes.

Speaker 5 (01:22:09):
Sorry, I get it, squirrel recipes. It's it was a joke.
Squirrels are a problem. You know. They come in and
they steal things, they take a bite out of something,
and you know, but I don't. I have not noticed
citrus having squirrel problems. Maybe someone else has, but I've
never had a squirrel problem on citrus. Uh, So I don't.

Speaker 17 (01:22:32):
Maybe that's the.

Speaker 5 (01:22:35):
Oh my gosh, your pecans are toes. Yeah, citrus pecans.
You don't get any pecans because of the squirrels in
our area pretty much. Uh if you live in a
in a in a city neighborhood kind of setting. But yeah,
that's that's the case. But I I will attest to
the fact that pecan fed squirrel is is very good,

(01:22:56):
very good to eat.

Speaker 23 (01:22:58):
Get that little smooky flavor. So one last question on
the tree, where would you recommend we get one in
that area? I know Boss nurseries down there in Seabrook,
would they have any or is there a specific.

Speaker 5 (01:23:09):
Absolutely they can recommend. No, mass would be an excellent,
excellent and just call them first. Make sure you know
they get shipments in and people buy out and they
get shipments in and so make sure they've got what
you're looking for. But Moss is a great place. Yeah,
that's a wonderful nursery. I love that point. All right, Well,
thank you so much, skip all right, Well, good luck, yeah,

(01:23:31):
and good luck with your dad and the plants. Appreciate
the call. Yes said, that is so true.

Speaker 9 (01:23:38):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (01:23:38):
Medina has a product called Medina Plus. And you know,
with fall being planting season, it just reminds me. I
want to remind you about Medina Plus because this one
has been around for a good long time.

Speaker 24 (01:23:49):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (01:23:49):
It's Medina soil activator plus over forty different trace elements.
So there's things like you know, there's natural growth hormones
and seaweed extract like side of kayans, they're in Medina plus,
things like magnesium and iron and on and on down
the line many other ingredients. Now, it's good for increasing blooming,
it's good for supporting good leap leaf growth for a

(01:24:11):
fruit set as well, it's good for that. I would
highly recommend it this time of the year for two things,
transplanting and seed treatments. Do you know you can actually
soak seeds in that and all of the growth hormones
and things that are in that material really helps with
getting seeds off to a good start. You can water
your little seedlings in with it when you're doing that
when you're starting your own seeds. But when you're doing transplanting,

(01:24:33):
just get your big watering can put about I would
say maybe six tablespoons or three ounces in a gallon
of water and just drench it right over those plants.
You can get it on the leaves, you can get
it on the roots, have it soak in, do it
about every two weeks and it works really well. I'll
often just take the little about an ounce of it

(01:24:55):
in a gallon of water and just pour it all
over the areas in a new transplant and it will
give you good results. Medina products are widely available. Were
going to find them all over the place, not hard
to find it all. And they do, they do really
really work, that is for sure. Well, I'm coming up
here on a hard break and so I'm not going
to grab the next call till we come back. But Anthony,

(01:25:17):
you'll be first up when we come back. And also
we've got a Runnie and Lake Jackson and rich In Spring.
If you can hang on, we'll talk to you right
after the break. All right, folks, welcome, Welcome back to Guardline.
We are going to get right to it here for
this hour. I was tugged about an RCW nurserries yesterday
and I wanted to mention it again. Fallows the time

(01:25:39):
to plant trees and shrubs. It is absolutely the best time.
The sooner you do it, the better off you are.
That's how that works. I mean, it really is. RCW
has some great deals going on. Our CW that's the
garden center that is where Beltway eight and Tomball Parkway
up them two forty nine they come together. And so

(01:26:01):
when you head to RCW, you are going to find
every kind of plant you would want. I mean fall
colors there, you know, snap dragons. I got some gorgeous
snap dragons there. They've got a lot of good deals
going on. You know, their Cajun hibiscus fifty percent off.
All their trees are fifteen percent off, all their shrubs
are twenty percent off. So do you want a tree,

(01:26:22):
maybe a smaller size that you can pick it up
and plant it yourself, They've got those. Do you want
something so big, they definitely gonta have to bring it
in and plant, like two hundred gallon borough or lace
bark elms. They've got those, and those are excellent trees. Listen.
They grow their own up in Plantersville at the Williamson
Tree Farm up there, And so when you get a
tree from RCW, you know you're getting a tree that,

(01:26:44):
through their decades and decades of experience in this business,
they know grows here and succeeds here. That's the only
thing they grow, and they grow them right, and they
will help you have success. Ceterris. They've got a good
selection of Ceterris that has come in. Another reason to
go to RCW website Rcwnursries dot com. You can follow
them on social media. Just remember they're the garden center

(01:27:05):
there where Beltway eight comes in to intersect with FM
two forty nine. Tombaw Parkway open Monday through Saturday eight
to five and today from ten am to five pm
as well. RCW they get it got a nursery. If
they don't have something, just ask, I bet they can
get it for you. We're going to head now out

(01:27:26):
to Westbury, Texas and talk to Anthony. Hello Anthony, Welcome
to garden Line. Good good morning.

Speaker 6 (01:27:35):
I had a wallet tree fall over because of Hurricane Meryl,
and it was about sixty five feet tall. Anyway, it's
all dug out and the whole is about three feet
wide three feet seep and I burned out the roots
in that area and I'm looking to clean it all
out as far as the ash, and I'd like to

(01:27:57):
use what I have otherwise what you recommend. I want
to put it in a mixed jungle land and rose
tut soil, and I have a lot of cedar mulch.

Speaker 5 (01:28:10):
What do you think about the soil I'm going to
use and a mulch? Okay? And you're you're wanting to
use your wanting to plant? What there? Please?

Speaker 25 (01:28:21):
Uh?

Speaker 17 (01:28:22):
It's the lady who gave it to me.

Speaker 6 (01:28:24):
Call it a mandalina, which translates to tangerine.

Speaker 5 (01:28:29):
Oh okay.

Speaker 3 (01:28:30):
Uh.

Speaker 6 (01:28:30):
When I got it, it was about it's about ten
twelve inches.

Speaker 5 (01:28:35):
Right now it's about three feet gotcha? And what what
kind of wall? You said? It was a walnut that
was there? Do you know what kind of walnut it was?

Speaker 25 (01:28:44):
No?

Speaker 5 (01:28:47):
Big beautiful walnuts produce Okay, walnuts produce substances that can
be damaging to other plants in the area, but not
all plants, just certain types. I think your citrus should
be fine. I would use any kind of like a
rose soil, mix a blend. As far as the jungle land,

(01:29:09):
you know, that's more of a potting type soil. You
could put some down, but I would look for something
with a little more chunkiness to it, like a rose
soil for example, or some of the other blends that
are out there on the market. But you want to
spread it out over the area, you want to mix
it in as deeply as you can, and then you
want to spread more and end up creating a raised mound.

(01:29:30):
If you want to throw a little sand in there,
if you want to throw a little bit of a
sandy loam top soil in there, mixed mixing it in
with it, all of those things helped create that raised
mound that's going to be a little more stable over
time to help the extra water drain away when it
rains too much. So that'd be my recommendation there, Anthony.

Speaker 6 (01:29:48):
Very good. And I'm using BGI brand Citrus Gain eight
or nine citrus food.

Speaker 5 (01:29:55):
What do you think about that? I have never used it.
I'm not familiar with that one. Okay, I just don't know.
I know we got you know, we got quality citrus blends.
Microlife makes the citrus blend, night Foss Nelson Plant Food.
Those all make products for fruit trees or citrus that
would work just fine. By the way, another soil blend

(01:30:15):
that would be good to throw into that area would
be the citrus fruit and Citrus blend from Heirloom Soils.
Even buy that by the bag and bring it in
to create help create that mound. The fact that I
would definitely do that one. Okay, I'll see that. We're
at the place there on ruwink and yeah, that's it.
I forget the name, you bet Southwest Fertilizer carries them. Yeah, okay,

(01:30:39):
all right, sir, have fun, Bye bye. You take care trees.
People are concerned about their trees, and they should be.
The trees have got left after Hurricane Beryl and the
other storm that came through. Uh, it's tree pruning season
all the way up and through February. Really is the
best time to get trees pruned. The person you want

(01:31:01):
to hire is Martin spoon Moore from Affordable Tree. He
knows what he's doing. He does good work, but he
stays busy because he does good work. So you need
to give him a call and get on the schedule.
Don't delay even if you're not going to get pruning
done until February. Call him now and get on the schedule.
So you've got a spot. Okay, tell him you are
a guardenline listener. Here's the number seven one, three, six

(01:31:22):
nine twenty six sixty three. When you call, you're going
to get Martin or his wife Joe. They are the owners.
And if they don't answer, you call the wrong place.
Hang up at doll seven one three six nine nine
two six six three Affordable Tree Service Afftree Service dot Com.

(01:31:42):
Now he doesn't just do pruning, he'll do deep root feeding.
He'll check the overall health. They'll advise you if you're
going to do a trench or a patio or something
around a tree on how to not kill that tree.
Don't just let somebody who shows up with a pickup
a chainsaw on a business card, he sticks in your
stick in your door. Uh to be turned loose on
your trees. Bad pruning is forever need har Martin Affordable

(01:32:05):
Tree Service seven to one three six nine nine two
six six three. Now we're going to go to Spring,
Texas and talk to Rich. Hello, Rich, Welcome to garden Line.
Good good morning. Skits.

Speaker 16 (01:32:16):
Questions regarding pre emergence and whether you could use a
combination of pre emergence such as prodiamine or the active
ingredient in pennet magnum metal la chlore. Can you mix
in mac.

Speaker 5 (01:32:35):
What I do would not? Okay, go ahead, go ahead.
You're you were going to explain something why you want
to do it? Well?

Speaker 16 (01:32:48):
Yes, what I have is in addition to my own
law and I help about five other people, and there
are various different problems in the lawns. So I looked
at look at both of these products, and there is
some overlapping, but then there are some unique things that
they focus on. So that's why I was wondering if

(01:33:09):
you could do both and then try to cover more
areas of problems.

Speaker 5 (01:33:15):
There are times when you would switch to a different
pre emergent for certain problems, but in general, I would
say don't double up on things. A lot of the
pre emergence or sounds like you do a little research
online yourself, So I'll just tell you this. A lot
of the pre emergents are called DNA type herbicides, dinitro anolenes,

(01:33:37):
and those all work the same, and when you overdose
with those, you can have stunting of turf roots because
you know, overdosing is not following the label, and so
if you use two different ones that had the same
mode of action, you could create some problems. Now there's
some there.

Speaker 11 (01:33:55):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:33:55):
They're products. A barricade does good against the broad leaf
and the gradsweeds. The fertilizer that called carbload that Nelson's
makes has a pre emergent in it as well. There
are some pre emergents that primarily focus on broadleaf. They
won't control grassy weeds. So if your problem is mainly
broad leaf, well, I could see an argument being made

(01:34:16):
for that, but I wouldn't start to mix and match.
I think you could run into some problems.

Speaker 16 (01:34:23):
If the biggest problem among the lawns was doveweed and sedges,
is there one of the pre emergence you would recommend
over the other?

Speaker 5 (01:34:34):
So nuts sedge we don't use pre emergence for because
it almost never comes from seed. It's usually tubers that
is coming from a kilinga and some of the other sedges.
Maybe a pre emergent, I'd have to go look at
what is the best label product for something like a kilinga. Said,

(01:34:55):
But doveweed, it's a warm season weed, and so that's
something we would talk about in the spring, when we're
coming out of winter, the soil's warming up, we would
put a pro emergent down for warm season weeds. Quite
different than now. I've got on my gardening schedule, the
pest disease and weed management schedule at gardening with Skip

(01:35:19):
dot com. I've got a list of some pro emergents
and the timing on them on there and I would
follow that. Okay, we'll do. I appreciate your help. SKIP.
Thank you all right, you take care. Thanks for the call.
Appreciate that you're listening to garden Line folks our phone
number seven one three two one two kt r H

(01:35:41):
seven to one three two one two KTRHA. You know,
a pre emergent, for example, would be barricade by Nitrofoss.
That's part of their Texas three step. You know the
Texas three Step by Nitrofoss that means fertilizer week prevention
and disease prevention. So it's the Nitrovoss Well Special that's
the first designed for fall. I've talked more than once

(01:36:04):
today about what's the differtine a summer fertilizer and a
fall fertilizer. This is a fall fertilizer Fall Special. Barricade
pre emergent controls most grassy and broad leaf weeds. It's
got a broad range of things that it will prevent.
It does not kill existing weeds. It is a pre emergent,
so you got to get it down and watered in
now so that when we get a cool spell and

(01:36:26):
the weeds start to sprout, the barricade is there, creating
a barricade to stop the weeds from coming through. And
then finally Nitroposs Fall Special. That's their turf fungicide. It's
a systemic it moves into the plant, so when brown
patch shows up, it's already there to prevent infection. When
take all root rot shows up, it's already there to
fight infection. And those three steps Fall Special Barricade, Eagle

(01:36:51):
Turf Fungicide by Nitrofoss, We'll do the trick. You can
get them at D and D Feed and Tambo. You
can get them at Ace Hardware, Single Ranch Arbigate Up
and Tomball carries nitofossproducts. Shades of Texas, by the way,
in Southeast Houston on Genoa Red Bluff for places you
can get those Nitrofoss type products there as well. I

(01:37:12):
was online the other day looking at Pierscapes because I
always like to look at Pierscape's website, by the way,
that's peerscapes dot Com, at the kind of work that
they do, because they they just create magical environments around
the home, like that lighting, that landscape lighting that just
sets the tone like the sound of water you know,

(01:37:33):
do you want a waterfall or something real nice when created?
They can do that like maybe an outdoor patio, hardscape, barbecue,
pet walkways. Do you need improved drainage, everything like that.
Pierscapes does it all and all you have to do
is go to the website piercescapes dot com see the
work that they do. They also do quarterly maintenance. If

(01:37:54):
you want to hire them just to come out once
a quarter and turn your flower beds into something special.
They will do that and you don't have to worry
wry about it. Or you can give Pierscapes a call
at three excuse me two eight one three seven oh
fifty sixty two eight one three seven oh five zero
six zero. I'm going to take a break here for

(01:38:15):
the halfway, not the top of the air or the
bottom of the hour, and I'll be right back with
your phone calls at seven one three two one two KTRH.
Welcome back, Welcome back to garden. I'm good to have
you with us. Hey, let's get going here. We got
plenty to talk about. When was the last time you
went to in Channet Forest. I love going in in

(01:38:37):
Chenneit forest, in fact, I'm going to be out there
this fall. I am gonna be out there. I'll tell
you more about it. We get a little bit closer
to it, and Channet Forest is on FM twenty seven
fifty nine Richmond address. If you're in Richmond heading towards
sugar Land, it's off to the right on FM twenty
seven fifty nine nine. Chennit Forest is the kind of
place where there's always cool stuff happening. I mean right now.

(01:38:58):
They are stocked up on vegeta for fall. And you
need to have a fall garden, even if it's just
a container on the patio for crying out loud. Have
some fall garden plants for good, healthy, yummy eating. They
have mixed planting containers for fall that are gorgeous. You
think mums are pretty, emboy, did they have mums. They
got mixed containers that just stop traffic. They are beautiful

(01:39:20):
And if you want to make your own, they'll tell
you how to do it. They'll help you combine them.
You know, they'll say, well, why don't you put some
of this with some of that with some of this.
You can get a container there from them and everything. Okay,
we're entering the season for Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus, you
know those holiday cacti. Those things are blooming full of buds.
You need one for your house. I've got plenty from

(01:39:42):
I keep propagating and having fun with them. Those are
great plants and they're so easy to take care of
through the year, and they make good good gifts as well.
Do you need fall color for the landscape? Snap dragons,
dusty mell or you know those kinds of things like
Viola's and and whatnot. They've got it all asters. Oh

(01:40:02):
my gosh, you're so beautiful. And I already mentioned I
mentioned the beautiful, beautiful moms Tallivera pumpkins. If you've never
seen one, you got to go see one and go
just go straight out to in Channed Forest Garden Center
Channel Forest Nursery right out there in the Richmond Rosenberg
area FM twenty seven fifty nine. Look at the Talivera pumpkins.

(01:40:23):
You buy one of those now, you'll have it for
years and it is so cool. I mean, they you
cannot get more festive for a decoration for your front
porch or back patio or inside the house. And one
of their Talivera pumpkins that they have there. I love
that place. Let's send out and out to Pleasantville and
I'm going to talk to Deborah. Hello, Deborah, welcome to
garden Line.

Speaker 10 (01:40:44):
Well, good Morne scoop. Did I send an email?

Speaker 17 (01:40:47):
We help?

Speaker 5 (01:40:50):
I saw that? I can I can saw it?

Speaker 8 (01:40:55):
Cannot o.

Speaker 5 (01:40:57):
I can hear you. Yeah. Do you have your radio
going in the background?

Speaker 10 (01:41:00):
You no, I'm outside in the yard.

Speaker 5 (01:41:03):
Oh okay, all right, Well I saw the pictures. Those
are not chinchbugs. It looks like roaches. As far as
the yard, there are a couple of things going on
the thing that I don't see. I see a little
bit of like a gray leaf spot in the yard.
You know, it's that time of the year where we are.

(01:41:24):
We often have some periods where some things are turning
brown or turning yellow, and they can bounce back. I
wouldn't worry about them a lot. I don't see any
active disease. And the pictures you sent me that are
a concern. But here's what I do see. And I've
got this in my yard, so I'm not after you.
I've got it in my yard. My lawnmower blade has

(01:41:45):
gotten really dull this year, and as a result, instead
of cutting the blade off with a nice clean cut.
It just sort of rips the end of the blade
off with that dull mower blade, and as a result,
there's real shaggy in the turn brown. And when you
multiply that times a billion, you look at your lawn

(01:42:05):
and it just has a tan hue to the whole lawn.
And and and just sharpening the blade up would help
without a lot. It's not making your grass sick, it
just makes it look bad, and so sharpening it would
make a lot of difference. Overall, it looks pretty good.
I would do. Have you done your fall fertilization yet?

Speaker 10 (01:42:23):
I absolutely have that will emergence?

Speaker 5 (01:42:29):
Yeah, emergent? Okay, Well, I mean your lawn has good density.
The pictures look good. I just think that color is
you know, hopefully the fall fertilization is going to kick
in and give you a little bit improvement on that.
But I don't see any diseases. I don't see anything
that I'd say, oh my gosh, you got to go
control this. It's about to kill your lawn.

Speaker 10 (01:42:50):
The three photos of the grass that I set the
close up is my yard. The other two are neighbor's yards.
They probably at my blades sharpen. This year, I'll get
them sharpened again. They probably have not.

Speaker 5 (01:43:04):
Yeah, okay, well the pictures look to me like they
have not. I just what I'm seeing. It's not that impressive.
When I look at your close up. I still I
also see a little bit of a shagginess on the cut.
But I just see some older leaves that are turning tan.
But there's lots of fresh new growth. And other than

(01:43:24):
a spot or two of a fungal spot, I just
don't see much in it. I don't see signs of
side web worms. I don't see signs of chinchbugs.

Speaker 10 (01:43:38):
Those little bugs are sent shoes picture up. They're covering
my yard water they come up.

Speaker 5 (01:43:43):
Well, I know, but that's that's nature. They're out there.
I mowed my lawn the other day and stopped just
to took pictures because every time I take a step
mow in the lawn more bugs had come up a lot.
That's that's just part of the deal. They are not
a pest of your none of that, the little tiny snails,
nor the insects or pestle r turf. Now the lantana

(01:44:07):
has got the chewing past that's attacking it and I
think it's a beetle. I can't see the past, I
see the damage at this point in the season. I
wouldn't know about it either. I just see holes in
the leaves. What are we talking about?

Speaker 10 (01:44:21):
Yeah, yeah, I see a bug that.

Speaker 17 (01:44:24):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:44:26):
A beetle. Wow, yeah, beetle. Okay. There are three things
that eat lead, well more than three. Grasshoppers can, slugs
and snails can. But the two things we have most
of our caterpillars and beetles. And these kinds of holes
in the lee for signs most likely of a beetle.
Could be a caterpillar, but probably a beatle. But I'm
telling you you've got so much good, healthy foliage. We're

(01:44:48):
about to go into winter her for too long. I
would not waste your time out there spraying. I don't
think it's worth it. That may be old damage anyway,
to be honest. In other words, the pests may already
have moved on. You're always going to have a few pests,
but they got to be around in high enough numbers
to warrant control. So I thank you. I think you
can relax and don't worry about that.

Speaker 17 (01:45:11):
Okay, all right, thank you very much.

Speaker 10 (01:45:14):
I'll keep listening.

Speaker 5 (01:45:16):
Thank you for the call, all right. I appreciate that
you take care, have a good rest of your weekend,
that is for sure. Ace Hardware stores are where you
get supplies for everything. What if you did have beetles
and you need an insecticide or grasshoppers or caterpillars. Ace
has got you covered mosquitoes too. By the way, n O.
In fire ants and fire ance, Welcome to Texas. Fire

(01:45:37):
at bait. Fall is the time falls football season. Fall
is the time to tackle fire ants with fire ant bait,
and Ace Hardware has a variety of options for fire
at baits. It's fall fertilizing time. I keep I've talked
about that so much today I'm about to turn blue
in the face as I say. Ace Hardware has every
fertilizer you would possibly want to buy a need that

(01:45:58):
is going to give you success in your lawn. They
got the fall fertilizers, They got the night fass, three steps,
the barricade, and the Eagle turf funge asides at Ace Hardware,
and they are so nice. They put an Ace Hardware
store in your neighborhood. Forty stores in the Greater Houston area.
You can throw a rock and hit one. Go to
Ace Hardware dot Com find the store locator there near you.

(01:46:20):
But I warn you when you go you think you're
going to go in there buy back a fertilizer, Allow
some time, because when you get inside, you were going
to see a lot of cool stuff you did not
know Ace Hardware carried, and you're going to find yourself
shopping and finding some great gifts too at Ace Hardware.
Let's it out now, What time is it?

Speaker 17 (01:46:39):
Oop?

Speaker 5 (01:46:40):
I got to stop. Time for break? Tom and Katie?
You were deep first up. When we come back, I
shall be right back, folks. Yea, alright, I'm gonna wait
a second. Let y'all finish your western sling in the
living room there. All right, there we go. Hey, welcome
back to Guardenline. Good to have you with, Good to

(01:47:01):
have you with us. Day. We got lots more to
talk about. You know, the show is not done yet.
Let's keep going here. I'm going to head straight out
to the phones and we're going to go to Katie
Texas and talk to Tom. Hello, Tom, Welcome to garden Line.

Speaker 26 (01:47:15):
Hey Skiff, how are you?

Speaker 5 (01:47:17):
I'm good sir. How can we help?

Speaker 26 (01:47:20):
Quick question for you? I was mowing my grass yesterday
and just noticed a lot of moss all of a
sudden starting to fly up as I pushed lawnmow through
the yard. And I know a couple of years ago
we had a really bad problem with the web worms
I guess developed from those and I was just wondering
if there's anything that you should do or preventative or

(01:47:44):
to try to control them.

Speaker 5 (01:47:46):
Well, we're getting a little late in the season for them.
They can still occur. I'm not saying they're not soid
web worms out there. They are. They can be, but
they'll get a little bit late. What I would suggest
you do is go out, drop down on your hands
and knee and look at the grass blades and if
you see grass blades that look like something's come along
and taken a bite out of the sides of them,

(01:48:07):
in a little chunks, out of the sides of both
sides of the grass blades, that side web worms. And
that means you should treat okay, the products containing spinose
said or the least toxic organic option for controlling side
web worms. There are many insecticides that will also kill them,
but you spray the spinosid with a hoseen sprayer get

(01:48:28):
it in the leaves. They it soaks into the grass
tissue and when the web worms come out at night,
it kills them. Now, I don't think that you have
side web worms, but you could so go check the
leaves if you don't see leaves being eaten. There's a
lot of different kinds of maths. I mowed my lawn
this week and there were moths coming up, and I

(01:48:49):
stopped several times to look at them, and they weren't
side web worm moths. There were other kinds of moths.
So let's just not rush to you know, spend the
money and time on applying a product until your sure,
and that's a way to be sure.

Speaker 26 (01:49:02):
I appreciate your health, Thank you, sir.

Speaker 5 (01:49:05):
All right, you take care, appreciate your call out there.
The sideweb worms is one of the things, and they
tend to come and go. Some years are horrible, horrible.
Some years are not bad at all. And we have
a bad year and you may have them really bad.
In your neighbor halfway across down doesn't have a single
one in the yard. Kind of weird, but that's how

(01:49:26):
that happens. Nelson plant Food has a wide variety of
brands a fertilizer, and it makes it easy because Nelson
has a fertilizer for everything. You got turf, they've got
Turf Star brand or Turf Star line. Excuse me, I've
been promoting their carbo Load because I believe in it
as a fall fertilization. If you have other flowering plants

(01:49:47):
and things that are foliage plants that you want to fertilize.
They have their Nutrius Star line. So there's a Neutral
Star for roses for example, Nutral Star for roses, something
you're going to apply pretty much monthly as a granular.
Any kind of roads you have, climbing flora, Bunda Grande Flora, miniatures,
knockout roads, it's for all of those. This blend can

(01:50:07):
be used for roses in beds. It can be used
if you've got roses in a container that works just fine.
It's got five different sources of nitrogen, and Nelson's really
good about providing these chemistries that cover all the bases.
And with five different sources of nitrogen, you are going
to get a gradual release of nitrogen over time to

(01:50:28):
your plants to encourage vigor and healthy growth. And with
roses they bloom, bloom, bloom, and it takes carbohydrates to
do that, and you've got to continue to push them
along with some nitrogen to get good leaf growth. Leaves
in the sun, keep those leaves healthy, and you make carbohydrategen.
You have a beautiful bloom and rose bush. And Nelson

(01:50:51):
Nutristar rose is a product that'll do just that. They
also have a nutristra Azalia for acid loving plants like azelias, blueberryes, camellias, dogwoods, Guardena's, hollies, adranges.
I would say use it on your magnolias, use it
on your color beds as well. If you've got strawberry plants,

(01:51:12):
that's another good one. I know it says acid loving,
but strawberries will benefit from the Azalea platfood. Believe it
or not, they do really well with that. I think
about things like that. People probably don't know, but yes,
you can do that. I don't know if I mentioned Holly's,
but yes, Holly's another good one for that one. All
from Nelson Plat Food. Let's head out to pass Sidena

(01:51:34):
and talk to Mary. Hey, Mary, welcome to Guardline.

Speaker 24 (01:51:37):
Good morning. I think the previous collar had the same
question that I do. Okay, I was just lightly watering
my Saint Augustine front yard yesterday. Again this morning, I
went out to be sure, and I have a patch
of little, tiny, light colored mobs popping up out of

(01:51:59):
the grass, and I'm just wondering.

Speaker 17 (01:52:01):
I heard you say this spinosa spray on the end
of the house. Is there. Is that the best rather
than any type of granule.

Speaker 5 (01:52:11):
Well, there are a lot of things that will work.
They have those things hide down in the in the
in the thatch during the day and they come out
and feed at night. And that's why I was telling
Tom to get out there. And if you just drive
down on your knee in an area that looks like, yeah,
it's like the lawns not growing, or there's some grass

(01:52:31):
blades sort of missing, drip down on your knees and
look and you'll see it. I mean, it's like, you know,
it's like somebody just took a bite out of the
sides of the leaves, a whole bunch of bites. And
that's that's the sign. If you don't see that, you
don't need to worry about it. And I mentioned spinosa
because it's an organic product lower toxicity, and I like
to start there when I can. But you can use

(01:52:52):
a granule. You can use nitcrus bug out max granule
and then you have to water it to get the
pesticide off the granule into the thatch area where it
can help control those. There are a lot of insecticides
that will kill that particular pest. Okay, you know, I
just usually try to start with stuff that's a little simpler,

(01:53:12):
but always I start with making sure you have it,
because who wants to buy and apply pesticides when you
don't need them?

Speaker 7 (01:53:19):
Right?

Speaker 17 (01:53:19):
And make sure you know what you're treating. Be sure
it is the webrun.

Speaker 24 (01:53:24):
Okay, Well, thank you so much. You have a blessed Sunday.
Appreciate it, and you as well, Mary, thank you. I
appreciate that. It's very kind of you to say that
I need to get back out to warren Southern Gardens.
You know, it has been a while since I've been
out there. I always trying to get around visit our
garden centers because I learn a lot when I go
and I see cool stop and out at Warren's right now,

(01:53:47):
they are loaded up on all the things you need
for fall. They've got the nitrofossipall special. They've got Nelson
plant food carbe load. You heard me talk about those today.
They've got products by Microlife. They have azamite for example,
all things you've been hearing me talk about today. You
can get those weeds with a pre emerging herbicide like
barricade out at Orange Southern Gardens. Now they've got moms

(01:54:09):
and ornamental kale, all kinds of beautiful fall plants in stock.
They have beautiful fall planters that are already pre planted
for you, or they'll help you pick out plants to
make your own if you want. The pumpkins have arrived.
Pumpkins have arrived. Oh my gosh, they're there. So get
out there and have fun. Remember when you go to warns,
tell them you spend one hundred bucks and say I

(01:54:31):
sent you SKIP sent me, and you get twenty bucks
off your purchase. Now that's not sales and clearance ies.
But you gotta tell them SKIP sent you a hundred bucks.
Sign up for the newsletter too. Where you're out there.
All right, Well, we're going to take a little break here.
It's time for the top of the hour. Get some news.
Don't forget next Saturday. Get your pin got a pin

(01:54:51):
right well? Or just take your phone out put it
on your calendar. Nature's Way Resources Saturday. Next Saturday, the twelfth,
eleven thirty to one thirty. I will be at Nature's
Way for the Fall Festival. Now, that Fall Festival goes
from nine in the morning till two in the afternoon.

Speaker 5 (01:55:07):
It's free. There's music, there's food, there's fun, there's children activities,
and there's me answering your gardening questions. I let's shake
hands and let's help you have a more bountiful garden
and a more beautiful landscape.

Speaker 3 (01:55:21):
Shut in a watermelon patchmom, but chicking me have that
you mind too. You can't grower skate abouffalow hard.

Speaker 5 (01:55:28):
You can't grow all right, all right some wise words
from Roger Miller that you just can't argue with. I
believe he's right about this things. I believe he's right.
Micro Life fertilizers, you hear me talk about him all
the time. This is the season for microlife brown patch.
That's the fall fertilizer for MICROLFE. You gotta put it down.
I would add micro grow bioanoculant because it is loaded

(01:55:53):
sixty three different beneficial microbes. I was telling you about
some of the specific ones earlier today that do all
kinds of things that basically help fight, prevent, outcompete diseases
on your turf. And that is why I would recommend
those things.

Speaker 3 (01:56:07):
Now.

Speaker 5 (01:56:08):
They have some wonderful liquids too, and I would highly
recommend you start trying out there. Think about an ocean
harvest they've got which they've got a fish fertilized, they
got a seaweed fertilizer. Buy a liquid. They've got one,
the Biomatrix. It's a seven to one three seven three
one four. I'll get that last number anyway. I use

(01:56:29):
it all the time house plants especially, but I don't
know why I use it just on It goes out
in the garden, water things in fertilize them with it.
It is a natural product. Buy microlife so you know
it's good. You know it's going to help build your soil,
and you know it's loaded with microbes that you know
when you buy a Microlife now Microlife Fertilizer dot Com.

(01:56:50):
That is the website. You can go there and find
out where to get it, or I can just tell
you this, go to Ace hardware stores, go to Southwest Fertilizer,
go to our garden centers around town. Life products are widely,
widely available and they work. Let's head now out to
Silum Springs, Arkansas or Alaska.

Speaker 7 (01:57:11):
Where are you from, Doug, Silom Springs, Arkansas, Kip, All right, well.

Speaker 5 (01:57:17):
Welcome to garden Line. Now you're not up there right now?

Speaker 16 (01:57:23):
Are you there?

Speaker 5 (01:57:23):
And I am.

Speaker 7 (01:57:25):
I'm in Kansas City today.

Speaker 12 (01:57:27):
I drive a truck, so I listen to you every weekend.

Speaker 5 (01:57:30):
While I'm working. Well, that is interesting.

Speaker 14 (01:57:34):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:57:34):
I have one of our sponsors, plant Frell Seasons. I
was talking to them and they have a place up
in Arkansas where they go somewhere on the lakes up there,
and they actually say they get a bounce of the
station up there. I don't know how that happens, but
weird things happen in the stratosphere. So anyway, how are
we doing? And how can I help? I have a

(01:57:56):
couple of questions for you.

Speaker 7 (01:57:58):
I read it a FLA, and I want to know
should I put down the landscape mat stuff and can
I use rock on top of that or should I
just use malt?

Speaker 5 (01:58:13):
I would use mult, I don't care for the landscape fabrics.
Initially they work, they block weeds from coming up through them,
but then you end up with dust and seeds getting
on top and they sprout, and then those fabrics are
all intertwined with the roots of everything and it's just
kind of a mess. I don't like them as a
long term solution. I think it's more natural to have

(01:58:34):
a mulch anyway. So I would just get you a good,
high quality mulch, put that down, and I think you're
going to have really good success with that. I talk
about a lot of different products like airloom, soils in
Nature's Way and Landscaper's Pride. Those are all good examples
of mulches that will perform well. And I think here's
why I like it, Doug. It's how nature works.

Speaker 14 (01:58:56):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:58:56):
Forests are naturally mulched, They're naturally by the plants themselves,
and I just think that's the way to go.

Speaker 7 (01:59:05):
Okay, one other thing, real quick. I have a lawn
service that comes and fertilizes my lawn and I was
talking to the guy this spring and he said, if
I would scalp the grass and put about a quarter
of an inch of sand over top of that and
it's bermuda grass.

Speaker 5 (01:59:25):
Would that do anything for me?

Speaker 7 (01:59:26):
Or is that will waste the time?

Speaker 5 (01:59:31):
Well, it would get old, dead brown top growth out
of the way, and yes, the bermuda would pop back through.
It is getting a little late in the season to
be doing that to your lawn, so I wouldn't recommend
it at this time. What exactly are you trying to
overcome in the grass?

Speaker 7 (01:59:50):
Nothing, We were just talking. Well, he was doing my
fertilizing and he said that that might do good for
the bermuda because it would keep the heat in, is
what he said.

Speaker 5 (02:00:05):
Yeah, I wouldn't do that, I don't think.

Speaker 24 (02:00:07):
So.

Speaker 5 (02:00:08):
What I would do in your bermuda just to get
a good, fresh, beautiful bermuda is in the spring when
it's time to put out the pre emergent. That is
what we're talking about February in the Houston Greater Houston
area down here, I would put that down, watered in
really good, and then I would probably after you've got

(02:00:29):
that in so you know you're not going to promote
weed seed growth, then I would cut your first mowing
on your bermuda. Mow it really low, maybe late sometime
in March you can mow it really, really low, and
you're going to get fresh new growth out and it's
going to look good. And the more often you know it,
the better Bermuda looks. So that's kind of the cry off.

(02:00:50):
I know, we don't like to mow every day, but
the more often you know, the better it looks.

Speaker 7 (02:00:55):
All right, Well, that that's what I wanted to know.
Thank you very much.

Speaker 5 (02:00:59):
I enjoy your child. All right. Hey, you'd be safe
out there on the roadways. All right, thanks for what
you do. I'm pretty I'm pretty. I'm pretty sure that
my wife keeps you and five other truckers in business
just with Amazon orders, judging from what hits the door
every day, so you can sell all right, Thank you sir,

(02:01:20):
all right, thank you bye. All right, I shouldn't have
said that. Uh oh, don't tell anybody. All right, you're
listening to Guardline. I'm your host, Skip Richter, and we're
in here having more fun than we probably should have have.
You been A and A Plants and Produce up in Montgomery.
You know that is the garden center right there on

(02:01:41):
one oh five on the east side of Montgomery. So
if you're in Lake Conroe, if you're in Montgomery, if
you're in you know, Conroe itself, this is your hometown
garden center and they always have good stuff there. Right now,
fall color is great. I was out there the other
day and oh my gosh, the astors and the moms
just we're outstanding. And they had the annual plants you

(02:02:01):
put in your flower beds for good color. As we
enter this cool season, I can tell you this, it
is fall lawn care time. And A and A has
got you covered. They carry every fertilizer I talk about.
I'm talking about nitroposs, I'm talking about Nelson, I'm talking
about microlife. They carry both of the heirloom and the

(02:02:21):
Nature's Way resources soil products as well. Out there Nature's
Way Resources. They it's easy to get to, you know,
just one oh five. It's right there in between Conroe
and Montgomery. And just check it out from time to time,
because you know, every time I go there's a new
set of things that they brought in. Of course, they
got shrubs and trees and fruit and whatnot. I was

(02:02:42):
looking at some of the citrus that they had the
other day out there. A and A plants and produce
on one oh five in Montgomery. Go check them out.
It's a great place. You get good service, friendly people,
and it's so convenient to get in and out. I
am going to go now to Spring, Texas and we're
going to talk to Paul Hell. Paul, Welcome to Gardenline.

Speaker 27 (02:03:05):
Thanks Jeff, I appreciate it.

Speaker 16 (02:03:06):
Good morning.

Speaker 27 (02:03:07):
Yes, i'd have some crab grass. I pulled it yesterday.
But I've gone to plants for all seasons over here,
and I've got the agrilo on the crab grass killer
that you sprinkle on and it turns it brown. But
it seems to it just it's not doing the tricks.
I didn't know if there's something I do. I have
a bunch of bear spots now about a ten by

(02:03:27):
ten area now after I pulled all the crabgrash yesterday.

Speaker 5 (02:03:33):
Well, the agriline that they've got their plants for all seasons.
It works, but you need to get the weeds wet
and then you sprinkle it on. It sticks to the weed,
it doesn't just fall the dust doesn't just fall off,
and it works better. It works on dove weed and
crabgrass a lot of other things. But that's a that
is like what we would call it burned down. In
other words, you apply it, it kills that weed. But

(02:03:54):
crabgrass comes back from seed. And I'm assuming you do
have crabgrass, because there's a lot of other grass, and
just in my years of doing this, a lot of
things get called crabgrass that aren't cribgrass. But let's assume
it is the best way to deal with that is
in the spring to put a pre emergent herbicide down in.
Let's see, you were in Okay in mid February, put

(02:04:17):
a pre emergent herbicide down watered in, and then you
may need to repeat that about sixty to ninety days
later something like that, because crabgrass will keep sprouting on
through the summer and extend your coverage. The main thing, though,
and this is my approach to everything when it comes
to gardening, isn't just what chemical will kill it, but
let's culturally try to avoid it. And so the way

(02:04:38):
we avoid crabgrass is by getting that lawn so dense
that there's not enough light getting to the ground for
the seeds to come up and establish. And so low
water fertilize is your way to do that. So I
would do all the above in this case.

Speaker 27 (02:04:54):
Okay, would you recommend me on the bare spots that
I pulled yesterday? Would you recommend putting some side down
or just wait until next year?

Speaker 5 (02:05:03):
How big are these bear spots? How far across?

Speaker 27 (02:05:07):
It's probably about probably about sinner twelve feet wide and
maybe two.

Speaker 5 (02:05:13):
Feet and with or oh wow, okay, you got some
bigger areas. Yeah, so it's not going to cover over
for a long time. In fact, it'll be next summer
before it really gets to cover and over since our
grass growth is slowing down. I would, yeah, I would
reside areas that are that wide more than anything bigger

(02:05:36):
than a foot I would. You know, if you can
get some sod on it, that's good. Compost stop dressing
helps a little bit because it is also it's like
a molt on top of the ground. It's blocking some light,
not all of it, but some. But yeah, I would.
I would do the sod now. It's getting a little late,
so don't delay. Go ahead and get that sod down.
You're gonna want to water twice a day the first week,

(02:05:57):
once a day the second week, and then every the
day the third week, and it'll be established by then.
Appreciate it, all, right, sir, Yeah, good good luck with that.
Appreciate your call. Thanks a lot. Well, Uh, you are
listening to Gardenline. I'm your host, Skip Richter and our
phone number seven one three two one two k t

(02:06:20):
R H. I was outside yesterday and my bird feeder,
my favorite bird feeder, which is my Wabird's unlimited squirrel
excluding feeder. I know that's a lot of words, but
oh my gosh, it is so cool. You got to
have one. Uh it was empty and so shame on me. Anyway,
I got to get back out there and feed it.
But do you know Warbirds right now is having a

(02:06:41):
feeder swap. It's their annual feeder swap at the Wabirds
Unlimited stores. You know, we have six Wabirds Unlimited stores
in the Greater Houston area. You can go to the
website w b U dot com forward slash Houston WBU
dot com Forward Slash Houston. That'll get you to the
wild Bird store nearest you. And if you take in

(02:07:03):
your old feeder, I don't care what condition it's in,
just take it in. I saw a picture at a
Wallbird's store and they had apoll of feeders that look
like I mean, people brought in their old broke and
every kind of feeder you can imagine, and you get
twenty percent off a new feeder. And this would be
a good chance to get you a brand new feeder.

(02:07:23):
They've got all kinds of great feeders. You know, my
favorite feeder is the is the squirrel excluding But they've
got hummingbird feeders. They've got bird seed, you know, the
regular bird seed types of feeders of all kinds they've got. Well,
just go to wildbirds. They'll show you what they want.
You tell them what kind of birds you're trying to attract.
They'll show you the kinds of feeders that work best.
You know, for certain kinds of little tiny birds, the

(02:07:46):
thistle type feeding birds. They got feeders just for that.
Other things can't get the seeds out of the little feeders.
That's what I mean by they've got every kind in
the world. Now, just remember this is knocking to go
on forever, so go ahead and get that done. This
is a short time for the all annual feeder swap.

(02:08:09):
I couldn't say the word swap. Whatever kind of feeder
you have, it's old, bring it in, just give it
to him. Say hey, I want twenty percent off a
new feeder and get going, get talking to them. They're experts,
they know what they're doing, and they're really good at
what they do. Hey, it's time for me to take
a break. I'll be right back with your calls at
seven one three two one two fifty eight seventy four.

Speaker 1 (02:08:29):
Witch Doctor, I was in love with you, and then
Witch Doctor, he told me what to do.

Speaker 5 (02:08:34):
He said, all right, folks, welcome back to garden Line.
Good to have you with us. We're gonna run straight
out to the phone this summer and go to Lake
Side Estates to talk to Maureene. Hey, Maureene, welcome to
garden Line.

Speaker 16 (02:08:54):
Thank you.

Speaker 8 (02:08:55):
I'm so glad you're here for me. I had an
approached the time where I thought I should be putting
a fertilizer down. So I've been walking a lawn, looking
at the yard and thinking where do I need to
do anything extra? And that's when I discovered these little
white moths, not a thousand of them.

Speaker 19 (02:09:14):
But I don't know what to do.

Speaker 8 (02:09:16):
Attack the laws first or put on my fertilizer.

Speaker 5 (02:09:22):
Any thought, Well, here's what we want to do. We
want there are a lot of kinds of moths that
are not eating your grass. They're just out there hiding
in the grass. And so if you will get on
your hands and knees in any area that the lawn
looks a little thinner, not as much leaf, air blades
and stuff, just get on your hands and knees. Look
and if you see the grass blades look like they've

(02:09:43):
had chunks taken out of the sides, like something has
bit chunks out, like they're eating around a sandwich or
something that is sideweb worm. And you do need to treat.
If you don't see that, ignore the moths. Nothing to
worry about. I've got moths in my lawn. I mowed
the other day. I was I'd stop every now and
then to look at the moth to see what it was,
and nothing was a solid web worm. So that I

(02:10:05):
mean you don't have it. Just means if you don't
see eating grass blades, you don't have webworm larvae out
there to treat. And we're getting late enough in the
season where they should be dwindling here if they haven't
already in your lawn, but they could still be around,
but you got checked. Once you check, then you know.
As far as fertilizing, it's time to put that fall
fertilizer down. You need to get your fall application down.

(02:10:27):
Now's a good time to do that, now that we're
in October.

Speaker 8 (02:10:31):
Okay, tell me the formula again, please, well, a good one,
A good one to use.

Speaker 5 (02:10:37):
Excuse me on the fertilizer, yes, yes, please, huh. Nitrofuss
has their fall special. It's a winter Riser fertilizer Nitrofuss
Fall Special.

Speaker 3 (02:10:48):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (02:10:48):
And you're going to find it all kinds of places
where you know, ace hardware stores typically are a good
place is to get those. Nitr Fuss has what they
call the three stone Up the Fall three step program,
and what that is is the fertilizer. It's also the
pre emergent barricade. If your lawn is thin and you
have ongoing weed problems, getting ahead of those before the

(02:11:11):
weed sprout is good and now October early October is
the time you want to get the barricade down if
you're dealing with weeds. And then the last step is
the fungicide, which is called eagle like the bird, and
that prevents if you in the past, if you had
big brown circles in the cool season in your lawn.
The brown patch or not. No, okay, we need to

(02:11:34):
worry about that. Yeah, okay.

Speaker 8 (02:11:37):
Third step one, the one product nitroflawts fall and it
does those other things. Or am I buying nitra? And
then two more products?

Speaker 3 (02:11:50):
I am.

Speaker 5 (02:11:53):
The night Fuss is the company, and the three products
are fertilizer, pre emergent, weed control, and fungicide. That are
all three separate. You already said you don't need the fungicide,
if you don't need the barricade, which is the pre emergent,
then all you would want to put down is the
fall special winterizer fertilizer, and you put it down according

(02:12:16):
to the label instructions. If you've got an ACE hardware
store anywhere near you, they're going to have those nitrovi
nitroposs products. But it depends on what you're going after. Yeah,
those are the three. They put them together because people
deal with all those three things in fall. You know,
not everybody has everything, but those are the three things
that are important in the fall season.

Speaker 8 (02:12:37):
Good enough, okay, I'm off to a great start. Thank
you so much, short and to the I love it.
I love it all right, thank you. We have a
great one.

Speaker 1 (02:12:47):
Bye bye, Thank you.

Speaker 5 (02:12:48):
Bet Mariene, you have a good rest of your weekend,
that's for sure. Nelson Water Gardens and Katie is a
place you need to go if you've never been. I
love the mini acidid things we enjoy outside in the
nature of our yard and garden. So that would be
the beauty of flowers. It would be the textures of plants,

(02:13:09):
from fine textured grasses to bold elephant ears, for example
in the garden. I like the fragrances of the garden,
from fragrant flowers wafting through the air, to the sounds
of the garden, like birds singing or the sound of water.
We put a little patio fountain out in our backyard
and it is just every time you walk outside, it

(02:13:31):
just changes the ambience of the setting to have the
sound of that running water going. And Nelson Water Gardens
and Nursery in Katie, Texas is the place to go
to see all of that in action. I jokingly say
they need to charge admission because when you go there
and you sit among all those waterfalls and fountains, you

(02:13:52):
know Nelson's are the folks that invented those big tall
vases in the garden that have water spilling over the
sides that recirculates back through. They're the ones in. They
got those too. They'll come do it at your house
if you want to haire them, or they'll tell you
how to do it. If you just want to buy
the parts and go make it yourself, they can tell
you how to do that too. Nelson Nursery and Water
Gardens is in Katie off I ten. You head out

(02:14:14):
to Katie Turn North on Katie Fort Ben Road and
it's just a hop, skipping or jump on the right
hand side. And while you're out there, check out the
plants because it is a nursery. Their houseplants section inside
the store is beautiful. They have the most beautiful houseplants
in the absolute best condition you can imagine. It's great.
And then you go outside and they've got their annuals,

(02:14:35):
their vegetables, their flowers, their herbs, their fruit trees or shrubs.
Nelson Water Garden and Nursery. Grab a friend when you go.
It's a destination garden center and just go out and
enjoy it and just tell them I said that they
should be charging to have you sit out there and
hear the sound of water, because I'm telling you it
is absolutely so comforting to hear that quote I said.

(02:15:01):
I think I said it yesterday or today. Is when
I'm overwhelmed and stressed and unable to think, I go
out in the garden. It's cheaper than a shrink. And
boy is that ever true when you got the sound
of water moving in the garden. All right, let's see here.
We are going to go now to Brian, Texas and
talk to Barb. Hell about Barb bye.

Speaker 10 (02:15:22):
I have a real simple question I need.

Speaker 12 (02:15:25):
I don't usually buy soil for my plants, but I
need some now. I want something that would be for
my houseplants and violets. Is there something that would do
for both?

Speaker 5 (02:15:41):
Or do I need to get for both of them?
For both of them, you've got there is something called
the works potting soil by Heirloom Soils. I think they
may carry it up at Producers co Op. I haven't
looked recently, but they may have. If they have heirloom
soil other producers, they should have the works hunting sold there.

(02:16:03):
That's a good one. It covers all kinds of things.
You can use it for indoor and outdoor. And the
African violets will be very happy with it, you know.
For them. They just mainly want to have constant moisture
without being soggy, wet and causing rot and stuff.

Speaker 20 (02:16:16):
So right, they'll be happy.

Speaker 5 (02:16:18):
They'll be happy in the works. The works. Huh. It's
a it's an heirloom soils product. It's sold all over
the area. I just just haven't been in producers in
a good while to see if they if they have
that one up there.

Speaker 12 (02:16:32):
Okay, thank you much, all.

Speaker 5 (02:16:35):
Right, good luck, have fun. Thanks for the call. You
take care. Let's see here where are we? Yep, we've
got time to go to another call here, Donald in
north west Houston, Welcome to garden line.

Speaker 28 (02:16:47):
Oh yes, sir, skip, I listen all the time and
I have I'm Donald who we listen all the way up.

Speaker 5 (02:16:52):
And love lady with the with the farm proper.

Speaker 28 (02:16:54):
Well there, I have ten table fillers here, I'm all
the five nine and jack rabbit root area.

Speaker 5 (02:17:04):
Okay, tree I have.

Speaker 28 (02:17:06):
It's not actually a tree.

Speaker 5 (02:17:08):
Let me make go ahead.

Speaker 7 (02:17:12):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (02:17:12):
Let me ask you a question about those. Are you
seeing them in the branches where there's a fork in
the branch and they're webbing all around that fork in
the branch, or are you seeing them out in the
outer foliage eating the leaves outside. The webbing is around
the leaves.

Speaker 28 (02:17:31):
They're in the fork of the branch, and it's not
a full sized tree. So I've cut all those branches
off and laid them on the grass last night. And
what I'm going to do is they're so they're they're
completely got im off the branch and out on the ground,
and I'm going to cut those branches up with the
caterpillars on them and put them in a trash cannon
port uh.

Speaker 5 (02:17:52):
Clorox. Okay, well you wouldn't even have to do that.
I would just you know, chances of those caterpillars finding
their way back up where they can cause trouble or
pretty slam. Right now, there are a lot of things
out there after them, paper wasps. They're number one food
is caterpillars, and every time you see a paper wasp
flying around, that's what they're looking for. You know, one

(02:18:13):
paper wasp nesk will eat about seven thousand caterpillars during
the course of a growing season. That's a lot. But
a big, big nest can do that. So I wouldn't
worry about clarox in them or anything like that. They're
fine if you've removed them, that's fine. If they were
already in the in the branches, you could just blast
the web off with some water spray them while they're

(02:18:35):
up there in the branches. But it's an unusual time.
I usually don't see tench caterpillars this time of the year, right,
So that's kind of unusual.

Speaker 28 (02:18:43):
But it was a small enough tree, not actually tree.
It's like a I don't know, it's a I don't
know what to call it. But it grows up about
six or eight feet. It's just something that came out
around So that's good.

Speaker 5 (02:18:56):
Where can I get well.

Speaker 28 (02:18:58):
Where can I get a house?

Speaker 6 (02:19:01):
Get?

Speaker 28 (02:19:01):
Whatily the wasp that eat the ten caterpillars? I want
to give them a home.

Speaker 5 (02:19:07):
Oh well, they eaves of your house? Is giving them
a home as long as people don't kill them. Now
you know some people are allergic to them, so that's
a concern. If there was a nest right by my
front door I had to walk under, well, I would
get rid of it. But other wasp nests around the property,
I just leave them because that's what they're doing all day,
is bringing caterpillars home.

Speaker 28 (02:19:28):
But ten caterpillars do what what do they actually do
just make more ten caterpillars or do they eat their
vegetables or yeah.

Speaker 5 (02:19:34):
They you know, they hatch out and then they crawl
up typically in the foliage and eat the stage. We
see the webbing is there at the base kind of
at that we say, the crotch of the branch, the
fork and the branch, you know that area. We see them.
But generally you don't worry about them a lot, especially
this time of year. But if you see them on

(02:19:55):
the foliage, you can just spray your foliage with BT
bacillisther and gentsis BT. It's a very very safe spray
that will kill the caterpillars, but not other things. Okay,
all right, thank you for that.

Speaker 28 (02:20:07):
All right, Donny, I've got them cut down and I'm
going to put them away. But if I see them again,
I know I can all right, too high to cut
I appreciate it.

Speaker 5 (02:20:16):
Oh yeah, yeah, no need, no need to cut those out.
Thanks for the call and good luck with those. Appreciate
your call. Time for a break. I'll be right back.
We got a half hour left. Don't go away for
all our listeners over in Louisiana directions with a Cajun

(02:20:37):
sound of the music this morning. All right, folks, Mary
Chapin Carpenter, Hey, welcome back to Guardline. Good to have
you with us. You know, earlier today I was talking
about crazy high school mascot. Remember that. You remember the
fighting snails and the fighting conks in Florida, which is
basically a saltwater snail, underwater snail. What is it? What

(02:20:58):
do you say when your mascot is the snails. It's
like slime them snails or I don't know, eat their
vegetables during night when they're sleeping snails. That's crazy. I
forgot one. Of course, I was doing high schools, but colleges, Okay,
this is my favorite. You know I have an obsession
with Okra, That's true. I do. I love Okra. I

(02:21:19):
breed Okra, I grow Okra, I eat Okra, I love Okra.
There's a college in Mississippi, Delta State Mississippi College. Their
official mascot is the Statesman. Well, years ago they got
tired of that, and so the students created a secondary mascot,
the Fighting Okra. I'm not making us up. Go look

(02:21:41):
it up. T Shirts got a Okra with boxing gloves on,
and he does not look happy. I don't know what
their chant is. Maybe it's make them real itchy okra
or make it slimy okra. I don't know. Anyway, just
had to throw that in. I couldn't couldn't let that
go being a fan of Okra. Let's go to Galveston.
We're going to talk to Bill this morning. Hey, Bill,

(02:22:01):
welcome to guard Line. Thank you. I have a generic spreader.
I have no idea who made it. It's green in color,
but I have no idea how to set you know,
the settings for barricade and for fertilizer on this thing. Okay?
Is this a walk behind? Is this a walk behind

(02:22:24):
with wheels?

Speaker 6 (02:22:26):
Yep?

Speaker 5 (02:22:26):
Okay, So here here's what you do. Here's what you
do when you don't know if you're going to put
barricade out and anybody, everybody listening, I'm not talking about fertilizer.
I'm talking about barricade. Okay. This is a pre emergent herbicide.
So for those what I what I would recommend you
do is look at the total number of notches on

(02:22:48):
the spreader. So if for example, there are twenty notches,
you want to always put it at about a notch
above one quarter. So if there were twenty, that would
be five or six. If there ten, that would be
two or three somewhere in there. Okay. So for pre
emergent herbicides, about a notch above one quarter. If you're

(02:23:10):
doing fertilizers, that's a different way we figure it. It's
not a not a notch above one quarter. Does that help? Okay,
So you're doing fertilizer, what would that be For fertilizer,
you do it about one or two notches above half.
So to use my example of twenty notches, then it

(02:23:30):
would be eleven or twelve for fertilizer, not not pre
emergent says one or two notches above half. Okay, got it,
Thank you very much. Fertilized. Now let me offer one
more thing. It's always possible, you know, things are a
little off, and you don't want to over or under apply.
I often will put it way lower than that, and

(02:23:53):
I'll go north south across the yard, and then look
at how much I have left, and then go east west.
Those are just example directions. In other words, crossways, uh,
and that way you get a more even spread. If
you were a little off, you wouldn't want to run
out when you were three quarters of the way across
the yard, then you would have weigh over applied it. Okay, okay, okay,

(02:24:15):
all right, Bill, thanks you bet, thank you for the call.
Appreciate that We're going to go to Spring Branch and
talk to Cheryl. Hello, Cheryl, welcome to the garden line.

Speaker 17 (02:24:25):
Hi there, can you bind me?

Speaker 5 (02:24:30):
Yes, ma'am.

Speaker 25 (02:24:32):
Fig tree. I bought what's supposed to be good for
a container fig tree called Pignomenal, and I bought it
from Burpie and it got here, a little tiny thing,
and it was doing really well. And I have it
in a round vigo vego planner and now it is

(02:24:55):
stopped doing well. It is shit almost all leaves, and
I've been careful just to water it from the bottom
and the particular planter I have had water reservoir in
the bottom.

Speaker 15 (02:25:09):
But it's just it's just sticks.

Speaker 5 (02:25:14):
Huh.

Speaker 14 (02:25:15):
What can I do?

Speaker 3 (02:25:16):
Uh?

Speaker 5 (02:25:16):
What kind of soil? What kind of so mix do
you have in there?

Speaker 17 (02:25:22):
Rose soils?

Speaker 5 (02:25:24):
Okay, well that's a good one.

Speaker 17 (02:25:27):
The other thing I can.

Speaker 28 (02:25:30):
Oh.

Speaker 25 (02:25:30):
I was going to say, it's it's my backyard faces
west and it's on a stone patio, but I thought
with the elevated planter that maybe that would stop it
from baking.

Speaker 5 (02:25:41):
Do you think it's getting too much sun? Well, the
heat doesn't bother a fig tree. They can grow in
the brunt of the full sun here in southeast Texas,
I would prove. I would say it's always possible that
it didn't have enough water for a while. Uh, if
the drainage wasn't good, But in a vego planter, the

(02:26:02):
drainage should be adequate in those. But if it was
water log that would be a stress. It's not unusual
for fig trees toward at the end of the season
for the leaves just to kind of get old and
have some issues. The fact that it's completely defoliated. I'll
remove nematodes from the equation because you used a rose
soil to grow it rather than something some sandy soil.

(02:26:24):
So I'm just thinking somehow it's a water related thing.
I wouldn't worry about it. Figs are very tough. Just
continue to make sure it has adequate slow moisture, not soggy,
but just give it a good soaking periodically, and I
think it's going to be okay. I think it'll be
fine and come back. But that is an unusual symptom.
It just indicates something stressed the tree. And I don't

(02:26:47):
have the crystal ball broun.

Speaker 25 (02:26:51):
Okay, the leaves got kind of brown spots, and like
I said, I think Burpie said they were prone to mildy,
so I was careful not to with the leaves.

Speaker 5 (02:27:00):
But oh also yeah it could also yeah, I mean no,
not until spring. Wait until winter's over to print. You
don't want it to grow now because figs are semi tender. Anyway,
I'll tell you what else it could be. There's a
disease called rust that will affect figs and cause them
to drop their leaves. It's a leaf spot disease. And

(02:27:23):
maybe that hit it phenomenal is you know, not one
of our standard southern fig varieties, and so I don't know.
It probably doesn't have any rust resistance, but that could
have been it. Again, that's not a killer on the fig.
It may try to resprout, which is what we would
rather not do at this point in the season. But

(02:27:44):
I think it'll be okay, I think you'll be fine.

Speaker 17 (02:27:47):
Okay, so just prun it in the spring.

Speaker 5 (02:27:50):
Okay, I can do that in the spring. Yeah, get it.
The winter. Thank you, and remember if it does produce
figs on guardline. I don't charge for advice, but I
do ask for half your produce when its successful. Next ground. Okay,
that's all I ask. Thanks, Cheryl, appreciate that. Hey, folks,
got to go to a break. I'll be right back.

Speaker 17 (02:28:07):
Kevin, that I have and see it good now, Well.

Speaker 5 (02:28:11):
Well, good to have you back.

Speaker 20 (02:28:12):
Good to be back.

Speaker 5 (02:28:13):
All right, guys, we got a sprint for the finish.
We got a full board here. I'm got'ta see how
many I can get through, so we'll cut straight to
the chase. We're going to go to talk to you
Nancy first about watermelons. Hey, Nancy, how can we help?

Speaker 19 (02:28:25):
Hey, good good morning.

Speaker 29 (02:28:26):
I hope they are having a beautiful day. I started
out with it. I got about some seeds, eleven watermelons,
dunning me. Didn't write the date down that I planted them,
but actually they grew un chilled. Several of my raccoons
got in and killed a few a little be home.

(02:28:47):
But then of course I got more watermeltons turning back.
So I have nine left right now in the different varieties.
How do you know when a watermelon is ready.

Speaker 5 (02:28:57):
To be picked.

Speaker 29 (02:28:58):
I picked three and they were still pale, and one
turned out red.

Speaker 5 (02:29:03):
Here's a fast answer. Where the watermelon attaches to the vine,
there's a tendril, a curlicue. When it turns brown, that's
one sign that the watermelon may be ripe. When you
turn the watermelon over where it sits on the ground,
that's called the ground spot. When it turns from kind
of a shark trouse green to a very creamy, almost

(02:29:24):
buttery yellow, that's a sign they may be ripe. And
the third sign is thumping them. But you just kind
of got to do that a little bit to know
what the right sound of a thump is. But thosem.

Speaker 8 (02:29:37):
And okay, I.

Speaker 5 (02:29:40):
Won't you won't smell anything. But that's that's the best
I can tell you. But hopefully the weather will stay
warm long enough for you to get some watermelons. And
if you do, I just asked that you bring me
half your watermelons to the station so I can enjoy
them too.

Speaker 12 (02:29:53):
Okay, so much, so much fun.

Speaker 29 (02:29:56):
When you want food, here comes another little bee. I
love learning and I just love these shows.

Speaker 5 (02:30:05):
Thank you well, thank you, Nancy. Appreciate the call. I
appreciate that very much. We're going to go to Rufus
now in Cove, Texas. Ricks How can we help?

Speaker 12 (02:30:14):
Well, it's real simple. I've been playing with my venkas
for all summer and all of a sudden they start
look like die back on roses, and I wondering what
I'm doing wrong.

Speaker 27 (02:30:23):
We're doing fine.

Speaker 5 (02:30:25):
Vinka the madagescar prairiewinkle, or vinca as they call it,
the annual flowers that are typically red, white or pink
or maybe coral. Okay, there's a disease that there's a
disease that can attack them, and it's an aerial blight
that causes the whole stem to turn like a chocolate
brown and die pretty quick. Is that what you're saying

(02:30:46):
that symptom? Okay, uh, okay, next year, nothing to do
about these. Pull them out, get all the plant material
out of there when you're done with the season, and
next year look for a variety call to Cora c
o R a cora that's resistant to that disease. And

(02:31:07):
unless the disease evolves and changes in which happens with diseases,
but cora is resistant to that phytopteral aerial blight, and
once you've had it, in the spot. You either need
to plant cora's there or plant some other flower. It
doesn't attack other flowers and put your vincas somewhere else. Okay, sir, very.

Speaker 20 (02:31:26):
Good, very good.

Speaker 26 (02:31:27):
Variety of colors or just one color?

Speaker 5 (02:31:31):
Chorus? Come in many types, Yeah, they come in many types.
I think there's even some trailing coras that they put
in hanging baskets. Cora is a series, it's not a
single variety. I wasn't clear about that, but yes, that
venca's typically a pink, white, red flower, and that's how
they are. Thank you, Good luck with those, you bet.

(02:31:53):
We're going to run to Austin County and talk to Doris. Hey, Doris,
welcome to garden line.

Speaker 12 (02:31:57):
Good morning, how are you.

Speaker 5 (02:32:00):
I'm doing well? How can I help today? Doris? Would
you turn off the radio and let's see if we
can help you here right quick? All right, I'll tell
you what. I'm going to put you on hold. If
we've lost you, call right back. We'll try to get you,

(02:32:21):
get to you, and I'm going to go on to
Scott in Belleville. Hey, Scott, welcome to the garden line.

Speaker 12 (02:32:28):
Hey, how are you doing?

Speaker 5 (02:32:29):
All right?

Speaker 12 (02:32:30):
So I have a I just moved into a house
up in outside of Belleville and a couple of akers,
and it's got We've come sam spurs or sugar burs,
you know what I'm talking about. They're like, yes, do
comic things that hurt like fire just by looking at them?

Speaker 5 (02:32:47):
Almost?

Speaker 12 (02:32:48):
Is there any way, yes, any possibility to control those?

Speaker 5 (02:32:53):
Yes? Absolutely. There are a number of different pre emergence
herbicides that will control them. Barricade. You hear me talk
about barricade from night foss all the time. That's one.
There are other products on the market that are that
are pre emerging, but they have to be work, they
have to work on grassyweeds, but barricade is the one
I would suggest that you use. Now, if you go

(02:33:15):
online to my schedule at gardening with Skip dot com
gardening ski dot com dot com, Okay, skip gardening with
skip dot com. There are two schedules. There's a lawn
care schedule and then a lawn pest disease and weed
management schedule. If you look at the second one and
you go down to weeds prevention, not killing existing, but preventing,

(02:33:40):
you'll see that from late January through February, we put
pre emergence down for warm season weeds in your area.
I would say do it in about mid February would
be best. Then then one, two three, about two and
a half to three months later you would do it again.

(02:34:00):
And so that would be in May that you would again. Okay,
because those graspers will sprout all through the warm season.
And by doing those two applications, now after you apply them,
they have to be watered in. So if this is
a yard, you can do it. If it's a pasture,
you got to wait for a rainfall and then apply
it right for a rainfall to get it into the

(02:34:20):
soil surface. Okay.

Speaker 12 (02:34:25):
Do they sell that stuff in like mass quantities, like
you know the costco sized version, because I get I
get two acres and probably about three quarters to three
quarters of an acre. I'm scared to walk through there
because they hurt.

Speaker 5 (02:34:41):
Yeah. Yeah, well tell you I would. If I were you,
I would do this. I don't know the Belleville area,
all the stores and shops and feed stores and everything
out there. You you may want to call your county
Agro Life Extension office there in Belleville, K and UH

(02:35:01):
ask them what do you recommend for pasture?

Speaker 19 (02:35:05):
Uh?

Speaker 5 (02:35:05):
Graspburg Control and they can take county quantities Agro Life
Extension Office, County Extension Office. If I I'm going to
try to find it, yes, sir, okay, and I'm gonna
try to find it, and I'll say I'll say it
on the air if I can find it before we
get to the end of the show today. When when

(02:35:26):
you call them, they're going to give you what the
farm and ranchers would use. And that's going to be
a made for bigger quantities than just like the backyard
kind of thing. Okay, very good. All right, My timing
and my schedule is still the same. My timing is
still right for your area.

Speaker 12 (02:35:42):
Okay, So it's just the timing. Give me, give me
that one more time. My wife's writing notes down. That's
why I keep trying to repeat a couple.

Speaker 5 (02:35:50):
Of things that go to garden, go to gardening with
skip dot com and find.

Speaker 12 (02:35:57):
And then there's that's our lawn care schedules.

Speaker 5 (02:36:01):
Okay, Okay, thank.

Speaker 15 (02:36:05):
You, sir.

Speaker 5 (02:36:05):
I appreciate that call. All right, We're going to run
right here quick. Go back to Doris. Doris, do we
got you still? I cannot hear Doris? Oh, sorry, didn't
work out. Well, we tried. You've been listening to Guardline.
Next Saturday, Nature's Way Resources halfway up. Oh well, that's

(02:36:28):
halfway up to Conrod, Texas, right where fourteen eighty eight
comes in. You turn right and you go to Nature's
Way on Glennon. You know, let me, let me just
do this. Come on out there. I'm gonna be there
from eleven thirty to one thirty. They're having their Fall Festival.
It is going to be so much fun. We're gonna
have a blast, and I hope you'll come out because

(02:36:48):
when you get there, what you're gonna find is that,
you know, we can pretty much answer any question you got.
If you bring me a sample, if you you know,
bring me pictures of stuff, let's talk about it and
let's solve it. For those of you looking for your
ag Extension office, go to Agrolifepeople dot TAMU dot edu