June 13, 2026 • 39 mins
Teresa's Dirty Word of the Day "Surfactant". Heather Stickney from Summit Responsible Solutions, sponsor of the show, discuss Mosquito Bites & Dunks.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome back to the second hour of Better Lawns and
Gardens from the Summit Responsible Solution Studios. I'm Teresa Watkins.
I'm a landscape designer, horticulturist, garden expert. I love to
help people with their landscapes and their gardening questions. And
if you haven't done it already, put our number in
your phone one triple eight four five five two nine
(00:34):
sixty seven, or you can text two three six eight
zero and you can ask your question that way. We'd
love to hear from you. We have Lizzie at the keyboards.
Thank you so much. Lizzie. You do not know how
much you are so appreciated because you can deal with
all this equipment.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well, thank you so much for trusting me.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
And so let's go to let's we're gonna have the
Heather Stickney coming up with Summit Responsible Solutions, and she
is the expert on it, and she's going to give
us a lot of great scientific which is not going
to be boring scientific information about how mosquito bits and
dunks work. And so we're excited to have her on.
Let's go to the dirty word of the day. And
(01:18):
now it's time for the dirty Word of the Day
on Better Lawns and Gardens with Teresa Watkins and the
dirty word of the day is surfactant. Surfactant are surface
active compounds that lower water surfaces tension, which means the
ability to absorb water, helping spread evenly anything that it
(01:39):
is combined with. Okay, if you've spread it evinly on
the plant, leaves, soil, or growing medium. The term surfactant
comes was coined in nineteen fifty and it comes from
surface actin agent. That's the phrase surface active agent. Because
surfactants contain both water repelling and water tracting components, they
(02:01):
act as emulsifiers, allowing water and oil to mix. The
surfactants are widely used in commercial chemicals. Households and industries
rely on them in large quantities for detergents and cleaners,
as well as emulsifiers, wedding agents, foaming agents, and disperses.
(02:23):
Surfactants occur naturally in plant based detergents, such as horse
chestnuts and soap nuts, and in the secretions of some caterpillars.
While many common surfactants are derived from petroleum, they are
increasingly being made partly or entirely from renewable biomass, including sugars,
(02:44):
vegetable oil based fatty alcohols, biofuel products, and other biological materials.
Surfactants serve two main purposes water management and In water management,
the surfactants help container substrates, soiless media and peat rich
(03:04):
mixes absorb and distribute water more evenly by reducing dry
spots and runoff while improving water retention. They can decrease
irrigation needs and labor costs, which benefit nurseries, greenhouses, and
hydroponic systems. They are also used in pesticide and nutrition efficiency.
(03:26):
In spray applications. Surfactants combined with a pesticide work as
adjuvants that help pesticides and folier nutrition adhere to spread
across and penetrate plant surfaces. This improves coverage and uptake,
strengthening pest control and nutrition delivery. So when you're spraying
(03:50):
a chemical and you're seeing it just drip right off
and it doesn't even stay on the leaf, that's when
you need to use a surfactant to help it stick
to the leaf. So the dirty word of the day
is surfactive.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
You know what my grandmother always said, if you didn't
learn something new every day and the day was completely
a waste.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So you did it. Thank you, You're welcome. And so
we have some great text messages coming up. I'm going
to get to them in just a minute. And we
have Heather's Stickney with some responsible solutions coming up. I
do have some time. Let me just get some couple
of questions text messages out. And so we did have
(04:28):
a William call in and said he had difficulty shopping
and getting out. And you know, we've had some suggestions
from our listeners saying that nurseries have free pots that
they will give away. The thing is is that today
nurseries any industry to have things delivered some some nurseries
(04:50):
don't have that availability. So you know, we just I
think it's a good suggestion. Maybe he could ask someone
to stop by and pick them up and bring them
to him. That would be that would be worth it.
So also too Ken in Northwest Orlando. He says, my
Bismarck palm is struggling from the freezes. It was a
(05:10):
housewarming gift from my mother. Can it be saved? Well,
if it's still growing now and some of the fronds
are they they look good and you have new fronds
coming up. It is going to survive, So hang in there, Ken,
just make sure in the fall you fertilize it again
and uh then uh, you know, keeps looking for those
(05:32):
fronds coming up. If it looks like it's getting a
fungus issue, you could spray the top of it with
a fungicide that will prevent disease from getting into the fronds.
But I think your Bismart palm is going to be
pretty good. They are pretty winter tolerant, and so it
just may need when was the last time it got
fertilizer over the last few years, So it just may
(05:53):
be something that it might just need a little bit
more nutrition and that will be good. Question one more more,
one more answer here, Good morning Teresa, Susan and Tallahassee.
She has a lot of planted containers in her landscape.
Large colonies of ants seem to love my containers. Is
there a way to keep containers ant free? Yes, you
(06:14):
can use ant bait, Susan. You can use ant bait
and sprinkle it around the bottom of the tub where
you've got a little bit of area there where the
ants can get in underneath and come up, and then
also use the bait on the top of your containers.
I probably wouldn't use them in anything that's edible, but
(06:36):
everything else you can use them in, so that'll be good.
We're going to be back with Heather's Stickney Summit Responsible Solutions,
and she is going to help us with science and
we're gonna have a lot of fun with her. If
it's Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens,
I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Networks.
(07:17):
Welcome back to Better Logs and Gardens, and we are
welcoming back Heather Stickney. She is with Summit Responsible Solutions
and they are makers of mosquito bits and mosquito dunks
and a whole host of other products that are environmentally
safe for your landscape and take care of really the
pesky issues. Good morning, Heather, How are you?
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Good morning, Teresa. I'm doing well, Thank you. How are you?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I am great. So, now you are in Ohio and
you've been getting some extreme weather there, are you.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
What's it been like so Fortunately for us in the
part of the world I sit in Ohio, it has
not been too bad. We've had some heavy rains, but
we've not seen some of the more severe weather that
they've gotten a little bit further east and south of US.
So I'm counting my blessings that it's been. We've been fortunate.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Oh good, I'm so glad. So our regular listeners they
know and they love using mosquito bits and ducks, but
we have new listeners every week listen Heather, So I'm
really really pleased about that, who are just learning about
Summit responsible solutions. So I want to go straight to
the source. Can you tell everybody what mosquito bits and
mosquito dunks are?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Sure? So, mosquito bits and mosquito dunks are both made
with an active ingredient called BTI. BTI is a soil
borne bacterium that is toxic specifically to mosquito larva. So
in the case of dunks, they're little beige kind of
doughnut shaped discs that are designed to float on water
(08:52):
and kill mosquito larva in standing water. Bits are designed
for broadcast application, and they they cover a broader area
and do a very quick kill of any mosquito larva
that you might have in your standing water.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Okay, that is great, and so so it's bt I,
and it's safe for humans and animals. What about birds
and pollinators like bees?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
The interesting thing about BTI is that it is really
only toxic to mosquito larva. So in the case of bits,
it will also control fungus net larva, but you don't
have to worry about toxicity to things like bees, wildlife, birds, fish,
if you're using it in a coy pond or some
(09:38):
type of application like that, it really is only toxic
mosquito larva.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Excellent. That is so good to hear. So we had
an interesting call from Polly Inovito and she was confused
when she used the mosquito duct She was getting foamy
and she saw some kind of larva in them wriggling.
What's going on there? How do mosquito dunks work?
Speaker 3 (09:59):
That is really an interesting question. Polly and very observant
to notice the foaming. It was likely not the dunk
itself that was foaming. The foaming may have been caused
by surfactants that were already in the water, and when
that dunk was added, it may have agitated the water
to cause that foaming to happen. Same thing with the wrigglers.
(10:24):
The wrigglers are the mosquito larva, and they were likely
already in the water, so an increased in activity may
have been a result of that dunk being placed in
the water. But the dunks will do its job. It'll
start to dissolve, the larva in the water, will ingest
that active ingredient, and you won't have adult mosquitos coming
(10:45):
from the water as a result.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Excellent. I'm so pleased to hear that. So George and
claremont I was talking to him and he wants to
know how long do mosquito bits work? Is there an
easy way to know when to reflesh, reft, brush them,
or replace them?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
So, yes, George. For mosquito bits, they will typically last
seven to fourteen days. So depending on how large your
mosquito population is and how many mosquitoes you may have
laying eggs and standing water, I would recommend reapplying once
a week every seven days. If populations are a little
(11:23):
bit lower, you might be able to get away with
fourteen days, but generally speaking, reapplication every seven to fourteen
days for most effective results.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Okay, so that's for the mosquito bits. How long about
the mosquito dunks?
Speaker 3 (11:36):
The dunks last a little bit longer. They float on water,
and they dissolve over a period of thirty days, maybe
a little bit longer. So about once a month is
when I would recommend readding a dunk. You'll see it
start to dissolve over time, it'll just sort of disappear.
So yeah, about every thirty days.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Okay, so that's great. So I mean we're at the
start of a real, really severe mosquito season. So this
is the time everybody's asking about mosquitos. I'm seeing it
on our TV, our news this week. So I had
a neighbor ask me. They have a water garden in
their backyard and it has moving water. So where in
(12:17):
the pond should they put the mosquito bits.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
The fact that they have moving water is going to
make their pond a little less attractive. Two mosquitos that
want to come in and lay their eggs. If they
have areas in the ponds that are a little bit
more still, that might be the best place to place
a dunk, but that's going to float around. I would
(12:41):
look for areas around the pond, for example, if they
have pots with sausters underneath, where there might be some
standing water, that might be a good place.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
To put them. That may be where the mosquitos are
coming from, not the water garden.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Correct, correct, If they have areas of standing water around
the pond, might be a better place to put both.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Okay, So mosquitoes can lay eggs in a thimbleful of
water that I mean a thimbleful heather that is not
a lot, that's not even adult.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
They don't need a lot.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
And mulch, especially the large pine bark or pine bark
as a rule, has those little curved areas. I mean
they're I mean you can use them as little serving platters,
you know, for insects and for frogs and things like that.
They're flat and they're rounded, so they can hold that water.
Can mosquito bits be used in mulch.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
It's generally speaking that an application that we recommend. However,
if that mulch is holding water, yes, I would say
that you could use those in the mulch to help
keep populations down or to help control any any larva
that might be present.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Okay, Now Lizzie is having a party and she has
a standing water on her property, what can she use
just generally as a spray for the entire yard to
get rid of, like ticks, and fleas and mosquitoes.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
I would recommend permethrine dased spray in terms of controlling
adult population. Some It makes a tick and flee spray
as well as a mosquito and gnat barrier. They're essentially
the same thing, but they are going to control the
adult populations, and you'll want to apply that where you
(14:28):
might find mosquitoes or ticks harboring, so in brushy areas
around the property. Mosquitos like to land on fence fencing,
so if Lizzie has fencing in her yard, she might
want to spray that to help control some of those
adult populations.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
That's interesting. They sit on the fence.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
They do.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Yes, yep, okay, that is crazy great stalkers.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
That's funny. Okay. So how soon before or how early
before the party did she put she should use the spray.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Typically it will begin working very quickly, so I would
say a day or two before. The spray, depending on
weather conditions, will last up to thirty days. So if
she wants to get ahead of it and spray a
week before, she should be good.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
She should be good to do that. That's when and
rain won't dampen it or anything. If she if it
rains afterwards.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Again, depending on conditions. If you get a heavy rain,
you might need to reapply again, okay, but if it
stays relatively sunny and dry, you should be good.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Oh wonderful. So now summer is here and it's time
for camping and going away on trips and hiking. What
do you have that will help somebody who is camping
out in the woods.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
So we make a spray. It's called green Armor insect
repellent for clothing and gear, and it is designed to
be used with a skin repellent for things like ticks
and mosquitoes. It essentially adds a layer of protection to
you to help keep tics, mosquitos, and other biting pests away.
(16:11):
So you spray it on your jackets, your shoes, your hats, backpacks.
You can spray your tents, your nylon chairs. Essentially that's
going to add a barrier of protection to help keep
those nuisance pests away.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Oh excellent, that is such great news. So, Heather, where
can people find mosquito bits and dunks? And then green Armor?
How can they get that?
Speaker 3 (16:37):
So definitely at your local home centers, hardware stores, local
garden centers, farm and fleet stores. You can find mosquito
dunks and bits. Our products are also available online, so
you can look for them online at Summit Responsible Solutions
dot com.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Excellent. Thank you so much Heather for sharing and for
being part of uh you know better LUNs and Gardens.
We do appreciate you sponsoring the program. Lizzie, you have
a question.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Yes, what was the name of the product that you
were saying I needed to spray for my event?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Oh so it's called tick and Flea spray or it's
also under the label Mosquito and net Barrier.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Thank you. I appreciate that so much. Certainly, there you go,
heatherd Well, thank you so much. Appreciate you. Stay safe
up there and we'll have you back on real soon.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Other thank you. Teresa, all right, take.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Care bye bye. I love her. She's so smart about
every all her products. But the company is an excellent company, organic,
environmentally safe and their products work.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Yes, and they are a sponsor of the show. However,
I've used them for years and I have used the
net barrier and mosquito barrier around the turkey pen area
and it really does help.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
So that's interesting, Yeah, because your turkeys do get mosquitoes don't.
It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
So, I mean they'll have theirs like pretty hard blowing
fans and they like to perch in front of that.
And I that's the whiny I had the fans there.
I had to blow the mosquitoes off of them. But yeah,
just need a little bit of any little bit of
thing they can do to help to keep mosquitoes away,
especially in the state of Florida.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
I'll take it there. You go, stay for state bird.
Yeah it's a state bird or state bird Mosquitosito. I'm
just sure Simon probably already knows that. Yeah, he used
to live here too. Yeah, he knows all about that. Okay,
So now the turkeys. Tell us about the turkeys. Do
they still sit in your lap? Yeah? They still try to.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
They're way too big now, so uh, Gerald's probably pushing
about forty maybe fifty pounds. So, but he's the smaller
of the ones that we've had in the past. So
we've had eighty pounds apiece turkeys.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
So but yeah, how many do you have?
Speaker 2 (18:51):
We are down to seven, So we had we had
twenty two and this is the seven that we'll probably
end up keeping.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
So yeah and so and so, how many females, how
many males?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
We have four male or females and three males. And
the females lay eggs and so they're big eggs to
hugely fill up the entire palm in your hand. And
they also run eleven to thirteen grams of protein per egg.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Wow, that's really great, that is super well. We want
to thank Heather Stickney with a Summit Responsible Solutions. If
you'd like to go, you can go to their website
Summit res Responsible Solutions dot com and check out their products.
You can get them online and in your hardware stores.
I know that for a fact. So if it's Saturday morning,
(19:37):
you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens, I'm Teresa Watkins
and this is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Network. Welcome back
(20:00):
to Better Lawns and Gardens. It's time for your phone calls.
Whether you have a gardening question gardening design question, I
can help you one triple eight four five five two
nine sixty seven, or you can text two three six
eight zero like uh Rick in Havana. Rick and Havana says,
(20:21):
good morning, Teresa. Is it too late to start grass
from seed? Behea or Zoija. Well, you can't get zeishas seed,
but you can get bejeya. Get Argentina bajea. And now
is a great time to put down bejea seed. Okay,
Argentina bejea seed. You need at least eight weeks, six
(20:42):
to eight weeks of warm temperatures, temperatures over eighty five
degrees for the behea grass to get started. And we
have plenty of time for that. So it'll be eighty
five all the way through December. So he's got plenty
of times exactly, So go ahead and get that grass seed. Rick, good,
good question. So morning, Lizzie, it's Daryl the Earthbox Lady. Hi, Daryl,
(21:06):
and so at. She was at one of the box
store's clearance plants. She found a tea plant, and she
wanted to know she should do anything special to keep
it alive. The last time she saw an actual tea
plant she was in the first grade when her dad
was stationed in Japan.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Wait, can you explain what a tea plant is?
Speaker 1 (21:25):
A tea plant is a Camellia snensus. Okay, So she
found a one that had been put on the shelf,
so you know those those sale shelves I love those.
I bring all those back to life. Always buy orchids
off the sale shelf, buy all the plants off the
sale shelf and bring them home and rejuvenate them. And
(21:47):
so yeah, just you just want to make sure if
it is a Camellia sentensus. Now there's a New Zealand
tea tree that is not the same thing. It's got
a little pinkish purple flowers. It's not the same thing.
But Emelia sinensis needs acidic soil. You need to use
acidic fertilizer. You can use in a soil, an acidic soil,
(22:11):
acid of fire and uh and and that's it. Just
fertilize it, keep it watered. It takes shade, it can
take full sun. Comunias can takes full sun. But while
it's stressed out, and plants on the sale shelves are
always stressed out, I would keep it in the shade.
So good question, good find. That's a great find. And
(22:33):
so that that is great. So one triple eight four five, five,
two nine sixty seven, or you can text two three
six eight zero. So Janice sent me she's in Orlando.
She sent a picture, a great picture of a hibiscus
with hibiscus leaves with holes eaten in them, and uh
(22:55):
so she asked what it was, and it's a Hibiscus
soft fly. So it's a little caterpillar. It's it's from
a wasp, it's not from an actual fly, but they attack.
Just remember when I say, you know, when you're selecting plants,
you know, try not to get plants with insects named
(23:16):
after them. Uh So, like azalea caterpillars, because you're going
to get those caterpillars. Hibiscus softly, you're probably going to
get those. And you can just use a nime oil product.
Don't do it in the heat of the day, Janice,
You want to make sure you're doing it in the
early morning or later on late at dusk time. Hibiscus
(23:39):
don't like to have pesticide sprayed on them. The oil
will be okay. Just do it in the non stressful
periods of the day that that will be good. One
triple eight four five, five, two nine sixty seven, or
you can text two three six eight zero and you
can just ask any questions. Peterson's Nursery is going to
(24:03):
have a proper pruning practices program at Peterson's Nursery at
nine thirty am today. You've got plenty of time to
get down there and you can learn all about how
to prune your plants. So a lot of plants are still,
(24:26):
you know, showing that they have not been pruned back
from the winter. The plants are recovering, especially the Scheffler's,
the umbrella plants. They still have sticks on them. And
see as I drive down the road, go ahead and
cut those sticks off. Let the new growth come out.
Norfolk Island pines. Cut off the brown branches and let
(24:48):
the new growth emerge. You're seeing that. And then also too,
you can add new plants. Now, when you're talking about
adding new plants, we always, I tell you always to
check for the sunlight conditions, the moisture, soil moisture conditions,
how wet does it stay, and then the pH But
another thing to make sure that you're looking for are
(25:14):
the zones. And the zones for that I plant here
in central Florida are for eight to eleven. Now, if
you're planting for eight or you know lower, which I
mean seven six' five for three three is all the
way up In. Canada that means that that plant can
handle those conditions in the. Winter. Time so if you're doing,
(25:37):
eight if it gets down to twenty, degrees your plant's
going to. Survive. Okay so when you're trying to decide on,
plants select zone plants from zones eight to, eleven and
eleven is you, know down In Key West miami, area
and that means it can take the. Heat so that's
(25:58):
the zones you want to go. In if if you
select plants For Central florida that are only good for
zones ten through, eleven that means your pygmy date, palms
that means your queen, palms that means your foxtail, palms
or any of the tropical plants like your hibiscus and
also some of the tropical. Crotons the, also let's see
(26:23):
what else were the ones that were. Damaged there was
a lot of damage on the mandavillas and. Alabanda's they're
always going to get hit every, year, Okay so every
freeze we, have you're gonna have to get out there
and cover them with boxes or with cloths on. Sticks
you never want to put the cloths right directly on the,
(26:45):
plants or use frost, blankets and you're gonna have to
do that every. Year but if you buy plants that
are zoned for eight they're going to survive the winter.
Time the plumbagos did, fine the camellias did find the
roses did. Fine.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Well if we didn't learn anything in the last couple of,
years we definitely learned something new this last year for.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Sure so, exactly, no you just we do get those
freezes that. Damage that's again one of the reasons why
we don't have a citrus industry where the back to
back freezes in the eighties plus the disease. Problems but
those disease, problems you, know were acerbated by the. Freezes
so zones EIGHT b to eleven here In Central, florida
(27:28):
up In North, florida down In, miami you'll be just.
Fine This saturday, morning you're listening To Better lawns And.
Gardens I'm Teresa watkins and this Is Florida's talk And Entertainment.
Network welcome back To Better lawns and guard And. See
(28:05):
if you missed any of the previous hour and this
hour and you want to hear it, again you can
go to The iHeartRadio app and download. It it's, free
very easy to use on a phone that works for a.
Computer i'm having phone issues right, now and so you
can do. That you could also it will be. Posted
(28:26):
i'll post it on Our facebook page later on this,
afternoon and also, too you can go to.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Better lawns dot. Com better Lawn play posted there, now so.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
It is you. Can you can hear it all. Again
and if you do not get us on a radio,
station ask your radio stations, too yes to put. It
put our program. On they will like that love most.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Two hours BECAUSE i from WHAT i, understand there's one
station or two out there that has us only on
for one hour. Exactly so whenever you call it a
request for your local station to carry, us say, hey
it is to our, show and, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
We would like that also. Too we have posted our
art and Bloom garden tours for twenty twenty seven are.
Up we are doing waiting lists right now while we're finalizing.
Details but if you'd like to have more information about,
traveling we go to beautiful, gardens stay in lovely, accommodations
and we just visit historic venues and the gardens are just.
(29:26):
Incredible we do have some spots left this year for
Our Buffalo garden tour if you're interested in, that we
go to the largest garden walk in The United. States oh,
Wow but we don't go on the weekend where they.
Go we have a special time that we go and
we have the gardens all to. Ourselves and we're also
including in that tour a passage over Into. Canada we're
(29:50):
going to go Visit Niagara falls and so we have
opportunities for. There and then we also have spots left
on Our New orleans The ethereal gard Some New orleans For,
october which it will be lots of. Fun and you
can go To art and bloomgardentours dot com and check
(30:11):
out all our, tours get on the waiting, list and
we would love to join. You next, Week tom McCubbin
will be here AND i know everyone will enjoy. That
so you're going to want to chime in and call
in and he is going to be, here so that'll be.
Great so if you are planting new plants right, now
and this Is, florida we can plant year. Round we
(30:32):
won't necessarily do it before a hurricane is approaching or
during a freeze time period In december And, january but
we can usually plant year round. Here but if you're
planting in the, heat of the day right now for
the next few, months make sure that your plants are
(30:54):
watered before you put them in the. Ground and then
when you dig the, hole you want to dig the
hole twice the, width same. Depths you want to leave
the plant out of the ground one to two inches
because in our sandy soils and even in you know
we have good organic, soils the soil is going to,
sink and you want the plants to be at the
(31:16):
height the same level as the. Ground if you plant
them level with the ground when they, sink they're going
to be too, low and that mulch over the top
is going to cause. Problems the plant's not going to
be able to. Breathe it's going to get. Wrought you
don't want to do. That so you want to water
the plant before you plant. It then in the, hole
(31:37):
you want to fill that up two to three times
so that the ground is saturated before you put that
plant in the. Ground, now what that's going to do
is kind of like clay. Pots when you plant a clay,
pot that clay is going to wig out the water
from the. Soil the same with the. Ground the ground
is going to wig out that water from the.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Root.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Ball so if the plant is been hydrated, enough the
root ball is, wet the whole is, wet and then
you water it. In your plant's going to be good
and your, plants your new plants are going to need
at least two to three. Months get it through the
summertime so that it can become, established and then you.
(32:18):
Don't then it'll be okay for the rest of the.
Time you want to get it off to a good.
Start if you're planting. Sod if you're laying, sod you
want to water the sod once a day or sometimes
twice a. Day for zoysia and bermuda grass centipede, grass
you want to water it once a day for the first.
Week you want to water it every two days the second,
(32:42):
week and then water it every three days the third.
Week and by the end of the, month your, sod
your turf is already used to the twice a week.
Watering we can and it's allowed by law that you
can water for thirty and sometimes in some areas sixty
days every. Day you don't want to do that to the.
(33:06):
Turf if you're watering every, day you are growing hydroponically
and those roots will never go down. Deeper they're just
gonna stay right there at the, surface and they are
gonna be fat and, happy and they're just gonna think it's.
Great they're gonna be, hydrated they're gonna be swimming. Around
and then at the end of the thirty, days you
have to go to twice a week, watering and it's
(33:27):
going to go into immediate. Shock it's gonna SAY i
need to. Water so just make sure that you're not
watering too much when you first put it. Down let
it get used to the. Water and even the, stress
the turf can wilt a little, bit and that doesn't
mean it's. Dying it just means it's going to need
water in a few. Days, Okay so how do you
(33:50):
know if your turf needs? Water and this is for established.
Lawns if your, turf if you can walk across your
turf and about two minutes, later turn around and, look
and if you can see your footprints in the, grass
then you need to. Water if you walk through your
turf and turn around and look after a couple of
(34:12):
minutes and you don't see your, footprints the grass has
enough hydration to spring back up. Again you do not
need to water your Grass, okay. Watering overwatering is one
of the biggest problems in the state Of, florida and
we are just blessed to have that. Water BUT i
will tell you as we run out of potable, Water
(34:32):
we're never going to run out of. Water we have
the same amount of water we had millions of years.
Ago it's just that it's not in the same. Form
it's not. Potable we have to clean, it we have,
to you, know to collect. It we just need to
be good stewards of the water and only use it
when necessary and in our rainy. Season watering your yard
(34:56):
during the summertime is not using it repe. Possimbly, okay
push it down so that it can. Go your, lawn
if healthy and, established can go a week to ten
days in the summertime without. Water, now that precludes you over,
fertilizing because when you fertilize fertilizer at its base as,
(35:19):
salt you're going to need to water it. More it
precludes you, know the new plants that need to be established,
first and they're going to stress. Out they're not going
to be as strong as an established. Lawn and it also,
pesticides so if you are spraying chemicals on your lawn
on a regular. BASIS i don't know why you'd be doing.
(35:40):
That you don't want to do it. Preventatively you only
want to do it when you see the insect. Problem
but you're going to need to use more. Water let's
go To lynn In Merritt. Island good, Morning, Lynn how
CAN i help? You good?
Speaker 4 (35:55):
MORNING i just love to hear you. Girls you just
really make my.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Day thank you so.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
Much, yes you're. WELCOME i wanted to ask. YOU i
have three frangi pangies and. Huge they're way way way
over my. House and you, know WHEN i went out
the first day or, whatever we had this horrible weather
From november To, may like it seemed that it was
(36:22):
just you never knew of be freezing or be downlow
and theented be hot right. Right AND i went out
my yard AND i looked at my frinchy panges BECAUSE
i had The yard of The month hare a couple
of years, ago and everybody just loved these beautiful pink
flowers and. That but you, KNOW i looked at my
(36:42):
trees AND i, THOUGHT i wonder what happened to the
base of my trees because they were like, black AND
i just couldn't understand it and never thought about. It
you know how they how they weep when you pull
a flower, off and things like. That they have like
like a milky, Sudden and all of a, SUDDEN i
(37:03):
said to, MYSELF i think these plants are. DEAD i
think my trees because some of them were like somebody
threw tar on them from the bottom of the tree
all the way. Up and how do you? KNOW i,
Mean i'm getting ready. Tomorrow i'm getting ready to start
(37:24):
cutting off the lea and not the, leaves but cutting
off the. Limbs and how do you know how far to?
GO i, mean because the ones that are all the way,
BLACK i think they're dead all the way to the,
ground aren't?
Speaker 1 (37:37):
They, yes they. Are so what you want to do
is go ahead and feel, okay so you can squish.
It if it's, squishy then it means it's rotted, inside
and you can go ahead and. Cut now when you
cut it, back you can also look in the inside
and it'll be, disintegrated it'll be you, know, Black you'll
see some kind of mold in, it and that'll tell
(37:59):
you too as. Well cut back until you find you,
know good healthy. Tissue, okay but but it's very.
Speaker 4 (38:06):
Possible that ones that are twice as tall as your
house or dead all the way to the.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Ground, yes it's. Possible this. Year this, year it is.
Possible i'm sorry to. Say, okay so just keep cutting
now if you Find, okay so let's say you cut
and you find two or three branches that are, healthy
go ahead and cut those off and replant, them, okay
because you can kind of leave, them let them dry
(38:33):
off for a few, days, uh and then go ahead
and replant them somewhere else in your. Yard but thank
you so, Much lynn for being our last phone. Caller
we do appreciate. It we'd like to Thank heather stick
me with some responsible solutions and she is. Wonderful mosquito
bits and dunks and then green armor and yard year
round yard spray is, Wonderful, Lizzie thank you so. Much
(38:56):
i'll see you. Later we'll celebrate thirty years with you And.
Shrek if It's saturday morning you're listening To Better lawns And,
Gardens I'm Teresa, watkins and this Is Florida's talk And Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Network if you miss any of the show or want
to recap any of the other. Shows you can go
to Better lawns dot. Com that's better lawns dot.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Com
Welcome back to the second hour of Better Lawns and
Gardens from the Summit Responsible Solution Studios. I'm Teresa Watkins.
I'm a landscape designer, horticulturist, garden expert. I love to
help people with their landscapes and their gardening questions. And
if you haven't done it already, put our number in
your phone one triple eight four five five two nine
(00:34):
sixty seven, or you can text two three six eight
zero and you can ask your question that way. We'd
love to hear from you. We have Lizzie at the keyboards.
Thank you so much. Lizzie. You do not know how
much you are so appreciated because you can deal with
all this equipment.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well, thank you so much for trusting me.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
And so let's go to let's we're gonna have the
Heather Stickney coming up with Summit Responsible Solutions, and she
is the expert on it, and she's going to give
us a lot of great scientific which is not going
to be boring scientific information about how mosquito bits and
dunks work. And so we're excited to have her on.
Let's go to the dirty word of the day. And
(01:18):
now it's time for the dirty Word of the Day
on Better Lawns and Gardens with Teresa Watkins and the
dirty word of the day is surfactant. Surfactant are surface
active compounds that lower water surfaces tension, which means the
ability to absorb water, helping spread evenly anything that it
(01:39):
is combined with. Okay, if you've spread it evinly on
the plant, leaves, soil, or growing medium. The term surfactant
comes was coined in nineteen fifty and it comes from
surface actin agent. That's the phrase surface active agent. Because
surfactants contain both water repelling and water tracting components, they
(02:01):
act as emulsifiers, allowing water and oil to mix. The
surfactants are widely used in commercial chemicals. Households and industries
rely on them in large quantities for detergents and cleaners,
as well as emulsifiers, wedding agents, foaming agents, and disperses.
(02:23):
Surfactants occur naturally in plant based detergents, such as horse
chestnuts and soap nuts, and in the secretions of some caterpillars.
While many common surfactants are derived from petroleum, they are
increasingly being made partly or entirely from renewable biomass, including sugars,
(02:44):
vegetable oil based fatty alcohols, biofuel products, and other biological materials.
Surfactants serve two main purposes water management and In water management,
the surfactants help container substrates, soiless media and peat rich
(03:04):
mixes absorb and distribute water more evenly by reducing dry
spots and runoff while improving water retention. They can decrease
irrigation needs and labor costs, which benefit nurseries, greenhouses, and
hydroponic systems. They are also used in pesticide and nutrition efficiency.
(03:26):
In spray applications. Surfactants combined with a pesticide work as
adjuvants that help pesticides and folier nutrition adhere to spread
across and penetrate plant surfaces. This improves coverage and uptake,
strengthening pest control and nutrition delivery. So when you're spraying
(03:50):
a chemical and you're seeing it just drip right off
and it doesn't even stay on the leaf, that's when
you need to use a surfactant to help it stick
to the leaf. So the dirty word of the day
is surfactive.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
You know what my grandmother always said, if you didn't
learn something new every day and the day was completely
a waste.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So you did it. Thank you, You're welcome. And so
we have some great text messages coming up. I'm going
to get to them in just a minute. And we
have Heather's Stickney with some responsible solutions coming up. I
do have some time. Let me just get some couple
of questions text messages out. And so we did have
(04:28):
a William call in and said he had difficulty shopping
and getting out. And you know, we've had some suggestions
from our listeners saying that nurseries have free pots that
they will give away. The thing is is that today
nurseries any industry to have things delivered some some nurseries
(04:50):
don't have that availability. So you know, we just I
think it's a good suggestion. Maybe he could ask someone
to stop by and pick them up and bring them
to him. That would be that would be worth it.
So also too Ken in Northwest Orlando. He says, my
Bismarck palm is struggling from the freezes. It was a
(05:10):
housewarming gift from my mother. Can it be saved? Well,
if it's still growing now and some of the fronds
are they they look good and you have new fronds
coming up. It is going to survive, So hang in there, Ken,
just make sure in the fall you fertilize it again
and uh then uh, you know, keeps looking for those
(05:32):
fronds coming up. If it looks like it's getting a
fungus issue, you could spray the top of it with
a fungicide that will prevent disease from getting into the fronds.
But I think your Bismart palm is going to be
pretty good. They are pretty winter tolerant, and so it
just may need when was the last time it got
fertilizer over the last few years, So it just may
(05:53):
be something that it might just need a little bit
more nutrition and that will be good. Question one more more,
one more answer here, Good morning Teresa, Susan and Tallahassee.
She has a lot of planted containers in her landscape.
Large colonies of ants seem to love my containers. Is
there a way to keep containers ant free? Yes, you
(06:14):
can use ant bait, Susan. You can use ant bait
and sprinkle it around the bottom of the tub where
you've got a little bit of area there where the
ants can get in underneath and come up, and then
also use the bait on the top of your containers.
I probably wouldn't use them in anything that's edible, but
(06:36):
everything else you can use them in, so that'll be good.
We're going to be back with Heather's Stickney Summit Responsible Solutions,
and she is going to help us with science and
we're gonna have a lot of fun with her. If
it's Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens,
I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Networks.
(07:17):
Welcome back to Better Logs and Gardens, and we are
welcoming back Heather Stickney. She is with Summit Responsible Solutions
and they are makers of mosquito bits and mosquito dunks
and a whole host of other products that are environmentally
safe for your landscape and take care of really the
pesky issues. Good morning, Heather, How are you?
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Good morning, Teresa. I'm doing well, Thank you. How are you?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I am great. So, now you are in Ohio and
you've been getting some extreme weather there, are you.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
What's it been like so Fortunately for us in the
part of the world I sit in Ohio, it has
not been too bad. We've had some heavy rains, but
we've not seen some of the more severe weather that
they've gotten a little bit further east and south of US.
So I'm counting my blessings that it's been. We've been fortunate.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Oh good, I'm so glad. So our regular listeners they
know and they love using mosquito bits and ducks, but
we have new listeners every week listen Heather, So I'm
really really pleased about that, who are just learning about
Summit responsible solutions. So I want to go straight to
the source. Can you tell everybody what mosquito bits and
mosquito dunks are?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Sure? So, mosquito bits and mosquito dunks are both made
with an active ingredient called BTI. BTI is a soil
borne bacterium that is toxic specifically to mosquito larva. So
in the case of dunks, they're little beige kind of
doughnut shaped discs that are designed to float on water
(08:52):
and kill mosquito larva in standing water. Bits are designed
for broadcast application, and they they cover a broader area
and do a very quick kill of any mosquito larva
that you might have in your standing water.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Okay, that is great, and so so it's bt I,
and it's safe for humans and animals. What about birds
and pollinators like bees?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
The interesting thing about BTI is that it is really
only toxic to mosquito larva. So in the case of bits,
it will also control fungus net larva, but you don't
have to worry about toxicity to things like bees, wildlife, birds, fish,
if you're using it in a coy pond or some
(09:38):
type of application like that, it really is only toxic
mosquito larva.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Excellent. That is so good to hear. So we had
an interesting call from Polly Inovito and she was confused
when she used the mosquito duct She was getting foamy
and she saw some kind of larva in them wriggling.
What's going on there? How do mosquito dunks work?
Speaker 3 (09:59):
That is really an interesting question. Polly and very observant
to notice the foaming. It was likely not the dunk
itself that was foaming. The foaming may have been caused
by surfactants that were already in the water, and when
that dunk was added, it may have agitated the water
to cause that foaming to happen. Same thing with the wrigglers.
(10:24):
The wrigglers are the mosquito larva, and they were likely
already in the water, so an increased in activity may
have been a result of that dunk being placed in
the water. But the dunks will do its job. It'll
start to dissolve, the larva in the water, will ingest
that active ingredient, and you won't have adult mosquitos coming
(10:45):
from the water as a result.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Excellent. I'm so pleased to hear that. So George and
claremont I was talking to him and he wants to
know how long do mosquito bits work? Is there an
easy way to know when to reflesh, reft, brush them,
or replace them?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
So, yes, George. For mosquito bits, they will typically last
seven to fourteen days. So depending on how large your
mosquito population is and how many mosquitoes you may have
laying eggs and standing water, I would recommend reapplying once
a week every seven days. If populations are a little
(11:23):
bit lower, you might be able to get away with
fourteen days, but generally speaking, reapplication every seven to fourteen
days for most effective results.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Okay, so that's for the mosquito bits. How long about
the mosquito dunks?
Speaker 3 (11:36):
The dunks last a little bit longer. They float on water,
and they dissolve over a period of thirty days, maybe
a little bit longer. So about once a month is
when I would recommend readding a dunk. You'll see it
start to dissolve over time, it'll just sort of disappear.
So yeah, about every thirty days.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Okay, so that's great. So I mean we're at the
start of a real, really severe mosquito season. So this
is the time everybody's asking about mosquitos. I'm seeing it
on our TV, our news this week. So I had
a neighbor ask me. They have a water garden in
their backyard and it has moving water. So where in
(12:17):
the pond should they put the mosquito bits.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
The fact that they have moving water is going to
make their pond a little less attractive. Two mosquitos that
want to come in and lay their eggs. If they
have areas in the ponds that are a little bit
more still, that might be the best place to place
a dunk, but that's going to float around. I would
(12:41):
look for areas around the pond, for example, if they
have pots with sausters underneath, where there might be some
standing water, that might be a good place.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
To put them. That may be where the mosquitos are
coming from, not the water garden.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Correct, correct, If they have areas of standing water around
the pond, might be a better place to put both.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Okay, So mosquitoes can lay eggs in a thimbleful of
water that I mean a thimbleful heather that is not
a lot, that's not even adult.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
They don't need a lot.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
And mulch, especially the large pine bark or pine bark
as a rule, has those little curved areas. I mean
they're I mean you can use them as little serving platters,
you know, for insects and for frogs and things like that.
They're flat and they're rounded, so they can hold that water.
Can mosquito bits be used in mulch.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
It's generally speaking that an application that we recommend. However,
if that mulch is holding water, yes, I would say
that you could use those in the mulch to help
keep populations down or to help control any any larva
that might be present.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Okay, Now Lizzie is having a party and she has
a standing water on her property, what can she use
just generally as a spray for the entire yard to
get rid of, like ticks, and fleas and mosquitoes.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
I would recommend permethrine dased spray in terms of controlling
adult population. Some It makes a tick and flee spray
as well as a mosquito and gnat barrier. They're essentially
the same thing, but they are going to control the
adult populations, and you'll want to apply that where you
(14:28):
might find mosquitoes or ticks harboring, so in brushy areas
around the property. Mosquitos like to land on fence fencing,
so if Lizzie has fencing in her yard, she might
want to spray that to help control some of those
adult populations.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
That's interesting. They sit on the fence.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
They do.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Yes, yep, okay, that is crazy great stalkers.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
That's funny. Okay. So how soon before or how early
before the party did she put she should use the spray.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Typically it will begin working very quickly, so I would
say a day or two before. The spray, depending on
weather conditions, will last up to thirty days. So if
she wants to get ahead of it and spray a
week before, she should be good.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
She should be good to do that. That's when and
rain won't dampen it or anything. If she if it
rains afterwards.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Again, depending on conditions. If you get a heavy rain,
you might need to reapply again, okay, but if it
stays relatively sunny and dry, you should be good.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Oh wonderful. So now summer is here and it's time
for camping and going away on trips and hiking. What
do you have that will help somebody who is camping
out in the woods.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
So we make a spray. It's called green Armor insect
repellent for clothing and gear, and it is designed to
be used with a skin repellent for things like ticks
and mosquitoes. It essentially adds a layer of protection to
you to help keep tics, mosquitos, and other biting pests away.
(16:11):
So you spray it on your jackets, your shoes, your hats, backpacks.
You can spray your tents, your nylon chairs. Essentially that's
going to add a barrier of protection to help keep
those nuisance pests away.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Oh excellent, that is such great news. So, Heather, where
can people find mosquito bits and dunks? And then green Armor?
How can they get that?
Speaker 3 (16:37):
So definitely at your local home centers, hardware stores, local
garden centers, farm and fleet stores. You can find mosquito
dunks and bits. Our products are also available online, so
you can look for them online at Summit Responsible Solutions
dot com.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Excellent. Thank you so much Heather for sharing and for
being part of uh you know better LUNs and Gardens.
We do appreciate you sponsoring the program. Lizzie, you have
a question.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Yes, what was the name of the product that you
were saying I needed to spray for my event?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Oh so it's called tick and Flea spray or it's
also under the label Mosquito and net Barrier.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Thank you. I appreciate that so much. Certainly, there you go,
heatherd Well, thank you so much. Appreciate you. Stay safe
up there and we'll have you back on real soon.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Other thank you. Teresa, all right, take.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Care bye bye. I love her. She's so smart about
every all her products. But the company is an excellent company, organic,
environmentally safe and their products work.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Yes, and they are a sponsor of the show. However,
I've used them for years and I have used the
net barrier and mosquito barrier around the turkey pen area
and it really does help.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
So that's interesting, Yeah, because your turkeys do get mosquitoes don't.
It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
So, I mean they'll have theirs like pretty hard blowing
fans and they like to perch in front of that.
And I that's the whiny I had the fans there.
I had to blow the mosquitoes off of them. But yeah,
just need a little bit of any little bit of
thing they can do to help to keep mosquitoes away,
especially in the state of Florida.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
I'll take it there. You go, stay for state bird.
Yeah it's a state bird or state bird Mosquitosito. I'm
just sure Simon probably already knows that. Yeah, he used
to live here too. Yeah, he knows all about that. Okay,
So now the turkeys. Tell us about the turkeys. Do
they still sit in your lap? Yeah? They still try to.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
They're way too big now, so uh, Gerald's probably pushing
about forty maybe fifty pounds. So, but he's the smaller
of the ones that we've had in the past. So
we've had eighty pounds apiece turkeys.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
So but yeah, how many do you have?
Speaker 2 (18:51):
We are down to seven, So we had we had
twenty two and this is the seven that we'll probably
end up keeping.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
So yeah and so and so, how many females, how
many males?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
We have four male or females and three males. And
the females lay eggs and so they're big eggs to
hugely fill up the entire palm in your hand. And
they also run eleven to thirteen grams of protein per egg.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Wow, that's really great, that is super well. We want
to thank Heather Stickney with a Summit Responsible Solutions. If
you'd like to go, you can go to their website
Summit res Responsible Solutions dot com and check out their products.
You can get them online and in your hardware stores.
I know that for a fact. So if it's Saturday morning,
(19:37):
you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens, I'm Teresa Watkins
and this is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Network. Welcome back
(20:00):
to Better Lawns and Gardens. It's time for your phone calls.
Whether you have a gardening question gardening design question, I
can help you one triple eight four five five two
nine sixty seven, or you can text two three six
eight zero like uh Rick in Havana. Rick and Havana says,
(20:21):
good morning, Teresa. Is it too late to start grass
from seed? Behea or Zoija. Well, you can't get zeishas seed,
but you can get bejeya. Get Argentina bajea. And now
is a great time to put down bejea seed. Okay,
Argentina bejea seed. You need at least eight weeks, six
(20:42):
to eight weeks of warm temperatures, temperatures over eighty five
degrees for the behea grass to get started. And we
have plenty of time for that. So it'll be eighty
five all the way through December. So he's got plenty
of times exactly, So go ahead and get that grass seed. Rick, good,
good question. So morning, Lizzie, it's Daryl the Earthbox Lady. Hi, Daryl,
(21:06):
and so at. She was at one of the box
store's clearance plants. She found a tea plant, and she
wanted to know she should do anything special to keep
it alive. The last time she saw an actual tea
plant she was in the first grade when her dad
was stationed in Japan.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Wait, can you explain what a tea plant is?
Speaker 1 (21:25):
A tea plant is a Camellia snensus. Okay, So she
found a one that had been put on the shelf,
so you know those those sale shelves I love those.
I bring all those back to life. Always buy orchids
off the sale shelf, buy all the plants off the
sale shelf and bring them home and rejuvenate them. And
(21:47):
so yeah, just you just want to make sure if
it is a Camellia sentensus. Now there's a New Zealand
tea tree that is not the same thing. It's got
a little pinkish purple flowers. It's not the same thing.
But Emelia sinensis needs acidic soil. You need to use
acidic fertilizer. You can use in a soil, an acidic soil,
(22:11):
acid of fire and uh and and that's it. Just
fertilize it, keep it watered. It takes shade, it can
take full sun. Comunias can takes full sun. But while
it's stressed out, and plants on the sale shelves are
always stressed out, I would keep it in the shade.
So good question, good find. That's a great find. And
(22:33):
so that that is great. So one triple eight four five, five,
two nine sixty seven, or you can text two three
six eight zero. So Janice sent me she's in Orlando.
She sent a picture, a great picture of a hibiscus
with hibiscus leaves with holes eaten in them, and uh
(22:55):
so she asked what it was, and it's a Hibiscus
soft fly. So it's a little caterpillar. It's it's from
a wasp, it's not from an actual fly, but they attack.
Just remember when I say, you know, when you're selecting plants,
you know, try not to get plants with insects named
(23:16):
after them. Uh So, like azalea caterpillars, because you're going
to get those caterpillars. Hibiscus softly, you're probably going to
get those. And you can just use a nime oil product.
Don't do it in the heat of the day, Janice,
You want to make sure you're doing it in the
early morning or later on late at dusk time. Hibiscus
(23:39):
don't like to have pesticide sprayed on them. The oil
will be okay. Just do it in the non stressful
periods of the day that that will be good. One
triple eight four five, five, two nine sixty seven, or
you can text two three six eight zero and you
can just ask any questions. Peterson's Nursery is going to
(24:03):
have a proper pruning practices program at Peterson's Nursery at
nine thirty am today. You've got plenty of time to
get down there and you can learn all about how
to prune your plants. So a lot of plants are still,
(24:26):
you know, showing that they have not been pruned back
from the winter. The plants are recovering, especially the Scheffler's,
the umbrella plants. They still have sticks on them. And
see as I drive down the road, go ahead and
cut those sticks off. Let the new growth come out.
Norfolk Island pines. Cut off the brown branches and let
(24:48):
the new growth emerge. You're seeing that. And then also too,
you can add new plants. Now, when you're talking about
adding new plants, we always, I tell you always to
check for the sunlight conditions, the moisture, soil moisture conditions,
how wet does it stay, and then the pH But
another thing to make sure that you're looking for are
(25:14):
the zones. And the zones for that I plant here
in central Florida are for eight to eleven. Now, if
you're planting for eight or you know lower, which I
mean seven six' five for three three is all the
way up In. Canada that means that that plant can
handle those conditions in the. Winter. Time so if you're doing,
(25:37):
eight if it gets down to twenty, degrees your plant's
going to. Survive. Okay so when you're trying to decide on,
plants select zone plants from zones eight to, eleven and
eleven is you, know down In Key West miami, area
and that means it can take the. Heat so that's
(25:58):
the zones you want to go. In if if you
select plants For Central florida that are only good for
zones ten through, eleven that means your pygmy date, palms
that means your queen, palms that means your foxtail, palms
or any of the tropical plants like your hibiscus and
also some of the tropical. Crotons the, also let's see
(26:23):
what else were the ones that were. Damaged there was
a lot of damage on the mandavillas and. Alabanda's they're
always going to get hit every, year, Okay so every
freeze we, have you're gonna have to get out there
and cover them with boxes or with cloths on. Sticks
you never want to put the cloths right directly on the,
(26:45):
plants or use frost, blankets and you're gonna have to
do that every. Year but if you buy plants that
are zoned for eight they're going to survive the winter.
Time the plumbagos did, fine the camellias did find the
roses did. Fine.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Well if we didn't learn anything in the last couple of,
years we definitely learned something new this last year for.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Sure so, exactly, no you just we do get those
freezes that. Damage that's again one of the reasons why
we don't have a citrus industry where the back to
back freezes in the eighties plus the disease. Problems but
those disease, problems you, know were acerbated by the. Freezes
so zones EIGHT b to eleven here In Central, florida
(27:28):
up In North, florida down In, miami you'll be just.
Fine This saturday, morning you're listening To Better lawns And.
Gardens I'm Teresa watkins and this Is Florida's talk And Entertainment.
Network welcome back To Better lawns and guard And. See
(28:05):
if you missed any of the previous hour and this
hour and you want to hear it, again you can
go to The iHeartRadio app and download. It it's, free
very easy to use on a phone that works for a.
Computer i'm having phone issues right, now and so you
can do. That you could also it will be. Posted
(28:26):
i'll post it on Our facebook page later on this,
afternoon and also, too you can go to.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Better lawns dot. Com better Lawn play posted there, now so.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
It is you. Can you can hear it all. Again
and if you do not get us on a radio,
station ask your radio stations, too yes to put. It
put our program. On they will like that love most.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Two hours BECAUSE i from WHAT i, understand there's one
station or two out there that has us only on
for one hour. Exactly so whenever you call it a
request for your local station to carry, us say, hey
it is to our, show and, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
We would like that also. Too we have posted our
art and Bloom garden tours for twenty twenty seven are.
Up we are doing waiting lists right now while we're finalizing.
Details but if you'd like to have more information about,
traveling we go to beautiful, gardens stay in lovely, accommodations
and we just visit historic venues and the gardens are just.
(29:26):
Incredible we do have some spots left this year for
Our Buffalo garden tour if you're interested in, that we
go to the largest garden walk in The United. States oh,
Wow but we don't go on the weekend where they.
Go we have a special time that we go and
we have the gardens all to. Ourselves and we're also
including in that tour a passage over Into. Canada we're
(29:50):
going to go Visit Niagara falls and so we have
opportunities for. There and then we also have spots left
on Our New orleans The ethereal gard Some New orleans For,
october which it will be lots of. Fun and you
can go To art and bloomgardentours dot com and check
(30:11):
out all our, tours get on the waiting, list and
we would love to join. You next, Week tom McCubbin
will be here AND i know everyone will enjoy. That
so you're going to want to chime in and call
in and he is going to be, here so that'll be.
Great so if you are planting new plants right, now
and this Is, florida we can plant year. Round we
(30:32):
won't necessarily do it before a hurricane is approaching or
during a freeze time period In december And, january but
we can usually plant year round. Here but if you're
planting in the, heat of the day right now for
the next few, months make sure that your plants are
(30:54):
watered before you put them in the. Ground and then
when you dig the, hole you want to dig the
hole twice the, width same. Depths you want to leave
the plant out of the ground one to two inches
because in our sandy soils and even in you know
we have good organic, soils the soil is going to,
sink and you want the plants to be at the
(31:16):
height the same level as the. Ground if you plant
them level with the ground when they, sink they're going
to be too, low and that mulch over the top
is going to cause. Problems the plant's not going to
be able to. Breathe it's going to get. Wrought you
don't want to do. That so you want to water
the plant before you plant. It then in the, hole
(31:37):
you want to fill that up two to three times
so that the ground is saturated before you put that
plant in the. Ground, now what that's going to do
is kind of like clay. Pots when you plant a clay,
pot that clay is going to wig out the water
from the. Soil the same with the. Ground the ground
is going to wig out that water from the.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Root.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Ball so if the plant is been hydrated, enough the
root ball is, wet the whole is, wet and then
you water it. In your plant's going to be good
and your, plants your new plants are going to need
at least two to three. Months get it through the
summertime so that it can become, established and then you.
(32:18):
Don't then it'll be okay for the rest of the.
Time you want to get it off to a good.
Start if you're planting. Sod if you're laying, sod you
want to water the sod once a day or sometimes
twice a. Day for zoysia and bermuda grass centipede, grass
you want to water it once a day for the first.
Week you want to water it every two days the second,
(32:42):
week and then water it every three days the third.
Week and by the end of the, month your, sod
your turf is already used to the twice a week.
Watering we can and it's allowed by law that you
can water for thirty and sometimes in some areas sixty
days every. Day you don't want to do that to the.
(33:06):
Turf if you're watering every, day you are growing hydroponically
and those roots will never go down. Deeper they're just
gonna stay right there at the, surface and they are
gonna be fat and, happy and they're just gonna think it's.
Great they're gonna be, hydrated they're gonna be swimming. Around
and then at the end of the thirty, days you
have to go to twice a week, watering and it's
(33:27):
going to go into immediate. Shock it's gonna SAY i
need to. Water so just make sure that you're not
watering too much when you first put it. Down let
it get used to the. Water and even the, stress
the turf can wilt a little, bit and that doesn't
mean it's. Dying it just means it's going to need
water in a few. Days, Okay so how do you
(33:50):
know if your turf needs? Water and this is for established.
Lawns if your, turf if you can walk across your
turf and about two minutes, later turn around and, look
and if you can see your footprints in the, grass
then you need to. Water if you walk through your
turf and turn around and look after a couple of
(34:12):
minutes and you don't see your, footprints the grass has
enough hydration to spring back up. Again you do not
need to water your Grass, okay. Watering overwatering is one
of the biggest problems in the state Of, florida and
we are just blessed to have that. Water BUT i
will tell you as we run out of potable, Water
(34:32):
we're never going to run out of. Water we have
the same amount of water we had millions of years.
Ago it's just that it's not in the same. Form
it's not. Potable we have to clean, it we have,
to you, know to collect. It we just need to
be good stewards of the water and only use it
when necessary and in our rainy. Season watering your yard
(34:56):
during the summertime is not using it repe. Possimbly, okay
push it down so that it can. Go your, lawn
if healthy and, established can go a week to ten
days in the summertime without. Water, now that precludes you over,
fertilizing because when you fertilize fertilizer at its base as,
(35:19):
salt you're going to need to water it. More it
precludes you, know the new plants that need to be established,
first and they're going to stress. Out they're not going
to be as strong as an established. Lawn and it also,
pesticides so if you are spraying chemicals on your lawn
on a regular. BASIS i don't know why you'd be doing.
(35:40):
That you don't want to do it. Preventatively you only
want to do it when you see the insect. Problem
but you're going to need to use more. Water let's
go To lynn In Merritt. Island good, Morning, Lynn how
CAN i help? You good?
Speaker 4 (35:55):
MORNING i just love to hear you. Girls you just
really make my.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Day thank you so.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
Much, yes you're. WELCOME i wanted to ask. YOU i
have three frangi pangies and. Huge they're way way way
over my. House and you, know WHEN i went out
the first day or, whatever we had this horrible weather
From november To, may like it seemed that it was
(36:22):
just you never knew of be freezing or be downlow
and theented be hot right. Right AND i went out
my yard AND i looked at my frinchy panges BECAUSE
i had The yard of The month hare a couple
of years, ago and everybody just loved these beautiful pink
flowers and. That but you, KNOW i looked at my
(36:42):
trees AND i, THOUGHT i wonder what happened to the
base of my trees because they were like, black AND
i just couldn't understand it and never thought about. It
you know how they how they weep when you pull
a flower, off and things like. That they have like
like a milky, Sudden and all of a, SUDDEN i
(37:03):
said to, MYSELF i think these plants are. DEAD i
think my trees because some of them were like somebody
threw tar on them from the bottom of the tree
all the way. Up and how do you? KNOW i,
Mean i'm getting ready. Tomorrow i'm getting ready to start
(37:24):
cutting off the lea and not the, leaves but cutting
off the. Limbs and how do you know how far to?
GO i, mean because the ones that are all the way,
BLACK i think they're dead all the way to the,
ground aren't?
Speaker 1 (37:37):
They, yes they. Are so what you want to do
is go ahead and feel, okay so you can squish.
It if it's, squishy then it means it's rotted, inside
and you can go ahead and. Cut now when you
cut it, back you can also look in the inside
and it'll be, disintegrated it'll be you, know, Black you'll
see some kind of mold in, it and that'll tell
(37:59):
you too as. Well cut back until you find you,
know good healthy. Tissue, okay but but it's very.
Speaker 4 (38:06):
Possible that ones that are twice as tall as your
house or dead all the way to the.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Ground, yes it's. Possible this. Year this, year it is.
Possible i'm sorry to. Say, okay so just keep cutting
now if you Find, okay so let's say you cut
and you find two or three branches that are, healthy
go ahead and cut those off and replant, them, okay
because you can kind of leave, them let them dry
(38:33):
off for a few, days, uh and then go ahead
and replant them somewhere else in your. Yard but thank
you so, Much lynn for being our last phone. Caller
we do appreciate. It we'd like to Thank heather stick
me with some responsible solutions and she is. Wonderful mosquito
bits and dunks and then green armor and yard year
round yard spray is, Wonderful, Lizzie thank you so. Much
(38:56):
i'll see you. Later we'll celebrate thirty years with you And.
Shrek if It's saturday morning you're listening To Better lawns And,
Gardens I'm Teresa, watkins and this Is Florida's talk And Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Network if you miss any of the show or want
to recap any of the other. Shows you can go
to Better lawns dot. Com that's better lawns dot.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Com
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