THE Buggy Joe Boggs Report 7/5/2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back here in the garden with Ron Wilson again
that toll free number eight hundred eight two three eight
two five five. Don't forget our website, Ron Wilson online
dot com. As I promised, of course, it is time
for the Buggy Joe Boggs, your part, Joe Boggs, it's
just a professor, commercial horder coach. Youre educator. We're the
old house Staying University Extension OSUE, Department of Entomology. Don't
laugh at me, post a boy for the OSU Extension.

(00:21):
Don't laugh at me. Co creator of matha coffee.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
And for him.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Don't laugh at me, b yg L dot OSU dot
eed you ladies and gentlemen, the mister common Sensical himself.
Buggy Joe Buggs.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
You know I love the addition of of you know,
in my in my intro, don't laugh at me, don't
laugh at me. I'm gonna start I'm gonna start adding that.
I'm gonna start saying, yes, uh, I'm Joe. Don't laugh
at me, Bogs right.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yes, let's do that. Yeah, don't laugh at me. So
you staying cool? Are you staying cool?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yeah? Staying cool, staying in so you know, it wasn't
as bad yesterday as what I anticipated. While I was
out mowing around and doing other things and mowing around,
mowing around, just mowing around in circles. That's exactly right there,

(01:18):
random mowing. So it was interesting that we are seeing
some turf diseases out there that really are making the
grass look off. I guess probably little brown patch, little
brown patch. And you know what's strange to me about
it is, I mean, it's been a strange spring. You
guys were talking about in summer, talking about tomatoes, but

(01:41):
you know, brown patch. It's not uncommon to have it
sort of creep in, you know, as a temperatures warm up,
but it seemed to kind of happen a little bit
earlier this year. I mean, we were starting to pick
up brown patch, went from red thread to brown patch.
I like all these colorful memes about that, just now

(02:02):
red and brown. But here's the challenge between those two diseases.
One of them, red thread indicates that you have not
enough nitrogen. Brown patch can indicate that you have too much.
Don't you love it?

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Now? I have both of them on my lawn at
the same time.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, that means you need to just move. You need
to just sell the house and move. So that's our
best advice. You know. I've actually very rarely seen that,
but but I have seen it, and when I've seen it,
it's usually indicates that there's something underground there, there's something

(02:44):
going on where you have variability in the soil which
brings us to you know, I need to hear a
drum roll. It brings us to soil testing. You know,
we just did. I mentioned it last week. I was
mentioned again too, So we did an Ossue Extension fact

(03:05):
sheet on soil testing, on how to soil test for
horticultural needs. And then Gary, our good friend Gary Gal
with o issue hort and crop science. I always have
to remember that wild grape scary. Gal just posted a
fact sheet on selecting a soil testing lab. So the

(03:29):
two taken together just means that you have plenty of
information on getting this done. It's easy to do and
it really does provide a lot of help. I have
a saying when I'm teaching about this that let the
soil select your trees, you know, let the soil select
your plants. And very often, you know this ron that

(03:50):
when people are struggling with getting to something that getting
something to grow that they really want to grow and
you know, want to do well. It comes down on
the soil, and that includes vegetable gardens. You know, very
often people be struggling along. I had some pictures, you know,
you were talking about tomatoes, some pictures from a lawn

(04:14):
from a vegetable garden sent to me earlier this season.
And it turned out the person did, you know, finally
do the soil test, and the pH of that soil
was almost like limestone, which you know can happen down
in our neck of the woods in Cincinnati, where you
can have very high pH, but theirs was like seven

(04:36):
point nine, which is do I hear a gasp? I
mean it was just like.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
I actually I actually had a guy sent me had
the soil tested between a sidewalk in the house and
it ranged from seven nine to eighty four.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Ge whizz or g willis Now that's g the reason
why I I couldn't help myself. I took a drink
of coffee and then you said eight point Florida. I thought,
oh my god.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
He had it test it and it was like, really, wow,
that's so interesting.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Well, and it's hard and a person might be a
good gardener out there probably thinking well, gee whiz, how
do you like me? How do you lower the pH?
And that can be difficult. You know, it's something like
you're going to use an acid of fire like sulfur.
It's going to be you know, it's not going to
be easy because usually a very high pH indicates that

(05:32):
beneath your feet you have some type of a limestone
like material that's constantly contributing to the pH rising and
from about uh if you can picture Ohio, for example,
in the middle of the state, to the west, we
have soils that we call karst soils KA R s T,

(05:56):
and that means that there's a lot of limestone beneath
your feet. To the east you have more shale, you
have acidic shales, you have aciitic sands. So it's just
the opposite. But the point being is that this told
the person something very important because limestone has a pH
of around eight point three. So if you're starting to

(06:19):
get something higher than limestone, that's telling you something else
is going on. For example, I'm not saying the person
did this that had eight point four. That could just
be a little bit of anomaly just in a very
small area. But if you start getting really well above limestone,
things like soaps. For example, we had a very high

(06:39):
reading on a test about ten twelve years ago. I
say we because I was working with the individual because
they're really struggling, and it turned out that they just
bought the house. As I recall, turned out the previous
owner was using this area to get rid of greywall.

(07:00):
Oh so they were yes, so soaps. You know, you
can get a very highpie depending on what type of
soaps are being used in that gray water. And again
someone may not even well. I surprised me. I actually
didn't know that would happen either. So if you start
getting a pH that's extremely high, it's telling you that

(07:21):
something else is going on there. But that's actually the
exception to the rule. Usually we don't see extremely high pH.
But the point if a person the garden that I
was talking about, though, I mean they were the tomatoes
were just sitting there and it wasn't just the weather,
it was just in the previous year well. As a
matter of fact, they told me that they had never

(07:42):
done well in their vegetable garden. It was just they
were struggling every year. And of course finding out that
the pH was so high. It's going to take time
for them. It's not going to be an immediate response
when you add an acidifier, but at least they know
what to do. Or you can have a nutrient deficiency,
which is, you know, very bad. Don't just throw fertilizer

(08:05):
at plants, you got it. We need to know exactly,
you know, what is going on there, what is the need.
And that's again where soil testing comes in. And it's
something that is an old extension recommendation, I mean years
and years ago, but still remains extremely important.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
That a lot of people don't listen to. I mean,
I mean seriously, they don't. You know, you talk about
soil testing all the time and still kind of saying
I'll just throw some more fertilizer on it. Yeah, I
mean seriously, I mean, I'm you know, I'm not trying
to be funny. I still remember Joe when soil testing
and we've always and like you said, it's been around forever,

(08:46):
it's nothing new, been pushing it forever. Always have your
soil testing. Twenty five years ago, twenty years ago whatever.
I was at a Rose show with a Rose group
and I never forget somebody said, was talking to me
about they Actually they have been rose grower for a
long long time. And a couple three four years ago,
the rose hole all the rose beds started to just

(09:07):
roses started to lose their vigor and they just weren't
doing well. And they tried all kinds of new fertilizers
and mulching and stuff like that. Nothing happened. And somebody
suggested they had an extension agent or somebody come out
and said, why don't you get soil testing? Well, you
know what I'm saying. And somebody come out that I
don't know who was, but anyway, I think it was
extension and said why don't you get the soil tested?

(09:28):
And they said, we never had a soil tested. And
they said, yeah, you need to have tests and see
what is And it came back to pH was the
same way it was in the mid to hide sevens,
and so the in of course, roses don't like that,
and so they they made adjustments to the soil and
the following year the rose beds were back to like
they should have been, or like they were many years ago.

(09:50):
And they said, we never ever took it seriously about
having the soil tested nor looking at the pH level
of the soil. And I'll all always remember that as
a as a testimonial. And these were professional roads growers
you know that just kind of said no, you don't
really have to do that. And somebody finally said, yeah,

(10:10):
you really do, and I'll give extension credit. How is that? Yeah,
it was an extension agent. Yeah that's it.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
Well, you know is interesting.

Speaker 1 (10:19):
I did, well there extension, that was it. But yeah,
you know, and I've always remembered that. And and again
it's so many people don't take that seriously, and you
really should, even if it's in a raise bed or whatever,
every now and then have it tested just to see
where it.

Speaker 2 (10:37):
Is, you know it is. It's interesting because, like he said,
it's a very old it's a very old recommendation, but
you know, to kind of help the professional professionals out there.
You and I hear this every so often. Well, my
clients won't pay the extra dollars. Well, you know, I
before the break, here here's what the analogy that I use.

(11:00):
If you went in to see your doctor, you know,
and there's something really terribly wrong, you know, something's not right,
and they just start, you know, feeding your pills. They
just say, Okay, we'll take these and maybe that'll help,
and we you know, just do this and maybe that'll help.
And you realize, well, there was never a blood test
done to find out exactly why I am tired or

(11:20):
why something's not right, and they just started. That's exactly
like what you said in terms of well, I'll just
apply a little more fertilizer. Maybe that's what it needs.
It's exactly the same thing. So if a professional tells you,
I'm saying this for some and the gardeners out there,
if you have a professional says that we'd like to
get your sol tested. Your lawn's not looking very very good.

(11:43):
We want to see what's going on. They again, the
charge may be in there that you have to pay it,
because it's the same thing as if your doctor says,
of course you have no choice now, right, you're going
to get a blood test. It's exactly the same thing. Ye,
I think a break is upon us. It is right.

Speaker 1 (12:01):
Is part two of the Buggy Joe Boggs before coming
up next here in the garden with Ron Wilson.

Speaker 3 (12:09):
Landscaping lad Easier with your personal yard boy. He's in
the garden and he's Ron Wilson.

Speaker 4 (12:32):
Mosquitoes can transmit deadly diseases, including west now virus, but
some mosquito dunks kill mosquitoes before they're old enough to bite.
Just float an organic mosquito dunk and ponds bird bass
rain barrels in any standing water to kill mosquito larvae
for thirty days or longer. Don't worry. Mosquito dunks won't
harm people, pets, fish, birds, or wildlife. Mosquito dunks are

(12:55):
available at garden centers, hardware stores.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
And online.

Speaker 4 (12:59):
Visit some Responsible Solutions dot com. Well, I've been recommending
Blackjack driveway sealers for years, and here's some great news.
The Blackjack ten year Sealer drive Max one thousand features
accelerated drying time in curing in cooler temperatures. Drive Max
one thousand adds curb appeal, delivering a light, new black
finish and as you're a thane, enhanced for the longest life.

(13:20):
Drive Max one thousand available at Low's Home Depot, True
Value ace in your local hardware store. Visit Blackjack Codings
dot com for more information. Blackjack protecting driveways for over
one hundred.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
Years, Talking yard Name eight hundred eight two, three, eight,
two five five. Time for part two of the Buddy
Joe Barge Report OSU Extension website byg L dot O
su dot e du. I have a real quick question
for you. Yes, sir, does the TIC test. Somebody asked me,

(13:53):
don't you have to send in a live tick when
you send that in? And I said, well, if you
pulled it off of your out of you, I don't
think it's still be a probably not still alive.

Speaker 2 (14:03):
No, that's right if it doesn't need to be, because
they you know, the way that what they look for
is going to still be viable as long as it
doesn't get heated. That's the one that put it in
the front window of your car drive around. Uh So, no,
it doesn't have to it does not have to be alive.
And it's a good idea. But here's the other thing

(14:25):
about it. I don't know if I'm comfortable these days,
you know, with and of course you know, neither one
of us or medical professionals, but pulling a tick off
has its own risks.

Speaker 1 (14:37):
Right, yeah, yeah, exactly, and I uh and of course,
but I mean, I mean, but is that funny when
you and I were kids? Yeah, and even as old
as Gary Sullivan when he was a kid. Yeah, you know,
you had a tick on you just you know, of
course back then somebody pulled a cigarette out and something

(14:59):
like that to get go you know, oh go that sure.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
Yeah, you know, then you have a burn on your.

Speaker 1 (15:08):
Whatever, or you would just pull it off, you know,
think anything about it. You picked it off and kind
of made sure it was kind of cleared out, and
you went on about your.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
Business and there you go, there you go, and and
I mean sometimes it didn't work out so well. I mean,
you know sometimes the you know that the mouth parts
were left in you know, that happened to me once,
and then you had to go see the doctor because
then they have to do a little bit more. But
because of the challenges with some of the pathogens and

(15:38):
the you know, the possibility of them being squeezed into
your your your system, it's and other reasons. It's just
a good idea if you have a tick stuck on you.
It's a good idea if you get into a professional
to have them have that taken care of in a
proper way. Again, there's all kinds of of of how

(15:59):
to is right, there's all kinds of you can yeah,
you can do that. But it's just I think it's yeah,
it's just better to get you know, to get some help,
as they say, for you and I get some professional Yeah,
that's exactly right. Hey, I've gotta I have to end

(16:20):
with with with a a story on myself and I
and Ron. I love these things. I know you love
these things that these situations where you you thought something
and it turned out to be something else, because you're
going to learn something and you can always use this
as a teaching example. So just yesterday out on my
vibe by Burnhams beautiful Viburnham's uh Winterthur, you know which

(16:45):
you know, the new growth is just it's you know,
it's it's just beautiful. So I was doing a little
selective pruning, you know, kind of keeping in bounds, and
I'm looking at stem and I thought, oh, no, I
have a I have there's a scale on here, there's
a soft scale.

Speaker 1 (17:02):
I was.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
Then I got to thinking, wait a second, what kind
of scale insects? You know? Can we find them? By
Burnham And in my mind running through the whole thing,
and you know, I was really kind of flummox because
I couldn't penant well then I looked closer, and you
and I've talked about this before, you know, I insects

(17:24):
they go through they can go through complete metamorphosis from
egg to adult, like butterflies, for example, monarchs complete change
from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Well, this insect had
complete metamorphosis. It went from a scale insect to a
plant hopper. How'd you like, Yeah, just totally jumped over

(17:45):
into an entirely different order of insects. Well, not entirely
different order. I said that round entirely different family, so
plant hoppers, and not all of them, but there's a
large group of plant hoppers out there that cover themselves
in white material, white fluffy waxy material. And that's what

(18:06):
these plant hoppers were doing. And you and I've talked
about this many many times, haven't we. This is not new.
But what they really do like to have is, you know,
cool wet conditions. Oh what happened up until recently, Right
up until very recently. So plant hoppers. They are very

(18:28):
common at this time of year, and they can be
high on stems. Like I said, this is on the viburnum,
and it was much further off the ground than I
anticipated or would have expected, but it was nice seeing
plant hoppers rather than scales. Now, plant hoppers are sucking insects.
A good example of a plant hopper that doesn't produce,

(18:50):
doesn't cover itself in waxing material would be spotted lanternfly. Right,
that's a big non native insect. So there are a
lot of plant hoppers out there that do not cover
themselves in this white material. But again there's a whole group.
And at first glance you might think there are things
like soft scales, millie bugs, what else, uh one of

(19:13):
the wooly aphaens or something that that's bad. Let's just
say that plant hoppers really aren't causing any great harm.
They come and go, but they can be fairly high
on a plant. So take a second look if you
think you have mellie bugs or soft scales, and it
might be plant hoppers.

Speaker 1 (19:31):
As you said, they just kind of hop and go.
That's the day, plant hopper, Well done, plant top Buggy
Joe Buggs always, I'm gonna leave you with this teas
are you ready?

Speaker 2 (19:44):
I had him ready?

Speaker 1 (19:45):
I guess what I had in my yard this week?
Backyard h an eagle, And I'll leave you with that
and I'll tell you more about it next Saturday with
the Buggy Joe Boggs Report. Have a good weekend.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
I'm just going to stay on the phone.

Speaker 1 (19:57):
No, you're done, I see you. Thanks all all of
our colors, Thanks our sponsors, Thanks of course to Danny
Gleese and our producer, because without Danny, none of this
stuffould happened. I'll do yourself a favor. Keep thinking about
where you're gonna plant the trees or two or the three.
Keep planting those native plants and specimens. Keep your worms happy,
be pollinator plight and be friendly. Get the kids involved
with gardening, and make it the best weekend of your life.

Speaker 3 (20:18):
See yuh not Gardening questions Ron at eight two three
Talk You're in the Garden with Ron Wilson