Weed Pro Blog » Lawn Care

The Best Day Of Fishing Ever!

weedpro — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:53:33 +0000

The Best Day Of Fishing Ever!

Some fishing stories are a little hard to believe,

But this guy has pictures to prove his story…

I’ve heard of salmon jumping into boats, but never anything quite like this…

Tom Satre told the Sitka Gazette that he was out with a charter group on his 62-foot fishing vessel when four juvenile black-tailed deer swam directly toward his boat.

“Once the deer reached the boat, the four began to circle the boat, looking directly at us.

We could tell right away that the young bucks were distressed.

I opened up my back gate and we helped the typically skittish and absolutely wild animals onto the boat. In all my years fishing, I’ve never seen anything quite like it!

Once onboard, they collapsed with exhaustion, shivering.”

“This is a picture I took of the rescued bucks on the back of my boat, the Alaska Quest.

We headed for Taku Harbour. Once we reached the dock, the first buck that we had been pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back as if to say ‘thank you’ and disappeared into the forest. After a bit of prodding and assistance, two more followed, but the smallest deer needed a little more help.

The captain of the boat rescuing the little guy.

The Captains daughter, Anna, and son, Tim, helped the last buck to its feet. We didn’t know how long they had been in the icy waters or if there had been others who did not survive. My daughter later told me that the experience was something she would never forget, and I suspect the deer felt the

same way as well!”

I told you! Awesome… huh?

Happy New Year!! January Garden Tips!!

weedpro — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:58:24 +0000

Choose a nice sunny day and fertilize your winter pansies, violas, and ornamental cabbage. It’s also a great time to deadhead any unsightly or damage flower heads. Be sure to also remove any seed pod stems. Fertilize your winner flower displays with products that contain “nitrate nitrogen” for plants growing in cold soil.

Mower maintenance is upon us! Don’t procrastinate! Drain and completely replace the oil in your lawn mower and check the spark plug and blades. Also, check the air filter for debris’s or clogged up pre-filters. If this is a task you don’t feel comfortable with, local mower shops usually are slow during January and can help with your lawn mowing maintenance needs.

Bare-root roses will arrive in nurseries this month! Start designing your landscape plan to incorporate spacing for each plant. The plants come in a wide variety of colors and textures to choose from. Just remember, when configuring the total square footage you will need. The basic rule of thumb is four feet wide and twelve inches deep for each plant to include new soil.

Now that leafs are gone in the Atlanta Metro area, it’s easy to see the limb structure of trees and a great time for limb pruning and shaping. Crape Myrtle’s are a very popular landscape variety in Georgia and are usually pruned during the months of January and February. Just remember to remove any unsightly or over hanging areas while trees are dormant. It’s also, a great time to complete any large tree pruning projects.

Don’t be in a hurry to fertilize poinsettias until March. Only water the plant as needed when the soil becomes dry. If you have difficulties determining if the plant is dry are not, use a moisture meter to assist you. Place the plant in a bright sunny area with cool temperatures for best results during Atlanta Georgia’s winter months or by your head.

Have You Winterized Your Trees Yet?

weedpro — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:31:59 +0000

Have you winterized your trees yet? Fall is a time of serious change and reorganization within a tree. Many trees will not survive to grow in another spring. Weed Pro Lawn Care can help your trees survive and thrive.

Winter is a difficult time for trees. Trees must stand in the face of drying and cold winds. Food reserves must be carefully conserved for the coming needs of spring. Water continues to be lost from the tree. Any creature needing a meal chews and nibbles on the resting buds and twigs. Trees stand alone against all circumstances that the winter season can generate.

A few small investments now can pay-off in a large way, yielding a healthy and structurally sound tree.

The “Top 10 List” of things you can do to winterize your tree include:

1. Remove or correct structural faults and deadwood that are clearly visible. Try to make small pruning cuts that minimize the exposure of the central heartwood core on branches.
2. Properly prune branches that will touch the ground when loaded with rain and snow. Foliage and branches that are in contact with soil can invite undesirable pests and problems.
3. Remove damaged and declining twigs, branches, and bark. Do not leave pests food and shelter for the winter.
4. Remove any new sprouts that have grown at the tree base, or along stems and branches. Pruning should conserve as many living branches as possible with only a few selective cuts.
5. Spread a thin layer of composted organic mulch to blanket the soil. Cover an area at least as large as the branch spread. Mulch is nature’s of recycling valuable materials, but be careful of pests hitching a ride.
6. Properly wrap new trees that have not developed a corky bark and could be easily damaged. Mechanical injury from the environment, including chewing and rubbing by animals, must be prevented.
7. Aerate soils if they are compacted and poorly drained. It is critical not to damage tree roots in the soil. Saturated and dense soil can suffocate roots.
8. Fertilize with all the essential elements, if they are in short supply within the soil. Be sure to go lightly with nitrogen, especially under large, mature trees and around newly planted trees.
9. Watering may be needed where soils are cool but not frozen, and there has been little precipitation. Winter droughts need treatment with water the same as summer droughts, except it is much easier to over-water in winter.

Trees are investments that require a small amount of care. For the sake of your tree’s quality of life and your own, take a few minutes to winterize your tree. Wonderful springs come from well-tended winters.

Kudzu Bug Update!

weedpro — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:21:53 +0000

Megacopta cribraria, also known as the kudzu bug, is once again moving from its preferred host in search of protected sites where it will spend the winter. Once on the move, the adult bugs are attracted to light-colored surfaces – landing on people, vehicles, and buildings. They are a nuisance pest for those living in our urban and suburban areas. This mass migration results in complaints and inquiries to pest control operators, Cooperative Extension offices, and the media.

The cool temperatures we have been experiencing coupled with the dying back of kudzu, its preferred host, are likely causes of the mass migration. The same phenomenon was seen in the late fall of 2009 and 2010 when the bugs moved from kudzu in search of sites in which they will spend the winter in a mostly inactive state. In the spring these adults emerge, lay eggs on sprouting kudzu, and begin building large populations of the insect. These may also infest soybeans and a number of other legumes found in the Georgia landscape (including beans and peas in home vegetable gardens).

Unfortunately, there have not been any significant developments in controlling this nuisance pest in suburban and urban environments. Research on its control will continue. We are hopeful that the large numbers of these insects we currently see reflect a “colonization effect” of these recent invaders from Asia. If so, we will likely see kudzu bugs reach an ecological equilibrium in which their numbers are not as high as we see now. Until then there are a few tips to consider:

• Seal, with caulk or screen, all cracks around windows and doors, and make sure there are no gaps under doors and around soffits. Install doorsweeps on all outside doors, if necessary.
• Kudzu bugs should not be killed inside. They should be vacuumed if found inside to prevent the noxious odor/exudate from penetrating and perhaps, staining indoor surfaces.
• At this time of year (mid-October to mid-November), kudzu bugs are most active in the afternoon as temperatures warm up later in the day. As such, plan outdoor activities in the morning, if possible, or move activities indoors.
• Kudzu bugs can be killed with pyrethroid insecticides applied directly to the insects, e.g., while resting on outside walls. However, given the peak of flight activity currently occurring, homeowners should expect significant re-invasion within a day or so. If you use an insecticide, read and follow the product’s label (it’s the law), and never use a pyrethroid insecticide in an area where it might contaminate water as these insecticides are very toxic to fish and other aquatic life. No traps have been commercialized (and shown to be effective) in attracting and killing large numbers of kudzu bugs. Effective chemical attractants have not yet been identified.
• The flight will subside, based on our experience, in late November, but the bugs will once again become active, and mildly troublesome in the spring of 2012 as they awake from their winter slumber. In light of this, if kudzu can be removed from the property, it is recommended that this be done in order to eliminate potential problems once again in October 2012.

New Fescue Seed, Now What?

weedpro — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:09:11 +0000

If you intend to re-seed your lawn or if you’ve already done so, here’s a few tips you should follow to help with your success and to protect your investment. Fertilizers used during the core aeration season are specifically designed to help the new grass develop properly and to become strong. Seed germination should be obvious at this point and new grass should be evident throughout the newly seeded area. Keep in mind, new seedlings are very fragile during this time and there are several things you should do in order to protect the grass from being damaged.
During the fall season, leaves should be kept off the new grass! In order for the fescue seed to continue its development process, it needs proper sunlight to thrive. Allowing large amounts of leaves to cover newly seeded lawns even for short amount of time can damage and smother the new seed. You should also take care not to rake the leaves if possible because this process can damage the under developed root systems. Try blowing the leaves with a backpack blower or hand blower.
Falling leaves should be kept off the new grass. In order for the fescue to continue to develop, it needs sunlight. Allowing leaves to cover newly seeded lawns for even a short period of time can cause severe damage to the new grass. You should avoid raking the leaves if possible because raking can damage the underdeveloped root systems. Blow the leaves with a blower, or try to pick them up with your mower if you have a bagging attachment.
You should mow your new fescue at a height of 2-2 1/2 inches for the first few mowings. You can then raise the mowing height to between 3-4 inches. Be sure to use a very sharp blade to avoid causing damage to the new grass. A dull blade will pull at the new grass, damaging the roots similar to the damage caused by raking.
Weeds will be present in your new lawn. This is unavoidable because the new fescue cannot withstand the effects of the weed controls. As a general rule, the weeds can be treated as soon as the new grass has been mowed 3 or 4 times. The new grass must be mature enough that the weed controls will not kill it.
Watering is very important and you should not allow the grass to become dry. Keep your seed moist it all times for the first 3 to 4 weeks until established and then water accordingly after that.

Fall Armyworms In Your Grass

weedpro — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:17:42 +0000

In late summer, in Atlanta and almost every year, caterpillars invade turfgrass throughout Georgia. The damage to established turf is mostly aesthetic, but newly sodded or sprigged areas can be more severely damaged or even killed. While there are several caterpillars that can damage turfgrass, in late summer most of the problems are from fall armyworms.

Hot, dry weather in Decatur, Cumming, Smyrna and Roswell can intensify fall armyworm problems when egg-laying adults concentrate their eggs in irrigated, green turf. At least some cultivars of all warm season grasses are susceptible. Cool season grasses like tall fescue are very favorable for fall armyworm growth and development too, and do not regenerate as readily as the stoloniferous grasses.

Fall armyworm adults migrate northward every year from southern Georgia overwintering areas. Adult armyworm moths are active at night and females lay eggs in masses of 50 to several hundred. These night-flying moths are attracted to lights and to lighter colored surfaces. Egg masses on structures around turf (eaves and gutters, fence and porch posts, flags on golf courses) and even on taller foliage plants can be the first indicators of incipient infestations.

Eggs hatch in a few days, and the young larvae begin to feed on leaf tissue. Damage from small larvae may at first look like skeletonizing, but as the worms grow, the entire leaf is consumed. Small larvae at this time are easier to control and have inflicted less damage than full grown (35-50 mm long) larvae. Full grown larvae will soon pupate in upper soil/thatch layer and will not be susceptible to insecticides at this point.

Armyworm larvae are most active early and late in the day, spending the hotter hours down near the soil in the shade. Larvae feed for 2 to 3 weeks before pupating in the soil. Moths emerge 10 – 14 days later. The entire life cycle from egg to adult moth takes about 28 days in the warm weather of August and September.

If there is any doubt about whether worms are present, pouring soapy water on the grass (1/2 oz. dishwashing soap/gallon water) will bring them up very quickly. Heavily infested turf will also have visible greenish-black fecal pellets on the soil surface. Other indicators of armyworm infestations may include birds or even paper wasps that use the fall armyworms as food.

Control of armyworms and other turf caterpillars is relatively simple once the problem is identified. There are several pesticides from which to choose depending upon the site you are treating. Consult the UGA Pest Management Handbook or your local Extension Agent for recommendations. See the links below for contact information. Read and follow all label directions when using pesticides.

Armyworms are most active late in the day and at night, so pesticide applications should be made as late as practical for best results. It is not necessary to water after application but an application rate of 20 – 25 gallons of solution per acre as a minimum will ensure good coverage. Cutting the grass prior to application may improve control, but do not cut grass for 1 –3 days after application.

In addition to the birds and paper wasps mentioned above, a number of other insects feed on armyworms, including tiger beetles and other ground beetles. Fall armyworms, like many other turf infesting caterpillars can also be heavily parasitized by tiny wasps that kill the caterpillars and cause no harm to humans or pets. These natural enemies can be conserved by spot rather than blanket spraying and properly timing control efforts. WeedPro lawn Care would like to thank UGA for there great educational resourcesand beneficial programs to our students.

Sod Tips

weedpro — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:19:38 +0000

Mr. Weedy says: Warm season grasses like Bermuda grass and Zoysia grass sod can be successfully installed in bare spots during this time of year. Make sure to loosen the soil before putting the sod in place. Be sure to water enough to keep the upper half-inch of soil moist but not soggy.

Contact Weed Pro Lawn Care directly for help with your landscape projects. Additional reference sources include johns creek lawn service or sandy springs organic lawn treatment.

Wood Chip Tips

weedpro — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:41:44 +0000

Mr. Weedy says: Colored wood chips can make any landscape look great! Not only do wood chips save moisture in the landscape, it’s also great for controlling weeds. Let Weed Pro lawn care spread a mulch color of your choice to enhance and beautify your property.

Contact Weed Pro Lawn Care directly for help with your landscape projects. Additional reference sources include organic lawn service duluth or lawn care roswell.

Tick Tips

weedpro — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:07:38 +0000

Mr. Weedy says: During the hottest time of year, ticks are a very big problem. Take time to do a “tick check” when kids return from playing in the yard or nearby woods. Look for anything unusual around their necks and chest areas. Ticks carry a variety of diseases that can make your child sick.

Contact Weed Pro Lawn Care directly for help with your landscape projects. Additional reference sources include lawn treatment cumming or lawn care norcross.

Fruit Tree Care

weedpro — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:39:45 +0000

Mr. Weedy says: It’s very important not to let your fruit trees in your landscape become overcome with fruit. Try propping the trees up with stakes or simply remove the unripe fruit to release the weight on the branches. It’s not a good idea to let the fruit collect underneath the tree base. This could cause problems in the future with insects and rats.

Contact Weed Pro Lawn Care directly for help with your landscape projects. Additional reference sources include lawn treatment roswell or milton lawn care.