2018 Lawn and Landscape Thread

[krevo 142]

4 minutes ago, kmac30 said:

Just had a tree taken out in my front yard (almost dead oak - just moved in, not sure what it died from). Ground down the stump and instead of taking those chunks, they left them. In the past, I’ve had tree guys take all that, then I’ve backfilled with dirt and then sod over top. Can I just lay sod over that?

I thought I read somewhere it’s best to get it out.

From my experience with pieces of live/scrub oaks being left in my yard before it was graded with topsoil and sodded - those spots will problem areas for short roots and localized dry spots for years to come.  I've had to actually surgically remove pieces of oak that were cut down to the stump and left there because those spots would dry up within days of not getting watered.

 

[DougO 5,243]

HEB had some water oak trees for sale, pretty decent price or 8-foot-ish trees. They look very nice, I was not familiar with them. They are supposed to grow fast but are susceptible to a lot of stuff. Are they worth the bother for somebody who isn't a tree doctor? I could use some nice fast growing trees that already have a good head start.

Edited June 20, 2019 by DougO

[Lazarus Bocanegra 304]

On 6/17/2019 at 3:01 PM, krevo said:

From my experience with pieces of live/scrub oaks being left in my yard before it was graded with topsoil and sodded - those spots will problem areas for short roots and localized dry spots for years to come.  I've had to actually surgically remove pieces of oak that were cut down to the stump and left there because those spots would dry up within days of not getting watered.

 

esto.  Best bet is to get as much of it out as you can, then dirt + sod.  If your HOA will let you get away with it, maybe mulch or some other cover over the stump remains for a year to break it down more and try to chop it up so you can get a thicker layer of topsoil over the area.  We had a giant sweetgum taken down in the front yard 10 years ago and I've been through a couple cycles of settle>fill>repeat.  Was digging out part of the yard for a new flowerbed this weekend and that gotdam root system is still a giant PITA

[krevo 142]

Good rains down in Hays county and recent organic fert + micronutrients and iron has the bermuda looking badass.  I'm doing all liquid applications throughout summer from now on.  I'm currently using a mix of liquid humic acid, soluble potash, sea kelp, organic nitrogen, and chelated iron.  1" height of cut.

 

imgur

[swraith 346]

These areas of my yard are doing fairly well this year. Other areas are still struggling.

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

I haven’t read much of this thread, so not sorry if already posted. 

What tricks do people use to keep deer away from plants? My dad tried urinating on shrubs, and I didn’t check back with him on that.

I planted a couple of oak trees recently. The first one was attacked overnight by the four-legged locusts, so I tried this on the second one. Three weeks later, and not one nibble. 

I’d like to try holographic scare tape next time, but if this keeps working, I’m afraid to try something else. 

[DougO 5,243]

Nickelback CDs?

[texas08 1,599]

Reccs for a herbicide that will eradicate like 5 diff types of weeds from decomposed granite? Not planing on planting anything else in this area. There’s other grasses in the area but spread out.

Anything in powder form?

Don’t wanna do round up liquid, don’t like all the white spots it leaves behind.

It does have the mesh below the granite. Weeds kick my ass every week with all the gdamn rain (love the rain).

[Hornbeliever 712]

Have this 12 foot live oak in front yard.  Grown about 6 feet in last 3 years so figured healthy but now has some yellow and brown leaves.  Builders placed about 4 feet from ditch.

Any ideas or guidance?

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

7 hours ago, texas08 said:

Reccs for a herbicide that will eradicate like 5 diff types of weeds from decomposed granite? Not planing on planting anything else in this area. There’s other grasses in the area but spread out.

Anything in powder form?

Don’t wanna do round up liquid, don’t like all the white spots it leaves behind.

It does have the mesh below the granite. Weeds kick my ass every week with all the gdamn rain (love the rain).

You don't have many post-emergent options. 2,4-D mixed with fertilizer is about it. 

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/lawn-care/weed-and-vegetation-killers/7502214

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

42 minutes ago, Hornbeliever said:

Have this 12 foot live oak in front yard.  Grown about 6 feet in last 3 years so figured healthy but now has some yellow and brown leaves.  Builders placed about 4 feet from ditch.

Any ideas or guidance?

Here

 https://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/homehort/archives-of-weekly-articles-davids-plant-of-the-week/live-oak-tree-problems-solutions/

Here

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://palopinto.agrilife.org/files/2015/07/Oak-Tree-Diseases-and-Their-Control.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjb49OWrLPjAhXKXc0KHUsyDw8QFjANegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw14URWATMqA0sx1kOJqlz_b&cshid=1563070870244

And here

https://texasoakwilt.org/

Betting on Anthracnose. If it is the wilt it's already a goner. I don't think it is. The veins yellow rather than the whole leaf with the wilt. 

 

[Amos Moses 795]

Quick question about something I’m seeing on my maple tree: the edges of many leaves are turning black and shriveling.  I did a bit of investigating and saw one culprit is possibly scorching due to heat, wind, and lack of water.  I’m going to add a layer of mulch and try to up the watering schedule - anything else suggested, or could it be something else?

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

On 7/14/2019 at 3:32 PM, Amos Moses said:

Quick question about something I’m seeing on my maple tree: the edges of many leaves are turning black and shriveling.  I did a bit of investigating and saw one culprit is possibly scorching due to heat, wind, and lack of water.  I’m going to add a layer of mulch and try to up the watering schedule - anything else suggested, or could it be something else?

Look up Anthracnose. It's not drastic. 

Edit: And what kind of maple? Japanese maples can get verticillium. That is drastic. 

Edited July 16, 2019 by cactusflinthead

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

Refresher on soil sampling

 

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

Pdf warning. https://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/5d2d56b9806cf/W833.pdf

 

Edit

 

It's a flyer from Tenn on rose diseases. Applicable to other species.

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

I started to get philosophical about resistance and genes and the corn that Cortez found was already gm.

Fuck it. It's late and this ain't CR.

[markstanco 12,574]

Got a little bahia grass creeping into my zosia. Image? Fire? OU and bahia sucks.

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

Try some ornamec. It's what we use to get Bermuda out of zoysia.

Edit: otherwise it's nuke it with round up and either resod or let it regrow.

Edited July 21, 2019 by cactusflinthead

[markstanco 12,574]

Try some ornamec. It's what we use to get Bermuda out of zoysia.
Edit: otherwise it's nuke it with round up and either resod or let it regrow.

Thanks. I have to go to HD a little later and will look for it. I sprayed some image on it yesterday, but that's for nutsedge and a few broadleaf weeds.

[JSB 677]

I am by no means a green thumb, but we have some pots on the front porch in Dallas. Where my wife wants to put them, they will only get 1-2 hours of direct sunlight a day. We’ve tried a few different flowering plants and nothing has worked. Any ideas on something that might? If you guys don’t know I may have to go get a copy of the Neil Sperry book, because google doesn’t seem to have much specific to north Texas

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

How diligent is she about watering?

Northaven has a good selection of shade lovers. Point your Google at "shade annuals for Texas/Zone7 &8"

Ferns, caladiums, tropical shit like philodendron, impatiens, begonias. 

You can get a big headstart and plunk in a fat angelwing begonia basket or a massive Boston fern. The Boston is a water hog. There are others better adapted to our raging hot summers.

Reminds me. What time of day is it hitting there? 9-11 is nothing like 3-5.

There are options. 

[JSB 677]

How diligent is she about watering?
Northaven has a good selection of shade lovers. Point your Google at "shade annuals for Texas/Zone7 &8"
Ferns, caladiums, tropical shit like philodendron, impatiens, begonias. 
You can get a big headstart and plunk in a fat angelwing begonia basket or a massive Boston fern. The Boston is a water hog. There are others better adapted to our raging hot summers.
Reminds me. What time of day is it hitting there? 9-11 is nothing like 3-5.
There are options. 

Sun hits in the morning but she wants something colorful so a fern is probably out. I also personally hate begonias. I will look with her at the others though

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Some of the newer coleus varieties can handle sun. They don't flower (well at least I clip mine when they bolt) but on many varieties the leaves are quite colorful. I'm not too good with "matchy-matchy" and designer stuff but you can pair a pot with a solid color and one with the variegated leaves in a coordinating color. I think (from memory) that the variety 'Wasabi' has almost neon colored leaves. I have one that is wine colored in the center of the leaves and green around the rim. The shamrock plants prefer dappled light, but those have very small blossoms.

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

10 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Some of the newer coleus varieties can handle sun. They don't flower (well at least I clip mine when they bolt) but on many varieties the leaves are quite colorful. I'm not too good with "matchy-matchy" and designer stuff but you can pair a pot with a solid color and one with the variegated leaves in a coordinating color. I think (from memory) that the variety 'Wasabi' has almost neon colored leaves. I have one that is wine colored in the center of the leaves and green around the rim. The shamrock plants prefer dappled light, but those have very small blossoms.

Clover ones =oxalis, purple ones are triangularis. They are also perennial. Will spread if you let them. Foxtail ferns are filler types that are more heat and drought tolerant than most. Kinda perennial, but below 20 they are usually done. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Thank you, yes, I have the triangularis. I am (in no particular order) a rather lazy, impulsive, haphazard gardener. I try and use the Latin if I can recall it. The coleus can get large and showy if that was the effect that JSB was seeking, whereas the oxalis/triangularis don't IMO. We have a western exposure (Zone 8b) so most of my triangularis are in the back in shade but I did divide and put one up front near a red oak in a "root hog or die" approach to see how it did. It is limping along right now but we don't have a HOA and even if the neighbors think dark thoughts about the state of some of our foundation plantings, our lawn is tidy, edged and green (except I think we are acquiring cinch bugs that I am about to go nuclear on) so they keep those thoughts to themselves. We are in the process of transitioning from some poorly planted ligustrums and a crepe myrtle (too close to house/previous owner) that we removed to discovering what will work in a challenging spot near the foundation.

 

Sorry for the thread hijack from the original question...

 

 

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

I'm predisposed to using the Latin because it makes it easier to track down if someone wants to look it up. 

There isn't much risk of a threadjack on this one. It's all over the road. Might head off on a side trail at any point. 

Crepes are pretty forgiving about getting transplanted. They might lose some leaves or branches, but more often than not they can make the jump without worrying. 

Make sure it's chinch bugs and not a disease. If you want to hit the area with insecticide and fungicide that's not a bad plan. Chinch bugs prefer the hottest, driest part of the yard to attack. A south facing wall baking in the sun is prime territory. 

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

We tossed the crepe myrtle. As much as I tend have a home for unwanted and unloved plants aka the Lowe's sale rack, it was in poor condition and after cutting it down with a hand saw in parts, I was too worn out to deal with it. They are lovely shrubs, though, especially if you can leave them be and let them grow full.

I'm pretty sure it is cinch bugs, although it was difficult with my eyes to see them. When I parted the grass that was still healthy nearby I thought I saw wee little beasties scurrying for cover. The afflicted portion is in full sun all day and is the skinny strip adjacent to the driveway by the neighbor's lawn. She sometimes forgets to turn off her lawn irrigation when it rains but I don't think we get too much overspray and she has gotten a lot better about it due to the abundance of rain we had this spring. I may look in the shed and see if we have both pest and fungal control. I have the lawn looking pretty healthy otherwise. My spouse has terrible allergies so a lot of times I do lawn care so he doesn't have to suffer after working all day. Texas has the worst allergens of any place we've lived.

 

Thanks for the tips!

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

That sounds like them. The old school field test is to take a coffee can with both ends cut out, clamp it down on turf in a ninja quick swipe, and then dump water in it to float them up to confirm their presence. Used to be Malathion was the standard rec. One of the permethrin class is probably the one rec'd now. Neem might work. Being thorough is the trick. They're going to run for cover. It's likely that you'll have to hit it again. Odds are good that there eggs. 

I'll see what there's to find. Been a while. 

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

1 Treating the Infestation

1. Check the chinch bug population. ...
2. Vacuum the lawn. ...
3. Buy or make a soap treatment. ...
4. Spray the soapy water onto your lawn. ...
5. Spread a flannel sheet over the soapy area. ...
6. Repeat as needed. ...
7. Encourage big-eyed bugs. ...
8. Use other predatory 

 

Vacuum the lawn? You gotta be shitting me. 

Soap. Yes, that will work. But, the line between phytotoxic and insecticidal can get fuzzy. Note all recipes and the exact measures. 

 

And here's aggy. Wikihow can kiss my ass

They damage grass by feeding on the phloem sap of the plant and injecting a toxin that results in death of plant tissue.  If left un-treated, chinch bug damage results in irregular patches of yellowing turf that may spread outward and ultimately result in plant death. After nymphs have matured, adult chinch bugs disperse from affected areas primarily by walking, but also through mating flights. After mating, females lay their eggs into the crevices of grass nodes and at the junctions of grass blades and stems. Eggs take approximately 2 weeks to hatch depending on temperature, at which point the life cycle begins again.

----

 

One of the factors that makes southern chinch bugs particularly difficult to control is their rapid reproduction potential and short generation time.  In Texas there may be up to 3 to 6 generations each year. Several insecticide active ingredients can effectively control chinch bugs, but application timing is a key component of success. Many of these product labels state that applications should be made prior to egg hatch, when 1^st instar nymphs are observed, or when damage first appears. Therefore, it is important to scout for these pests prior to the onset of significant damage. This can be done by pulling back the turfgrass canopy and looking for the various nymphs and adults at the periphery of damaged and un-damaged areas (Figure 5). If chinch bugs are present, and unacceptable damage is occurring, insecticide applications should be made as soon as possible. Many of the products labeled for chinch bugs recommend watering the product into the turfgrass canopy to place it into contact with the chinch bugs, which maximizes control.

There are several active ingredients that are effective in controlling chinch bugs, but many variations exist in formulation, use site, applicator requirements, etc

And linkage here there be aggy

Mike Merchant on Chinch bugs. Pdf

 

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

More on soap/detergent as insecticide 

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2007/nov/071601.htm

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

I found some granules in the shed and watered them in this week. At this time I don't think I'm going to do a lot of raking- -it is not a large area but the St Augustine gets unhappy if I mess with it too much.

 

Thanks for all your info and advice!

[DougO 5,243]

On 7/15/2019 at 10:28 PM, cactusflinthead said:

Refresher on soil sampling

 

 

Good to know. I assume if you can't get the shovel past 2 inches, like much of my land, maybe consider trying cactus or something.

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

3 hours ago, DougO said:

 

Good to know. I assume if you can't get the shovel past 2 inches, like much of my land, maybe consider trying cactus or something.

Not really. You might be surprised how thin the veneer of soil is in some neighborhoods. After the place has all the topsoil removed down to the caliche you get just enough sand to level it and down goes the sod. Jackhammer required for planting trees, along with a couple of bags of compost.

Sample what you can. 

[swraith 346]

Just back from a 9 day family vacation.

I read about the cooler temps last week in Austin while away but the lawn looks roasted. Granted I don’t have an irrigation system but damn the yard is dry as fuck. Huge cracks in the clay soil. Lots of shriveled browning In the lawn.

Started hand watering a bit this evening. Water just instantly disappears on the ground. Going to take a shit load of water to make a dent.

[krevo 142]

21 hours ago, swraith said:

Just back from a 9 day family vacation.

I read about the cooler temps last week in Austin while away but the lawn looks roasted. Granted I don’t have an irrigation system but damn the yard is dry as fuck. Huge cracks in the clay soil. Lots of shriveled browning In the lawn.

Started hand watering a bit this evening. Water just instantly disappears on the ground. Going to take a shit load of water to make a dent.

Mine is fucked.  Been giving each zone 15-20 min every morning and its still dry when I get home 8 hours later.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Okay, so we got some rain at our house. Of course that was after I figured the 30-40% chance was no longer in play. Oh well. The lawn is looking pretty good. The chinch bug area seems to be contained but I'm watching it to see if I need to treat again.

 

Now for a question for you plant people: When is "fall" here in central Texas?

TL/DR: We are in the process of refining our landscape to accommodate our aging in place and I've been working on reducing the lawn part and creating some beds for perennial flowers, ornamental grasses, and small shrubs. The best time to do that is supposed to be 'fall.' I would like to still have a few areas for annuals for the time being and when looking at cool season annuals (for seeding) the resources say plant in fall. Well, Texas has no 'fall' as far as I can tell and we have lived here a while. Do they mean at the autumnal equinox or are they talking temperatures (which seem to be hot through December)? I would like to plant some snapdragon seeds as well as a few other species, but they are forecasting 100 degree weather and so I would expect that to burn up just about anything I put in the ground for the next few weeks. Any advice?

[Moby Ric 2,058]

Ok so I have a crepe myrtle that is turning black, like it has soot on it.  Any of you pros know what that is and how to fix it?

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

On 8/4/2019 at 5:59 PM, Mrs Whiggins said:

Okay, so we got some rain at our house. Of course that was after I figured the 30-40% chance was no longer in play. Oh well. The lawn is looking pretty good. The chinch bug area seems to be contained but I'm watching it to see if I need to treat again.

 

Now for a question for you plant people: When is "fall" here in central Texas?

TL/DR: We are in the process of refining our landscape to accommodate our aging in place and I've been working on reducing the lawn part and creating some beds for perennial flowers, ornamental grasses, and small shrubs. The best time to do that is supposed to be 'fall.' I would like to still have a few areas for annuals for the time being and when looking at cool season annuals (for seeding) the resources say plant in fall. Well, Texas has no 'fall' as far as I can tell and we have lived here a while. Do they mean at the autumnal equinox or are they talking temperatures (which seem to be hot through December)? I would like to plant some snapdragon seeds as well as a few other species, but they are forecasting 100 degree weather and so I would expect that to burn up just about anything I put in the ground for the next few weeks. Any advice?

September or the end of August. First cool front is an amazing thing to behold how it wakes up the winter weeds. The same thing applies to flowers. 

13 hours ago, Moby Ric said:

Ok so I have a crepe myrtle that is turning black, like it has soot on it.  Any of you pros know what that is and how to fix it?

Sooty mold. It's a secondary disease due to the rotting of honeydew from aphids(typically. It can also be from leafhoppers). You can spray it with a fungicide to arrest the mold, but it is persistent on the leaves and trunk. It will exfoliate the bark and shed the leaves eventually. Pressure washing kinda sorta helps in the offseason after the leaves drop. Kill off the bugs next year and there's no sooty mold.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Thanks! I am looking forward to this. And the cooler weather. Much cooler weather.

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

I need to add crepe myrtle scale as a possible culprit for the honey dew. In a heavy infestation it can cause sooty mold too.

[swraith 346]

Pretty sure if my lawn could talk...it would just mutter “don’t bother watering me...it’s too fucking hot regardless of how much water you give me...I just want to shrivel up and die”

[Moby Ric 2,058]

On 8/10/2019 at 4:28 PM, swraith said:

Pretty sure if my lawn could talk...it would just mutter “don’t bother watering me...it’s too fucking hot regardless of how much water you give me...I just want to shrivel up and die”

Same here.  I actually have my sprinkler guy coming out tomorrow to come up with a plan to get my lawn watered better.  I am so pissed cause this was going to be the year I had the perfect yard.  I had a green beautiful carpet lawn up until about 6 weeks ago.  Now I have dry dead spots all over.

[Moby Ric 2,058]

Sprinklers all set up now.  Is there something I can put down on the lawn, besides water, that will help it get back to normal?

[SquishMitten 10,403]

Anybody know what these are?

[Spaulding Smails 1,552]

41 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Anybody know what these are?

Pomegranate tree

[SquishMitten 10,403]

Thanks! They’ve looked like that for weeks, and they’re just getting darker instead of red. Thought whatever it was might be going bad, but I guess I’ll leave em there for now

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Wait until September/October. That's when they are often ready to harvest.

[krevo 142]

On 8/13/2019 at 12:48 PM, Moby Ric said:

Sprinklers all set up now.  Is there something I can put down on the lawn, besides water, that will help it get back to normal?

Organic fert would help push growth.  Wetting agent can help retain water in areas with localized dry spot.   Its possible it's neither of those things are you have some insects / fungus.   Have any pics?

 

 

Also - fwiw - my yard was beast mode until I got back from a fishing trip in late June.  Came home to a disaster I haven't been able to identify or fix, but I think it's really just progressive drought stress.  There's no way I can justify the amount of water needed to keep the lawn tip top.

Edited August 19, 2019 by krevo

[Moby Ric 2,058]

No fungus, it's just scorched.  I put down a feed that the ag store guy said will help rebuild the soil and get the yard through the dry spell, that seems to be working .  Yard is coming back.

Edited August 19, 2019 by Moby Ric

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Except for the area I had to treat for chinch bugs, the lawn is looking green, but we had some timely rain last week wherein the predicted "scattered showers' managed to park themselves over my street and give us enough water to take the edge off. Which is good because like the saying from that popular series, I have paraphrased the mantra into my head:

"Water bill is coming..."

 

On a different note, I have a section of yard, that while green could use a little topdressing with a soil/compost mix. Should I wait until spring or can I do that at anytime?