Episode of the Week
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July 5th, 2008
Texas AgriLife entomologist Wizzie Brown introduces a few of the latest pest invaders, including the agave snout weevil, chilli thrips, and cycad scale.
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Plant of the Week: Firecracker Plant
Tips of the Week
- Shear back salvias, give them a little fertilizer and water to encourage more flowering. Salvias bloom on the terminal end of new growth.
- In early morning or evening, inspect your plants for signs of caterpillars, mites, and aphids. These pests are easier to manage when you catch them early. With mites and aphids, a good strong blast of water is often enough to keep them at bay. Caterpillars are easy to control with a little spray of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). Just be careful to apply it only to the affected plant. Otherwise, you’ll wipe out all your butterflies.
- You see, we’re not trying to eradicate garden pests—that’s really not practical or even possible. We just want to keep their numbers in balance.
- Deadhead and fertilize annuals to keep them going.
- Take care of your fruit trees in the summer. If they don’t have fruit on them be careful not to over fertilize. Trim out suckers or water sprouts to allow light into the center of the tree. That’s important, because fruit trees like peaches, plums, apples and pears are setting their bloom buds for next year right now. So by continuing to maintain good light, you’ll have good fruitfulness going into next year.
- Mulch, mulch, mulch.
- More Tips
Question of the Week
Why is my lawn so yellow looking?
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