Mosquito Alert

It seems that the West Nile Virus is making several cities and government offices spring into action to help control this disease. I guess that is a good thing.

The bad thing is the chemicals that they are using are the same products that have been used for years and do not really seem to be effective in controlling a great number of mosquitoes.

We know that the product that the cities are using is called Scourge, a pesticide that contains resmethrin. Resmethrin is a man-made pyrethroid insecticide that is dissolved in a petroleum solvent. Pyrethroids are commonly used as insecticides because they breakdown quickly when exposed to sunlight.

One reason is that they apply these chemicals early morning when human and pet populations are secure in their homes. It is true that mosquitoes are more active between dawn and dusk when the air is calm.

Have you seen some of the news cast that show trucks fogging neighborhoods as they drive down the streets? Have you noticed that the concentration of fog is directly behind the machine and that the cloud is not more then a couple of feet above the ground? If the air is calm what propels the chemicals that the spray rigs are applying beyond the thrust of the blower? What is going to get this product to where it is needed?

Cities spray during early morning hours when we are sleeping. The spray does not drift far from the street or alley where we parked our cars overnight and settles everywhere. Some of us leave home before sunrise or early enough to not have given time for the pyrethroid to breakdown. We get in our cars by grabbing the door HANDLE!! We do not go back in to the house to wash our hands, because we are in a hurry and did not think about it or did not know that they sprayed, whatever reason we now have this pesticide on our hands, and now on our steering wheel and radio and… we now have contacted all of our cars necessary buttons. And while I was thinking about this article I saw a guy touch his nose.

Pyrethroids are not supposed to cause cancer in rats therefore I should not worry?

But I do worry, because I have children that leave basketballs and baseballs outside overnight and a dog that goes out to pee early in the morning and sniffs his way to and from his release area.

What can we do to minimize our exposure to mosquitoes?

1. Remove any type of container that may contain water, old plastic bags, tires, pots, or paint cans. Remember that you should clean out your birdbath at least every other day. In this short amount of time mosquito’s larvae do not have a chance to mature.
2. Clean your gutters and areas where you have an excessive amount of debris that can retain moisture and create a breeding area. Remember that mosquitoes do not need deep water in which to breed, so look for areas that stay moist for long periods of time like next to your birdbath where you dump the water.
3. Use Bti products in areas of known moisture retention. Ponds or pools that are not circulating properly. Around the foundation of the house that get water from the soaker hose. Quick Kill and Mosquito Dunks or other Bti products for control of larvae. Spray these areas with products that contain citrus oil and citronella on a regular basis to help control mosquito adults. For more information click here Green Sense Citrus-nella Repella. When I spray Citrus-nella Repella I spray the groundcover area, behind shrubs, the cushions of our outdoor furniture and underneath the patio including the brick walls and the floor.
4. Stay indoors at dawn, dusk, and in the early evening.
5. Wear shirts and pants that cover as much skin as possible. And by the way Sandra, do not wear those puddle jumper pants, Capri or something like that, they do not cover your ankles. For some reason it seems that most mosquitoes go for the ankles.
6. Apply insect repellent that contain herbal ingredients like Skeeter shoo.
7. Make sure that you mosquitoes proof your house by using screen doors and windows and sealing any entry where mosquitoes can come in. And Victor, that means close the door immediately behind you as you leave or enter the house from any door.If we were to follow these guidelines we would minimize the need for city applications of pesticides like Scourge. Maybe the cities would pay attention to what their citizens are using and realize that there are products that work as well as the ones that they are used and can minimize our exposure to unwanted products.

If mosquitoes are a problem at your house, contact us, we can help.

Things to Do in August

The Lawn

Water: I water my lawn once a week and spot treat my perennials and shrubs as needed. I know that when I water my lawn, my sprinkler system puts out one inch of water if I set my system to go on three times for 8 minutes on each cycle. This also keeps me from wasting water through run off. Soils in out Dallas area need one inch or more of watering once a week.

You cannot go from watering a lawn 3 times a week to once a week in this heat, but you can start weaning the lawn off of frequent watering by testing the soils moisture between watering. Walking over the lawn easily checks moisture levels in grass. See if the blades spring back to an upright position, if not, water.

Brown patch: keep treating for brown patch. Even if you think that you have eliminated the problem keep applying Green Sense Corn Meal at a rate of 10 to 20 lbs per thousand square feet. Discontinue using synthetic fertilizers that contain high nitrogen, since this encourages the fungal disease

Check for low spots or areas that may hold water and correct this problem this will help minimize the areas in your lawn that may be prone to the disease.

Now that it is hot, you should be mowing at the highest level on your lawn mower. Leave the grass clippings on the ground so that they can break down and be used as a fertilizer.Aerate the lawn now. The plugs taken out of the soil will leave little cups that can be used to collect water permitting easier percolation and therefore less amount of water will be needed. Use Green Sense Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment as a tool to improve percolation of the soil.

Chinch Bugs: Most homeowners will first notice dead patches of grass along a driveway, curb, sidewalk or foundation of the home, due to the heat emitted from such objects.

The chinch bugs insert their slender beak into the grass and suck the plant juices. As the chinch bug sucks the plant juices, it releases a toxin that causes yellowish to brownish patches in turf. Typical injury appears as spreading patches of brown, dead grass.

Inspecting For Chinch Bugs: You can identify infestations by using a large coffee can or gallon can with both ends removed. Press one end of the can about two or three inches into the soil, fill with soapy water, and watch for about five minutes. If chinch bugs are present, they will float to the surface. It is very important to check areas where the yellowish spots and the green grass meet in several different locations.

Control for Chinch Bugs: If you do find that your lawn has chinch bugs use Green Sense D.E. at a rate of 1 lb per 500 sq/ft. Treat infested areas and then treat the edges of these areas as a control for escaping insects. Do not treat the entire lawn.

Last year during Chinch Bug season we did some experimenting with Green Sense Soil Drench for control of fleas and chinch bugs. We found that when you use 2 ounces of Soil Drench per gallon of water over 500 square feet the insects are quickly killed. However emerging fleas required a second and sometimes a third application for total control.

Thatch: removal is important for eliminating conditions favorable for chinch bug survival. Most organic lawns that have plenty of microbial activity do not have a heavy thatch problem.

We have noticed that Green Sense® Lawn & Garden Microbial Treatment helps reduce thatch. With proper watering practices you can promote beneficial fungi that attack chinch bugs. Low nitrogen fertilization slows chinch bug reproduction although the lawns regularly attacked by these insects (St. Augustine) are heavy feeders and prefer more fertilizer than other turf grasses. This is one of the reasons why chemical advocates do not recommend fertilizing at this time.

Crape Myrtles

Powdery Mildew did not seem to be as big of a problem this year as last until mid July. Now powdery mildew seems to be on every Crape Myrtle. Powdery mildew can be treated with a combination of Potassium Bicarbonates and Ultra Fine Paraffinic Oil at a rate of 2 ounces each per gallon of water. Apply as needed

Baking soda, better yet: Potassium Bicarbonate. Many gardeners have baking soda in their kitchens and can also use it as a control for mildew and other fungi. Long term build up of sodium is the reason why I do not use it.

Most fungal problems can be treated with either or by mixing 2 tablespoons Potassium Bicarbonate to a gallon of water. For best results add 2 ounces of Foliar Juice to the mixture and lightly mist the foliage of diseased plants. For grass apply the same mixture over 400 sq/ft. Click here for more information on baking soda. I would add Foliar Juice or Kelp each time.

The Landscape

Water: Earlier I said that I water my lawn once a week. That does not mean that I will not go out and spot treat my perennials and shrubs as needed. Do not forget to water the foundation. Houses with large trees planted near the foundation need more watering to prevent the trees from sucking up the moisture from under the foundation. It is said that a Silver Leaf Maple can uptake 30,000 gallons of water in one day. Imagine what could happen to your foundation if there is no moisture there. If you are one of those who feel like you should have hanging baskets a hanging, then water daily or use Solid Water from Green Sense in the baskets and potted plants. Check to be sure that they do need water and then water thoroughly. Mulch: Help conserve moisture and keep the soil temperature down by using a three-inch layer of heavy shredded mulch, like Hardwood, Cedar or Cypress bark. Do not use pine bark mulch. That stuff is cheap, but when we start getting rain again it will float away. Shredded mulch will interlock so that heavy winds or rains will not wash them away. I use Pine Straw at my house. I like the long needles and the fact that as they break down they help acidify the soil.

Weeding: If you have used mulch you should have fewer weeds, but you will notice that where the mulch has broken down and the sunlight can reach the soil weeds may have started to germinate or even take over. Do not wait to pull them or spray them, do it now! If spraying is easier use 20 percent Green Sense Vinegar to carefully spray the foliage of the weed, not the surrounding plants. Green Sense Coconut Oil can be used as a spreader sticker that can be added to vinegar to help minimize the use of vinegar.

Spray vinegar on a hot day and you can see the weeds die within minutes. Victory, hurrah!

Re-mulch the beds so that weeds will not germinate and if they do pop up it will be easier to pull the root system from the loose mulch then from the heavy clay.

The Vegetable Garden

Now is a good time to start your fall garden and many nurseries now have transplants in stock.

If birds got more of your tomatoes then you did, try growing some yellow varieties. Birds won't know when they're ripe and won't eat as many.

Carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and over-wintering cauliflower are the most popular vegetables to grow in the winter garden.

Perennials

These plants can be started from seed sown directly into the garden this month or next. The spring flowering perennials can be divided and transplanted this month or next. Be sure to do it during the coolest part of the day and water-in the plants thoroughly after transplanting.

Take a few minutes to pick spent and dead flowers on annuals and perennials, this will make a big difference in the health of the plant. As soon as most plant goes to seed, it will quit producing more flowers. Remove the spent flowers and the plants will flower longer. The garden also looks better without the unsightly spent blooms.

Planting

In late August plant fall chrysanthemums, petunias and dianthus. They will begin to bloom in late September. When selecting plants for your garden, look for a lot of healthy buds. Make sure that they are still tight and not about to open yet. Apply Green Sense Kelp at time of planting and once a week thereafter.

Preventive Measures

Take time to examine the garden on a weekly basis to see if any bugs are ruining flowers or shrubs. Don't call your local nursery for help over the phone, bring in samples so that they can see what is causing the problem and recommend the appropriate steps correct the problem.

The Toads Are Back

On Saturday the 27th of August I went to a neighborhood party and while I was there I was talking to my main ally in organics and native enthusiast, Suzanne Ferrio. Since the day I met Suzanne we have both had a desire to get our neighbors to use organic fertilizers and more native and drought tolerant plants, a task that has been very slow and sometimes discouraging to me. As always, Suzanne seems to encourage my commitment to use more native plants and to keep pushing the use of organic fertilizers in our neighborhood.On this evening she was telling me that for the first time in four years she now has toads in her yard. Since she moved into her house she has been using organic fertilizers and pest control methods that do not include chemical herbicides, pesticides or fungicides. She found out a long time ago that organic soils that have a good mineral balance help plants produce proteins that ward off insects. Organic fertilizers and compost let plants take up the perfect amount of minerals needed for self-preservation against insect and diseases. The knowledge that insects rarely attack healthy plants is something that we have tried to express to our neighbors for many years.

Not all of my neighbors have creek lots, but all of us have lawns that get watered on a regular basis. Some of us water after applying some form of herbicide, fungicide or insecticide. And to make things worse we sometimes apply so much water that we cause runoff from our lawn into the gutters and down into our creeks. Several things occur when this happens:

First of all many of the chemicals that you apply get completely washed off of the plant or lawn, negating your efforts and forcing you to reapply. So make sure you do not over water after applying any chemicals or fertilizers.

Second nitrogen and phosphorus runoff cause algae blooms that rob the water of oxygen and prevent sunlight from reaching underwater plants, as the underwater plants die and decay, algae take away much-needed oxygen from fish that will also die.Third. Toads and frogs absorb moisture through their skin, and are easily poisoned by pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals, which may be present in the soil or in runoff. Suzanne has basically used the frogs as indicators of toxic levels of chemicals in her yard. Her feedback reminds me of miners that used canaries to determine toxic levels of gases underground.

After four years of commonsense and organic practices she now has these beneficial creatures helping her in her garden. Toads are carnivorous and can eat slugs, flies, grasshoppers and many other insects that you may other wise want to spray with some poison.

All of us in need to be more careful with the gardening methods that we use.