In the Weeds - June 2025

In the Weeds- June 2025

TLDR- “Too long, didn’t read

• It’s irritating pest season- ants, mosquitos, caterpillars that eat tree leaves — view
• Fertilize your grass, then get ready to mow
• Triple check your irrigation — view
• Enjoy Summer

May in review

April mainly had “chamber of commerce” weather, as expected. We did have a few rainy days, but overall, it was dry enough that we didn’t have persistent soggy conditions.

May was relatively dry until the end, when we experienced wet conditions for a brief period. Temperatures have been pretty mild, despite my prediction of summer hitting you in the face this past month. If you are an early riser, you may have noticed the mid 70-degree mornings.

June – Action items for your lawn, landscape, and garden

Garden

If you have a home garden, you should be enjoying the fruits of your labor. You can expect to see tomatoes stop setting fruit later in the month when high temperatures get up around 95 degrees. The heat-loving crops will really take off this month. Melons, okra, peppers, and purple hull peas become the garden staples for the next 75-90 days.

Lawn

• Mowing - Father's Day is coming, and if the dad in your life is responsible for mowing the lawn, here are some things that might make it more enjoyable: noise-canceling earbuds, a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off, and someone else who mows while he sits in the shade and sips lemonade. I am joking about the last one…. unless he doesn’t enjoy mowing.

In seriousness, if you are fertilizing on schedule the recent rains and heat are going to send your lawn into overdrive. Weekly mowings are the bare minimum and cutting every 4-5 days may be even better. The rule of thumb is we don’t want to cut more than 1/3 of the leave off. Again, frequently sharpening the mower blades are good for the health of your grass and the appearance of the lawn.

• Fertilization
  It’s time to fertilize again. I am a big fan of the silver bag Nitro-Phos Super Turf this time of year. It has a very slow-release nitrogen, so you don’t get excessive growth to mow extremely frequently. It also has extra Iron that helps with a nice dark green color.
  
• Pest/Insects
  Pest problems are likely to show up in the next month. I am seeing lots webworms in trees. We previously referred to these as “fall webworm” but now we are seeing them as early as May. Here is a great pamphlet about webworms and treatment options- https://fbmg.org/files/2024/04/QOW-240409.pdf

Fire ants will continue to be a problem, especially with the upcoming rains. Last month's article had the full gamut of fire ant treatment.

Mosquitoes are probably going to show up in force after the late May rains, and now we are expecting another rainy week in the second week of June.

• Herbicide – Spot treatment of weeds may be needed in the summer, but we tend to see more grassy weed problems, such as crabgrass. If you have followed the pre-emergent plan, the pressure from those should be minimal. However, the big box stores do sell some crabgrass killer products, which are advertised for crabgrass control on the label.
  
• Irrigation -Yes, it rained a lot in late May, and we are expecting a wet week in the second week of June. It isn’t likely that the rain will continue every week of the summer. Ensure that your system is ready to operate effectively but manage it accordingly during periods of rain.

Municipal Drainage Happenings

Municipal turf grass is robust right now; the past few years' weather has been favorable for great turf stands, and it is showing. Drainage channel maintenance is a high-priority item as we enter tropical storm season. Effective and consistent herbicide programs to control aquatic vegetation are the most cost-effective. If the rainfall keeps up, I would expect mosquitoes to become a nuisance and a source of resident complaints. We do have a turf-based product to combat Mosquito problems. However, you cannot wait till they are already at peak population. It needs to be applied systemically to keep populations low and under control.

Early summer rains and green grass,

Hunter Soape

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