My previous post described how to plant grass seed whether you are planting new or over-seeding your lawn.  If you are going to do that work, then make sure you have purchased high quality grass seed.

Pennington’s Smart Seed has been carefully selected to ensure you grow the best lawn. [...]]]>

My previous post described how to plant grass seed whether you are planting new or over-seeding your lawn.  If you are going to do that work, then make sure you have purchased high quality grass seed.

Pennington’s Smart Seed has been carefully selected to ensure you grow the best lawn. The varieties were chosen not only for their ability to produce a thick, lush, healthy lawn, but also for their improved drought, disease and insect resistance versus other grass seed varieties.

The Penkoted® seed technology contains a fungicide that literally seals and protects each seed while in the ground, improving its ability to grow into a healthy plant. This technology is used in every bag of Pennington’s Smart Seed along with their newest exclusive technology MYCO Advantage™.

Pennington’s Smart Seed MYCO Advantage™  is Pennington’s newest seed enhancement technology.  MYCO Advantage™ also literally seals each seed and when planted reintroduces beneficial, all natural micro-organisms.  The micro-organisms in MYCO Advantage™ attach to the emerging seed roots, helping the grass grow a denser, deeper root system.  And the result is a healthier, thicker lawn that utilizes available moisture and nutrients more efficiently.  Now that sounds like a smart seed!

Naturally occurring soil micro-organisms can become destroyed or depleted over time, from either environmental stress, the use of harsh chemicals or today’s construction practices, including grading of home and building sites. This can cause a  lifeless, compacted soil that makes it very difficult to grow grass much less a thick, lush, healthy lawn.

A “picture is worth a thousand words” is so true with this comparison.  Personally, I want the extra help to have a successful and beautiful lawn.  I simply do not have the time in my busy schedule to baby a lawn past getting the ground prepared, seed planted and keeping it watered.

You have the information you need to buy the quality grass seed that you need to have a successful and lush lawn.  Next you need to know which type of grass seed would be best for your lawn.

Pennington’s Smart Seed is one of the best grass seed products you can find on the market that explains how to plant the grass seed and uses MYCO Advantage™technology that results in more success. I have sold several types of grass seed and am more pleased with this [...]]]>

Pennington’s Smart Seed is one of the best grass seed products you can find on the market that explains how to plant the grass seed and uses MYCO Advantage™technology that results in more success. I have sold several types of grass seed and am more pleased with this product than any other.

What means the most to me when picking the right grass seed? The ease in planting, the quality of the seed for germination and grass seed developed to resist diseases.

4 Easy Steps to Planting Seed

1. Prepare The Soil

Bare Spots & New Lawns
Remove all debris from planting area
Till or rake to loose top 2″ to 3″ of soil
Rake smooth to create a flat, level planting area

Overseeding
Mow the lawn as short as possible & remove clippings
Rake thoroughly removing thatch (dead grass) and debris to expose the soil
Aerate lawn if possible to allow better air and water penetration into the soil

2. Fertilize Planting Area
Apply a starter fertilizer
Lime may need to be added in some areas to ensure proper soil pH levels

3. Plant The Seed
Using a drop-type, rotary or hand held spreader, apply the seed evenly to avoid skips, overlapping & streaking
Gently rake, working seed into the soil about 1/4″ (using a drag chain would work also)

4. Water Seeded Area
Water daily to keep soil moist
Do not allow the top 1/2″ of the soil to become dry until seedlings have completely emerged
Once grass becomes established, reduce watering to 1/2″ twice a week

You now have the instructions for how easy it is to plant grass seed or overseed your lawn.  Let’s look next at how to know if you have  high quality grass seeds.

Coming back from NW Arkansas after a college football came, I became aware of the immense fall web worm infestation along the highway. You need to get the information on how to identify and control these web-forming [...]]]>

Controlling fall web worms…before they damage your trees, shrubs and some vines.

Coming back from NW Arkansas after a college football came, I became aware of the immense fall web worm infestation along the highway. You need to get the information on how to identify and control these web-forming insects.

Identifying what type of caterpillar you have is a little easier by where the web is located. The fall web worm builds at the tip of the branch while the tent caterpillar makes its home in the fork of the branches. Just as the tent caterpillars are completing their nest, the fall web worm tent-like structures begin to appear. It seems like this happens overnight because the fall web worm does most of its work during the evening hours.

The fall web worm caterpillar is about 1″ long, is very hairy and pale green or yellow, with either a red or black head. They overwinter as pupae in cocoons that are hidden in either the bark of the tree or in the soil. The moths emerge from mid-March to mid-late April. They are satin white with brown wing spots.

The first generation of caterpillars start to feed sometime in mid-spring to early summer. After feeding, they pupate in the soil and a second generation of web worms will be seen during August or September. The second generation is more destructive with defoliation of the plant than the first generation.

Controlling these pests is important. You can destroy the tents, especially when they are small. Best time is around dusk or early morning when the larvae are in the tent. On smaller trees, they may be pruned and destroyed. But on larger trees and trees with several nests, you need to spray.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and bifenthrin (Bug Blaster) are effective against the fall web worms. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a microbial pesticide that can be applied as a dust or spray. It kills many types of caterpillars but has no effect on warm-blooded animals or bees. Always use Bt with care, because it also can kill the larvae of non-pest moths and butterflies.

Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid which has a long lasting residual. Rule of thumb…application should be made when the larvae are small and easiest to control, not when they are full grown and have already done their damage.

Inspection for the greenish egg masses of the fall web worms can be accomplished by looking on the underside of leaves anywhere from spring to late fall. A little extra work inspecting the trees will go a long way in reducing the infestations later in the fall.

Wildflowers…think back to when you were young…remember seeing the beautiful flowers in the fields and meadows? What child didn’t want to pick flowers for their mother? Today wildflowers can be planted for enjoyment in your own garden areas and will benefit the environment for the bees, birds, [...]]]>

Wildflowers…think back to when you were young…remember seeing the beautiful flowers in the fields and meadows? What child didn’t want to pick flowers for their mother? Today wildflowers can be planted for enjoyment in your own garden areas and will benefit the environment for the bees, birds, butterflies and, yes, the bugs.

Native or naturalized? Wildflowers that are indigenous to the continent are “native” of which, by expert estimates, there are over 20,000 species of flowering plants in North America, belonging to about 300 different families. “Naturalized” refer to flowers that may be common, but not indigenous to the continent, which have been introduced from other parts of the world. One thing that they share in common; however, is that they do just fine growing on their own in nature.

Now that you know you want to plant wildflowers, determine where is the best spot. Do you want to add to existing landscape or start a new area? Is this for your own enjoyment in a private landscape or do you want it to be seen from the road for all to enjoy? Is the look you are trying to create more formal or randomly scattered like in a meadow?

You want to prepare the area where you are planning to grow the wildflowers. Wildflowers don’t need to compete with the grasses and weeds in the area so you will want to begin spraying with a generic RoundUp to clean it up. For fall planting start in September while they are still actively growing as the RoundUp is taken down to the roots of the plant through the leaves. In another week rake the area again, wait a week, then spray again to clean up any emerging weeds. You may need to do this process a few times depending on how “weedy” your area is for planting.

Toward the end of October, rough up the area of the soil so that all the seed comes in good contact (but don’t go any deeper than 1″ or you will bring up more weed seeds). You can roll over the seed or use a drag chain to make sure all seeds are just covered by the soil. You may find it easier to use sand or another medium to mix with the seed at a ratio of 8 parts medium to 1 part seed to get a uniform coverage. If needed, cover with straw and not hay as hay has weed seeds in it and wheat or pine straw does not!

In the spring your diligence in the fall will have paid off as the beautiful flowers will begin to erupt through the soil. Germination time will depend on the type of flower but is anywhere from 6 days to 28 days. You will then have flowers coming on at all different times.  Also, planting seeds that germinate faster than others will cause them to act as a support group to keep the weeds down until the other flowers can germinate and begin growing.

There are different combinations of wildflower seeds for different effects.  Try Wildflower Garden Seed Mix, Hummingbird & Butterfly Garden Wildflower Seed Mix, Cottage Garden Wildflower Seed Mix, or Daisy Garden Wildflower Seed Mix. 

Add a new dimension to your outdoor space with wildflowers and enjoy!

What does that mean?

Lambda-cyhalothrin belongs to a group of chemicals called pyrethroids.  Pyrethroids are [...]]]>

“See you later” bugs is what I think of  when I use the Cyonara Lawn & Garden Insect Control product.  Cyonara which contains the chemical Lambda-cyhalothrin is one of the newest generation pyrethroids on the market.

What does that mean?

Lambda-cyhalothrin belongs to a group of chemicals called pyrethroids.  Pyrethroids are manmade chemicals that are similar to the natural insecticides pyrethrins.  Scientists developed pyrethroid insecticides to have properties better than those of the pyrethrins which makes it a safer man-made chemical.

How does it work?

Pyrethroids, including lambda-cyhalothrin, disrupt the normal functioning of the nervous system in an organism.  By disrupting the nervous system of insects, lambda-cyhalothrin may cause paralysis or death.

What are the uses of Cyonara?

Cyonara can be used for lawns, ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers, and even vegetable gardens!  It is fast acting and has an 8 week residual.

Controls Mosquitoes, chinch bugs, fleas, grubs, aphids, fire ants, mites, chiggers, mole crickets, armyworms, cockroaches, cutworms, earwigs, millepedes, deer ticks, and many other insects.

You can take care of all your outdoor areas with one product which makes my life that much easier!

Keep your yard looking this gorgeous. Thanks to Flickr for the photo.

With more news about bedbugs in hotel rooms, dorm rooms, etc. on the internet and television, my first [...]]]>

The thought of bedbugs conjures up horrible pictures in my mind!  My mother telling me to “sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite” never gave me nightmares as it does today.

With more news about bedbugs in hotel rooms, dorm rooms, etc. on the internet and television, my first thought was to stay home. But that is just not realistic; so, I figured I had better do the research to find the best approach to ensuring I wouldn’t have those little bugs crawling in my bed at night feeding on…well, me!

I want something that is safe for me, compact enough to travel with and not so expensive it was unreasonable.

Enforcer Brand BedBug Spray comes in a 7 oz. can so there is the compact part.  The active ingredients are safe for humans and the price is reasonable.  You can save when you buy 3 cans.

For bedbug control, spray around the seams of the mattress, headboard and wall hangings.  You can also spray around the base of the bed.  Once this is dry it is safe.

But remember, when it is time to go home, spray your luggage when you get ready to leave the room.  That is one way that the bedbugs can infest your home is by catching a ride on your luggage!

The most recognized feature of the Brown Recluse spider is violin pattern on the cephalothorax or in other words the location on [...]]]>

Most cringe at the thought of brown recluse spiders…I know I do!  My downstairs had them as I live in the heart of brown recluse territory in Arkansas.

The most recognized feature of the Brown Recluse spider is violin pattern on the cephalothorax or in other words the location on the top side of the spider near the head. Thus they have been nicknamed the Fiddleback Spider.

I found a product that took away my fear of being bit-Big H Brown Recluse Spider Traps.

BIG H BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER TRAPS:

There are 5 traps in each package.  They can be folded to form a tent-like structure (which helps the spiders remain reclusive) or can be laid out flat.

1) Big H Traps are the only traps made specifically for brown recluse & hobo spiders.
2) BigH Traps^TM contain 3 times as much glue covering up to 4 times as much area as other traps.
3) The glue contains an attractant.
4) The traps have a unique design to help lure in nearby spiders.

It is important to find the travel path of the brown recluse spider to know where to place the traps.  For me, I just put them everywhere downstairs to figure that out!  But realistically, other areas are from one part of  an unfinished basement to a finished part, by outside doorways, behind washer/dryers, in darkened corners or closets.  Once you figure out the travel path, that is where you want to concentrate the spider traps.

Be careful when picking up the traps because the spider can still be alive (just stuck) and bite!

Brown recluse spiders start out low, as in a 2 story house, downstairs.  When the infestation gets too large, they move upstairs.  So if you have a 2 story house with them upstairs, beware!

May, June & July are the mating and hatching times so be prepared.  Go get the Brown Recluse Spider Traps today!

For those of you who own smaller dogs or cats, you know how difficult it is for them to get up on your bed or furniture (if you want them to, that is).  Pet steps are a wonderful solution because you can put it next to [...]]]>

Wooden Dog Storage Steps

For those of you who own smaller dogs or cats, you know how difficult it is for them to get up on your bed or furniture (if you want them to, that is).  Pet steps are a wonderful solution because you can put it next to your bed or other furniture when you want them up, and then you can move it over when you don’t.

Great Storage In Wooden Pet Steps