Drift Roses
March 31, 2012 by Brian Brown
Filed under Blog
Height: 18″ – 20″
Spread: 20″ – 30″
Zone: 4 - 11
Salt: Moderate
Light: Full Sun
Deer: Yes
Flower: Small rose flowers – many colors available!
Description:
From the developers of the Knock Out rose comes a compact, prolific blooming, groundcover rose perfect for small gardens, containers, haning baskets, or mass planted for dramatic color. Like The Knock Out Family of Roses, Drift Roses are repeat-bloomers that are tough, disease resistant, winter hardy and virtually maintenance-free. These beautiful Roses are a cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniature roses.
Continuously blooming from spring to frost (bloom cycle about every 5-6 weeks), they are naturally dwarf, with very attractive foliage. They are winter hardy to zone 4.
Enrich the soil in a well drained area and be sure to plant in full sun.
Fertilize with slow release fertilizer spring, summer and fall. Drift roses are very disease and pest resistant and require very little care once established.
Prune back to about 6″ in early spring (after the last hard frost) for best performance. Regular deadheading encourages re-blooming and helps maintain a tidy appearance but isn’t necessary.
A GREAT new rose with endless possibilities in the garden!
Many colors available including: Red, Peach, Coral, Pink, and Light Pink.
Stop by one of our garden centers today and check them out!
Chinch Bugs
March 31, 2012 by Brian Brown
Filed under Blog
Whats the #1 Turfgrass Pest in Florida?
Chinch Bugs!
Apply Chinch Bug Killer with Arena NOW!
•One of the most important products for your lawn
•Kills insects before they damage your lawn
•Chinch bug activity occurs March through November
•3-4 Generations with overlapping life stages develop each year
Control has become increasingly difficult because chinch bugs in some areas have developed high levels of resistance to commonly used pyrethroid insecticides. Chinch Bug Killer with Arena is now recognized as the most effective product for the management of pyrethroid-resistant chinch bugs.
•Apply Apil 1st, end of May and August 1st
•Water in thoroughly but not to the point of run off.
•Do not apply around fruit or nut bearing trees or vegetable gardens
Do I have Chinch Bugs?
The University of Florida IFAS Extension recommends the following methods to check your lawn for chinch bugs. The easiest and fastest is to part the grass near yellowed areas and look at the soil surface and thatch. Pull out individual grass plants and look inside the bottom leaf sheath. Examine several different areas if chinch bugs aren’t immediately found. Insects are most active on warm, sunny days in mid-afternoon.
Another option is to use a Dust Buster or hand-held vacuum cleaner (electric or battery-operated) to suck up any chinch bugs near damaged areas. Remove the filter, empty the contents on the sidewalk or in a bucket, and look for nymphs and adults. Repeat inseveral damaged areas.
A flotation technique can also be used to detect infestations. Cut both ends out of a metal can and push one end 2-3 inches into the soil on green or yellowing grass (not dead grass). Slowly fill with water and count the number of chinch bugs that float to the top within 5 minutes. Keep the water level above the grass surface. If nothing emerges in the first area, examine at least 3 or 4 other areas.
Although the southern chinch bug prefers St. Augustinegrass, it can also feed on bermudagrass, bahiagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysiagrass, but damage is not usually severe.
