In the garden...

INSECTS TO CONTROL THIS MONTH...

1. Are you watering your lawn and it's still dying out in spots? If you see this problem occurring in late June through September, there's a good chance you have either billbugs or chinch bugs and the best way of controlling them is with Hi-Yield 'Above/Below' granular insecticide. With this product, you only need to apply twice during the growing season in the Boise area. Apply once in mid-March and again in mid-June. Hi-Yield 'Above/Below' will last approximately 3 months and by September, the lawn is typically going dormant as well as the insects have done the damage they're created during the summer. Applying Above/Below insecticide, you will have controlled both billbugs as well as chinch bugs.

2. We visit many gardeners each year who have petunias and geraniums that have stopped blooming. One of the problems associated with these plants are bud worms and they can stop both these plants from creating the beautiful blooms you were hoping for throughout the summer. You can control bud worm with liquid systemic insecticide. Apply this insecticide once every 30 days.

You can find both these products at The Home & Garden Store along with many other insect control products. We also carry many types of fertilizers, potting soils, and other products for the home and garden.

FERTILIZERS TO USE THIS MONTH...

1. With our hot summer months, it's critical to apply the proper fertilizers. At The Home & Garden Store you will find a knowledgeable staff who can really tell you the right product for your lawn or landscape. We have an Idaho Certified Nurseryman on staff who can guide you to the correct and proper way to install the product you are looking for. Typically from around the first of July through mid-September, we recommend using Ferti-lome 'Classic' lawn food. This product contains a slow-release fertilizer that will feed your lawn for 2 to 3 months without causing harm to the lawn when applied according to manufactures directions.

2. As mentioned in the article above, insects can cause annuals to stop blooming. Another reason is a lack of or improper type of fertilizer. Besides treating these annuals and other blooming plants for insects, you may want to use Ferti-lome 'Blooming & Rooting' food. This highly concentrated fertilizer comes with a small scoop in the container, making it quite easy to apply the proper amount each time.

WEEDS AND GRASS CONTROL...

1. Weeds seem to grow where nothing else will as well as every part of your landscape. Some are relativity easy to control and others, well there isn't much you can do to control them other than possibly sterilize the soil. Even then, some weed seeds can lay dormant in the soil for 7 years or more. One way that you can provide some type of control is by using Hi-Yield 'Herbicide Granules' This product effectively stops many types of seed from developing. Keep in mind that it controls seed production which means it also controls any garden seeds you might sow.

2. Another product worth considering is Ferti-lome 'Decimate'. This product will kill nearly all forms of vegetation, annuals, perennials, shrubs, weeds, sod, etc. We recommend Ferti-lome 'Decimate' in areas such as a gravel paths, cracks in cement where weeds and/or grass are growing.

3. What about weeds? Is there a product that if effective just on the weeds in my grass? The answer is yes, however there are several products that will control weeds. The most well known and been available for many years is 2-4-D. It's been around for many years for good reason. It was one of the first products that killed weeds like dandelions and clover. Although it's a good product and we still sell 2-4-D, there are better products on the market these days. Where 2-4-D will only kill a little over a hundred types of weeds, products like Ferti-lome 'Weed-Free Zone' will effectively kill over 200 types of weeds.

CHARLIE'S PICK FOR WEED CONTROL...

1. As you might image, there several weed killers to choose from and as you can see, each can affect your choice, so I made my pick based solely on what I use most often. I use each one described above, but the one I grab most often is Ferti-lome 'Weed-Free Zone'. It seems like I can't get rid of certain weeds, they pop up from seed or from roots. Where do they come from? Wind can carry small seeds great distances, but most likely birds (and we feed birds). They poop in the yard and there goes another 100 fold.