True or False- Mosquitoes need water to breed.

TRUE- Mosquitoes lay their eggs in shallow, still water. That’s why it’s important to empty ALL standing water on your property. Buckets, planter trays, tools, toys, even mud puddles can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

True or False- Mosquitoes can detect a human from 75 feet away

TRUE-Mosquitoes find their prey by detecting CO2  as you breathe, and other chemicals in your sweat. Although they can’t see you until they are very close, remember that any mosquito in your yard knows when you come outside, and will come looking for you!

True or False- A mosquito can produce 3000 offspring in a season. TRUE.

With much of the country experiencing a wet spring, it could be a bad year for mosquitoes. Protect yourself by being vigilant. It only takes 4-7 days for a mosquito to hatch and become an adult, so don’t let water stand for any length of time.

Protect ponds and birdbaths with Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits. They are all natural, perfectly safe for birds, wildlife and livestock, but will prevent mosquito eggs from maturing.

Protect your yard with Bonide Mosquito Beater. It uses essential oils of geranium, cedar, garlic and others to repel mosquitoes for 3 weeks. Just sprinkle granules around your deck and other outside areas for a barrier of protection.

Browse All Our Mosquito Control Products

“Need To Know” Facts About Stink Bugs

There are many types of stink bugs, but it is the Brown Marmorated Stink bug that has quickly become a devastating pest to farmers and home gardeners. Because it has no natural predators, it has quickly spread and multiplied un-checked, ravaging orchards and crops in many states.

1. The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug was first seen in the US in the 1990′s.
   
2. It is now found in 33 states, and expected to spread.
3. Stink bugs do not bite, or carry disease.  
4. Stink bugs devastate food crops by sucking out plant juices.
5. Stink bugs seek shelter in attics, basements, and anywhere they can enter your home.  
6. Stink bugs stink. Avoid squashing them.
7. This bug has no natural predators in this country, allowing for the current population explosion.
8. They are resistant to many pesticides.  

Battling Stink Bugs In The House

1. Don’t squash them, unless you want to know how they got their name. They will release their characteristic odor if squashed.
   
2. Use the vacuum to collect bugs inside, then put the vaccuum bag in the outside trash. 
3. Caulk cracks or openings in basements, and around vents, pipes, and other openings. Make sure all windows and doors seal tightly. 
4. Use screen to protect vents and openings that need air flow.  

Battling Stink Bugs In The Yard

There aren’t any quick fixes when it comes to stink bug control, but here are some things that are working for other gardeners:

1. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on garden soil and plants.
2. Remove bugs by hand and drop into soapy water or alcohol.
3. Protect fruits and vegetables with  Surround WP. It’s an organic clay coating that keeps fruit from being pierced.
   

More Stink Bug Control Options:

St. Gabriel’s Stink Bug Killer Spray

Bonide Beetle Killer- Ready to Spray

Bonide Household Insect Control

Annuals

Annual flowers complete their life cycle in one growing season. They sprout in the spring, grow foliage, then produce flowers and finally seeds. Once they have produced seed, usually at the end of the season, the plants begin to die. You can prolong the flowering and life cycle by deadheading flowers. The plant will continue to bloom until it is allowed to produce seeds that mature. After a certain number of seeds are produced, the plant will cease blooming. If you have great performers that you want to re-seed themselves, then don’t deadhead everything. Towards the end of the season, leave some flowers to produce and scatter seed for next year.

Biennials

Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons. The first season they produce only foliage, no flowers. The second growing season they form flowers and produce seeds; then, the mother plant dies. Common biennial flowers include Canterbury bells, Forget-Me-Nots, Foxglove and Hollyhocks. Biennials should be planted every year, so that there are always year old plants to produce flowers.

Perennials

Perennial plants have a life span of more than two years, some may live for decades. Tender perennials die back in the winter, and produce all new growth, and flowers and seeds, every season.  Perennials are a great investment. You will plant once, and enjoy them year after year. Many of them will become fuller and fuller until you can divide them and have even more plants!

An interesting note, many of the plants we grow as annuals are really perennials when grown in their native climates. Examples include petunias, geraniums, tomatoes, and peppers. If not killed by cold winters, they would live for many seasons.

It’s not news that bees are in trouble, and have been for several years.  Honeybees and bumblebees are disappearing in frightening numbers. There is much speculation about the cause. It may be a new parasite that’s been introduced; it could be linked to pesticide use, a reduction in habitat, or a combination of these and other factors.

We need bees!

In fact, there are some plants that cannot survive without bee pollination, including apples,  almonds,  soybeans, strawberries, many melons and citrus fruits, cucumbers and others.  Imagine life without all those fruits and veggies!

What Can We Do?

You can invite these pollinating heroes into your yard by providing food sources and living space for a new colony to grow and thrive.

How to make a “bee friendly” yard:

Plant a wide variety of blooming plants. Bees are attracted to areas with a diversity of flowering plants.  Try to have things blooming all season from spring through fall.

Plant natives. Experts say that bees are 4 times more likely to frequent native plants than exotics.Plant a native wildflower garden. You and the bees will both enjoy it!

Remember those food crops that need bees. Well, bees need them too, so plant flowering crops, fruit and nut trees, and berries.

Provide water.  A shallow bird feeder, fountain. or butterfly puddler will be a welcome stopping point for bees.

Avoid chemical pesticides. If you must spray, apply after dusk when bees are not active, or use a bee friendly product like Neem Oil.

Tolerate weeds. Bees just know flowers, they don’t discriminate against what we call weeds. Leave a few dandelions until after they bloom. C’mon, do it for the bees!

Finally, try a bee house.

Interesting that many of the things that attract bees also give us more beautiful and productive gardens.

What will you do to attract bees?

Polymers are synthetic crystals that are made to hold hundreds of times their own weight in water. They are hard when dry, but swell and soften to a gel when wet. They absorb whatever water comes their way, and hold it, releasing it as needed when the surrounding soil dries. Soil Moist holds 200 times its own weight in water, and releases it gradually into the soil as needed.

Why Should I Use Soil Moist Polymers?

• Because of their ability to absorb and hold many times their weight in water, polymers can provide much needed moisture to plant roots in times of drought.
• They will also absorb nutrients, and slowly release them back into dry soil as they release water.
• They will reduce the need for watering up to 50%
• Addition of polymers helps plants maintain their vigor in all types of conditions
• In addition, as the polymers expand and contract, they loosen and aerate soil, making it easy for plant roots to grow deep.
• Polymers are completely safe and non-hazardous to use.

Where Should I Use Soil Moist Polymers?

• Potted Plants
• Hanging Baskets
• Vegetable Gardens
• Trees
• New Plantings
• Flower Beds
• Turf

How Do I Use Soil Moist?

Simply mix into soil according to the package directions. Dispense into the bottom of new planting holes, spread with a spreader before laying sod or grass seed.

Anything Else I Should Know?

Yes! You should know about Mycorrhizal fungi. The fungi improve the ability of plants to utilize the soil resources by ten to hundreds of times.

Mycorrhizal fungi are found in undisturbed soils with other beneficial soil organisms. Today’s common practices such as tillage, site preparation, road and home construction, minind and removal of topsoil can degrade the mycorrhizal forming potential of soil. The fungi improve the ability of plants to utilize the soil resources by ten to hundreds of times.

Soil Moist Transplant contains Mycorrhiza, and is ideal for giving transplants their best start, strengthening them by helping them to fully utilize the soil’s resources.

Check Out Our Selection of Soil Moist Products, for your Healthiest Plants ever!

A single week’s fruits and vegetables from community-supported agriculture share: peppers, okra, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, garlic, eggplant, squash. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are You a “locavore?’

You’ve heard of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, but do you know what a locavore is? It’s someone who consumes food that is grown and produced locally in his or her area.

I know, what in the world are you going to eat that’s made in your area. It sounds impossible, but it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition.  You don’t have to limit your diet, but try to choose local foods when available.  It takes a little thought, and maybe a change in your habits.  Here are some ideas for getting started, and some of them look a lot like fun!

Visit your local farmer’s market. In addition to fruits and vegetables, you may find eggs, bread, canned goods, and even meats that are produced locally.

Grow your own food.  In your own garden, grow the things you and your family enjoy. Eat them fresh, then freeze and can for the winter, and you’ll always have a supply of local food ready.

Frequent small, independant businesses. You may find locally produced wine, beer, coffee, jams, jellies, cheeses, baked goods and candy and more, produced in your area and offered by businesses in your town.

Ask questions at your grocery store. Find out where the produce comes from. How about the meats? Tell them what you’d like to see. If more customers speak up, it drives stores to re-think how and where they purchase.

Join a CSA (community supported Agriculture). These farms usually charge a monthly or seasonal membership fee, and provide you with a box of whatever is harvested that week.

Why eat local? Lots of reasons:

Better for your body. Produce in your grocery store may have been shipped 2000 miles to get to you, losing freshness and nutrients during the journey. Local food is eaten sooner, so it’s fresher, tastes better, and is more nutritious.

Better for the environment.  Did you know most food is trucked 1000 miles or more before it hits your grocery shelves? That’s a lot of fuel and a lot of polluting emissions

Better for your community. Spend more of your dollars supporting the businesses right in your neighborhood.

Better for your tastebuds. Fresher food tastes better, and local providers often take extra care in producing the best quality food they can, instead of the cheapest, or most efficient.

Better for your air. By supporting local farms, you help ensure their success, thus keeping greenspace green!

What steps are you willling to take to eat locally?

Fertilizers are labeled with 3 numbers, separated by dashes, for example: 24-8-16, the analysis on Miracle Gro All Purpose Plant Food. This is called the analysis, and it refers to the percentage of the 3 macronutrients by weight.  The macronutrients are: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.  So the example above would include 24% nitrogen, 8% phosphorus, and 16% potassium. A fertilizer does not have to have all 3 macronutrients. For example, a label reading 20-0-0 would include 20% nitrogen, and no phosphorus or potassium.  These 3 elements are the ones that are usually deficient in soil.

As you’ve probably already noted, the 24-8-16 fertilizer in the example only adds up to 48%. So what else is in the fertilizer?

 There are 3 additional macronutrients which are not included in the analysis. They are calcium, sulfur, and magnesium.  These are present in adequate quantities in most soils, and only need to be added if a soil test indicates.  If included, the percentage will be shown on the full list of ingredients on the fertilizer container.

We’ve now accounted for 9 of the 16 essential elements. The remaining 7 are referred to as micro nutrients, or trace elements. They are boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. These micronutrients are just as vital to plant health as the macro nutrients, but they are needed in very small quantities.  They are present in sufficient quantities in most soils, but may leach out of very sandy soils.  A more common problem is that the elements are present in the soil, but factors like incorrect pH inhibit uptake by the plant. A soil test is recommended before adding these elements, as overdose can be toxic to plants.

The last ingredient in your fertilizer is filler. This is inert matter that makes it easier to apply the fertilizer.

I have the perfect spot in my yard for a wildflower garden. Now, I’m ready to plant.

Encap has a whole line of Wildflower mixes, including:

• Wildflower Bouquet Mix
• Willdflower Shady Mix
• Wildflower Aromatic Mix
• Wildflower Butterfly and Hummingbird Mix
• Zinnia Mix
• Daisy Mix
• Poppy Mix

I’m a big fan of Encap products, because they make them so easy and foolproof.

These wildflower mixes are a complete kit, including seed, mulch and fertilizer. All you have to do is sprinkle the seeds and water. Each one has a blend of annual and perennial flowers, so something will be in bloom all season long.

Encap also has 2 unique technologies that help ensure success.

Advanced Soil Technology- It’s a biodegradable addition that:

• Reduces soil & nutrient loss
• Provides better water infiltration
• Improves soil structure & root mass
• Enhances seed establishment

Seed Watering Technology (Sparkle)

• Crystals absorb water and release it slowly to the seedlings
• The crystals sparkle until they are dry-when there is no more sparkle, you know to water
• Helps you avoid guessing at amount of water needed
• Conserves water
• Saves time

I like everything about that. Nobody wants to be disappointed, and Encap has put everything in their Wildflower mixes to ensure that you wind up with a beautiful patch of flowers. In fact, they guarantee your satisfaction. You can read it RIGHT HERE.

Which one will you try?

You plant carefully, in the right conditions, and nurture your plants along with fertilizer, pruning and care, and finally – blooms!

The last thing you want to see is a problem developing- a bug, yellowing leaves, or a hole chewed in your prized flower petals.

At the first sign of a problem, you want to act fast, and you want to solve the problem.

Bayer Advanced has developed a line of rose care products that have got you covered. They’re making it really easy to tackle rose problems and knock them out fast, whether it’s insects or disease.

Here’s the lineup:

For Disease:

• Bayer Advanced Disease Control- Cures and prevents: Black Spot, Scab, Rusts, Powdery Mildew and others. Won’t leave visible residue
• Bayer Advanced Insect, Disease and Mite Control-Kills and prevents listed insects and mites; cures and prevents fungal diseases.

For Insects:

• Bayer Advanced Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer- Kills on contact, protects for 30 days
• Bayer Advanced 2 in 1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care-Protects against listed insects and feeds with 12-18-6 fertilizer
• Bayer Advanced Insect, Disease and Mite Control

For All-in-One Protection AND Fertilizer:

Total Rose care in easy granular or liquid drench. Disease protection, Insect protection and bloom-boosting fertilizer in one easy application.

• Bayer Advanced All in One Rose and Flower Care(Granular)
• Bayer Advanced All in One Rose and Flower Care(Liquid Drench)

These are all systemic products, so not only do they control the problem already present, they also continue to protect against future outbreaks.They are specifically formulated for roses and other ornamentals, and they are proven-problem solvers.

So don’t waste time guessing. Save this information somewhere handy, and when a problem breaks out this season, head to Bayer Advanced.

I’m going to war.

That’s right, it’s me against the dandelions. Because somehow, overnight, all of those sweet, cheerful yellow blooms scattered across my lawn turned into tall, scraggly, ugly puffballs. And now they have to go.

The problem is my neighbors. Lawn A is a beautiful, flawless, weed-free swath of green. Lawn B on the other side is the most abundant, expansive display of dandelion puffballs I have ever seen.

And I am the only buffer between them.

Naturally, I feel responsible.

I’ve got to keep the dandelions from invading Lawn A. They are creeping their way through my front yard, and if they make it across it will be MY FAULT!

So I’m taking action. I just bought a bag of Bonide Weed Beater Complete. It kills AND prevents about 50 grassy and broadleaf weeds, including dandelions. Prevention is important, because, even if I kill what’s there now, I need to keep the seeds from Lawn B from sprouting as they waft their way into my lawn on every breeze.

It’s so easy even I can do it. The 10Lb bag covers 5,200 Sq Ft. I’ll just follow the spreader settings on the back of the bag, and in a few minutes I’ll have a Dandelion proof barrier that will keep the puffballs where they belong. – In Lawn B!

Bonide Weed Beater Complete will kill most common lawn weeds, and prevent new ones for sprouting for the next 60-90 days.

Weeds Controlled: Chickweed, Clover, Crabgrass, Dandelion, Foxtail, Goosegrass, Ground Ivy, Henbit, Nutsedge, Plantain, Poa, Spotted Spurge, Purslane, Wild violet, and more.

Got Weeds? Give Bonide Weed Beater a try: