Temple, get ready for a sizzling summer in 2024! With temperatures climbing, your yard might struggle to stay lush and green. Our local guide is packed with tips on lawn care, landscaping, and pest control to help you maintain a vibrant outdoor space all season long. This Boots on the Ground summer edition is brought to you by your Temple lawn expert & branch manager, Nick Lott.

Lawn

What We’re Seeing 

Leaf spot fungus mixed with yellowing has appeared on St. Augustine lawns due to excessive moisture. How do you “spot” this disease?

  • Discoloration
  • Brown, black, tan, or red spots on the blade
  • Dropping prematurely
  • Wilting
 

Leaf Spot Fungus

Helminthosporium has appeared sooner than usual in Bermuda lawns due to elevated humidity from recent weather conditions. Here’s what to look for:

  • Gray lesions with reddish borders on leaves
  • Yellowing or dying leaf tissue
  • White or black blotches on the lawn’s surface

Dollar spot fungus is on Bermuda lawns, which thrives in humid, wet environments. There are several symptoms of dollar spot:

  • Discoloration
  • Spots varying in size up to 6” in diameter
  • Sunken turf
  • Stringy fungus growing on diseased blades

Dollar Spot Fungus

Other summer lawn diseases include take-all patch and black sooty mold.

Thatch buildup hinders your grass from absorbing the air, water, and nutrients necessary for robust root growth and overall lawn health. Remove this excess organic matter by dethatching and mowing your lawn.

Thatch Buildup

Grubs are on the move! White grubs feast on grass roots, causing damage or even killing your turf. Look for these signs of grub activity in your lawn:

  • Discolored areas
  • Patches of dead grass
  • Birds digging in the lawn
  • Grubs appearing on sidewalks or near your turf

Summer weeds, such as spurge, are spreading fast. Poor turf health and irregular mowing can lead to these pesky weed infestations.

Just give us a call if you see these pop up on your lawn between regularly scheduled visits and we’ll come out for free (for customers with 6+ applications)

Summer drought is a constant challenge in Texas, putting significant stress on turf, causing it to wilt, discolor, or even go dormant. While your grass can survive without water for a short period, this varies based on factors like grass type and soil conditions. Drought stress can result in several problems, including:

  • Slow growth
  • Poor overall health
  • Increased vulnerability to diseases, pests, and weeds
  • Reduced water retention
 

Drought Stressed Lawn

Temple is currently free from water restrictions, with many regions easing their limitations to stage 1. Thanks to the recent rains, two nearby lakes have reached full capacity.

 

What We’re Doing

Fertilization & Weed Control: We’re currently on Rounds 4 & 5 of our annual lawn program, focused on tackling summer stressors and ensuring your turf stays healthy.

  • Nitrogen: Promotes vibrant, longer-lasting green and encourages stolon growth without the risk of burning.
  • Fulvic Acid & Nutrients: Resolves soil issues and prepares your lawn for the summer heat.
  • Humic Acid: Alleviates summer stress on your grass.
  • Organic Matter: Enhances soil health.
  • Grassy Weed Treatments: Keeps those pesky weeds at bay.
  • Spot Treatments: Address weeds, fungi, and pests during each visit.
  • Turf Disease Treatments: Protect your lawn from summer fungi.

Fertilization Treatment

Grub Control: We eliminate grubs with a single, potent annual application using the top product on the market. This effective treatment tackles grubs before they can damage your lawn.

Irrigation System Check: Consider having your irrigation system assessed for peak performance in the summer heat. Our thorough evaluation covers 8 zones and includes a 30-point inspection by our licensed professionals. This process identifies any issues, resolves problems, and ensures efficient water usage, saving you valuable resources.

Water Efficiency Treatment: We offer two effective solutions designed to enhance water retention and distribution. Our first product, Hydretain, harnesses atmospheric humidity and converts it into moisture that plants can readily absorb. Meanwhile, Hydr8 enhances soil permeability, ensuring nutrients reach the roots where they’re most needed for healthy grass growth. When used together, these products boost water efficiency by an impressive 50%!


WET Treated vs Untreated

Organic Topdressing: our compost mix adds nutrients and organic matter to your yard, rejuvenating trouble spots and enhancing turf health. This application triggers microbial activity below the surface and remedies poor soil conditions.

Lawn Leveling: Achieve a flawless lawn by using our premium USGA-grade sand to level uneven surfaces and fill holes. The benefits of this process are numerous:

  • Enhances nutrient retention for healthier grass
  • Shields against fungus, disease, and excessive saturation
  • Improves overall drainage efficiency
  • Speeds up thatch decomposition
  • Balances pH levels in Texas’s acidic soil

 

What You Can Do

Mow your lawn weekly! Regularly maintain your lawn with weekly mowing sessions! This not only keeps weeds in check but also prevents issues like helminth on Bermuda lawns. Here are some helpful tips for mowing different grass types:

  • Bermuda: 2”
  • Augustine: 4”
  • Zoysia Grass: 3”
  • After mowing, leave Bermuda grass clippings on your lawn to enrich it with valuable water and nutrients while providing insulation for the roots
  • Increase your mower height by one notch when mowing St. Augustine grass to help it withstand drought conditions better
  • Ensure you’re not cutting off more than one-third of the grass blade length in a single mowing session
  • If your grass has grown tall, adjust your mower height to prevent excessive stress from cutting too short. Consider lowering the mower gradually over a few mowings to achieve the desired grass height

During the scorching summer months, adopt the cycle and soak watering technique for optimal lawn irrigation:

  • Divide your watering into 3 or 4 shorter cycles, alternating between zones
  • Aim to deliver at least 1 inch of water per week
  • Water your lawn 2 days before mowing
  • Calculate your watering duration by dividing the total time for each zone into multiple shorter cycles
  • This approach allows your turf to absorb water gradually, minimizing runoff
  • Promotes deeper root growth and enhances overall grass health
  • Watering recommendations made by Ryean Colby TXLI24762

Landscape

What We’re Seeing

Landscape pests are active! Currently, we’ve identified scale on Crepe Myrtles, along with other common pests such as:

  • Aphids
  • Mealybugs
  • Bagworms
  • Leafhoppers, known for their damage to chlorophyll and leaf structure, resulting in growth irregularities and nutrient deficiencies.
 

Scale on a Crepe Myrtle

Fungal issues have emerged in our landscapes following the heavy rainfall earlier this season. Currently, we’re observing leaf spot fungus affecting red tips, as well as discoloration and yellowing on certain shrubs due to the excessive precipitation we’ve experienced.

Black Spot on Roses

Endosprum Leaf Spot on Red Tip Photinia

Significant damage to trees and limbs has occurred following a severe storm with winds exceeding 95 mph that swept through the area. The tornado that struck Temple caused widespread destruction in its path, leaving behind extensive damage.

 

What We’re Doing

Disease & Insect Control: Our proactive program addresses pests and fungal issues before they can inflict lasting harm. You’ll receive four scheduled applications annually, spaced every 35-50 days. During each visit, our team diligently inspects your landscape for any signs of these concerns to ensure the health and vitality of your plants. If you notice any indications of pests or fungus, please inform your technician promptly so we can adjust your treatment schedule or arrange an additional service call for targeted spraying.


Bed Weed Control: Transform your curb appeal with our premium curbside enhancement service!

  • Control weeds effectively with only 3 applications
  • Prevent and eradicate weeds throughout your landscape
  • Safeguard nearby plants from weed competition
  • Utilize high-quality granular pre-emergent to target germinating weed seeds
  • Targeted spot treatments to eliminate visible weeds above the surface

Bed Weed Control Treatment

 

What You Can Do

Avoiding overwatering is crucial to minimize stress, such as saturation issues, especially in drought conditions.

  • Limit watering to a maximum of one inch per week.
  • Allow 2-3 days between watering sessions or until the roots show signs of drying to promote robust root development.
  • Consider shorter, 10-15-minute irrigation cycles twice daily for optimal moisture distribution.
  • Ensure your irrigation system excludes planter beds if they have a separate designated zone.
  • Get your irrigation system checked! Our team of experts, led by Ryean Colby TXLI24762, is ready to help you save money and water

When planting a new tree, it’s important to avoid planting too deep, as this can lead to potential issues or even the death of the plant. Here are steps for correct tree planting:

  • Plan ahead considering the mature size and shape of the tree
  • Larger trees develop extensive root systems that may affect foundations and sidewalks, so ensure at least 15-20 feet of clearance for growth
  • Optimal planting times are during spring and fall
  • Dig a square hole that matches the depth of the tree’s root ball and is three times wider
  • Ensure the root flare is visible after planting
  • Break up the soil on the hole’s walls to improve water penetration
  • Gently firm the native soil around the tree

Read more of our planting tips.


Planting a Tree

It’s advisable to trim or eliminate affected branches, even if they are partially damaged. Here are key points for pruning:

  • Make cuts at the node when pruning
  • Remove only the branch tissue, leaving the stem tissue intact and undamaged
  • When pruning live branches, cut just outside the branch bark ridge, angling downward and away from the tree stem. Follow through by cutting all the way outside your initial incision
  • For dead branches, prune just outside the ring of wound wood tissue

Read more of our pruning tips.

It’s important to maintain a gap between mulch and the tree trunk to prevent trunk and root rot. When refreshing your landscape, remember to remove old mulch before applying new mulch to ensure adequate airflow to the root systems.

 

 

Pests

What We’re Seeing

Summer pest activity is up, here’s what we’re seeing in Texas yards & homes right now:

  • Cockroaches: Moderate
  • Rodents: Mild
  • Wasps & Hornets: Considerable
  • Spiders: Considerable
  • Mosquitoes: Extreme
  • Fleas & Ticks: Considerable
  • Fire Ants: Extreme

Recent rains have brought on more fire ants & mosquitoes, so many lawns are a bite zone right now. Just about every yard has standing water because of all the rain, creating prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

What We’re Doing

Pest Control: Our comprehensive program ensures thorough coverage for your peace of mind. We effectively manage a variety of Texas-sized arachnids, arthropods, and insects including spiders, cockroaches, wasps, scorpions, centipedes, and more! Here’s what our licensed specialists do to safeguard your home:

  • Provide 6 bi-monthly applications annually
  • Conduct detailed inspections to identify pests and potential entry points
  • Remove pest habitats such as wasp nests and spider webs
  • Seal holes to prevent indoor access
  • Establish an 8-foot granular lawn barrier while safeguarding your plants
  • Apply a 3-foot spray barrier around your home, including foundations, porches, and entryways
  • Optional indoor treatment for comprehensive protection
  • Additional rodent control is available, including trap setup, station maintenance, and disposal services

Pest Control Application

Flea & Tick Control: Rest assured with our effective applications that ensure year-round comfort for you and your pets.

  • Interior treatments are applied as required
  • Each outdoor application provides reliable protection for your pet’s well-being
  • Enjoy a 90-day guarantee on every treatment
  • Our exterior program features 4 annual applications, complete with complimentary service calls

Mosquito Control: Experience our innovative approach to mosquito control that creates a pest-free haven on your Texas property:

  • Our initial spray application swiftly eliminates adult mosquitoes for immediate relief
  • Utilizing the environmentally friendly In2Care mosquito trap ensures long-term population management
  • The In2Care trap lures female mosquitoes to lay eggs in a larvicide solution, employing auto-dissemination technology to spread the mixture via adult mosquitoes across all breeding sites in your yard
  • Rest assured, the trap safeguards your children, pets, and pollinators
  • Receive FREE fly control with the purchase of our In2Care plan—effective results without the hassle of smelly bags, unsightly strips, or noisy zappers

In2Care Mosquito Trap

 

Fire Ant Control: Bid farewell to fire ants for good with our premium solutions and skilled technicians.

  • Benefit from two potent professional-grade applications annually to prevent new mounds
  • Our approach includes granular and non-repellent liquid treatments for comprehensive effectiveness
  • Enjoy complimentary service calls between scheduled visits to ensure guaranteed results

Fire Ant Control Application

What You Can Do

 

Maintaining a clean home is key to keeping pests at bay. Here’s how to keep those unwanted intruders out:

  • Regularly sanitize your home, paying extra attention to dark and moist areas like behind the fridge and pantry, especially in the kitchen
  • Vacuum carpets to eliminate fleas and clothes moths
  • Dispose of food waste in the kitchen trash, and frequently clean the trash can
  • Use outdoor containers with tightly sealed lids
  • Keep your yard tidy by removing leaves, debris, old furniture, and stagnant water, and ensure the yard is well-maintained to deter pests
  • Empty any water-filled containers at least once a week, including cleaning out the gutters
  • Mow the grass around your home’s foundation to prevent pests from taking shelter there

Keep pests out by ensuring your home is well-sealed.

  • Plug and seal any gaps or cracks around windows, damaged screens, entryways, foundations, siding, and wall passages
  • Focus on major entry points for a noticeable reduction in pests
  • Install door sweeps that reach all the way to the bottom of doors
  • Add screens to windows and the bottoms of storm doors
  • Store food in airtight containers or in the fridge/freezer to prevent it from attracting pests

Seal Entry Points

Don’t disturb fire ant mounds if they’ve been treated! This will interrupt the treatment’s effectiveness.

Invite natural predators to assist in pest control! Birds are especially effective:

  • Set up a birdbath and refresh the water frequently to prevent it from becoming a mosquito breeding ground
  • Install a bird feeder with pest-attracting food like suet to attract pest-eating birds
  • Provide a birdhouse to offer a safe and secure home for resident birds.
  • Consider keeping chickens, your ultimate allies in pest control!

Ensure your pet’s safety by purchasing flea collars, dips, and keeping up with heartworm medication.