Our Plant Health Care Department team, Reese and Roy, are busy this month with spot spraying. Using only organic products, we aim to catch the pest at the proper time for best control. We often use a Neem oil product for this purpose.
It’s time for various sawflies to emerge. Larvae feed voraciously on leaves. The azalea sawfly skeletonizes as it feeds, leaving only a leaf midrib. We’ll be watching for the hibiscus sawfly and dogwood sawfly later this summer. Both make holes in the leaves of their specific host plants. Boxwood pysllid is also active and will be monitored.
Of course, our Tick and Mosquito spray program continues this summer. We are able to spray only on dry days with our natural essential oil product. The compost tea program provides Summer Foods to microbial populations in the soil as they rapidly reproduce and expand with warmer soil temperatures.
We’ve noticed that soils with lower Phosphorus have many fewer pests, as insects find plant parts high in Phosphorus easier to digest. Make a note to start our soil testing and amending program this season!
