Eye On Gardening
By Tim Allen

 Examine Trees and Shrubs Closely for Fall Insects
Every season our weather cycles from coast to coast will produce an array of insect activity which can cause costly damage to our landscape plants, trees and shrubs. The fall in particular will be a challenge for most garden enthusiasts. If local climactic conditions have been unusual (too wet or dry, and/or unseasonably cold or hot) plants are weakened and fall prey to high insect populations. University research indicates that plant material “in stress” will emit pheromones in the atmosphere which actually promote insect activity and literally “ring the dinner bell” for the bugs in your garden. Not all insect activity needs to be treated. When you find possible insect damage symptoms in your garden such as leaf yellowing, leaf drop, browning and dieback, thoroughly inspect the entire top and bottom of leaves and branches. Much of the time you’ll find the critters hiding beneath the leaves. Consult a local garden center or your university cooperative extension office as to what measures you need to take to eliminate your insect concerns. Many times a simple solution of soap and water will control many insects. Other times nature will provide a beneficial insect predator to control damaging insects. Take caution not to hastily head for the insect spraying mayhem isle at your local garden center to resolve your insect concerns. Random frequent use of many pesticides will promote insect resistance to the products you are spraying. For further education on insects and their control, I recommend checking out www.scotts.com online for a complete and extensive database of help for your garden concerns.

Try Grits to Control Fire Ants in your Lawn
Nothing is more painful than a fire ant bite while relaxing in your home lawn and garden. Here’s a inexpensive way to “zap em” from your next outdoor event. Though you have many options to apply to a fire ant mound for control, many are hazardous chemicals which you may wish to avoid in your garden. The next time you see fire ant mounds in your home lawn simply apply approximately 1cup of grits, mixed with 1/2 cup sugar, then sprinkle over the mound. Be sure not to disturb the mound, and do not water in. The ants will gladly take your supplied meal down into the mound and everybody will feast on the morsels. Due to the expansion of the grits once eaten, the fire ants will soon become history, no longer able to be a nuisance in your garden. Grits will take a couple days to control the mounds as opposed to other garden pesticides, but the results are good, and without harsh chemicals. For additional mounds simply repeat the treatments as needed.

Tim Alan is the Host of the Hit TV Series “Eye On Gardening” airing coast to coast on iLifeTV. Tim holds a B.S. in Horticulture and an A.S. in Turfgrass Management from the University of Florida. Tim’s career in the “Green Industry” spans over 20 yrs; directing, installing, and managing large scale commercial landscape operations. For more info you can log on to the show website at www.eyeongardening.com.