Conditions are right for fungus to grow on plants in Augusta - The Augusta Chronicle
I don't think anyone needs to be running their irrigation system this week. Tuesday night alone I had 2.75 inches of rain in my gauge. It was like a monsoon.
We are pushing July and still haven't had much real heat at all and the ground moisture levels are high. Cooler nights and lots of moisture is going to lead to more than usual fungal issues. I mentioned powdery mildew a couple of weeks ago in my column and I am seeing it all over town in mostly crape myrtles. Leaf spot fungus is appearing on a wide variety of plants like roses and photinia as well.
When conditions are right (like right now), the fungi love to show up. Not much we can really do to prevent the fungus with the weather conditions the way they are except keep an eye on plants and jump into action when it happens. Immunox and Daconil can be your friend.
My least favorite warm season weed is starting to jump. Chamberbitter (Phyllanthus urinaria) is also known as gripeweed or little mimosa. It is a warm-season, annual, broadleaf weed that emerges from warm soils beginning in early summer. It reproduces by seeds, which are found in the green, warty-like fruit attached to the underside of the branch. And interestingly enough closes its leaves at night and opens them again in the morning. It seems to show up in full force in June and July and marches forth until frost. And I officially hate it. It pops up overnight, grows like it is on steroids, produces 158 billion seeds in just a couple of weeks and then spreads them in every place in your yard. It dies when frost hits it or when I pull it out of the ground while cussing it.
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Campbell Vaughn: Now is the time to keep an eye out for powdery mildew on your plants
For postemergence control of chamberbitter in St. Augustine and centipede lawns, atrazine is recommended. WeedStop in the black bottle with the purple label and has atrazine, which has both preemergence and postemergence properties. Make two applications spaced 30 days apart. For chamberbitter control in zoysia, Ortho Weed-B-Gon for Chickweed, Clover and Oxalis with triclopyr is probably the best you can find. For bermuda, Bayer Advanced Weed Killer for Lawns with 2,4-D, MCPP (mecoprop) and dicamba. This Bayer product can also be used for zoysia lawn chamberbitter control as well. In your flower and shrub beds, good ole glyphosate is going to be your go to for controlling these 'little mimosas'. For preemergence control, use a product with isoxaben. It has worked just okay for me, but better than Barricade. Cussing at it gives me some short-term relief.
On the wildlife front, my five Eastern Phoebe eggs hatched and momma and daddy birds are working their tails off catching insects to feed five mouths. The nest is hidden in plain site on a column inside my outdoor patio. The parents are fun to watch feeding the little guys. They stay nervous and on the alert working as a team. There have been more nest robbing crows around this year which keeps most all nesting song birds on edge. I have pulled the ladder out to check how the babies are doing, and so far, so good.
Recently, I saw fledgling Carolina wrens sleeping on the other patio column tops. The mom coaxes the little ones to sleep there after they get thrown out of the nest. That has been going on for several years, but is still fun to see. I also have a pair of bluebirds nesting in one of my two bluebird boxes and am hoping to have more little birds join the neighborhood soon.
Enjoy the mild temperatures. I am sure the heat is going to get turned up soon.
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