FIRE ANT CONTROL-THE NATURAL WAY
Howard Garrett: The Dirt Doctor
Neither toxic poisons nor chemical growth regulators are necessary to control fire ants. The concept of A&M’s new two step recommendation has one fatal flaw. It doesn’t work. It’s the same program that has been being used for years, and tire ants still rule. I know — used to use that program myself The so-called “Earth-Kind” approach is to treat the site with baits then the mounds with contact poisons. The specific recommendations are to douse the mounds with the toxic chemicals like Orthene, an acephate that is water soluble. This and other lab-created poisons such as diazinon, Dursban and malathion are contaminating our soil and water supply. The baits, Logic and Award, are now listed by the EPA as probable carcinogens.
A totally organic approach works better and creates no contamination to the user, the soil, the air or the water. To control fire ants and other pests like fleas. termites, chinch bugs, ticks, crickets and grasshoppers, try this. It won’t hurt you and you’ll see great results.
Step I: Spray the site with Garrett .Juice (see page 3) plus orange oil or d-limonene at 2 ounces per gallon of spray. Homemade citrus oil can be made by soaking citrus peeling in an equal amount of water for 10 days to two weeks. Adding garlic-pepper tea makes the spray even more powerful. This same spray will also help control aphids, white flies, and mosquitoes. It will also kill beneficials so don’t use unless pests are a problem and don’t use more than the recommended rates of any of the citrus concentrates or risk burning plant foliage or even killing plants.
Step 2: Treat mounds with a drench of manure compost tea, molasses and citrus oil. Commercial products are available that contain these ingredients. The homemade concentrate includes equal parts of compost tea, molasses and orange oil. Use 4-6 ounces of concentrate per gallon of water. Commercial products include Garden-Ville Fire Ant Control (Soil Conditioner) and GreenSense Soil Drench.
Step 3: Apply beneficial nematodes on problem areas. Be sure to apply these living organisms within the date deadline. They do have a shelf life.
Step 4: Spray the site at least monthly with Garrett .Juice which is a mixture of manure compost tea, seaweed, natural vinegar and molasses. Long term this is the only step necessary.
Not only does this program get rid of fire ants, they usually stay gone
**Reprinted with permission from Howard Garrett. The Dirt Doctor
Avoid frequent. shallow watering that lead to shallow root development.
Be sure your plants and lawn are adequately watered before a freeze.
It’s easy to read a rain gauge if you put a drops of food coloring in the tube. Even if the colored water dries up, there is enough residue to help read the next rainfall.
Next time a plastic bread wrapper melts into the toaster or the coffeepot, try this. Rub some petroleum jelly on the spot, reheat the appliance and use a paper towel to rub off the plastic and the printing.
Newspaper repels moths, which is quite helpful when storing woolen rugs.
Patent leather handbags and shoes can be quickly brightened with a polish of milk. Apply with a soft cloth and rub into a shiny new-like finish.
THE DIRT DOCTOR’S FERTILIZING PROGRAM* *
Round #1 February 1-15 - organic fertilizer @ 20 Ibs/l,000 sq. ft. (i.e. Garden-Ville, GreenSense, Bradfield, Maestro-Gro, Bioform Dry, Sustane or natural meals), lava sand at 80 lbs./l.000 sq. ft., and. sugar at 2-5 lbs./1,000 sq. ft.
Round #2 June 1-15 - organic fertilizer @20 lbs./1,000’ sq. ft., Texas greensand @ 80 Ibs./1,000 sq. ft. or soft rock phosphate at 30 lbs./l,000 sq. ft. if in acid soil areas.
Round #3 September 15-30 - organic fertilizer 20 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. sul-po-mag @ 20 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. In sandy acid soils use soft rock phosphate instead at 30 lbs/1,000 sq. ft.
| CALL TODAY 972-420-8700 or 214-418-5492 |
SPRAY PROGRAM-GARRETT JUICE
Manure compost tea Label directions or if homemade, 1 cup/gallon of water.
Molasses 1 ounce/gallon
Seaweed 1 ounce/gallon (liquid),
1 teaspoon/gallon (dry) or label directions
Natural apple cider vinegar 1 ounce/gallon
(Optional ingredients)Garlic tea 1/4cup/gallon or label directions -for minor insect or disease infestations.
Citrus oil I ounce/gallon of water as a spray, 2 ounces/gallon of water as a drench.
Baking soda 1 rounded tablespoon/gallon Potassium bicarbonate is a superior- substitute.
Liquid biostimulants Use per label-Agrispon, AgriOro, Medina, Bio-lnnoculanlant or similar product.
Neem Use per label directions for minor insect and disease infestations.
Dallas History
1952 Big Tex makes his first appearance at the State Fair, wearing
size 70 boots and 75-gallon hat.
1954 40-story Republic Bank Building, Dallas’ tallest structure is dedicated
1960 Dallas Cowboys professional football team is formed.
1974 Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport opens as the world’s
largest airport.
1981 Dallas Arboretum opens on the grounds of the DeGolyer Estate
on White Rock Lake
1991 Dallas celebrates its 150th birthday.
POPULATION EXPLOSION!
Do you ever wonder where all )f the people come from? It seems that everywhere you look, new houses are being built and there are cars and people everywhere. I decided to check on the population growth in our area and was astounded by what I found.
1976
1980
1990
est. 1-1-99
% change
Population
Population
Population
Population
1970-99
Dallas Co.
1,327,696
1,556,419
1,852,810
2,042,944
53.87%
Denton Co.
75,633
143,126
273,525
400,915
430.08%
Collin Co.
66,920
144,576
264,036
462,042
590.44%
Total
1,470,249
1,844,121
2,390,371
2,915,901
98.33%
Although our industry has made an attempt to keep up with the ever-growing population, it has been difficult to factor in and keep up with the companies that come and go leaving behind faulty workmanship and poorly designed and installed lawn sprinkler systems.
There are currently 680 licensed irrigators in Dallas, Denton and Collin counties, of these 37 (5.4%) received their license prior to 1980 and have maintained current status . 250 (36.76%) received their license between 1980-1990 and have maintained current status. Between the years of 1990-1994 130 (19.12%) new licenses were issued and in the last 5 years, 263 (38.68%), that is 57.8% in the last 10 years alone. Unfortunately, I did not have data to indicate how many received their license and failed to renew. As you can see, sprinkler companies come and go in rapid succession.
NORMAL AND ACTUAL RAINFALL TEMPERATURE
|
NORM |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
AVERAGE |
1998 |
1999 |
|
|
JAN. |
1.83 |
0.33 |
5.07 |
1.44 |
43.4 |
48.40 |
48.60 |
|
FEB. |
2.18 |
7.40 |
3.22 |
0.48 |
47.9 |
51.10 |
55.50 |
|
MARCH |
2.77 |
2.21 |
4.45 |
2.84 |
56.7 |
54.90 |
56.40 |
|
APRIL |
3.50 |
6.73 |
1.25 |
2.74 |
65.5 |
63.80 |
67.90 |
|
MAY |
4.88 |
3.93 |
2.38 |
6.91 |
72.8 |
78.50 |
90.20 |
|
JUNE |
2.98 |
4.00 |
1.75 |
0.99 |
81.0 |
85.50 |
79.00 |
|
JULY |
2.31 |
1.68 |
0.11 |
0.77 |
85.3 |
91.60 |
69.20 |
|
AUG. |
2.21 |
3.13 |
0.35 |
T |
84.9 |
87.80 |
|
|
SEPT. |
3.39 |
2.01 |
0.68 |
2.30 |
77.4 |
83.60 |
|
|
OCT. |
3.52 |
5.64 |
5.64 |
2.26 |
67.2 |
69.50 |
|
|
NOV. |
2.29 |
1.01 |
4.91 |
|
56.2 |
57.60 |
|
|
DEC. |
0.47 |
6.93 |
4.43 |
|
46.9 |
47.00 |
|
|
TOTAL |
32.33 |
45.01 |
34.24 |
20.73 |
65.43 |
68.28 |
70.88 |
Don't forget to conserve water November-March as those cities that operate on a sewer average generally do so during those months.
DFW: Earliest and Latest Freezes
Earliest First Latest First Date Temp Date Temp Oct 22, 1898 31 Jan 4, 1973 21
Oct 27, 1957 29 Dec 26, 1922 27 Earliest Last Latest Last Feb 14, 1946 29 April 11,1989 29 Information obtained from National Weather Service in Ft. Worth, Texas 10/27/99
American Lawn Sprinkler News There are so many of you that I have come to know personally over the years, I want to send a special “thank you” and express how much we appreciate your continued business. I want to let you know how much I appreciate your confidence in us. Thank you for your many referrals to your friends and neighbors both for new systems and for repair service. How Much and How Often to Water? One of the most frequently asked questions is how much should I be watering? It is generally recommended that you water approximately 1” per week during the hot summer months. This should be applied as infrequently as possible. A basic rule of thumb for you to use if you have not measured the actual amount of water your sprinkler system will produce during a given period of time should be: Pop up spray type heads: One hour of watering time will produce approx. 1’ of moisture. Rotary or oscillating type heads: One hour of watering time will produce approx. 1/3” of water. We have many types of soil conditions in and around Dallas. The actual amount of water needed for your particular soil Conditions, grade and landscaping may vary. SEE WATER PAGE 2 PAGE 2 WATER: Continued Page 1 Watering your lawn too frequently promotes a shallow root system as well as a variety of diseases and fungus. Shallow roots do not always adequately protect plants and grass from winter freeze damage. ARE YOUR OLD BRASS SPRINKLER HEADS GIVING YOU A HEADACHE? In order to try and protect our landfill, many lawn maintenance companies have stopped bagging grass and are cutting the grass higher than ever before. Taller, thicker grass has been causing problems with the older style 2” brass pop up heads. They seem to be in constant need of trimming and the lawn crews are unable or unwilling to take the time to properly keep them trimmed. Beginning October 1, 1996 and continuing thru February 28, 1997, we will offer a 10% discount off both parts and labor to replace all of your old brass heads with new 4” high pop up heads. As many of you already know, our company relocated its office to Lewisville in 1987. That, of course, means we are affected by the new and confusing area code change. Please be sure you have our correct telephone number for your records. 972-420-8700 Our normal office hours are 8:15 to 4:30 Monday thru Friday. Should you have an emergency and need help after our normal business hours you may call our EMERGENCY PAGER number. Two of the most common reasons that I get emergency calls are, one zone of the sprinkler system is stuck on or there is a constant leak. I have included a section on repair tips to help you through these emergency situations. When an emergency arises, I will try to talk you through the problem on the telephone to solve the immediate crisis then the actual repair can be scheduled as a regular service call during normal business hours to save you the additional emergency call rates. AMERICAN LAWN SPRINKLER CO. (972)420-8700 WINTER SEWER AVERAGING Your monthly sewer rate for the entire year is based on the average water usage for 3 or 4 months of the year. The months vary from city to city and it may be advisable to check with your water company to find out when the averaging takes place. Since the sewer portion of your water bill is often the highest, you may want to monitor your usage. MONTHLY AVERAGING Carrollton-90 days between December 15th and March 30th Dallas Dec-March Flower Mound-Dec.-Feb. Highland Village-Nov.-Feb. Lewisville-Dec-March Richardson-Nov.-Feb. Univ.Park-Nov.-.Jan. Coppell, Farmers Branch, Highland Park. Garland and Plano do not average sewer bill
TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS You have an electronic or digital controller that seems to either have a mind of its own or no display at all. Many times lightning and/or power surges can cause this type of controller to malfunction. To reset the controller, you must unplug it from the main power source and remove any battery back up. Wait approximately 5 minutes and reinstall the plug and the battery. You should now have a display showing the default time. Reset and reprogram the controller. If this does not solve the problem, you may be in need of a service technician. You have a mechanical controller that does not come on at the time it is set or comes on at odd times. Most of the time when your mechanical controller is not coming on at the proper time, it is because it does not know the current day and time. Check to be sure the controller is set with the current day and time. AMERICAN LAWN SPRINKLER CO. (972) 420-8700 How do I turn of f the water to my sprinkler system? There is almost always a place to turn off your sprinkler system that is separate from your main house cut off. I strongly suggest you locate this cut off and familiarize yourself with it BEFORE you need to actually use it. Follow these steps to locate the cut off: 1. Locate your city water meter. Generally located in the front yard either in the sidewalk or parkway. In Highland Park and Univ. Park the meter is located in the back alley. 2. The cut off should be approximately 3—8 feet directly in front of the water meter (toward the house). It will be in either a large concrete box, large plastic box or in some of the older systems (1967 or older) a round or oblong galvanized type box. 3. Open the box, you may need a large screwdriver to pry the lid up. You should see one or more round type handles in the box. Any of the handles should turn off the water to the system. 4. Some systems may also have a drain valve in this box, the drain should be near the upper end (opposite side from water meter) of the box. After the water has been turned off, open the drain valve, water from the system should drain from this valve. If you have difficulty locating your cut off, call our office, we may be able to offer some suggestions.
Do I need to turn off MY system in the winter? This is a difficult question to answer. Most of the time I would answer “No”. Most sprinkler systems are buried sufficiently deep to protect them from freeze damage. However, I try to refrain from ever saying “never”. If the temperature is going to remain below freezing for several consecutive days or if you are going to be out of town, it may be a good precautionary measure to turn off the system. Consider the age of your system. If your sprinkler is 20 or 30 years old and you have never had any freeze problems and have never turned off the system at the main water source, then you probably don’t have anything to worry about. Know what type of backflow device you have. If you have an above ground vacuum breaker type of backflow, your system definitely needs to be protected form the elements. This type of backflow needs to be protected just as any other type of outdoor plumbing fixture.
CONTROLLER INSTRUCTIONS Many of you have moved into new homes with existing sprinkler systems and I have difficulty in setting your new sprinkler controller. We have instructions to many different I manufacturers controllers. Should you need a set of instructions, we will be happy to mail a copy to you if we have one available. Or we may be able to offer instructions to you I on the telephone if we do not have the instructions you need.
Oct 28,1925 30 Dec 25,1965 31
0ct 29,1913 32 Dec l7,1930 32
Feb 8, 1976 30 Apr 13, 1957 30
Feb 8, 1907 26 Apr 13, 1997 32
Feb l4, 1981 27 Apr 12,1940 31