- With all the rain, compost piles have high moisture levels. To encourage the pile to decompose quicker, add 1 cup of lawn fertilizer per 10 square foot of pile surface. Spread the fertilizer over the pile.
- Slugs and snail populations are high because of the moisture and plant cover. Spread slug and snail bait in the flower garden and around the vegetable garden to keep the pests under control.
- Fire ant mounds are visible because of the rain. Treat individual mounds with an acephate- or spinosad-based insecticide. Spinosad can be used in the vegetable garden.
- The soil and air are now warm enough for Bermuda grass and buffalo grass seed to germinate.
Dr. Calvin Finch is Urban Water Program Director for the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources.
You can ask Calvin question and hear his answers on the air as he co-hosts the Gardening South Texas on the air at KLUP (AM 930) Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 2:00pm.