Lawns:
The first of September is the time to apply pre-emergent herbicides, so start thinking about it now. These herbicides do one thing and one thing only, they keep seeds from establishing root systems. We apply this in the spring and fall because that’s when we get the best bang for our buck. The big question is when is the best time? The rule of thumb is from the first of September to the first of November. I try for some time in the first two weeks of September. The kicker is that seeds don’t care what month it is. All they care about is the presence of soil, soil temperature, moisture and a specific amount of sunlight. When the conditions are met, the seed will sprout. You should not apply pre-emergent herbicides in the garden, on new sod or if you plan to over seed the lawn with a rye grass. Do you know how big your lawn is? This is an important number and will be needed to apply the proper amount of pre-emergent (or any other product).
Pre-emergent herbicides are available in both synthetic and all-natural forms. On the synthetic side is “Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper”. That won’t fit on our receipts so we call it “Dimension”. Dimension targets the grassy weeds and is available in a 12lb bag that covers 3,500 square feet and 30lb bag that covers 10,000 square feet. “Gallery” zeros in on the broadleaf weeds and it’s available in a 10lb bag that will cover 2,000 square feet.
The all-natural product is “corn gluten meal”. It’s available in powder and pelletized form in a 40lb bag. The powder activates faster, but is a mess to apply. The pelletized is slower to activate, but is considerably less of a mess. Each bag will cover 2,000 square feet. As always, read and follow the label directions. The following link will help.
When: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2020/09/23/apply-fall-preemergence-herbicide-to-avoid-spring-weeds/
Deer Plots:
The start date to plant winter food plots for deer will be upon us soon. Product selection in this area is vast. Unfortunately, many are tailored too large or too small for the plots we plant or even worse, the wrong area. That is why Wells Brothers has put together a “Build Your Own Plot Mix” section. This allows hunters to buy wheat, oats, clover, turnips and Austrian winter peas by the pound. It also gives you options. Our “Build Your Own Plot Mix” should be up and running around the middle part of September.
There are three mistakes that folks commonly make when doing a food plot and yes, I have made all three! The number one mistake is burying the seed too deep. The large seeds can handle it a little too deep but not the small ones. The second mistake is adding fertilizer and seed at the same time. This is very risky as you can burn the seed. The third mistake is not having a way to monitor the growth of the plot. There are few things more frustrating than spending the time and money and not knowing if it even grew.
Here are the solutions:
1. If you have a planter, you can disregard this one. Once the dirt work is done and the seeds are sown, lay three or four tee posts on a piece of chain link fence about six to ten foot long and drag the plot, one time. This will get the seeds covered enough to germinate.
2. Apply fertilizer two weeks before you plant or two weeks after the crop comes up. Consider the extra trip, quality time in the woods.
3. In the center of the plot, drive the tee posts in a circle. Wrap the chain link around them and secure it to the posts. This is the area where we monitor the growth of the plot.
Even when we do everything right, we still need the right amount of rain at the correct time. Let’s all have a safe and productive hunting season. And try to keep that deer meat under $850.00 a pound.
The following link is information on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Texas.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd
Don’t forget about the Texas Bears: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/resources/bear_safety/