Prime's Clippings June 2016

Ratibida Columnaris

Mexican Hat - one of our prominent June wildflowers

Rain, Rain, Rain...

Your back yard rain gauge is a more accurate measure than the averages across the metroplex, but the storms have been widespread enough that most of us are about even in the rainfall race. My April readings were about 5 inches and May is at about 6. That folks, is a lot of rain. Coupled with the fact that we set a record or two for “low high temperatures”, this has been a cool month as well. I personally have enjoyed the cool damp weather, but lots of plants have not.

I noted last month that Indian Hawthorns have been defoliated by fungal leaf spot, and lately I have watched my pretty purple oxalis disappear from rust infestation. Coral honeysuckle, native to east Texas and normally well adapted here, has been victimized by powdery mildew. I caution against planting periwinkles in these conditions and haven’t seen any phytophthora yet, but it will be a miracle if we don’t lose at least some before the sun comes back.

In short, you can expect to see a variety of fungal issues across a variety of plants.

But on the bright side, we haven’t had to worry about watering much of anything just yet! And we all know it will be plenty hot soon enough, so enjoy it while you can.

Sprinkler Systems 101

Thanks to Murphy’s Law, it seems that right when you need your sprinkler system the most is also when it is most likely to break down. Unlike changing the oil in your car, there isn’t a whole lot of preventive maintenance you can perform on your sprinklers, but routine inspections are extremely important.

A typical sprinkler system starts at the backflow device, which is usually in a large box located a few feet from your water meter. There are 2 handles here which are used to turn the water off to the sprinklers without affecting the water to your house. Silt often accumulates around this valve and the handles corrode, making it difficult to turn off the water in an emergency. We recommend cleaning out the silt once a year and replacing your handles with stainless steel handles. Stainless handles will last forever.

Your control valves are located throughout the yard and have an electric solenoid and rubber diaphragm. These parts fail over time, the wire splices may corrode, and fire ants eat the insulation off the wires. If a valve is not coming on it is often an electrical problem. If it sticks on and runs continuously, it is usually a bad diaphragm or debris may have lodged in the valve. In most cases, we rebuild the valve with all new components, or replace the valve entirely if there is internal wear or other issues.

Spray heads are typically used for patterns of 4 ft up to 15 ft, rotors for patterns of 15 ft to 40 ft, drip irrigation for ornamental beds or pots, and bubbler heads for trees, large plants, or large pots. Pop-up sprays and rotors have seals that harden with age and leak or prevent the head from lowering after it pops up. This is the main reason heads get broken by mowers. Properly installed, a head that is working properly cannot be hit by a mower. If you see a lot of water pooling around a head when it is running it may have a bad seal. Spray nozzles also become clogged, and heads settle so that they are crooked, too low, or too high. Drip is notorious for being damaged by digging in beds, and rodents also love to chew on drip. Correcting these issues is all part of routine maintenance. Your controller is the brain of the system, and most of today’s controllers have sophisticated settings that allow you to optimize how and when you apply water. Like any computer, they may be damaged by power surges, lightning, or gremlins. But what is the first thing you always check when your controller isn’t working? The electrical outlet! Plug something else in and make sure you have electricity there. If so, then you can call us to come look for the gremlins.

Core Aeration

Aeration is one of the most beneficial turf management practices, and this is one of the best times of the year to aerate your lawn. Core aeration pulls little plugs of soil out of the ground, loosening compacted soil and allowing water to percolate deeper into the soil. This also increases air in the soil and root growth, giving your lawn the tools it needs to thrive in the long hot summer ahead. Aeration is beneficial almost any time of the year, but improving your yard’s ability to absorb water before the hottest part of summer is particularly helpful. And this year, with our overly saturated soils, the increased air in the soil is particularly helpful. Prices start at just $149.00, so give us a call to get on the schedule.

Not Fun and Hot Fun in the Summertime

Yes, with the official start of summer only 21 days away, the sun will eventually make an appearance and things will start to dry out, and the drying usually happens faster than you expect. One of the phenomena we observed last year when the rain faucets finally shut off was that our trees and other plants had put on growth like they thought the water would never stop. And when it did stop, they dropped leaves, stared browning, or wilted easily in response. We may also see drooping from root damage or root diseases when plants in heavy soils or low areas have been saturated for several weeks. There is not much we can do for plants that suffer root loss, but for our lawns and ornamentals that are addicted to rain we may need to start watering soon after the rains end rather than waiting until the soil really dries out.

Dull, droopy leaves on a stem or plant are often an indication of root damage or root disease. If only a section of the plant is affected, prune it out and the remainder of the plant may recuperate. If the entire plant droops and loses it’s sheen you better make plans to replace it.

With area lakes full many cities have relaxed water restrictions but you still need to check your local ordinances and conserve water when you can.


Once we get into a hot dry weather pattern chinch bugs may make an appearance in your lawn. The lush growth we are having creates an ideal habitat. Chinch bugs are often the cause of large dry looking areas in sunny St. Augustine lawns. Most of the time people just think they have a clogged sprinkler head or aren’t watering enough. If you notice a possible infestation call us immediately.

Gray leaf spot is a fungal disease that primarily affects St. Augustine in warm humid weather. The result is mottled yellow areas that are most noticeable after fertilizing. The fertilizer will green up healthy areas making the infected areas paler in comparison. Severe cases should be treated with fungicide.

You may have noticed that this article is heavy on issues you may expect to see from the abundance of water we have received these last two months, so how the heck do we tie that to the “Hot Fun” in the headline? It is easy for me to dwell on plant problems since folks mostly call when they have a problem to solve and rarely when they are just enjoying a good time in their yard. But for those who would enjoy their yard even more with a pool or water feature, don’t forget that Prime can help you find that path to enjoyment. We currently have 3 big pool projects breaking ground in the next few weeks and Spencer and Josh are taking on more clients for their pool and pond maintenance services. So if you are thinking of a custom pool for next year or need help with the pool or pond that you have now, keep Prime in mind!