(Audio 06/29/09) This time of the year it is easy to evaluate where you may need shade in your lawn and landscape. You also may want to consider providing shade for your house. This can cut energy costs. Make a plan to plant shade trees during the fall. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/01/09) Mowing is the biggest lawn chore during the summer months. To keep your lawn looking attractive, you should mow every five to seven days. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Video 06/015/09) Do you neglect some of your gardening work during the summer because it’s just too hot? Well, on this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill has a plant suggestion that will get you out of the sun and into the shade. (Runtime: 1 minute, 35 seconds)
(Audio 06/22/09) Snails and slugs thrive in our hot and humid summer weather. They chew holes in leaves and attack low-growing plants. Gardeners have several options to control them. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/08/09) Louisiana gardeners should be concerned about summer storms, especially hurricanes. Check trees now to determine if they need attention before a storm hits. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/15/09) Container plants are great on porches, decks and patios, but water from these pots can damage wooden surfaces. Boosting container plants will keep the wood dry and safe. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/15/09) Louisiana gardeners primarily grow everblooming roses, but some gardeners grow once-blooming roses. These plants that bloom once a year should be pruned in summer after they have finished blooming. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/08/09) Gardenia plants add a wonderful fragrance to southern landscapes. Pruning these plants requires some thought. The buds set the year before they open. Pruning has to be done right after they finish blooming. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/29/09) The intense heat we have in Louisiana during July doesn't mean we can't plant vegetables into our gardens. A number of vegetables actually grow well and even thrive in our summer heat. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/01/09) Containers allow us to have plants where they would not otherwise grow. During the summer, these plants have to be watered often, which can cause nutrients to leach out. A slow-release fertilizer will give container plants the boosts they need throughout the summer. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(For Release On Or After 06/19/09) If you picked dewberries or blackberries from the wild as a child (or adult) and miss those wonderful shiny, black fruit bursting with sweet juice, you’ll be glad to know blackberries are easy-to-grow and productive in the home garden.
(Audio 06/29/09) Web worms are small, fuzzy caterpillars that feed on the foliage of a variety of trees. They create a web tent, and while they may not look nice, they do not harm the tree. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/08/09) Large, mature shade trees are the most valuable and irreplaceable part of out landscape. Lightening strikes are common in the summertime, and lightening can kill a tree. If a tree is struck and it is still green a month later, it likely survived the strike. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/15/09) Crape myrtles are popular landscape trees. One problem with crape myrtles is suckers. Pruning the suckers and using a sprout inhibitor on them can keep them away for up to a year. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/29/09) The highest quality tomatoes come out of Louisiana gardens in late May and early June. In July, the intense heat takes its toll on the plants and the fruit they produce. Tomato production will drop off this month. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/22/09) By now many gardeners have been harvesting tomatoes. A variety of problems can arise with tomato plants, and by late June production may be shutting down because of the heat. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/01/09) Louisiana gardeners can start picking ripe tomatoes as early as late May, but by June the crop is really starting to mature. Gardeners may want to harvest their tomatoes early to avoid pest problems. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Video 06/08/09) Beautiful flowering plants in a landscape can catch your attention. But they don’t necessarily have to be planted in the ground to provide beauty and fragrance. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill encourages gardeners to take plants higher than ground level, while bringing flowers closer to the senses. (Runtime: 1 minute, 41 seconds)
(Video 06/22/09) Plants in hanging baskets can add a nice touch to patios or other outdoor living areas. LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill shows you some shade-loving basket plants and how to care for them on this edition of Get It Growing. (Runtime: 1:39)
(For Release On Or After 06/26/09) When I’m asked about what should be done in the garden this time of year, I generally reply, “As little as possible.” The period from late June to mid-September is the most stressful time of the year for gardeners and their plants.
(For Release On Or After 06/05/09) June is the peak month for harvesting early summer vegetables. One reason people grow their own vegetables is the outstanding quality of freshly harvested produce. Harvesting at the right stage, however, is essential to getting the best quality vegetables from your garden.
(Audio 06/22/09) The baldcypress is the state tree of Louisiana. Cypress trees tend to produce knees in swampy conditions. This usually is not an issue in well-drained landscapes, but sometimes knees can form. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(For Release On Or After 06/12/09) Summer-flowering vines can be used to provide color, fragrance and interest to Louisiana landscapes. They also can provide screening and even shade if they are allowed to cover an overhead structure. Indeed, no other group of plants can provide the same effects as vines.
(Audio 06/08/09) Fallen leaves and grass clippings are ideal materials for compost piles. In June, you probably have plenty of grass clippings. Use a bag attachment on a mower to collect the clippings for composting. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/22/09) Many herbs don't care for the intense heat of summer. One herb gardeners can grow this time of the year is Mexican tarragon. It is related to marigolds. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/15/09) If you planted a tree within the past year, make sure that tree gets plenty of water this summer. LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains a good way to ensure new trees get adequate moisture. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Radio News 06/29/09) Lawn care is in high gear this time of the year, and homeowners should be mowing regularly. Another lawn chore includes watering when drought stress occurs. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/15/09) Gardeners are always looking for plants that are easy to grow and will thrive in Louisiana's summer heat. Pentas are a good plant for this time of the year. They come in a variety of shades and bloom all summer long. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/08/09) Caterpillars are major pests on many of our ornamentals, vegetables and fruit and nut trees. Hand-picking the caterpillars is a safe way to control them but may not be practical. Gardeners can use organic sprays to control caterpillars. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 06/01/09) In June, gardeners are harvesting a bountiful amount of vegetables. They also can plant vegetables this month, but these vegetables must be tolerant of the heat. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Video 06/01/09) Although many people like to avoid pesticides, sometimes that’s the only way to control pest problems on plants. On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains how to choose the safest pesticides that are right for the job. (Runtime: 1 minute, 39 seconds)
(Video 06/29/09) For landscape color during the summer months most Louisiana gardeners plant hot weather bedding plants. But, on this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill shows you how to sustain beautiful summer color -- with a vine. (Runtime: 1:40)
(Audio 06/01/09) Gardeners can become concerned about lichens growing on the bark of trees -- especially trees that are doing poorly. But these growths are self-sufficient and don't harm the trees. (Runtime: 60 seconds)