Woody and perennial weeds can be controlled now by spraying their foliage with glyphosate or triclopyr. Plants are moving sugars from their leaves down to their roots, and the herbicide will be moved as well, killing the root system of the weed and eliminating the chance for regrowth. Don’t spray unless winds are calm. Nonselective herbicides like these could kill any plant that comes in contact with the spray, so be extremely careful. In a tight spot, apply the herbicide with a paint brush or sponge attached to a long stick.
Remember that stressed plants are more prone to disease. Be sure that your plants are in the proper location and have adequate light, water, and nutrients.
Dogwood trees can succumb to a fatal fungal disease called Discula anthracnose. The fungus spreads in cool, wet spring and fall conditions. Summer drought stresses trees so they are more susceptible to attack. Early symptoms occur on the leaves and, if left unchecked, the disease can spread into the twigs and branches resulting in cankers. To help prevent the spread of this disease, promptly dispose of all fallen dogwood leaves.
Flower flies, also known as hover flies, are important late season pollinators and predators in your garden. The tiny adults, which look like bees, are easy to see with their bright orange, yellow, and black markings. They feed on pollen and are especially attracted to asters, marigolds, goldenrod, and blue mist shrub. The immature larvae are brightly colored red, orange, and green maggots. They have a ferocious appetite for aphids, rivaled only by ladybird beetles and lacewings.
Flower flies, also known as hover flies, are important late season pollinators and predators in your garden. The tiny adults, which look like bees, are easy to see with their bright orange, yellow, and black markings. They feed on pollen and are especially attracted to asters, marigolds, goldenrod, and blue mist shrub. The immature larvae are brightly colored red, orange, and green maggots. They have a ferocious appetite for aphids, rivaled only by ladybird beetles and lacewings.
Bring your houseplants inside when night temperatures drop below 45°F. Most houseplants are from tropical climates where the average temperature during the coolest month is 64°F. Before moving them inside, spray your houseplants with a 1% horticultural oil solution to prevent insects or eggs from making their way into your home.
Look for signs of juniper webworm on junipers. The adult moth can lay 50 to 130 eggs in the late summer. During early fall, caterpillars mine the leaves on the inner foliage of the plant. This feeding is difficult to see because the caterpillars do not reach maturity until the onset of winter. It is important to act now if your junipers are heavily infested since most pesticides do not adequately control the caterpillars in the spring when they do most of their damage. In serious infestations, the mature caterpillars cover branches with their webs and eat most of the interior foliage. Carefully check interior foliage now, separating the branches to look for silk webbing and, small tan caterpillars with brownish red stripes. Prune out the webs and brown foliage. If caterpillar populations are high you may want to apply a pesticide containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).