Crabgrass and Nutsedge Control

If you are like most of us and are having issues with crabgrass and nutsedge emerging in your lawns there is help available.

Drive 75DF is a selective post emergent herbicide developed by BASF used in controlling crabgrass in both warm and cool season turf. It also has a residual effect that will keep new crabgrass from emerging/germinating up to 45 days after spraying. It also controls a handful of broadleaf weeds. Make sure that you mix it correctly for your type of turf and add a surfactant to the mix solution to help it stick to the weeds better.

For nutsedge control there is a product called Manage made by Monsanto that is great for nutsedge control. It is also a selective post emergent herbicide that can be sprayed in cool and warm season lawns. Occasionally 2 spray applications are needed as nutsedge is difficult to control. Glyphsate (Round Up) will only burn the tips however it will continue to grow.

Always read the herbicide label thoroughly if you are unfamiliar with the chemical. Remember your PPE (personal protective equipment) such as gloves and respirators because these chemicals are often harmful if inhaled/ingested or come in contact with your skin.


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QR Code for Albemarle Hort Blog

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Landscape Design 6/11/2011

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Bonchak Residence Design

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Landscape Design Software (fooling around)

Test driving my new landscape design software.


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Handy Applications

To add to one of the million different reasons that mobile technology is here to stay Apple has a few different applications in the App Store that allow you to hone in on the overhead view of a property. The view is very clear too I must add allowing you to get a very clear picture of site details. It is especially handy in regards to newer properties that do not have mature landscaping as the tree canopies on an older property will block out any view of what lies beneath them. Either way, it also allows you to drop a "pin" from one point to the next giving you a measurement from one "pin" to the next so no matter what the age of the landscaping is there are still other components to it that make the application very useful. You can also close in the entire area in and it will give you a square footage reading also making it a very nice site map.

Once again, even though I still am an avid Palm user Apple has the best applications period and an OS that a 2 year old can figure out rather quickly leaving no room for error.








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Curves

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USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

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Osama Is DEAD!!

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Beneficial Insects

Mother Natures pest control. Beneficial insects are becoming quite popular when it comes to defending our plants against insects. You can find most of them online and are the best defense in keeping insect populations to a minimum.






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Pruning

These pictures illustrate different methods of pruning. Always prune so that the plants can continue their natural shape. Minimal pruning such as what some call pocket pruning where you thin the growth by reaching down into the plant. This opens up the plant allowing more sunlight to reach the plant making them more dense.












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Location:Effingham Cir,Raleigh,United States

Rain Gardens

Consider installing a rain garden to capture stormwater run-off on your property. There are a multitude of very attractive plants that thrive in rain gardens to suit just about any taste. Rain gardens can also be a habitat for wildlife. Just about all of us have at least one area in our yards that could potentially cater to a rain garden. The pictures below better illustrate this process. If you have any questions just ask.













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Location:Effingham Cir,Raleigh,United States

Butterfly on butterfly bush. Raleigh


Night lighting on waterfall. Raleigh


Nice night lighting shot of boulder/perennial. Raleigh


One of the best pictures I have of my lab Collins. Raleigh


Bald Cypress Sans Souci Windsor


Sans Souci-Windsor


One of my favorite trees in Windsor-Johnsons Mill


Johnsons Mill


Mt. Gould


Salmon Creek at Dads House


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Landscape Photography

Japanese Maple that I planted originally on Water St in Windsor in memory of Elaine Cherry (Davis/Hoggard) but was moved to my house in Raleigh after my Dad moved to Salmon Creek.


Butterfly on Echinacea in my garden. Raleigh, NC


Fence in adjacent to the King-Bazemore House. Windsor, NC



Bald Cypress on Salmon Creek



French-Broad River


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Location:North Carolina

Commercial Landscape Management

This is a large account in Research Triangle Park that I used to manage. Definitely one of my favorites.











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Location:RTP, NC United States

Sasanqua Camellia (Scale)

Scale has got to be one of the most difficult to control insects that I have ever encountered. I have never been able to make one or two applications and been able to just walk away.

I also must take into consideration that I am using an organic insect treatment and though these products are extremely safe they tend to move rather slow not to mention it's more like a 6 or 7 application process. I am just now noticing that the population is declining however I have been fighting these guys for months.

Both my Sasanqua Camellia and Heritage River Birch always seem to have scale. The River Birch will get mealy bugs too towards the end of the Summer into the Fall


Sasanqua Camellia








Heritage River Birch






The product that I am using contains .10% Sesame Oil, 1.84% Edible Fish Oil, .6% Lecithin and the remaining 98% is water.

Again, this is an organic product that moves very slow. It kills on contact and doesn't have much of a residual therefore the insects MUST come in contact with the insecticide.

If the infected plant(s) are more than 25-30% covered with scale I would use something stronger like Tal-Star, Merit or Conserve. These are non-organic and also kill beneficial insects like bees, ladybugs, etc. so if you have to go this route then READ THE LABEL and mix accordingly. Again, use this product very sparingly because of the environmental/safety risks. There is a certain threshold that you must learn to accept and manage.

Location:Effingham Cir,Raleigh,United States

Grandmothers Painting

Forgot to attach a picture
before......


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Location:Effingham Cir,Raleigh,United States

Pansies & Tulips

Always a great combo!




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Location:Effingham Cir,Raleigh,United States

Grandmothers Painting

This is a favorite of mine that MeMa painted in 1976 a year or so before I was born. I always showed an interest in it and sure enough she made sure that it was known that it would go to me one day and now it proudly hangs in my living room.


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Location:House

Bertie County Landmarks

Samuel Cox House


Hope Plantation (House)


King-Bazemore House


Hope Plantation (House)


King-Bazemore House


Freeman Hotel


Episcopal Church-Avoca Farm/Salmon Creek







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Location:Litchford Rd,Raleigh,United States