Get the Jump on Lawn Pests

Don't let insects and weeds get a foothold in your lawn. Take action soon so your lawn will look great all summer long. For complete instructions on how to give a spring tune-up, click here.

In many parts of the country, white grubs wreak havoc with lawns. They feed on grass roots and can destroy your entire lawn if left untreated. If you had a white grub problem last fall but didn't do anything about it (more information on grubs), use Bayer Advanced™ 24-Hour Grub Killer Plus Granules. It delivers overnight results, and it also kills ants^†, chinch bugs, crickets, cutworms, earwigs, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, millipedes, mole crickets, pillbugs, scorpions, sod webworms, sowbugs and ticks. If you want to protect your lawn from grubs all season apply Bayer Advanced™ Season-Long Grub Control Granules next month. Its new, patented dual-action formulation controls grubs all season long, PLUS promotes turf recovery with essential nutrients.

If you have also had problems with insects that feed on grass blades, such as armyworms, chinch bugs and sod webworms, use Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Concentrate. It combines two Bayer proprietary ingredients that kill more than 50 kinds of above and belowground pests including ants, aphids, armyworms, bagworms, chinch bugs, cockroaches, cutworms, earwigs, fleas, grasshoppers, gypsy moths, lace bugs, leafhoppers, leaf miners, mealybugs, mosquitoes, pine tip moths, rose midges, sod webworms, spiders, spittlebugs, thrips, ticks, white grubs and whiteflies. Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Concentrate is also available in both ready-to-spread granules and ready-to-spray liquid. These products can also be used to control insects on flowers and shrubs. To keep pests away from homes, apply beneath shrubs, around house foundation and nearby grass or weeds.

Control weeds. Weeds compete with grasses for water and nutrients and make your lawn look lousy. A well-cared-for, vigorous lawn will resist weed invasions, but if you have problems, use Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Concentrate. It kills lawn weeds like dandelion and clover, plus grassy weeds, like crabgrass and nutgrass, in one easy step. For St. Augustine lawns and other Southern lawns, use Bayer Advanced™ Southern Weed Killer for Lawns Ready-To-Spray to control your broadleaf weeds.

^†Ants except Carpenter Ants, Fire Ants, Harvester Ants, and Pharaoh Ants.

New Roses for 2007

Last December we told you about the 2007 All-America Rose Selections 'Moondance,' 'Strike It Rich' and 'Rainbow Knockout.' Here are few other new roses that caught our eye, just in time for spring planting season.

'Topsy Turvey'. This is an oddball floribunda that really grabbed our attention in our test garden. The flowers are described as scarlet red with a white reverse, but that doesn't do them justice. What makes this rose unusual is the way the petals twist and turn as the flowers open, showing various shades of cream, orange and red. We guarantee you'll do a double-take. The plant is free-blooming, clean-foliaged and disease-resistant.

'In The Mood' is a brilliant red hybrid tea, which is a must for bouquets. The blooms have rounded petals and a mild tea fragrance. But this rose is really about the red color ? intense and luxurious. This free-blooming, upright plant performs well in any weather.

'Cinnamon Twist' bears smoky, orangey-coral blooms with a yellow base. The petals are ruffled and twisted, providing nice texture. The flowers are born singly or in clusters and have a nice spicy fragrance. This is an upright, free-blooming plant.

'Ruffled Cloud' is a hardy shrub rose with huge (up to 50 blooms) clusters of fragrant, deep pink, ruffled blooms. The plant grows up to four feet high and is extremely hardy.

'Mother of Pearl' is a soft-pink grandiflora with excellent disease resistance. A tall, bushy plant, it performs well in all climates.

Caring for Newly Planted Trees

Young trees require special attention if you want them to become long-lived landmarks in your landscape. First, make sure they get proper water. After planting, construct double, concentric watering basins. The first should be just outside the rootball and the second about two feet outside that. Fill the inner basin with water to wet the rootball and use the outer one to wet the surrounding soil. Until the roots of the tree extend into the native soil, the inner circle will have to be filled with water most often, possibly more than once a week in hot weather. The outer circle can be filled less often. After the first year the inner circle can be taken down. When you water, make sure the water penetrates the entire rooting area. This means filling a 6- to 8-inch-high basin two or three times.

Remove any tightly attached stakes that came with the tree from the nursery. If the tree can't stand upright on its own (an unstaked tree develops a stronger trunk) or if it needs protection, pound in two sturdy stakes on opposite sides of the trunk but outside the rootball. Secure the trunk to each post with flexible ties (cloth or plastic). The tree should not be tied so tightly that it can't sway somewhat in the wind.

To protect young trees from insects, including borers and scale, apply Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate. One application protects for up to 12 months. To feed and protect, use Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed Granules.

No Weed Left Behind

There are two types of weeds - grassy and broadleaf. Bayer Advanced has formulated a weed killer that targets both types of weeds at once, anytime throughout the season - Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Concentrate.

Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Ready-To-Use is two products in one. One formulation, one step kills ALL of the most common lawn weeds- Dandelions, Crabgrass, Nutsedge and Clover plus over 200 other types of broadleaf and grassy weeds. And it does so without harming your lawn (not for use on St. Augustinegrass, bahia, bentgrass, carpetgrass, centipedegrass or dicondra).

Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Concentrate in concentrated form is the best value for treating large areas. It treats over 10,000 square feet. And now Bayer Advanced has created the Exclusive Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Lawn Weed & Crabgrass Killer Ready-To-Spray formula that makes controlling lawn weed plus crabgrass easier than ever before. Just hook to the hose and your are ready to treat your entire lawn.

Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Weed Killer for Lawns Ready-To-Use comes in two convenient formulations. The ready-to-use formula is ideal for spot treatments and comes with convenient SmartTrack®, a non-staining red marker that shows you exactly where you've treated. The new 1.3 gallon container comes with an easy-to-use battery-powered sprayer (batteries included).