I now have my Celsius herbicide ready for application in late March. Typically, I apply my annual lawn fertilizer in early April. Is there any problem applying the Celsius herbicide in addition to the fertilizer? Any recommended order for applying these? My goal is to get a jump on Virginia buttonweed and other summer weeds. — Richard
Virginia buttonweed is one of our leading lawn weeds and control can be challenging. It’s a good idea to be planning on how you will deal with the weed this summer, particularly if you had problems last summer. There is no problem with using Celsius in addition to fertilizing.
Lawns generally begin to emerge from dormancy here in March. In south Louisiana, it is best to make the first fertilizer application in late March after the grass has greened up. Fertilizing earlier pushes the grass to produce leafy growth at the time it needs to be focused on growing roots. You can fertilize again in July.
As to applying the Celsius weed killer, it is best not to apply a weed killer to the lawn when it is emerging from dormancy in March. Wait until April to apply a lawn weed killer after the grass past waking up.
Later application of weed killers also allows the summer weeds like Virginia buttonweed to wake up from winter dormancy and begin to grow and seeds to germinate. This makes the herbicide application more effective in killing the weeds. At that time the weeds are also young and more vulnerable to control.
Virginia buttonweed creates a dense mat of spreading foliage.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY RANDY LaBAUVE/LSU AgCENTER
Monitor your lawn through the summer. It is likely you may still see some Virginia buttonweed or other summer weeds. If needed, you may apply Celsius during the summer. There is no temperature limitation to using Celsius once it gets hot.
So, I would recommend you fertilize in late March and apply the herbicide in early to mid-April.
Mirliton vines produce both male and female flowers on the same vine, producing fruit in the fall.
T-P ARCHIVE
I’m trying to grow some sprouted mirlitons. I have potted them up and they have about 12 inches of growth. I intend to plant these in a planter in spring, and I’m wondering about their tolerance of low temperatures. Any info would be appreciated. — Chris
Mirlitons are very sensitive to cold. If temperatures go below 32 degrees, they will be severely damaged or killed. So, it’s best to wait until freezes are unlikely and plant in late March or early April.
People storing mirlitons to plant in the spring often find they have sprouted by now. If you just leave them as is, the growth of the vine will deplete the stored water in the fruit. Eventually the fruit shrivels up and the vine may die before it is time to plant in the garden. So, if the fruit has sprouted, it is best to pot them up and grow them in pots until planting in the spring.
Get a pot large enough to accommodate the mirliton and fill it half-full of potting soil. Place the mirliton, sprouted end down, in the pot and add more potting soil to cover the lower two-thirds of the fruit.
Place in a sunny spot outside when temperatures are mild. If temperatures in the 30s or lower are predicted, move the plant indoors on those nights.
The vines will grow vigorously. Trim them back as needed to keep the vines manageable. Stop pruning when you plant them in the spring.
A common misconception is that there are male fruit and female mirlitons, and you must plant one of each to get fruit. This is not true. Mirliton vines produce both male and female flowers on the same vine. One vine growing alone will produce fruit in the fall.
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