Show#10

Dr. Rick thinks if you haven't already moved your indoor plants outside it is time to do so. Keep them away from direct sunlight and you might want to consider putting the potted plant into another pot and putting it in the ground.

Tara Dillard, a garden designer from A Garden View, Inc. does a make-over on a mailbox. The results not only dress up your home but can add dollars to its' "curb appeal."

Helen Phillips and Herb Lore. Helen Phillips from Callaway Gardens shows us a beautiful Herb garden and tells us how she thinks some Herbs were used in the past. Herbs in the Moon Bed mentioned are: Lamb's Ear, Wormwood, Rosemary, Horse-Tail, Sage, Purple Sage, Tri-colored Sage, Lovage, Celery and Borage.

Dr. Rick's Timely Tips - After the floods in Houston and the alerts for Fire Ants there and just because it's that time of year, Dr. Rick has some advice for fighting Fire Ants.

Fire ants are one of the most pernicious insect pests we have here in the Southeast. They arrived in Mobile, Alabama several decades ago and have migrated throughout the coastal, lower and middle South. Here are a few tips on how to keep them from driving you crazy.

1. Avoid strategies that kill large numbers of visible ants. For example, pouring hot water or diesel fuel down the mound, is emotionally satisfying but does little to solve the problem - getting rid of the queen. She is typically found several feet underground. Whenever any disturbance occurs. Workers actually barricade her from the rest of the colony. It may be days or weeks before she makes contact with the remainder of the nest.

2. Slow-acting baits seem to be the most effective way to get rid of the entire colony. Make sure that you distribute it all over your property. It does not take much to be effective. 1-lbs. per acre is all that is required. The fire ants find the bait (which is made of corn grit, soybean oil and the toxicant) and bring it back to the mound. Ants then begin feeding one another. It takes approximately 24 hours for all members to be fed and often a week or so before the queen gets any food. It is a slow process but deadly.

3. When you are distributing the bait, be very careful not to disturb the mound. Try to broadcast it early in morning when workers are most active. Do not concentrate it around the mound. You want to evenly distribute it throughout your landscape.

4. If you want to try a drench, mix up some Orthene and water according to directions and pour several gallons of this on the mound. Again, try this strategy early in the day as the queen is close to the surface at that time.

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