What a turn around…

helped a lot of lawns recover or at least avoid a severe brown out or dormancy stage.

In spring of 2022, there was a lot of rain from April to June, not so this year. The drier spring weather this year provided a lot of time for us all to get out and do our desired lawn and garden projects. I seeded some bare spots, fertilized my lawn, planted my cosmos seeds around Mother’s Day, and my wife planted the garden with tomatoes, peppers, basil, and marigolds. We also planted some new winterberry bushes, so we hope to see many red berries this winter. Our lavender is also growing nicely showing its beautiful purple color.

One thing we notice that has turned around is the absence of the dreaded Spotted Lanternfly. I live in Mercer County and this area has been one of the hardest hit with the Spotted Lanternfly in the last three to four years as it travelled east from its Pennsylvania origins. By now we would have seen the first or second stage of its development and we haven’t seen one so far. In past years, I have treated my yard for Spotted Lanternfly and used tape on my trees. Where have they gone or are they still coming? My neighborhood was hit very hard over the last few years with Spotted Lanternfly. Last year some customers saw some Spotted Lanternfly by my warehouse in Farmingdale for the first time. Last year I asked a friend in Barnegat, “Have you seen Spotted Lanternflys yet?” He said, “What are they?” I couldn’t believe he had never heard of them. I’m sure they are invading shore areas by now.

What about bug activity around your home, has it been more or less than prior years? Our mild winter would usually lead to larger bug populations since there was little winterkill of insects. I have not seen many insects this summer. There has not been much worry about grub activity either. Grubs need certain levels of moisture to reproduce in spring, so maybe they are having trouble surviving. Let’s