Tips for growing a summer vegetable garden in Louisiana

If you are a health buff who enjoys farm-to-table goodness, then you will definitely enjoy growing vegetablesright in your own garden. You get to enjoy delicious, fresh-as-the-day-they-were-picked goodness that is completely incomparable to the ones you find in the grocery produce aisle. 
On the other hand, gardening is definitely not a random process where you can just plant a seedling on a soil bed and watch it grow into fruition. There is a lot of planning involved that will hopefully turn your useless yard into an attractive and functional landscape brimming with veggie crops.

Prepare Your Soil

The key to a successful vegetable garden is having a moist, well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. Before planting your vegetable seedlings, prepare the soil beds by digging it up to loosen the compacted soil and improve its drainage capability. Remove weed roots and rocks from the soil. This is also the perfect time to add organic material such as compost, mulch, or dehydrated cow manure to assure you will have a bountiful harvest.

Avoid Inhibiting Combinations

If you want to make the most out of your vegetable garden, then companion planting will be a necessity in order to achieve a higher garden yield. With so many types of vegetables to choose from, you cannot randomly plant two vegetables together. Some vegetables support each other while growing, while other plants simply don't get along with others and will only take more than their fair share of resources.

In order to ensure maximum growth, research what combinations grow well together before planting multiple vegetables.

• Cabbage and Brussels sprouts grow well when planted next to Swiss chard, lettuce, and spinach.
• Cucumber thrives when placed next to beans and cabbage.
• An eggplant won't mind growing next to beans and pepper.
• Tomatoes are good with having carrots and cucumbers as their next door neighbors.
• On the other hand, garlic and onion will only prevent the growth of peas, while potatoes will only stunt the growth of tomatoes and squash.

Watering

Make sure to water your vegetables consistently to produce bountiful results. Give your vegetables at least one inch of water a week, but if you live in a dry, hot weather, they need more than double the amount. If you have sandy soil, you will need to water more frequently. If you have clay soil, your veggies will need less watering.

Infrequent watering leads to stunted growth and poor yield. On the other hand, overwatering is bad for the vegetables, too. If the soil is continuously waterlogged, the veggies’ roots will not have room to breathe freely, and will not be able to absorb much-needed nutrients. If you have a large vegetable garden, consider getting a soaker hose, which is an efficient way to water your veggies without wasting a lot of water.

Louisiana Planting Guide

Here are the vegetables that thrive well under the Louisiana weather, and in what particular month you should plant them:

• January – broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Irish potatoes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.
• February – beets, broccoli, collards, lettuce, mustard, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, radishes, spinach, turnips, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants
• March – corn, bell peppers, cucumbers, snap beans, tomatoes, mirliton and squash.
• April – eggplants, corn, cucuzzi, cushaw, lima beans, okra, peppers peanuts, pumpkins, sweet potato
• May – collards, cushaw, cucuzzi, eggplant, hot pepper, luffa gourd, lima beans, Malabar spinach, mirliton, okra, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, tomatoes.
• June – eggplant, collards, cucuzzi, Swiss chard, sweet potato  heat tolerant tomatoes.
• July – collards, cucumbers, luffa, okra, hot pepper, luffa, Malabar spinach, mirliton, okra, pumpkin, Southern peas, sweet potato, pumpkins, Southern peas, shallots, and squash.
• August – broccoli, bunching onions, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, lima beans, Swiss chard, mustard, snap beans, turnips, shallots, and squash.
• September – beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, Chinese cabbage, collards, English and snow peas, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, rutabagas, snap beans, Swiss chard, turnips
• October – beets, Brussels sprouts, snow peas, cabbage, carrots, celery, collards, endive, garlic, green peas, kohlrabi, lettuce, leeks, mustard, rutabaga, shallots, radishes, parsley, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and turnips.
• November – leek, beets, cabbage, celery, carrot, kale, collard, garlic, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onion, shallot, rutabaga, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip.
• December – beets, carrots, cabbage, celery, collards, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, mustard, radish, rutabaga, spinach, shallots, Swiss chard and turnips.

Know Your Local Planting Dates

There are vegetables that prefer warm weather while others thrive in cool weather. Vegetable crops fall under two major categories: cool season vegetables and warm season vegetables. Achieving a bountiful harvest requires planting your vegetables in the dates and seasons which they prefer. You can consult with a local almanac to know the perfect dates to plant your vegetables.

Growing your favorite vegetables right in your backyard bring a lot of benefits. You no longer have to deal with bruised and limp produce; instead, you get fresh, crisp vegetables every single time at a much lesser price!  If you need any help, contact us today!

How to Prep Your Home for Mosquito Season

The tiny mosquito is one of the deadliest animals in the world. It can be difficult to comprehend how something as tiny as this nasty insect can wipe out millions of people in its wake. The WHO has reported that mosquito bites result in about one million deaths annually, with the majority of these deaths caused by malaria. The mosquito by itself is not the one that kills people; but rather, it is the disease that the mosquito carries and transfers to a host body that is considered deadly.

Things to Do to Prevent Mosquitos from Invading Your Home

Now that the summer months are fast approaching, you need to prep your home and yard in order to ensure that mosquitos don’t choose them as breeding grounds. Here are a couple of things you can do:

• Remove all standing water- Standing water in your home and yard is a health hazard, as it can harbor mosquito eggs and larvae. It can collect in birdbaths and pet water bowls, so regularly clean them. Dry down muddy ditches and puddles in your yard and toss out old tires. Also, remove leaves and twigs from roof gutters and empty the water out of gardening tools and equipment. Inside the home, check if there is water in flower vases and flip over empty bottles and jars to prevent water from penetrating.    
• Use natural pest control- Having ducks, chickens, and turkeys scurrying all over your yard can help control mosquitos, as poultry and waterfowl absolutely love to eat mosquitos.
• Certain plants can help-Citronella grass (lemongrass) gives off a lemon-scented smell that is effective at repulsing mosquitos. It is a low-maintenance plant that is very easy to grow. Having a herb garden will also come in handy as the woodsy scent of rosemary and the pungent smell of basil will help to mosquitos away. Catnip—also known as catmint—is also an effective natural mosquito repellant, but you might have to think twice about planting this in your garden if you have cats as domestic pets.
• Light citronella candles- Citronella oil comes from the stems and leaves of citronella and repels mosquitos. If you are fond of DIY projects, you can make homemade citronella candles in order to achieve a mosquito-free summer. Simply add several drops of essential citronella oil into the melted wax to make the candles.
• Check screens for tears- Screen doors and windows can take a beating from pets and children, resulting in small holes and tears that allow pesky mosquitos inside the home. Make sure to fix your screens before the start of the mosquito season.
• Level your yard- Uneven lawn spots can collect standing water, so if you have a lawn that is full of puddles, consider leveling up the soil. Use your wheelbarrow and shovel to collect top soil from a higher spot in the yard, then dump it into the low spots to even it out.
• Keep trash cans closed-Remember that mosquitos love to breed in moist places, and uncovered trash bins can easily collect water after a rainy afternoon or a morning dew. You have to either keep them tightly covered, or drill small holes in the bottom for water to drain.
• Keep grass and shrubs maintained.- Aside from standing water, mosquitos also thrive on grass and shrubs because they feed on plant nectar. Regularly prune your shrubs and keep the grasses mowed and cut short to keep the mosquitos away.
• Contact a professional pest control companies-If you feel that you have already done everything you can to keep mosquitos away, and they still continue to plague your home, then now is the time to call in the experts. Fischer Environmental is one of Louisiana’s leading pest control companies and will be able to wipe out the mosquitos in your home in a safe and efficient way.

Mosquitos pose a serious health threat to you and your family. Keep your loved ones safe by implementing precautions that will deter mosquitos from breeding and biting in your home and yard. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.

What You Need to Know about Formosan Termites

Termites can strike fear into the hearts of homeowners, and with good reason. They are one of the most destructive pests a homeowner can encounter in a lifetime. The damage caused by Formosan subterranean termites are nothing to sniff at. They cost damages in the country that are valued at around $1 billion annually, and in Louisiana alone, the estimated damage they do is valued at $500 million per year.

What is the Formosan Termite?

Formosan termites have oval heads that are orange-brown in color, which is different when compared to the native termites’ flat heads. These termites originated from China and were introduced to the continental US through military ships that returned homeland after World War II. Classified as a subterranean termite, they live in the underground soil and love moisture. Compared to their dry wood termite counterparts, their colonies can have millions of workers, making it all the more dangerous once they invade a home. Formosan termites can wreak havoc at a rate of 5 times faster than native termites. Although subterranean termites can be found everywhere, they are more active in the southern states because of the warmer climate.

Behavior, Habits, and Diet

The Formosan termites love cellulose, above all, which is the building block of wood. They love to feed on both living trees and dead structural wood. They will eat anything, even if it only contains a small degree of cellulose, so cloth and paper products are at risk from these termites. They also have the ability to eat through obstacles, which is why foam insulation and sheet metals that are used to protect a structural foundation can be penetrated by Formosan termites, they do so to get to the food source.

The termites’ swarming season starts in April and continues through July. The winged reproductive termites, called alates, will swarm in the air. Once they find a partner to pair up with, they lose their wings, burrow into some wet wood to mate, and hatch their eggs. The female alate will then become the queen of the newly-formed colony.

Signs of Infestations

• Swarming-If you see a group of alates swarming during spring and summer evenings, this could be an indication that a nest or a colony is nearby.
• Mud tubes-Their presence on the walls of your home is a clear indication of infestation. These termites don’t like to be exposed, so they build mud tubes when traveling from their nest to food sources.
• Carton nests-Nests are usually underground so that termites have access to moisture. Formosan termites create carton nests made from saliva, excrement, and wood so they can get the moisture they need even if they are situated above ground. This way there is no need for them to go back to the ground. As a result, they can do more structural damage to a building within a shorter amount of time.
• Wood damage-Formosan termites will eat along (instead of across) the wood grain. The wood grain left behind after feeding is usually packed with mud.
• Soft wood-Tap on the wooden parts of your home and feel for any wood that is soft or hollow to the touch. Bulges and depressions in wood can be a sign. Chipped paint and moist patches in wallpaper may also indicate a full-blown termite activity underneath.

How Much Damage Do They Do?

The damage that a Formosan colony can cause is massive. Because there are millions of members in a colony, they can cover one acre of land or eat through 13 ounces of wood in just 24 hours. At this dizzyingly fast rate, it is entirely possible that a colony can destroy a wooden structure within three to four months.

Prevention of Formosan Termites 

In order to prevent a termite infestation, you need to cut off the termites’ access to food and water sources. Prevent water accumulation in your home’s foundation by making sure your roof gutters and downspouts are functioning properly. You can also improve the ventilation in your attics and crawl spaces. Furthermore, ensure that any wooden part of the home is never in contact with the soil.

If termites are already inside your house, you have two ways to go about this:

• Treatment options-If you are going to treat the termites on your own, you can buy termiticides and bait kits to get rid of the Formosan termites.
• Contact a professional-Termite treatment is best left to the professionals, who will properly use and implement chemical treatments. Make sure the pest control company you choose to hire has a lot of experience and expertise when it comes to dealing with Formosan termites, such as the experts at Fischer Environmental who have dealt with many Formosan termite infestations.

The home is often the biggest investment in a lifetime. Protect it to the best of your ability by keeping it termite-free.

Zika Virus Update

With the ability to transmit diseases, mosquitoes can be a real concern. Among the diseases that can be transmitted through the bite of a mosquito is the Zika Virus. While people are generally more aware of the dangers that come with other illnesses, like dengue and malaria, that are associated with mosquitoes, Zika is emerging as a real problem and researchers are only recently starting to get a handle on the potential threat of this disease.

What Areas Have Zika?
The Zika Virus was initially discovered in rhesus monkeys in Uganda. Since then, the virus has been detected in humans and cases have been reported in several countries throughout the world. Until 2015, recorded outbreaks had only been in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Since then, the disease has also been reported in South America and the Caribbean. As of this writing, there have been no cases of infection reported in the Continental United States. However, there have been cases where travelers have returned home to the United States with the virus.

About Zika
Zika Virus can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito from Aedes species. Generally, the symptoms are mild, lasting from about 2-7 days, and most people will not require hospitalization. Currently, there is no vaccine available for the Zika Virus and prevention is the recommended strategy to protect against the disease.

Zika Symptoms
As mentioned above, the symptoms of the Zika Virus are usually mild and the illness tends runs its course without the need for hospitalization. Common symptoms of the disease include rash, conjunctivitis, headache, joint and muscle pain, fever and malaise. While most cases do resolve without the need for hospitalization and there is little concern for mortality in connection with the Zika Virus, there has been a connection between the infection of pregnant women and certain birth defects.

How is Zika Diagnosed?
Most people that contract the Zika Virus will not even know that they have it. This is because many will not exhibit symptoms and because of the similarity of the symptoms to other illnesses. If a person – especially pregnant women – experiences symptoms that are consistent with Zika, they should go to the doctor. If a Zika infection is suspected, then the doctor will order blood tests to confirm the presence of the disease. Since there are no vaccines or specific treatment protocols for the disease, the recommendation for Zika is rest, drinking fluids and taking over the counter pain medication.

Precautions for Pregnant Women
Zika Virus can be passed from a pregnant mother to the fetus. Several birth defects have been connected to the infection of mothers during the pregnancy. This includes the underdevelopment of the brain, defects to the eyes, a lack of growth and hearing problems. In 2015, the first indications of a link between the infection of pregnant women and the birth defect microcephaly were reported. In April 2016, the CDC released a study that does show a definitive link between Zika and microcephaly. To avoid the infection of this disease, pregnant women should not travel to places where the Zika Virus is common.

Prevention of Zika
With no vaccines or specific medicines, prevention is the only way to protect against this disease. For the most part, Zika will not be a threat to people living in the United States. If you do travel to an area where Zika is a concern, then you will need to take steps to prevent an infection.
Wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts can be a good way to prevent mosquito bites. The use of EPA registered insect repellant can act as an effective preventative measure. Additionally, you will want to stay in an air-conditioned room with screens on the doors and windows. If you are infected, you should take steps to prevent the spread of the disease by avoiding mosquito bites and by abstaining from sexual contact.

Is Pyriproxyfen Safe?
Pyriproxyfen is an insecticide that is commonly used in the control of mosquitoes and other pests. While it is generally safe, it can cause problems for humans and animals if they are subject to high levels of exposure. However, it is a substance that has a very low toxicity for mammals and as long as it is used safely, there is no significant risk to Pyriproxyfen.

The current projection is that the Zika Virus will continue to spread to new areas. The CDC is already working on prevention and outbreak protocols. Even with Zika not yet being found in mosquitoes in the US, it is important for Americans to be aware of this disease and to keep these insects out of the home.

With the growing spread of the Zika virus, it is important now more than ever to ensure that our homes are free from mosquitoes. This can be done through constant vigilance against stagnant or standing water in our homes, as well as employing the services of a professional pest control company to ensure your home is protected. Contact us today to learn how to protect your home!

Click here to learn more about the Zika virus!

What is the best way to aerate your lawn?

Many homeowners dream of that perfect lawn, but it isn’t always easy to achieve. For many, the basic lawn care will be enough to get a great looking lawn. However, there are plenty of homes where, in spite of all of the effort put in, they just can’t seem to get the nice lawn that they desire. In some of these situations, lawn aeration might be the key.

Understanding Lawn Aeration
If you have been putting a lot of work into your lawn and seeing few results, then aeration might be a necessary step for improving the quality of the turf. In some yards, the density of the soil or the grass can prevent air, water and nutrients from reaching the grass roots. Under these conditions, it makes it difficult for the lawn to develop a strong root system and in turn, it can diminish the quality of the lawn.

To address this problem, you can employ the use of lawn aeration. In the simplest terms, lawn aeration is the practice of punching holes or removing cores from the lawn. The holes created by the aeration process will allow the water and the air to penetrate deeper into the soil and by doing so, it provides the roots with better access to water, air and nutrients.

Steps to Aerate Your Lawn
Before you get started with aerating your lawn, you need to determine the type of machine or tool you will use. When it comes to lawn aeration, you have two basic choices: spike aerators and plug aerators. The spike aerators use prongs to punch holes in the soil and the plug aerators actually remove cores from the soil. Both can be effective, but core aerators tend to provide better results because they remove some of the soil.

A good tip (click here) for aerating is to wait for the day after a good rain. It is much easier to aerate a lawn when the soil is a little moist. If you don’t want to wait for the next rain, you could water the lawn one evening and then perform the aeration process the next day. Additionally, aeration will have the greatest affect at the beginning of the growing season. Different types of grass have different growing seasons, this is a point that you may want to consider.
As another point, you only want to aerate the areas of the lawn that are having problems. Aerating other areas won’t cause any harm, but if you have a particularly large lawn, the process can take a while. You could save some time by identifying the areas that need aeration and focusing solely on them.

Benefits of Aeration
When you aerate your lawn, you are taking an approach that goes deeper than the surface. You might be using fertilizer and regularly watering the lawn, but if the soil is too compact or the surface grass is too dense, then much of these materials are not making it to the place where they can provide the most benefit. With aeration, you are allowing the roots to breath, giving them more room to grow and giving them better access to the materials they need to grow strong. For many homes, this will be the difference in achieving that full, healthy lawn that they want.

Signs Your Lawn Needs Aeration
To determine whether your lawn needs aeration or not, there are some signs that you can look for. If the soil is slow to absorb water, then there is a good chance that your lawn would benefit from aeration. After it rains, look to see if there are any puddles on the lawn, this can be a key indicator that the soil is having trouble absorbing water. Another sign is a lawn that is patchy. When some areas look good and others do not, then it could be a sign that some areas of the lawn would benefit from aeration.

If you are having trouble developing a nice lawn, then aeration could be an important part of your lawn care strategy. However, you may also need different lawn treatments and fertilizers. If you want a comprehensive lawn care strategy, the team from Fischer Environmental can help. Our lawn care experts can analyze your lawn and make a complete lawn care plan that will address the individual characteristics of your lawn to get the best results. Contact us today!

Is your home ready for termite season?

As a resident of the Gulf Coast, you probably already know that termites can be a particularly serious problem in this area. However, even with this common knowledge in the region, few residents really know how to prepare the home for termite season. This yearly preparation is the home’s first line of defense against the damage that can be caused by these insects, so it is important for every homeowner to take steps that will get the home ready for termite season.

About Termite Season
For pest control specialists, termite season refers to the time of year when the swarming termites leave the nest. Termites are actually active all year, but the swarming seasons are of particular concern because this is the time when a structure will be exposed to the greatest risk for a new infestation. While different types of termites will swarm during different months, the time of highest concern for homes in Louisiana is the spring and early summer.

Do You Know the Signs of Termites?
In getting the home ready for termite season, the homeowner is also going to want to learn how to identify the signs of termites. One key sign is the presence of the flying termites. If you are seeing flying termites around the home, then this could indicate that there is a colony nearby. Additionally, if you are seeing the wings of these swarming termites in or around the home, this could be a sign of trouble.

Is Wood Moved Away From Your Home?
With wood being a source of food for termites, you want to do your best to keep any wood away from the home. If you keep firewood in the yard, make sure that it is a good distance from the structure. If there are any wooden landscaping pieces, you will want to move any that are close to the home. Many homeowners leave wood close to the home and this can increase the risk of termite infestation.

Are All Food Sources Eliminated?
In addition to removing things like firewood from places that are close to the structure, it will be a good idea to keep the yard as free of dead or rotting wood as you possibly can. Wood mulch can be an attractive source of food for termites. If there is a rotting tree stump or some fallen branches in the yard, you will want to get rid of those.

Is Moisture Present?
As much as you and every other human needs water to survive, a termite colony needs water to survive too. If the soil around the home is moist, then it is going to make a better environment for termites. Additionally, leaky pipes in the home can help to provide an infestation with the water that they will need to thrive and infest the home.

Has Heavy Brush and Growth Been Removed?
When you have bushes and brush growing up around the house, it can expose the structure to a termite infestation. They can feed on the debris that comes off this vegetation and they can live off the moisture that is being used to water these plants. Remove as much of this brush as possible and if they are shrubs that you want to keep, make sure that they are well trimmed.

Is Your Foundation Treated?
To prevent termite infestations, you can get the foundation and soil around the home treated. These treatments establish a repellant barrier to keep the termites from establishing a colony. These treatments can be effective at keeping termites off the property and one treatment from a professional could provide the home with years of protection.

Have You Consulted a Professional?
In termite prevention, one of the key steps is the attention of a professional termite specialist. For the average person, the signs of termite infestation will only become apparent once a significant amount of damage has been caused. An experienced pest control professional will know how to identify the signs of an early infestation and, if it is caught early enough, they will be able to provide solutions that can stop the infestation before any serious damage is done.

With how much damage termites can cause, it is important for every homeowner in Louisiana to do a little yearly prevention. Taking the time to hit all of the points on your checklist can go a long way toward protecting the home. If you find reason to believe that there may be a termite infestation, then you need to contact a professional termite control service. Fischer Environmental offers pest control that will be able to get the problem under control and they can provide services that will help to prevent any future infestations. Contact us today!

Are backyard chickens a good source of bug control?

Any home is going to have some pests in the yard, but some factors can really aggravate the problem. When you start a backyard garden, bugs are going to be attracted to this source of food. For some, pesticides might be the right solution, but the over application of these chemicals can cause some problems, and if you are trying to grow organic, your pesticide options will be limited. To help address this problem, some have started using chickens as a part of an integrated pest control strategy.

How Backyard Chickens Control Bugs
You’ve started a garden, tended and cared for the plants and then before it is time to harvest the product of this work, you find that most of the plants have been devoured by insects. It’s a common story, and for people that are reluctant to use chemical insecticides, it can be a difficult problem to solve.

If this sounds familiar, then you could consider doing something that humans have been doing for thousands of years: harnessing the natural instincts and behaviors of our animal friends for our own purposes. In this case, we are talking about using the natural predatory behavior of chickens to get rid of insects in the yard.

A chicken’s natural instinct is to seek out bugs and eat them. If you allow chickens time in your yard, they will hunt down and eat every bug that they can find. They’ll look for them in the grass and brush, they will peck at the ground to get at bugs that live in the soil and by engaging in this natural behavior, they will significantly reduce the population of pests in the yard and protect the crops from insect damage.

The Up Side
The main upside to keeping chickens in your yard is that they will reduce the population of pest insects and keep your garden from getting destroyed. However, this will more than protect the garden. You’ll find that not only are the pests that bother your garden getting eaten, but you will also see less of other pests. They’ll take care of a variety of different types of insects that can be a nuisance in other ways. If you have problems with things like ants and termites, the chickens will make your yard a much less inviting place for these insects to live.

In addition to this, chickens are an environmentally friendly solution to your pest control problem, and along with that, they are also nice animals that are relatively easy to care for. Set up some nice coops for them to rest in when they are not doing their job, provide them with water and some vegetation and you will have a good set of happy chickens that can work for you.

Beyond that, you could also consider the chickens as a good source of meat and eggs, plus their manure can work as an organic fertilizer.

The Down side
The main concern is that chickens can carry diseases. Most notably, this will include salmonella. Handling these animals and cleaning up after them is going to be part of the deal and it is important to make sure that you wash your hands after you are exposed to the chickens or their waste.

As an additional concern, the chickens could view the garden as a source of food and do just as much damage as the bugs. For this reason, you will want to set a perimeter around the plants that you want to protect. Building a small chicken wire fence around the plants will keep the chickens out and keep them from eating your crops and ripping up the soil.

Raising some chickens can be a great way to control pests in the yard and it does offer an environmentally friendly alternative that will appeal to a lot of gardeners. However, this option is not going to be practical for everybody. If for some reason the use of chickens is not going to work for you, there are plenty of other pest control options out there. At Fischer Environmental, pest control that is responsible, sustainable and environmentally friendly is at the core of our mission. If you need supplemental pest control to assist with your outdoor pest problems, we can provide solutions that are safe and effective. Click here to learn more about keeping pests away from your home!