Hortculture Hotline: The heat is on

Bill Lamson-Scribner’s “Hortculture Hotline” focuses on managing rapid summer yard issues as heat and pests persist in the Lowcountry. He notes multiple threats now active—chinch bugs, mosquitoes, fire ants, lace bugs, mice, rats, fleas, roaches, flies, and biting or stinging insects—along with gray leaf spot. With West Nile Virus reported in Georgetown County (and previously seen in Beaufort County), he urges mosquito prevention: limit outdoor work at dawn and dusk, reduce standing water near homes, and use products intended to manage mosquitoes while watching for pollinators. For mushrooms, he says they’re generally not harmful to grass; removing them early helps prevent spore spread.