Wells Brothers Pet, Lawn & Garden Supply
Home On-line Store Sitemap
Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On YoutubeVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On Instagram
  • About
  • Feeds
    • Pet Food & Supplies
      • Pet Food Loyalty Program
      • Pet Photo!
    • Small Animal Feeds
    • Horse
    • Livestock
    • Wildlife
  • Lawn/Gardening
    • Organic Gardening
    • Fertilizer & Chemicals
    • Soils & Mulch
    • Grass Seed
  • Farm Supply
    • Hay & Shavings
    • Fencing Supplies
    • Traps & Cages
  • Coupons
  • Specials
  • Contact
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Newsletters
    • Videos

Archive for Blog

Tomato Holes, What’s Causing Them?

By Wells Brothers
Friday, May 13th, 2022

tomato holes

Tomato Holes, what’s causing them? We water, fertilize, trim, weed, and protect our crops from insects. They are our silent dependents that bring us food. We put labor, sweat, and love into our gardens. Then you spot it, “the” tomato of your gardening life. Everything is perfect and it will be ready to pick tomorrow morning. But the alarm clock malfunctions and you forget about the mother of all tomatoes as you rush to work. The journey home is slow and you have time to think about the tomato that will get you inducted into the tomato hall of fame. You park the car and run to the garden to find the king of tomatoes has been assassinated. Two, maybe three holes about an inch long have pierced the king to the heart. You look around to see a mockingbird sitting on the fence and squawking in utter contempt at your effort. Thoughts of vengeance rush into your mind. But then you think, good thing the shotgun is in the safe! Dejected, you pluck what’s left of the mighty tomato from the plant. You think about starting a compost pile as you open the lid of the trash can and send the regal fruit to Valhalla. Ok, that might be a little bit dramatic (Orson Wells would be so proud) but if you are growing tomatoes this will happen to you.

Birds won’t bother tomatoes until they start turning red. Then they feast. Most birds will go after tomatoes with mocking birds being the main culprit. When I see the mocking birds sitting on my fence and watching my tomatoes I know they are close to turning. So how do you stop this activity without the use of firearms?

Start with an old fashion scarecrow. There are kits for sale but it’s much more satisfying to create them yourself. Keeping with the scare tactic, there are owls and inflatable snakes. Both will give the birds, rabbits, and squirrels a fright. I have found all of these to be very effective but they need to be moved every week. This brings us to the next deterrent, scare tape. Scare tape is a jeweled pattern on a reflective mylar-type ribbon. When I first saw this product it was explained to me that it reflects sunlight making birds think the place is on fire and they will stay away. This brings us to the fun stuff, pinwheels. Attach them to the tomato cage and the wind does the rest. They work like the scare tape. The number one way to keep the birds out is with bird netting. You will need a structure large enough to keep the nylon net off of the plants. Drape the netting over the structure and you are done. This physical barrier is as close to perfect as a gardener can get. There is one drawback to this product, it’s also good at keeping you out. It can be frustrating to deal with the net(s) during peak harvest season. Wells Brothers has nets that are 14’x14’ and 28’x28’.

 

Categories : Blog, Gardens, News & Updates

A Little May History

By Wells Brothers
Wednesday, April 27th, 2022

April showers brought May flowers and lots of history too!  Brush up on your history trivia with these interesting dates in May history.April showers brought May flowers and lots of history too!  Brush up on your history trivia with these interesting dates in May history.

May 4, 1886, a confrontation between police and labor protesters would be called The Haymarket Square Riot. Seven policemen were killed and over 50 wounded.

May 4, 1970, National Guardsmen opened fire on a crowd of 1,000 students at Kent State University killing four. The students were protesting President Richard Nixon’s decision to invade Cambodia.

May 5, 1865, was declared Decoration Day by General John Logan. May 30th started the tradition of decorating soldiers’ graves from the Civil War with flowers. Congress moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May 1971.

May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Brown v. Board of Education. It concluded that segregation of public schools “solely on the basis of race” denies black children “equal educational opportunity” even though “physical facilities and other ‘tangible’ factors may have been equal. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens volcano erupted.

Memorial Day. 

May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed and over 2,200 people were killed in Johnstown Pennsylvania.

Categories : Blog, News & Updates

Flea Control Starts Now

By Wells Brothers
Sunday, April 24th, 2022

flea controlIt’s time to talk about flea control. As the temperatures warm up, so does the flea population. Take care to treat your yard, pets, and home for fleas, to ensure a happy and healthy summer for humans and furry friends alike.

Fleas in the Yard:

Fleas like temperatures below 95°F with humidity above 50%. As usual, it’s better to prevent them than to remove them. Fleas are brought in by urban wildlife like rabbits, rats, squirrels, raccoons, etc. If you feed the birds, you’re also feeding the critters (with the fleas!!) that visit the bird feeders. So, if you have a flea problem and feed the birds, stop feeding for a month or so to get the problem under control.

If you have fleas, treat the yard and your pets, see the section “Fleas on the dog/cat”.  You need to treat the yard, the pet, and the house within a 24 hour period. When fighting fleas it is all about breaking the life cycle. There are a bunch of all-natural and synthetic products to choose from. Most products will take more than one application, 5 to 10 days apart to break that life cycle.

Our number one product for outdoor flea control is sulfur, but remember it is a repellant, not a killer. There are two types of sulfur, powder and granulated. Application rates vary but the following have worked well for me. Use 10# to 15# of granulated sulfur to cover 1,000 square feet and should be reapplied every 10 to 14 days depending on the weather. Five pounds of powdered sulfur will cover about 1,500 square feet and should be repeated weekly.

The all-natural product called Yardsafe from the folks at Cedarcide is a high concentration cedar oil product in a ready-to-use quart that will cover about 2,000 square feet for the initial application. Repeat application in 5 to 10 days. This will kill the existing fleas and has a good residual for several days afterward depending on the weather.

There are also quite a few choices on the chemical side in both liquid and granulated. A good rule of thumb is to pick products with an active ingredient that ends with the suffix, “thrin”. Some of the most common are bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, permethrin and my favorite product, lambda-cyhalothrin, is the active ingredient in Cyonara. This quart attaches to the hose and will cover about 8,000 square feet. As always please read and follow all label directions.

 

Fleas on the dog/cat:

When combating fleas on your pet, there are two routes you can go. The first is the all-natural route. The most popular here at Wells Brothers is cedar oil-based products. One of these products is Vets Choice pure cedar oil. This can be mixed with water to make a spray or dip. Another product is the highly popular Wells Brothers premixed Pet and Animal Spray. This is a cedar oil product that is premixed in a spray bottle and ready to use. All you have to do is spray the animal thoroughly until the fur is saturated to the skin. Then just let the fur dry naturally. Cedarcide Original Spray is another option. This spray can be used directly on the pet, or on surfaces and bedding. All cedar oil-based products are contact killers and repellants of all sorts of pesky insects.

One more natural flea option is called Flea Away. Flea Away is an oral tablet that is given daily to cats and dogs that create an undesirable environment for fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. Flea Away works because unwanted insects come to a dog or cat because they smell Co2 (or carbon dioxide). The ingredients in Flea Away work to mask the smell of Co2 on the animal.

So, you’ve tried the all-natural options, and you still have a problem. It’s time for all-out chemical warfare. Again, you have many options. Over the counter options are as follows:

Sprays, dips, shampoos, collars, and room foggers for the house are all very effective. Whichever option you choose, be sure that the product includes an ingredient called IGR (Insect Growth Regulator). IGR disrupts the growth cycle of immature insects and provides up to 2 months of control of pre-adult fleas. Don’t forget about flea collars. A lot of products only kill adult fleas, so you will think that you have everything under control. Then BAM! Another re-infestation. Wells Brothers carries many of these products by Adams that includes IGR technology. Wells Brothers also carries monthly spot-on treatments by Adams and Bio Spot. The Adams products contain an IGR. The final option for flea control products is ones that you can only get at the vet. These products include spot-on and oral products. When used on a monthly basis, these products are very effective for controlling parasites of all kinds.

Preventative measures will help ensure a flea-free pet and house. A flea-free pet is a healthier and happier pet. So what do you do when you get fleas in the yard, then on the animal, and now in the house? You will need to treat the yard, the animal, and the house all within the same 24-hour period. That way you are not chasing them from one environment to another.

 

Categories : Blog, Bugs, News & Updates

Time to Plant Bermuda Grass

By Wells Brothers
Monday, April 18th, 2022

By the calendar, May is the time to start planting Hulled Bermuda grass. Bermuda seed germinates best when soil temperatures are above 75 degrees. After the soil is prepared, sow the seeds. The seeds should be covered with no more than .25 inches of soil. It will help if the cover soil is then lightly compacted (rolled). Keep the seedbed moist even if it requires watering several times a day. With ideal conditions, Bermuda usually germinates within several weeks. But there are many factors that can slow the germination; soil characteristics, temperature, and moisture being the top three. The above method applies whether you have bare dirt or you are overseeding an existing lawn. If you are overseeding a lawn, you must first mow the lawn very short and remove as much thatch as possible before planting.

If this sounds like a lot of work, it isn’t. Preparing the soil means removing all unwanted plant growth and roughing up the surface. Sow the seeds with either a spreader or by hand (as evenly as you can). Cover the seed (.25 inch max) with compost or you can rake the seeds into the soil. Keeping the seedbed moist can be the hardest part of this task. If the seedbed dries out germination will be delayed.

Our most popular type of Bermuda is called common. It is available in a 50# bag and we also sell it by the pound. Application rates for Bermuda grass seed range from 1/2# to 3# per 1,000 square feet. My rule of thumb is 1# for every 500 to 750 square feet. (If you are not pressed for time, you can use one seed per acre!). When you buy Bermuda seed (or any other seed) look at the seed tag for the “Pure Seed” and “Germination” ratings. Our common seed is listed as 95/85. That means it’s 95% pure seed and 85 seeds out of 100 will germinate. Bermuda seed is expensive, so know what you are buying and the square footage of the area to be planted.

 

Categories : Blog, News & Updates

Mosquito Control Tips & Products

By Wells Brothers
Friday, April 15th, 2022

During my youth, I was to head home when the street lights came on. One spring night I was doing just that when I came across 2 mosquitoes sitting on a street sign. One mosquito said to the other “you want to eat him here or take him home”. The second mosquito replied, “if we take him home the big ones will get him”. Well, I took off like the mosquitoes were chasing me. It's time to think about mosquito control. Click here to read through our "Mosquito Control Tips & Products" from Wells Brothers.

The one thing that we all must remember is there is no magic bullet for controlling mosquitoes. The best battle plan is to eliminate the environment that mosquitoes need to live and breed. Stop the larva by having no standing water. I cannot emphasize the importance of keeping your gutters clean. Keep the grass cut short, beds maintained, and don’t overwater your landscape. Do not forget to treat your bubblier and French drain lines, along with rain barrels and saucers for the potted plants. You can treat these areas with products like Mosquito Bits or Mosquito Dunks. The active ingredient is BT (bacillus thuringiensis) with the subspecies israelensis, or just call it BTI.

Promote habitats for the purple martins, bats, and dragonflies. They don’t eat as much as you think, but every little bit helps. Plant a variety of herbs (including citronella), as most have a repellant effect. Change outside lighting from white to yellow light bulbs or lenses, as they will not attract these flying vampires. Don’t forget the citronella Tiki torches and candles. They have a small effect on mosquitoes, but you will get that island feeling. The two repellants that I’m impressed with are the very effective Patio Egg and Murphy’s Mosquito sticks.

The Spartan Mosquito Eradicators are the most innovative mosquito control products to hit the market in a long time. The first generation is sold in a two-pack that covers an acre and will last 90 days. These are available at Wells Brothers. The second generation is called Pro-Tech and will last 30 days. As always read and follow the label directions.

The use of sprays and granule repellents in the environment is an option. One of the best all-natural sprays is a cedar oil product called Yardsafe by the Cedarcide folks. Others include citronella, garlic, and orange oil sprays. Synthetic sprays include permethrin, cypermethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin. Granulated cedar and garlic work as repellents. Permethrin granules are used as broad-spectrum insecticides. The all-natural repellant sprays will last about 2 days but the granules will last substantially longer. Synthetics, both liquid and granulated will last from a couple of days to a month. Length of effectiveness for all products will hinge on the weather.

The last resort is to hose yourself down with a repellant of some sort. Products that contain cedar (Cedarcide Original) and marigold oils are on the all-natural side. Synthetics include Spartan Go, Deet, permethrin, and believe it or not, Avon’s Skin so Soft. They are all effective. Products containing Deet are on the top of the list.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories : Blog, News & Updates
Next Page »

Coupons

Click to access our monthly coupons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

  • There are no upcoming events.
Wells Brothers Pet, Lawn & Garden Supply
Copyright © 2022 All Rights Reserved
Site by Red Mango Marketing
Privacy Policy