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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Seed Starting There are several reasons you may want to start your own vegetables or flowers from seed. The selection you can choose from seed is much larger than the plant selection you can find at your local nursery. Or maybe you have received some seeds given to you from a friend and want to start these for use in your vegetable garden or flower beds. Read More.. By Tim Humpherys (thumpherys) @ 1:15 PM :: Vegetables :: 1 Comments :: 1659 Views Controlling Lawn Insects In Southern Idaho In our high desert environment the most common turf grass problem is the invasion of insects. There are wide ranges of known pest that invade annually. Knowing how to diagnose and stop these pests can be difficult. Your first line of defense should be preventive actions. Read More.. By Ken Kirkbride (Zamzows Vice President) (kkirkbride) @ 11:50 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 1413 Views Compost Happens Before we get into how to compost lets talk a little bit about why we need compost and what is does. Compost benefits the soil in ways that fertilizers can not. In sandy soil compost acts as a sponge to help retain water. In clay soils it helps add holes to the soil, Read More.. By Kip Weybright (Meridian Store Manager) (kweybright) @ 8:11 AM :: Vegetables :: 0 Comments :: 1062 Views

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Box Elder Bugs Boxelder bugs feed on low vegetation and seeds on the ground during the spring and early summer. These black and orange bugs (figure 1) move to the female seed-bearing boxelder trees, starting in mid-July. Read More.. By Tom Chaloupka (tchaloupka) @ 11:31 AM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 1 Comments :: 1355 Views How to Plant a New Tree or Shrub Trees and shrubs are very easy to plant when you use the proper tools and products.  I have personally planted 10-15 trees and shrubs at my house in the last two years and have had very good success.  Read More.. By Randy Corn (Meridian Store Assitant Manager) (rcorn) @ 11:13 AM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 1 Comments :: 1298 Views Bromeliads-Unique and Beautiful Houseplants Have you ever thought of pineapple as a houseplant? Actually, the pineapple belongs to a family of plants known as bromeliads, which are both unique and very beautiful plants. Bromeliads are unique in that they exist in such a wide variety of sizes, shapes and foliage color.   Read More.. By Greg Schneider (Retail Sales Manager) (gschneider) @ 10:15 AM :: House Plants :: 0 Comments :: 697 Views Marigolds A native of Mexico, marigolds have been grown in gardens throughout the world for hundreds of years. Today, they are one of the most popular bedding plants in the United States. Marigolds are easy to grow, bloom reliably all summer, and Read More.. By Kelly Rourick (Nampa Store Manager) (krourick) @ 9:53 AM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 507 Views Flowers Top To bottom So you have spent the last three months staring at that blank spot in the yard with nothing happening except the occasional dog digging his favorite bone or going to the bathroom. Now some might think its mean do get rid of Fidos favorite spot in the yard but dang it if I have to look at that spot again next winter. Now is great time to get out the paper and pencil and head down to Zamzows to get some advice and insight on what you can put there. What I would do first is set some goals with what you want to accomplish with this spot for the next season. Read More.. By Nolan Guthrie (Chinden Store Manager) (nguthrie) @ 8:32 AM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 509 Views

Monday, January 15, 2007

Using Z-One Insect Control Zamzows Z-One Insect Control provides economical, user and environmentally friendly, contact and residual insect control for up to four weeks.  Pleasantly scented, water based and will not stain.  Kills 100s of insects which destroy lawns, roses, flowers, trees, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, nuts Read More.. By Mike Stanton (Lawn Products Specialist) (mstanton) @ 1:48 PM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 527 Views

Monday, January 08, 2007

Getting rid of Fungus Gnats Fungus Gnats During the holiday season and shortly there after, customers will come into our stores or call about small fruit fly sized insects flying around their houseplants.  These are more than likely fungus gnats.  Fungus gnats are nuisance pests. Read More.. By Mike Stanton (Lawn Products Specialist) (mstanton) @ 1:35 PM :: House Plants :: 0 Comments :: 956 Views How to use Zamzows Stay Put spreader sticker Zamzows StayPut spreader sticker is a unique product designed to enhance your lawn and garden chemical by making them work better. StayPut is completely biodegradable, combination of spreading, sticking and penetrate agent to provide better distribution and adhesion of all types of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides (liquid or wettable powders). Read More.. By Mike Stanton (Lawn Products Specialist) (mstanton) @ 1:23 PM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 404 Views

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Natural weed control Natural weed and grass killers do exist. There are very few that are commercially available. Several sources list recipes for mix home made versions of this. Zamzows products a natural weed and grass killer made of a special formula of Clove oil and vinegar. Read More.. By Ken Kirkbride (Zamzows Vice President) (kkirkbride) @ 3:39 PM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 1735 Views Preventing insect damage in fruit trees Homeowners who grow fruit in backyards or small orchards find that diseases and insect pests often ruin the entire crop and in some instances damage the tree itself. It is difficult to produce noninsect-damaged and disease-free fruit. In some years it may be possible to grow acceptable fruit without the use of pesticides, but in most years well-timed insecticide and fungicide sprays are needed. Read More.. By Kelly Rourick (Nampa Store Manager) (krourick) @ 9:52 AM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 1411 Views Poisonous spiders in Idaho In the early 1990s in the wake of the movie Arachnophobia, it was nearly impossible to not harbor on at least some level, a fear of poisonous spiders. Unfortunately, these sorts of fears have given spiders a bad rap. The purpose of this article is to address which spider bites in our area can if fact, cause a serious reaction. This way those beneficial spiders in our yards can be left to do their thing! Read More.. By Hans Geary (Eagle Store Manager) (hgeary) @ 9:10 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 3188 Views Killing clover and thistles in your lawn Controlling  broadleaf weeds in a lawn can be a frustrating task, especially when the broadleaf weeds are the difficult-to-control types like white clover and thistle. The most effective method of controlling them is to maintain a dense and healthy stand of grass.  Read More.. By Zamzows Admin (zampres) @ 8:01 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 2036 Views

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Chlorosis in Trees Chlorosis is a serious tree problem in the valley, especially with our clay and very alkaline soils.Chlorosis is where a tree has lost the capacity to make enough chlorophyll to support itself through photosynthesis.Without chlorophyll a tree cannot produce the energy and sugars that it needs to grow and even to survive. Read More.. By Christopher Owings (Chinden Assistant Manager) (cowings) @ 3:38 PM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 2 Comments :: 828 Views

Friday, June 09, 2006

How much water does my tree need? How much water does my tree need? In my opinion this question doesn't get asked as frequently as it should. The number one killer of any new planting is over watering, which probably surprises a lot of people, but it is true. Especially here in the treasure valley with our hard clay soils. What we need to remember is that trees don't grow in naturally landscaped lawns and flower beds. Read More.. By Nolan Guthrie (Chinden Store Manager) (nguthrie) @ 7:01 PM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 786 Views

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Addicted to Orchids A few years ago on a bright sunny Father's Day, my wife surprised me with my very first Orchid. It was two, actually; they were both beautiful Dendrobium species. The plants themselves werent much, but the flowers were so different and deep red and orange - I really couldnt take my eyes off of them. Then over the next few weeks the flowers began to wilt and eventually fall.I knew the day would come, but I just wished I could have a few more days. I had read about orchid care long before I ever kept one so I knew some basics. Dont water too much, mist the foliage, and someday it will bloom again. Well, after three years I have found that last bit to be a little harder than the books let on. Read More.. By Nolan Guthrie (Chinden Store Manager) (nguthrie) @ 2:22 PM :: House Plants :: 2 Comments :: 735 Views

Friday, April 14, 2006

Solving Ant Problems One of the first insect problems we hear about in early spring is ants. Its happened to most of us. We find them on our kitchen counters, in the bathroom; they seem to be in every room of our house. We want them out of our house. Read More.. By Tim Humpherys (thumpherys) @ 11:16 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 1643 Views

Friday, March 31, 2006

Preventing Crabgrass Crabgrass is very often incorrectly identified. Crabgrass is an annual plant; it comes up from seed every spring. It develops into to an aggressive spreading plant in June through July. Read More.. By Ken Kirkbride (Zamzows Vice President) (kkirkbride) @ 12:45 PM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 1882 Views

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Billbugs The Billbug belongs to large group of insects known as snout beetles. The snout beetle gets its name for the long and homely proboscis, which holds strong chewing parts at its tip.  They vary in color from brown to almost black and range in length up to an inch. Read More.. By Tom Chaloupka (tchaloupka) @ 4:12 PM :: Lawns :: 1 Comments :: 1579 Views The Frustration of Verticillium Wilt Verticillium wilt can be one of the most troublesome diseases out there. The main reason for this is that it lives in the soil and can remain alive in the soil even after it kills the host plant. Read More.. By Christopher Owings (Chinden Assistant Manager) (cowings) @ 3:56 PM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 1508 Views Pruning II Lopping off limbs and cutting back branches can be the key tokeeping trees and shrubs healthy, strong, and looking their best. Making the proper cuts can encourage thicker foliage, bigger fruit or flowers, and a hardier plant. Read More.. By Kelly Rourick (Nampa Store Manager) (krourick) @ 3:10 PM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 1136 Views

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

What is Huma Green, and do I Really Need it? If you want your lawn to look like mine, then yes, you really do need Huma Green.  One downfall of working for Zamzows is that your lawn has to be flawless.  Dont get me wrong, Zamzows does not enforce this on us, but when your neighbors know where you work you have to look good.  Fortunately for me I work here, which makes it easy.  That, and I am a confessed yardiac.  Hi, Im Tyler and I am addicted to green lawns.  One of my secrets is the use of Huma Green. Read More.. By Tyler Reynolds (treynolds) @ 9:41 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 1220 Views Growing Onions The onion is one of the most popular vegetables in the garden today. It can be planted very early in the spring and harvested in the early summer. The onion is a versatile plant and will grow in most all soil types, even Idahos nutrient-lacking hard pan. Read More.. By Mark Reed (Federal Way Store Manager) (mreed) @ 9:16 AM :: Vegetables :: 0 Comments :: 840 Views Getting Trees Ready for Spring You have been waiting for months to get out in the yard and start doing something, but what could you possibly do at this time of year? Well, something you could start with would be getting your trees ready for the summer. Depending on how many trees you have, this is a good day to two-day project that will be simple and get you out of the house for a little while. Taking some preventative action now will alleviate a lot of problems later in the spring and summer. Read More.. By Nolan Guthrie (Chinden Store Manager) (nguthrie) @ 8:33 AM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 866 Views

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Know Your Weeds Life Cycle Most of the weeds that appear in our landscape usually come from seeds that have germinated.  Our soil is full of weeds seeds that have collected over the years. A cubic foot of our soil can contain 200,000 weeds seeds just waiting to grow.  We all want a weed free landscape or lawn. Knowing when the weed seed geminates will help us in controlling them in our yards. Read More.. By Mike Stanton (Lawn Products Specialist) (mstanton) @ 2:50 PM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 1081 Views

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Keeping the Worm out of your Apples For lovers of apples, there is nothing more satisfying then harvesting your own home grown fruits from trees in you own yard! Conversely, there is nothing worse than losing much of your apple crop to worms! The worm which is actually the larvae of a moth called the codling moth is the single largest pest that growers of apples face world wide! Fortunately, this insect has existed for some time and there are established ways of dealing with the problem. Read More.. By Hans Geary (Eagle Store Manager) (hgeary) @ 5:32 PM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 999 Views

Monday, March 13, 2006

Organic Pest Control Using Diatomaceous Earth Made from the finely ground fossils of prehistoric fresh water diatoms.  Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) kills common household and garden pests like roaches, ants, fleas, beetles and many others.   It is a long lasting control -- sprinkles  easily into cracks and crevices where bugs hide and wipes them out! More... Read More.. By Ken Kirkbride (Zamzows Vice President) (kkirkbride) @ 11:06 AM :: Vegetables :: 0 Comments :: 818 Views

Friday, March 10, 2006

Dealing with Gophers and Moles Dealing with gophers and moles is very easy but if you don't stay on top of the problem, it can quickly get out of hand. This article should help you keep the holes in your yard to a minimum. Read More.. By Kip Weybright (Meridian Store Manager) (kweybright) @ 5:33 PM :: Lawns :: 1 Comments :: 1859 Views

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Are these seeds still good? So you found a pack of seeds in the drawer that you haven't seen for a couple of years, are they still good?  The answer is probably yes, but this article should help you decide. Read More.. By Hans Geary (Eagle Store Manager) (hgeary) @ 11:49 AM :: Vegetables :: 0 Comments :: 1007 Views Choosing the right house plant for your environment House plants can be a great addition to your home, but choosing the right plant can be challenging.  This article will shed a little light on the process of picking the right plant. Read More.. By Tyler Reynolds (treynolds) @ 11:29 AM :: House Plants :: 0 Comments :: 1073 Views The history of Living Lawn Fertilizers Over the past 25 years, Jim Zamzow developed what we feel is the greatest lawn fertilizer in the world.  These fertilizers were formulated out of necessity and conviction. Read More.. By Zamzows Admin (zampres) @ 8:49 AM :: Lawns :: 1 Comments :: 928 Views

Monday, February 13, 2006

Controlling tomato horn-worms If left un-checked, tomato horn-worms can quickly ruin your tomato patch. This article should help you keep this from happening. Read More.. By Tim Humpherys (thumpherys) @ 4:41 PM :: Vegetables :: 0 Comments :: 2165 Views Using corn gluten meal for organic weed control in lawns Corn gluten meal can be used for organic weed control in lawns.  This article will shed a little light on how it works and how to use it.  Read More.. By Greg Schneider (Retail Sales Manager) (gschneider) @ 2:52 PM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 1127 Views Aphids on your trees and shrubs Aphids can quickly become a problem on trees and shrubs. Not only doing damage on their own, but also spreading viruses and fungus.  This article will help you identify them and work on a solution. Read More.. By Christopher Owings (Chinden Assistant Manager) (cowings) @ 8:16 AM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 1001 Views

Friday, February 10, 2006

Mosaic Virus in Tomatoes Mosaic is waiting to rain on your tomatoes parade, it can't be treated, but there are things you can do to less the chances of it getting your prize tomatoes.  Read More.. By Nolan Guthrie (Chinden Store Manager) (nguthrie) @ 12:57 PM :: Vegetables :: 0 Comments :: 811 Views Early season preparation in the vegetable garden Even if it is too early to plant your vegetable garden, there are several things you can do to prepare for the coming growing season. More.... Read More.. By Kelly Rourick (Nampa Store Manager) (krourick) @ 12:41 PM :: Vegetables :: 2 Comments :: 1056 Views

Friday, January 13, 2006

Low Maintenance,Eye-catching Color! Whats the secret? Hey, look at me! shouts a season-long garden full of colorful-leaved and fruited shrubs. With little maintenance, shades from gold to purple to deep red can be mixed with greens and whites to draw you into your garden retreat long after the one-time beautiful blooms have gone. Besides extending the season, these shrubs provide a beautiful backdrop for perennials and bedding plants. More.... Read More.. By Sandy Turpen (Zamzows Green House Manager) (sturpen) @ 2:23 PM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 742 Views

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

House plants as air purifiers. These days it is nearly impossible to go shopping and not see some sort of home air purification system. A decade ago NASA conducted a study on the levels of toxicity in isolated home spaces and found that there was much more to this issue then was originally thought. Read More.. By Hans Geary (Eagle Store Manager) (hgeary) @ 8:29 AM :: House Plants :: 1 Comments :: 1525 Views

Monday, January 09, 2006

Extending your gardening season. Its 6:00 PM and its already dark outside, trees are starting to drop their leaves, and your tomatoes and peppers just are not done producing vegetables yet.  Here you are sitting in your home wishing that there was a way to prolong your growing season because those homemade salads never tasted so good. Read More.. By Christopher Owings (Chinden Assistant Manager) (cowings) @ 1:37 PM :: Vegetables :: 0 Comments :: 801 Views

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Controlling bores in trees. The key element in controlling bores in your trees is to keep your trees healthy. A tree that is stressed out literally sends out a signal that insects can here and tells them that this tree will not put up a fight if we attack it. Water and nutrients flow up and down the xylem and phloem, (which is the vascular system of a tree) a healthy tree will keep a steady flow, which is silent. Read More.. By Christopher Owings (Chinden Assistant Manager) (cowings) @ 12:10 PM :: Trees and Shrubs :: 0 Comments :: 1103 Views Yellow jacket andwasp control. We have all had the unpleasant experience of uninvited guests to our backyard barbecues.No, we are not talking about Uncle Bob, were talking yellow jackets. For their small size these black and yellow insects have a nasty sting and bite. Read More.. By Tim Humpherys (thumpherys) @ 11:12 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 1206 Views Colorado potato beetle. The Colorado potato beetle is one small insect that has a big appetite. Just a small infestation of potato beetles can destroy a home gardeners potato vines in a short period of time. The Colorado potato beetle is a small insect that is yellow and black striped. Read More.. By Mike Stanton (Lawn Products Specialist) (mstanton) @ 11:05 AM :: Vegetables :: 0 Comments :: 1156 Views Choosing a lawn spreader. Choosing what type of lawn of lawn spreader to use when applying granular products to your lawn is really a matter of personal choice. Drop spreaders "drop" the granules between the wheels of the spreader. Most drop spreaders are somewhere between 16 and 22 inches wide. Read More.. By Greg Schneider (Retail Sales Manager) (gschneider) @ 9:52 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 856 Views Application of crabgrass preventer. There is a specific window as to when crabgrass preventer should be applied to work properly. During the early months of spring as the soil warms, the small seeds that the crabgrass left behind, begin to germinate just slightly. Read More.. By Hans Geary (Eagle Store Manager) (hgeary) @ 9:20 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 957 Views Lawn fertilization in the fall. It's a fact that good lawns need adequate nutrition on a regular basis. A regular fertilization program keeps the grass growing and keeps weeds out. Surprisingly, the most important part of a regular fertilization program is in the fall. In fact, the key to a healthy lawn in spring is how you take care of it in the fall. Read More.. By Greg Schneider (Retail Sales Manager) (gschneider) @ 8:59 AM :: Lawns :: 0 Comments :: 686 Views Understanding & controlling lawn thatch. Thatch is a layer of living and dead organic matter which develops between the base of the grass plant and the soil surface. Thatch consists of the "woody" material of the grass plant, namely the stems and roots that are slow to decompose. It accumulates as these plant parts buildup faster than they breakdown.