Dirt Doctor this week with Howard Garrett - Fertilzation, Mulch, and Shredded tree trimmings 

The September 12, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses activities on the organic gardening calendar such as fall fertilization and planting fall crops, followed by an in-depth discussion of types and uses of several popular forms of mulch and compost. 

Podcast highlights:
- Monthly gardening calendar
- Corn gluten meal for fall fertilizer/weed control
- How fertilization works
- How pre-emergents work
- Organic calendar - Planting for fall crops
- Types of mulch
- Rubber
- Dyed Wood
- Pine Bark (nuggets)
- Shredded hardwood bark
- ground up grass and leaves
- Shredded native tree trimmings
- Pecan shells
- Cedar mulch
- Pine needles
- Hay bale gardening
- Bois D'arc (Osage orange)
- Plastic ground cloth
- Lava gravel mulch
- Drip irrigation problems

Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com

The September 5, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett answering listener questions that came in via "Ask Howard" about transplanting trees in the heat, about treating brown patch in turf, about armadillos, and described the 2006 trip he and his family made to Machu Picchu in Peru. 

Podcast highlights:
 
Cicada killers
Crapemyrtles dying back
Prepare garlic to plant
Armadillos
Coles Liquid
Slideshow of Machu Picchu
 
Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com

Dirt Doctor this week with Howard Garrett - Bamboo, Fertlizer, and Golf

The August 29, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett answering listener questions regarding good forms of bamboo (that can grow in semi-shade), about how to get lavasand, about when to use fertilizers and what kinds to use, and some golf stories.   

Podcast Highlights
Bamboo, Vinegar, Bad and Good Fertilizers, Lava sand, Sick Tree Treatment, Bad Fertlizers, Propagation Books, Howard's "air layering" propagation, golf annecdote, golf course design with Arnold Palmer

Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com

Dirt Doctor This Week - Cicada Killers Beetles and Fertilizer 

The August 22, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett answering listener questions regarding insects, weeds, the condition of plants in the extreme heat of summer, and fertilizing. 

Podcast highlights:
 
Cicada Killer wasp
Soap damage to tree foliage
Black beetles 
Flea beetle
Harlequin beetle
Black spotted cucumber beetle
Texas Bug Book
How often to water in heat
Chinese pistache looking bad
Fruit tree gummosis
Grub worms
Azaleas not blooming 
Fertilizer

Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com

The August 15, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett answering listener questions and discussing photos sent in to illustrate the problems they asked about. The site is being adjusted so photos can be added to the Ask Howard page. A big question - how to successfully transplant trees and shrubs in high summer plus a look at sucking insect pests such as aphids and scale. After a few teasers through the podcast it concludes with a short slideshow from the trip the Garrett family made to the Galapagos Islands some years ago. 

Podcast highlights:
 
Tea recommendation 
Speaking Event in August
SPCA
Successful transplanting in summer
White scale and sooty mold
Sick Tree TreatmentP
organic preemergent - corn gluten meal
Preemergent date for turf 
Neem shelf-life (AzaSol)
Spinosad
oak wilt
poison ivy/ 20% vinegar
mealy bugs 
mound drench
Mealybug destroyer
Galapagos trip slideshow

Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com

Dirt Doctor This Week - cactus compost, button bush, fasciation, and molasses

The August 8, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses why cactus pads are a great form of compost (and how to do it) and more about cactus pests (cochineal) and aberations (cristate forms). Also a discussion of what goes into Garrett Juice, what plants are good in wet or shaded areas, and how to deal with root sprouts. Many questions come in through the "Ask Howard" button on all Dirt Doctor website pages.  

Podcast highlights:
 
Howard's healthy tips  
Prickly pear in compost
cochineal
fasciation
molasses
sprayers
button bush
ginkgo
Japanese maple Orangeola
Tree cavities 
bugs in plants
root sprouts
Portable fan for mosquito repelling (Murphy's mosquito repellent) 

Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com

The August 1, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses a small Brazilian pepper he discovered in a restaurant that he now grows to eat and as an ornamental plant. Biquinho peppers are also called "Little Beak" and "Sweetie Drops." Also answered questions that came in through the "Ask Howard" page on the Dirt Doctor website.   

Podcast highlights:
 
Lemonbalm
Biquinho Peppers
Cheat sheet
Cornmeal toenail fungus 
Garrett Juice spray on vegetables
Purely Green/BioWash
Lambs Ear
Sprinkler Settings
Soil probe
Mexican plum
Tree Problems, Jeff Hall arborist

Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/


https://www.dirtdoctor.com

The July 25, 2026, Dirt Doctor this week Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses how slime mold appears (lots of ways) and behaves in the yard and garden. He also reviewed a few of the common plant diseases and discussed a few products and listener questions and tips.

Podcast highlights:
 
Slime molds
Plant diseases
Sick Tree Treatment 
Dog pee damage in grass (Tully)
Hoja Santa 
Privacy hedge privet
Wirt L Wynn holly
Spinosad
Stink bugs
Texas Bug Book
Organic Lawn Care
Listener Tip: tomato foliage "tea" for insect pests
Apple cider vinegar or Lemon juice in drinking water
Howard's health tips

Advertisers:

Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com

The July 18, 2026, Dirt Doctor this week Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses his work on the National Champion Pecan tree in Weatherford, Texas, and he answers a number of viewer's questions. 

National Champion Pecan Tree
Proper tree limb pruning
Velcro ties for garden plants - Uline
Potting soil
Johnson Grass control
Sick Tree Treatment
Garden tour (repeat from June 2025) 

Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/explaining-postbiotics/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com

The July 11, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses a number of organic products he uses all of the time as well as a new sprayer being tested. He answers questions sent in by podcast listeners and web site readers to the Dirt Doctor site's "Ask Howard" feature. This week they include queries about mice and rat repellents, treating lacebugs, fire ants, and scale on crapemyrtle as well as how to mix a good batch of potting soil and where to buy organic products.

Show Notes:
Herb Tea 
SPCA dog
Champion Pecan Tree 
Test Product Kwazar Venus pump
Beneficial Nematodes
Mice and Rats
Guard snake sign
Lacebugs
Mandevilla
Dr. Ohhira Probiotics 
Crazy Water
ph
mound drench
crabgrass killer formula
scale on crapemyrtle
potting soil
tick control
vinegar
sharp shooter shovel
where to buy organic products? 

Advertisers:
Crazy Water is the only mineral water bottled in Texas. Rich with Mother Nature-infused minerals, which are more readily absorbed by your body. https://drinkcrazywater.com/ 
Dr. Ohhira probiotics have been part of the Garrett family health regimen for years. https://drohhiraprobiotics.com/dr-ohhira-probiotics/
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/explaining-postbiotics/

https://www.dirtdoctor.com