Question
My husband and I finally put down the squares of Bermuda Tiff that we have talked about, so we'll see how it works.  Of course I thought about a couple more questions (can't promise it's the last ones).  I forgot to tell you that we are covered with fire ants (they do have one good quality) will the sugar help, hinder or make any difference for them?  Also, how soon should we put sugar down on it and how often?

Thank you for all the help that you've given me so far.

Answer
Hi Wynne;
The sugar will not affect the fire ants one way or the other.
Orange oil is the most effective ingredient in fire ant control.
Chop up some orange peels, drop them on the fire ant hills, and in a matter of hours the ants will be gone.
If you have a very huge infestation of them, you can get orange oil and make a spray with 2 ounces of orange oil( or Delimonine, as it is called) to 1 gallon of water. Shake it up a little and spray or drench the fire any mound.
The easiest way is to just peel some oranges, chop the peels up small ( about the size od green peas or lima beans, and toss them down on the ground.
I used to do this in early spring, when it was time for fire ants to swarm. I bought a big bag of oranges, and had the grandkids over to eat oranges and I chopped the peels, and they got to scatter them all over the yard.
It was a fun thing to do with them, and they felt the contributed by keping their play area and the rest of the yard, free of fire ants.
I haven't done that in aboiut 3 or 4 years now, because I have enough lizards etc that all the ants of any kind are eaten, so I never see an ant hill.
Making the spray CAN burn plants, but just chopping the peels up very small and scattering them, gets the orange oil smell out there, and the ants take off. The orange peels don't cause a foul odor as they are composting, and they just add more nutrients to the soil.
Also, they stay a little longer. Any oranges you use after that can be peels and scattered in a mental grid, so new peels go to a different spot each time.

You can put the sugar down anytime.
All you are doing is feeding the beneficial microbes, so it doesn't matter how soon or what time of year.
I usually do it in early spring, and early fall, as that is when I always fertilized, so it makes it easier to remember, by following habit.
If it is an extremely stressful summer, I will apply sugar again in mid july or thereabout.
That is the best thing about organics, there is no special time you have to do it.
If you are too tied up, not feeling well enough etc, when it is time to spring feed your lawn, jusyt do it when you get around to it.
If you are using chemical fertilizers, you have to get it done within certain frameworks, or it isn't as effective.
You have to do the chemical insect treatments at certasin times, or they don't work.
Keep a healthy enviornment for the lawn critters, they eat the bugs all the time. They don't go by seasons for their snacks.
Don't worry about it not being the last questions.
I am old and not physically abole to get pout and do as many things as I would like to do.
I can't plant and care for a large veggie garden etc, so the way I get most of my gardening in is to help other people have a great garden experience.
I water, and I strow the sugar, alfalfa meal etc, but hubby mowrs, edges and trime.
I had to cut back on the number of roses I can grow, because I am nt up to that much pruning.
Roses take as much care as children do. LOL
Now that I know how to get great results with fewer hours of labor, If I were young and spry, I would start a lawncare company, using the organic principles I have learned.
This too, if it weren't for the organics doing so much for so little work done, I would have to remove all my landscaping and pave this place over.
No way could I keep up with even a grassy lawn, much less all the shrubs etc.
I am happy to answer as many questions as I get.
Charlotte