Our extreme heat and the serious lack of rain for so long are causing a plethora of problems.

Normally, I like to write each of these weekly tips based on a topic that seems to be predominant in my most recent listener email. Lately, the topics are all over the place. Yet they can all be traced to the drought.

As I was driving the kids to and from their day camps this week, I looked around at examples of all the issues that have resulted from several weeks with litle rain. There were chinch bug infestations, aphid invasions on crape myrtles, mealy bug menaces, webworms in trees, yellowing lawns, lack of iron, take-all patch, nutgrass invasion, drought-stressed trees, hibiscus yellowing or bud-drop, and mosquito hell. All these issues and more have reared their ugly heads in recent weeks because of the excessive heat and lack of rain.

So, how can I hone in on a singular problem for this week's tip? I can't! Instead, I'll leave to you to check out the many things I've already written on those subjects. Just click on any topics below that hit your problems. (Note: some ads, links and elements in the old newsletters are outdated and invalid, but the article details are still correct.)

Saturday: Messina Hof
Sunday: The Woodlands Ace Hardware Normally, I don't do appearances or live broadcasts in June and July because of the heat and family vacations. But this weekend is the exception to the rule, and in a major way.

Saturday, I will be broadcasting live from Messina Hof Winery & Resort just off Highway 6 in Bryan to help celebrate the beginning of harvest season. On Sunday, I'll be at The Woodlands Ace Hardware on Kuykendahl at Lake Woodlands Parkway.

If you are interested in learning all about the grape harvest and its importance to the wine-making industry — or if you just want to try some great wines — make plans to join me Saturday at the winery, where I'll be on the air 6-10 a.m. The visitor center will open at 9 a.m., an hour earlier than normal, so you can be there for the final hour of the remote broadcast. It's also a chance to get signed up for all the harvest festivities and join me for some free wine samplings 10 a.m.-noon.

On Sunday, it's Customer Appreciation Day at The Woodlands Ace Hardware. Representatives from Nitro-Phos and Ace will be there, and it's a perfect opportunity for me to "get a pair of eyes" on your gardening and landscape problems — bring along a sample of anything that's got you stumped. Also, we have great prizes you could win just for showing up. I coaxed Dan Snyder with Nitro-Phos to scower his warehouse for samples of things that everyone can use — from Sluggo and Deadline Raintough Mini-Pellets to a wide variety of Shultz organic plants foods and moisture-retention products like Soil Moist. I'll be be hanging out at the store 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and it's also a great opportunity to get your hands on a signed copy of my new book, "1001 GardenLine Questions."
Randy Lemmon's GardenLine is heard 6-10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays,
exclusively on NewsRadio 740 KTRH.

Visit the GardenLine Home Page: http://ktrh.com/pages/gardenline2.html

Visit the GardenLine Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/GardenLine-with-Randy-Lemmon/115129939929?ref=ts