Welcome to the Lawn Service Corpus Christi blog, your go-to spot for keeping your yard looking great in the Coastal Bend.
Let’s be real for a minute. It’s late July. The sun is blazing, the air is thick enough to swim through, and our gardens are putting up the fight of their lives. In times like these, we rely on every bit of gardening wisdom we can get our hands on, right? We listen to advice from our neighbors, remember tips from our grandparents, and scroll through countless articles online.
But what if some of that tried-and-true advice is actually… wrong?
Gardening is full of old wives’ tales and passed-down “wisdom” that sounds good in theory but can do more harm than good—especially here in our unique South Texas environment. What works in another part of the country can be a recipe for disaster in our heat, humidity, and challenging soil.
So today, we’re putting on our myth-busting hats. We’re going to tackle 10 of the most common gardening myths and set the record straight. Busting these myths will not only make you a smarter gardener but will also save you time, money, and a whole lot of frustration.
Myth #1: Watering in the Middle of the Day Will Scorch Your Plant’s Leaves.
The Myth: You’ve probably heard this one a million times: water droplets on leaves act like tiny magnifying glasses in the midday sun, burning little holes in the foliage.
The Reality: While it sounds scientific, this is almost entirely false. It would take perfectly spherical droplets and a leaf held at the perfect focal length to cause a burn, which just doesn’t happen in the real world. The real reason watering midday is a bad idea has nothing to do with burning and everything to do with waste.
The Corpus Christi Connection: When you water your garden at 2 PM on a sweltering July afternoon here, a huge percentage of that precious, expensive water evaporates into the humid air before it can even soak into the soil and reach the roots where it’s needed. You’re essentially just cooling the air and wasting water. The best time to water is always early in the morning (between 4 AM and 10 AM). This minimizes evaporation, reduces the risk of fungal diseases that thrive on overnight moisture, and ensures every drop counts.
Myth #2: Add Sand to Heavy Clay Soil to Improve Drainage.
The Myth: It seems logical, right? Clay soil is dense and holds too much water. Sand is loose and drains quickly. Mix them together, and you get a happy medium.
The Reality: This is a recipe for concrete. Seriously. When you mix the fine particles of clay with the larger particles of sand, the sand fills all the air gaps in the clay, creating a substance with the density and drainage of a brick. You will make your problem infinitely worse.
The Corpus Christi Connection: Many of us in the Coastal Bend are blessed with heavy clay soil. The absolute best way to improve its structure and drainage is by adding organic matter. Amending your beds with several inches of compost, leaf mold, or aged manure will work wonders. The organic material breaks up the dense clay, improves aeration, and encourages beneficial microbial life, transforming your soil over time.
Myth #3: You Should Always “Seal” Pruning Cuts on Trees and Shrubs.
The Myth: After you make a big cut on a tree branch, you should cover the wound with pruning paint or sealer to protect it from insects and disease.
The Reality: This is outdated advice that has been thoroughly debunked. Trees have their own highly effective mechanisms for healing and walling off wounds. Sealing a cut can actually trap moisture and bacteria inside the wound, creating the perfect environment for rot and disease to fester. It slows down the natural healing process.
The Corpus Christi Connection: Our high humidity already creates a challenging environment for fungal diseases. Sealing a pruning wound is like putting a plastic bag over it, inviting fungus to a party. The best practice is to make a clean, proper cut just outside the branch collar and let the tree do what it does best: heal itself.
Myth #4: If a Plant Looks Sick or Yellow, It Needs More Fertilizer.
The Myth: A sad, yellowing plant is a hungry plant. The immediate fix is to give it a big dose of fertilizer to perk it back up.
The Reality: A plant can look sick for a multitude of reasons, and over-fertilizing is often the cause, not the cure. The most common cause of yellowing leaves (chlorosis) in our area is actually overwatering, which suffocates the roots. It could also be heat stress, insect damage, or a soil pH issue. Applying fertilizer to a stressed plant is like trying to force-feed a person with the flu; it only makes things worse by stressing the roots further.
The Corpus Christi Connection: In the dead of summer, most plants are in survival mode, not active growth. Pushing them with high-nitrogen fertilizer can cause weak, leggy growth that is more susceptible to pests and disease. Before you reach for the fertilizer, check the soil moisture first. Is it soggy? Is it bone dry? Investigate before you medicate.
Myth #5: Pile Mulch High Around a Tree Trunk to Protect It.
The Myth: Giving a tree a thick, cozy blanket of mulch right up against its trunk is good for it. You see these “mulch volcanoes” everywhere.
The Reality: This is one of the most damaging practices for trees. The bark on a tree’s trunk is meant to be exposed to air. Piling mulch against it traps moisture, leading to bark rot, fungal diseases, and insect infestations. It also encourages roots to grow up into the mulch instead of down into the soil, creating a weak, unstable root system.
The Corpus Christi Connection: That constant moisture trapped by a mulch volcano is especially dangerous in our humid climate. It’s an open invitation for decay. The correct way to mulch is to create a “donut,” not a volcano. Keep the mulch 3-6 inches away from the trunk, creating a ring that extends out to the tree’s drip line. This conserves soil moisture and suppresses weeds without harming the tree.
Myth #6: Vinegar Is a Perfectly Safe, Natural Weed Killer.
The Myth: Just spray some household vinegar on your weeds, and they’ll die. It’s cheap, natural, and totally safe for your garden.
The Reality: Vinegar can kill weeds, but it’s important to understand how. It’s a non-selective desiccant, meaning it burns the leafy top growth of any plant it touches—weed or prized heirloom tomato. It does not kill the root, so perennial weeds will often grow right back. Furthermore, horticultural vinegar (which is much stronger) is highly acidic and can lower your soil’s pH and harm beneficial soil organisms with repeated use.
The Corpus Christi Connection: While it can be useful for spot-treating weeds in sidewalk cracks, be extremely careful using it in your garden beds. A much safer and more effective long-term strategy for weed control here is a thick layer of mulch, which blocks sunlight and prevents weed seeds from germinating in the first place.
Myth #7: You Should Water Your Lawn for a Few Minutes Every Day.
The Myth: A little sprinkle every day keeps the lawn green and happy.
The Reality: This is the cardinal sin of lawn care. Frequent, shallow watering encourages your grass to develop a shallow, weak root system that lives right at the surface. These roots are extremely vulnerable to drying out and heat stress.
The Corpus Christi Connection: A lawn with shallow roots doesn’t stand a chance in a Corpus Christi summer. It will be the first thing to turn brown and crispy during a dry spell. The key to a resilient, drought-tolerant lawn is to water deeply and infrequently. This encourages the roots to grow deep into the soil to find moisture, creating a much tougher and more water-efficient lawn. Water for a longer period, but only once or twice a week, depending on your soil and rainfall.
Myth #8: Newly Planted Trees Need to Be Staked Tightly.
The Myth: A new tree needs the support of a stake to grow up straight and strong.
The Reality: Trees actually need to bend and sway in the wind to develop strong “reaction wood,” which leads to a thicker, sturdier trunk. Staking a tree too tightly for too long acts like a crutch, preventing it from developing this strength on its own. It often results in a weak tree that is more likely to snap after the stakes are removed.
The Corpus Christi Connection: With our consistent coastal breezes and the ever-present threat of tropical storms, having trees with strong, flexible trunks is non-negotiable. Most trees don’t need staking at all. If you must stake a tree (perhaps due to extreme wind exposure), use flexible ties and remove the stakes after one year at most.
Myth #9: All Bugs in the Garden Are Bad Bugs.
The Myth: If it crawls, flies, or buzzes, it’s out to get your plants. Kill it!
The Reality: This “scorched earth” approach is a disaster for a healthy garden. The vast majority of insects in your yard are either neutral or beneficial. Ladybugs, lacewings, praying mantises, and certain wasps are voracious predators that eat the pests you’re trying to get rid of. Spraying broad-spectrum pesticides kills the good guys along with the bad, often leading to a rebound explosion of pests since their natural predators are gone.
The Corpus Christi Connection: A healthy garden is a balanced ecosystem. Encourage beneficial insects by planting a variety of flowering plants and avoiding harsh chemical sprays. If you have a pest problem, try to identify the specific culprit and use the most targeted, least toxic solution first (like insecticidal soap or manual removal).
Myth #10: When Planting a Shrub, Just Amend the Soil in the Hole.
The Myth: Dig a hole, fill it with rich garden soil and compost, and then stick your plant in.
The Reality: While your intentions are good, this creates what landscapers call the “potted plant effect.” The roots grow happily in the lovely amended soil, but when they reach the edge of the hole and hit the hard, native clay, they refuse to venture out. The roots will circle around inside the hole, eventually strangling the plant.
The Corpus Christi Connection: Instead of amending just the hole, it’s far better to amend the entire garden bed. Work 2-3 inches of compost into the top 6-8 inches of soil over the whole area you intend to plant. This encourages the roots of your new plants to spread out wide and deep, creating a much stronger, healthier plant in the long run.
By letting go of these common myths, you’ll be well on your way to creating a garden that works with our local environment, not against it. Happy gardening, y’all!
