The Dirt Doctor Podcast Audio

Howard Garrett this week - Zeolite, Groundcover, Nutsedge, and Tree Issues

In the November 7, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast Howard Garrett answers recent questions sent in by viewers including what groundcovers will grow in shade, tree care, and using Zeolite and Beneficial Nematodes in the yard and garden.


Podcast highlights  

- SPCA - Tiny, Polaris
- Ask Howard
- Beneficial Nematodes (Nature's Control)
- Zeolite
- Leyland cypress 
- Groundcovers
- Control Live Oak vein pocket gall itch mites
- Nutsedge
- Fertilize fruit and nut tr...

Dirt Doctor this week with Howard Garrett - Fall Colors, Tree Care, and the Fabulous Trees Slide Show

In the October 31, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast Howard Garrett discusses trees, offering recommendations for good fall color trees in North Texas, lists some of his favorite species, and the bulk of the podcast is a narration of the Fabulous Trees Slide Show, normally a 32-minute silent video. 

Podcast highlights  

- SPCA  
- pumpkins in compost  
- Garrett family Halloween greetings  
- Fall Color  
- Ginkgo  
- Native Texas Ash fall color  
- Jap...

Dirt Doctor this week with Howard Garrett - Fall crops and a new treatment for sick trees

In the October 24, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast Howard Garrett discusses fall crops (the garlic is already sprouting), planting native grass inland sea oats, and presents a demonstration of the Chemjet treatment method using a Garrett Juice-like formula for sick trees. 

Podcast highlights:
- SPCA 
- Garlic sprouting 
- Mexican buckeye 
- Inland Sea Oats planting 
- River Oats, Wild Oats 
- Ask Howard 
- Mesquite tree removal 
- Tree Injectors 
- Chemjet...

Dirt Doctor this week with Howard Garrett -  Art Studio and tree health

In the October 17, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast Howard Garrett discusses a lot of tree topics, such as proper identification of ash trees in Texas yards (Texas ash - good, Arizona ash - bad) and an innovative treatment he is trying in a damaged oak at his home. Proper pruning is again illustrated, and there are some dog videos (no microphones knocked off in the process).  

Podcast highlights
- SPCA 
- Nellie climbing tree 
- Art studio shots 
- Baldcypress seed...

Dirt Doctor this week with Howard Garrett - Fall Gardening, New Products, Art Studio Tour

The October 10, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses what you can be doing in your yard and garden this fall, discusses how to build a deck over tree roots, recommends several products, and gives a new tour of the Garrett yard and new Art Studio.  

Podcast highlights 
- Essential Formulas 
- Rocket launch video 
- SPCA 
- Leyland cypress 
- Deck information and tree roots 
- Stone deck  
- Cheat sheet  
- Garlic ...

The October 3, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses how to plant solid sod, time to plant garlic (and how), removing vines from trees, and shares a video of a recent SpaceX rocket launch viewed from South Padre Island. 

Podcast highlights:

- SPCA 
- SpaceX 14 S. Padre Island
- Vines on tree trunks
- Garlic fertilizer
- Bulb Plus product
- Planting garlic
- Dwarf ginkgo
- Organic fertilizer on native plants?
- Leyland cypress
- English ivy - kill with mulch?
- Good watering pr...

The September 26, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses changes to the updated website to make searches easier, and discussed several trees including the recommended Mexican mountain maple, holly trees, Mexican plum, and ginkgo trees, and illustrates how to make your own soil probe to take a true reading of your soil moisture levels. 

Podcast highlights:

- SPCA 
- Tour of updated Dirt Doctor website  
- Mexican Mountain Maple 
- Ginkgo leaves  
- Mexican plum  
- Kentucky blue grass  
- Chinese Pistache trees  
- amount of grass seed to plant...

Dirt Doctor this week with Howard Garrett - Comfrey-Garlic-Tree-colors

The September 19, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett discusses how to make your own medicinal mix of comfrey from your garden, how to prepare garlic for planting (and what parts to plant when), and tree care tips including treating emerald ash borer and how to plant trees.

Podcast highlights:

- SPCA 
- Comfrey juice
- Garlic book 
- Time to plant garlic 
- Forms of garlic 
- Harvesting garlic
- Ash tree recommendation 
- Emerald Ash Borer treat...

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

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
 
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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:
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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

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Cr...

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 
...

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...

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 arbo...

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 ins...

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) 

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Dr. Ohhira pro...

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 
Te...

The July 4, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett offers his top ten (plus one) favorite ornamental trees for North Texas. He also answers questions sent in by podcast listeners and web site readers to the Dirt Doctor site's "Ask Howard" feature. How to prune and treat tree wounds, spidermites, his Houston gardening book, compost, DE wormer, and Johnson grass are just a few topics he touches on. 

Show Notes:
Herb Tea 
SPCA dog
Cheat Sheet  
Favorite trees
Pruning in summer
Spider mites
PurelyGreen/BioWash https://1stenvirosafety.com/shop
Ants in...

The June 27, 2026, Dirt Doctor Podcast with Howard Garrett answers questions sent in by podcast listeners and web site readers to the Dirt Doctor site's "Ask Howard" feature. Repelling mosquitoes, how to use the fruit and pecan tree program, and Howard's list of top 10 shade trees for North Texas are in this program. And stay tuned at the end, there is a video of Howard rescuing his dog Elvis from the liveoak tree. 


Show Notes:

Herb Tea 
SPCA dog
Elvis climbed tree
Essential Formulas  https://essentialformulas.com/newsletter-subscription/
Advertisers discussed
Che...