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Savvygardener.com
March 15, 2000

Do Leprechauns Have Green Thumbs?

Well, I certainly did not expect the weather to turn so cold last weekend. What a shock after last week! I guess the good news is that we didn't get several inches of snow. I hope all of you took heed to our frost alert. I don't think we received any frost here in Westwood but I am still glad that we went out and covered the daffodils that were beginning to bloom. I am sure that if you were to drive by our house you would wonder what in the world was going on? Lots of sheets covering flower beds. What we gardeners go through to protect our plants!

Speaking of daffodils, I made sure to get out and cut some of my blooming bulbs before the "Big Chill" settled in last week. While cutting I remembered a little known tip - Always remember to put cut daffodils in a vase by themselves for at least a day before adding other cut flowers. Daffodils secrete a fluid that will drastically reduce the life of other flowers in the same container.

Recent rains have been a plus but very cold weather is forecast for Thursday night - cover those flowering bulbs. By Saturday we're supposed to see temps in the fifties again. Spring is soooo close...

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

~ Shelly

Spring Lawns: To Seed or Not to Seed...

As spring approaches you will no doubt start inspecting your lawn only to re-discover that it is less than perfect. Most of us have bare spots or entire areas that are begging for new seed. Reliable sources will tell you that spring is the second best time of year to plant grass seed (the best time being fall). What they don't tell you is that in this case second best may not be good enough. I'll try to explain.

Fall is the best time to plant because the seeds get the double benefit of warm soil and cooler air temperatures. Fall planted grass also establishes a strong root system even after the grass blades have stopped growing for the season.

By contrast spring sown grass seed gets cool air temperatures but not warm soil - making it tougher to germinate. In many cases the grass is not established well enough to take the heat imposed on it by the typical Kansas City summer. Often times your new grass is toast by mid-July.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't plant new grass in the spring. You just need to be aware of the risks. At our house we try to limit spring grass seeding to small bare patches and hope for the best. For bigger jobs consider contacting a professional lawn care company like Ryan Lawn & Tree to improve your chances.

Grounds for Good Compost

Recently a Savvygardener wrote and asked whether or not used coffee grounds can be mixed into garden soil. The answer is yes but let's elaborate. By themselves coffee grounds will tend to raise soil acidity, though only slightly. Even still it is best to use them on acid loving plants (Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Hollies, Dwarf Evergreens, Boxwoods, and Pieris to name a few).

Instead of using the coffee grounds alone you'd be better off adding them to a host of other ingredients in your compost bin or earthworm bed. Not a coffee drinker but want some grounds anyway? Starbucks will give you their used grounds. On The Plaza they prefer you come in between 3 and 7 PM. Just to be safe we suggest calling first.

Help for Clay Soils...

For years we've put up with clay in one of our smaller flower beds. This year we called our friends at Earl May for some advice on how to make the clay soil more agreeable. Apparently they and their customers have had a great deal of success with a product called "Profile Soil Conditioner". We did some more research and learned that this is an all natural mineral that is kiln dried to produce small chips containing hundreds of small pores. It got our interest up and we're giving it a try.

What's Hot on the Hotline...

This week's hot topics on the Johnson County Extension Horticultural Hotline include advice on:

When to remove mulch from roses, peonies, and other perennials.
The average last frost date for our area.
The use of dormant oils on fruit trees.

Follow this link for the scoop on these hot topics.

Wait Before Pruning Roses...

Because of our mild winter weather our roses are growing and leafing out. Our rose expert, Al Karsten, is concerned that we may be encouraged to cut back our roses, fertilize around each rose bush in the soil and to start our spray program. His advice - do not do anything but water your roses until after April 15th. Most likely, we are going to have more cold weather. We do not want to put the new growth in jeopardy. The mulch placed on the roses last year will protect the new growth. Leave this mulch on your roses until April 15th or later. As for watering - at least one inch per rose bush each month when the soil is not frozen and the temperature is above freezing. Be patient and sit tight until after tax day when we will tell you what's next for your roses.

The Best Defense is a Good Offense...

Our friends at Ryan Lawn & Tree are recommending now as the time to apply spring fertilizer and pre-emergent. The fertilizer will make your lawn a luscious green and the pre-emergent will start fighting weeds before they really get started. Try to water within 7-10 days of applying both items. Also, make sure you wait 10-30 minutes before walking on your lawn after application.

If you've been following our advice and watering your lawn this winter we're willing to bet you've got the greenest grass on the block - and just in time for St. Patrick's day! The application of fertilizer will take the green to an even higher level.

Finally...

"I have here only made a nosegay of culled flowers,
and have brought nothing of
my own but the thread that
ties them together." Michel De Montaigne, French essayist, 1533-1592