September
12, 2001
An
Unbearable Sadness...
I had originally prepared one of my usual opening messages,
with real-life garden humor, successes, and defeats.
However due to the circumstances that original draft, written
Monday, no longer feels appropriate. Instead I am replacing
it with what I am feeling in my heart.
There is a
knot in my stomach that I cannot seem to get rid of.
Viewing pictures of Tuesday's tragedy continues to bring me to
tears. I do not understand how something like this can
happen. Like so many fellow Americans my sense of security
is gone, I feel threatened. I want to grab my children,
hold and protect them, keep them safe by telling them that this
will never happen again. But can I tell them
that?
One
question continuously fills my mind. Why? For what supposed
purpose could so many innocent lives have been taken? I
know that there will never be a satisfactory answer to that
question but the question will continue to haunt me. I also
know that now more than ever we must come together as a nation,
as a community to find the strength to move forward. We
must pray together for the families who have lost loved
ones. We must also resist the temptation toward
self-righteousness and avoid being judgmental about those in our
own communities. We will survive this tragedy but only if
we do it together.
God bless
us and keep us safe.
~
Shelly
Shady
Characters In the Lawn...
There's nothing quite as relaxing as sitting under a big
shade tree with a lush carpet of soft grass beneath. I
wish! Growing grass under shade trees isn't exactly child's
play. All too often the tree provides so much shade that
the grass suffers. What's a Savvygardener to do? Here
are some tips:
- Thin the
tree canopy by pruning lower branches to a height of 8 feet.
- Selective
pruning in the upper limbs will also help sunlight filter
through without sacrificing too much shade.
- Avoid
excess nitrogen fertilization. Grasses in shade should
receive no more than 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square
feet per year, preferably in the fall.
- Mow at 2½
to 3 inches to allow maximum interception of available
light. Mow frequently enough to avoid scalping turf.
Decline of turf in the shade often begins after a single
scalping episode. Ouch!
- Moisture
demand in the shade is half to a third as much as in full sun.
Water only if wilt symptoms appear and then only in the early
morning so that the grass has a chance to dry and therefore
avoid some diseases.
- Shaded
turf will not recover well from wear so try to limit foot
traffic.
- When
establishing new areas, or renovating old ones, use 4 to 6
pounds of shade tolerant tall fescue seed per 1,000 square
feet. Avoid shade mixes containing more than 25%
perennial ryegrass.
Source
Counting
On Crickets...
The temperatures are dropping but how
much? I guess you could be a traditionalist and look at a
thermometer. Or you could show your savvy by listening to
the crickets. Seriously. Count the number of chirps a
common cricket makes during a 15-second period. Add 40 to
the number of chirps. The total will be pretty close to the
actual temperature in Fahrenheit.
Savvy
Seed Savers...
If you are growing "heirloom" flowers or vegetables
make sure you collect their seeds for planting next year and for
sharing with others. They need to be dry and should be
stored in an envelope or jar with some silica gel until next
spring. Don't bother saving the seeds of hybrids as they
won't be true to the parent plant.
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Packing
Up The Peonies...
Peonies aren't particularly fond of being uprooted and
transplanted but from time to time it may become necessary.
Maybe their home has become too shady or another project is
displacing them. Our friends at Bannister
Garden Center offer a few simple steps to get it done right:
- Cut the
stems to near ground level this month.
- Carefully
dig up as much of the root system as possible.
- Replant
the peony in a hole large enough for the roots.
- Make sure
the buds are one to two inches below the soil surface.
- Toss in
some bone meal and firm the soil around the plant.
- Water
thoroughly.
Keep in
mind - transplanted peonies often refuse to bloom the first
spring after transplant. Your patience will be rewarded in
subsequent years.
Squash
Harvest Hints...
Don't be too hasty in harvesting all your winter
squash! For longer keeping let winter squash stay on the
vines as long as possible. Wait until the vines die back or
there is danger of frost. Check by pressing with your
thumbnail, if the skin is easily broken they are not fully
matured and may not keep well.
When you
harvest leave two to three inches of stem on the squash.
Allow them to cure in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place for a
couple of weeks before placing them in storage. Also, never
wash your squash until just before using and never carry squash
or pumpkins by the stem.
Source
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
It seems most gardeners are looking forward to the fall and
the return of cooler weather. With it come concerns about
preparing perennial plantings, shrubs, trees and lawns for fall
and winter seasons. Simple tasks, accomplished now, will
lead to greater lawn and garden success next season. A
run-down of necessary fall gardening chores is in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
Fertilizer
Figures...
Savvygardeners with cool-season grasses (bluegrass, fescue,
and/or ryegrass) should plan on three applications of fertilizer
each year - one in spring and two in fall. Fall is the most
important time to fertilize as it really encourages strong root
growth resulting in healthier growth next spring. September
is a great month for the first fall application followed by
another in November.
You're
going to need about 1 to 1.5 pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square
feet of lawn. That's the amount of actual Nitrogen, not
fertilizer product. The amount of actual nitrogen in a
fertilizer product is indicated by the first digit of the N-P-K
number on the label of a fertilizer bag. The N-P-K number
indicates percentages by weight of the nutrients nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). For example, a bag with
a N-P-K of 20-4-4 has 20 percent nitrogen. Therefore it
will take 5 pounds of this fertilizer to provide 1 pound of
actual nitrogen.
Finally... "We
who are left how shall we look again
Happily on the sun or feel the rain
Without remembering how they who went
Ungrudgingly and spent
Their lives for us loved, too, the sun and rain?" ~
Wilfred Wilson Gibson, Poet, 1878 - 1962 |