|
September
4, 2002 |
|
A True
Labor Day Weekend
Labor Day weekend. Something to look forward to.
A holiday weekend to spend relaxing with friends, family and loved ones.
A weekend to get away from it all, kick back and take it easy. Well somewhere,
that got lost on us and we decided to take the word labor seriously.
We power-sprayed the deck and gave it a good scrubbing. We
also did the same to the garage and then gave it a fresh new coat
of paint. Kevin then stained and put a protective coat on
the deck while I finished painting the trim on our new patio
door. Whew! I also decided that I don't care if the
temperatures are in the 90's, I am going to do some fall
planting. I planted some mums and a few perennials. I
also did some more transplanting. I guess we are just going
to have to go about planting hoping that cooler weather is right
around the corner. If you decide to lose your mind like I
did, remember to mulch your newly planted (and transplanted)
flowers, trees and shrubs and make sure you give them the
moisture they need.
Wow! Did all of you receive the Earl
May fall flyer? Great coupons with incredible savings.
Savings on mums, pansies, trees and tons of other great things
for the garden. There is even a coupon for a free pumpkin!
If you are not on their mailing list make sure you let someone
know the next time you are in one of their stores.
Shall we talk about the weather? Hmmm, what to say?
Hot, dry conditions. Same song, second verse. Time to
move on to the third verse which brings us cooler temperatures
and rain. What do you say to that?
~
Shelly
The
Great Divide...
It was at times a long, hot summer. But Savvygardeners who
took care of their perennials might notice them bursting from their
beds. Sound familiar? If so, they need some relief.
Once they are done blooming for the
year it's time to divide them.
You'll know
your plants need to be divided if:
- They are
spreading beyond your desired range for them.
- The
flowers are not producing as well as in the past.
- The
center of the clump of flowers is dying.
- The lower
areas of foliage are sickly.
For a quick
but effective description of the dividing process you can read "Dividing
Spring Blooming Perennials" in our Features
section.
Tomato
Trickery...
With summer gradually coming to an end you may want to try a
couple of tricks to get the most out of your tomato plants.
- By
removing some of the leaves more sunlight will be allowed to
reach your tomatoes. The shady protection they provide
is not needed as much now that fall is closing in.
- Lopping
the tops off the plants will help ensure that the plants'
energy will go into finishing existing fruit production rather
than the now hopeless task of producing new fruit.
Root
Burlap: Friend or Faux?
If you are planting a balled and burlapped (B&B) tree or
shrub this fall pay close attention to the material of the
"burlap". Many B&B's are now sold with
synthetic burlap that will not decompose in the ground. If
this plastic burlap remains around the roots the plant will
become root-bound and and will not grow properly. Since
some of this new material closely resembles traditional cotton
burlap you need to be careful. If you have any doubt at all
cut it away from the root ball once it's in place.
Nuisance
of the Week - Rust on Turfgrass...
If you have noticed a rusty color on your shoes after walking
through the lawn, the turf may have a disease known as
rust. Late summer is the most common time of year for rust
to infect turf due to the likelihood of moisture stress and low
fertility. In most cases fungicide treatments are not
required. Nitrogen and watering (if needed) are usually
enough to allow the turf to outgrow the disease.
This is the
time for a fall application of fertilizer on our cool-season
grasses anyway. Apply 1 to 1½ pounds of nitrogen per 1000
square feet. If you follow the directions on the bag for
fertilizing lawns, you should apply about 1 pound of nitrogen per
1000 square feet. The fertilizer must be watered in before
the turf can use it. Don't water in the evening as this
increases the amount of time the leaf blades are wet and
therefore increases the chance of disease. Regular mowing
also helps by reducing disease spores found on infested leaf
tips. As is true of many diseases, rust is less likely to infect
a vigorous, growing plant.
Photo
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.
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
While the official end of summer is a couple of weeks
away, the passing of Labor Day this week marked the emotional
end of summer for most of us. The change of seasons is a
great time to take stock of the garden, do some clean-up and get
ready for the seasons ahead. We've compiled an end of
summer clean-up checklist in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
Weed
Whackers...
Dandelions, clover, and other broadleaf weeds that were a
problem last spring and all summer should be controlled this
fall. The period from late September to mid-November is the
ideal time to control broadleaf weeds in turfgrass because
broadleaf weeds are most susceptible to herbicides at this
time. The turf and weeds must be actively growing for this
to be effective so be sure your lawn is well-watered before
applying. Apply on a sunny day with moderate temperatures,
no wind, ample soil moisture and no rain in the 24-hour
forecast. A herbicide containing two or more active
ingredients including 2,4-D, MCPP, dicamba, triclopyr, or
clopyralid will control most broadleaf weeds with one
application. As always, be careful when using broadleaf
herbicides as they may damage the stuff you want to keep such as
flowers, trees, shrubs, or vegetables.
Source
Finally... "A
tree uses what comes its way to nurture itself. By sinking
its roots deeply into the earth, by accepting the rain that flows
towards it, by reaching out to the sun, the tree perfects its
character and becomes great. Absorb, absorb, absorb. That
is the secret of the tree." ~
Deng Ming-Dao, Everyday Tao, 1996 |