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Lawn Ranger

 

August 13, 2003

Getting That Fall Feeling...
I am in fall gardening mode! Just this last week I pulled all of the white wave petunias out of our "sun garden". They were looking horrible and I could not stand the sight of them another minute. They were all spindly and weren't blooming as profusely as before so... out they go. I will plant pansies in their place once I have a feel for the weather taking a turn towards fall. From here on out it's pansies, mums and asters for me! Now deciding on when to plant them is the challenge. If you plant them right now, take extra precautions to ensure that they are getting enough water. Pansies will not stand up to this heat so I would almost certainly wait to plant them. Mums and asters are a little more forgiving. I am sure that there are plenty of warmer days ahead so for now my garden will look somewhat naked. Just a short period of time before fall colors take over the canvas!

How about the weather on Tuesday? As my seven and five-year-old sons, Noah and Jake would say, "Sweeeet!" The kids and I actually played outside most of the day and then Kevin and I got to enjoy an outing to Kauffman Stadium. Unfortunately the Royals lost but what a splendid evening to be outside!

All is not perfect however.  We've hardly had any rain for over six weeks now and the plants and lawns are showing it (photos).  More garden plants die due to lack of adequate water than any other reason.  Make sure you're doing your part!

~ Shelly  

Lush Lawns Are Looming...
Fall is just around the corner and there's no better time of year to renovate your lawn.  Take a hard look at your grass and decide just how much work you have ahead of you.

  • If you just need to thicken it up, a round of over-seeding will probably do the trick.  To ensure good seed to soil contact you might want to make use of a verticutter.  This handy machine, which can be rented locally, makes nice vertical cuts in your existing lawn and soil.  Over this cutting you can broadcast your seeds.  Seeds should find their way into the soil where they will germinate nicely.
  • Every other year or so you should try core aerating your lawn.  Doing so will control and prevent problems such as thatch and soil compaction.  Core aerating machines will pull up numerous plugs of soil about the diameter of a pencil, making holes into the lawn.  Leave the plugs on the surface and work the lawn as usual.
  • If your lawn is so overridden with perennial weeds or you're ready to try a new type of grass altogether you will need to eliminate what's there with Round Up or other appropriate herbicide.  Once the grass and weeds are dead use a verticutter or roto-tiller to prepare the soil for new seed.

A note about weeds - If crabgrass is appearing in your lawn in mid to late summer, remember that it's an annual and will die-off as temperatures drop later this fall.  For perennial weeds it is best to delay herbicide applications until a newly planted lawn has been mowed at least 3 times.  This gives the new grass time to mature to a point where it is not so sensitive to the weed killer.

Getting Ready For Winter...
Despite the August heat it's actually time for your trees and shrubs to start preparing for winter.  They've got some tough conditions to prepare for and it begins now.  The best thing you can do to help is lay off the fertilizer.  Fertilizing now will only stimulate late growth that won't have time to harden-off properly before winter.  Keep watering however.  You still want to keep them alive after all!  

 


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Garden Plans For You To Enjoy...
If you have big landscaping plans for this fall it's time to start making decisions on which plants you will purchase and where they will be placed.  As you do your shopping try to imagine how long you will live in your current home.  The average American family moves every five years.  If you think you might move within five years consider buying the biggest plants you can afford.  If you buy small you won't be around to fully appreciate your garden when it matures.

Waste Not, Want Not...
Most of us are fairly conscientious when it come to preventing drips in our faucets and other indoor plumbing.  For some reason however we are ready to ignore dribbles and trickles in our garden hoses and spigots.  Unless those leaks are falling right where moisture is needed (not likely) it is simply a waste of water.  Depending on the rate of the leak it is entirely possible to waste hundreds of gallons of water every day.  In most cases it's a matter of simply tightening hose connections and fittings.  Applying Teflon tape to threaded connectors will stop more stubborn leaks.  It may also be time to replace that old leaky hose altogether.

What's Hot On The Hotline...
After nearly two months with no appreciable precipitation it's not surprising that callers are looking for drought-tolerant perennials.  Our hotline staffers have some good suggestions in this week's What's Hot On the Hotline...

 


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Helpful Harvest Hints...
Fruit and vegetable harvest can be confusing - especially if you're still new at it.  Here are some quick tips to help with a few local favorites:

  • Harvest onions after the tops yellow and fall, then cure them in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area.  The necks should be free of moisture when fully cured in about a week's time.
  • Harvest potatoes after the tops yellow and die.  Potatoes also need to be cured before storage.
  • Pick beans, tomatoes, peppers and squash often to encourage further production.
  • Harvest sweet corn when kernels are plump and ooze a milky juice when punctured with your fingernail. If the liquid is watery, you're too early; if the kernels are doughy, you're too late.
  • Harvest watermelon when several factors indicate ripeness: 
    • the underside ground spot turns from whitish to creamy yellow
    • the tendril closest to the melon turns brown and shrivels
    • the rind loses its gloss and appears dull
    • the melon produces a dull thud rather than a ringing sound when thumped.

Source

Final Feeding...
Savvygardeners growing warm-season grasses like zoysia should make their last application of fertilizer this week.  Fertilizing into fall can interfere with the all important hardening-off process that prepares the grass for winter.

Finally...
"Lord, make us mindful of the little things that grow and blossom in these days to make the world beautiful for us."

~ W.E.B. du Bois

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