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August 13, 2003 |
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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!
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...
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 |