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September 10, 2003

Going To Extremes...
I have gone from one gardening extreme to another. When the temperatures were so miserable, I did nothing in the gardens and now I am making up for lost time. Strangely, I have not been spending time in my own gardens but instead helping out in the gardens at my children's school, Westwood View Elementary.  Kimla Yost, a Westwood View parent and Savvygardener.com reader has partnered with me in rejuvenating the school's lawn and gardens. This is a process that was long overdue so needless to say we have been putting in long hours toiling in the dirt.  So much to do!  I think that everyone is very appreciative of everything we're doing.  Even the kids have commented on how great everything looks.  Funny, it doesn't seem to matter how old you are, trees, flowers and plants of all kind make you see the world differently!

It sounds as if we are in for some more rain in the next couple of days. Even with all the rain we received a couple of weeks ago we are still way behind on precipitation for the year.  No time like the present to get caught up! I hope all of you Savvygardener's have been inspired by the cooler temperatures. I feel like a new person. Now if I could just get my nose to stop running (allergies!) everything would be great!

~ Shelly  

Totally Tulips (Part I)...
While there's quite a few weeks before you have to plant them, tulips should be purchased soon.  Wait too long and the interesting ones will be gone from the store shelves!  To help you out we publish this four-part series each year at this time.

One of the best ways to keep your spring garden blooming is by planting bulbs that bloom at different times.  The possibilities are endless.  In fact you can plant only tulips if you like and still have staged blooms.  This week we focus on some of the earlier blooming tulips.  Look for these in your favorite catalogs and at local retailers:

  • Single Early Tulips are among the earliest tulips to bloom.  The flowers, available in a wide range of colors, are produced on strong, 10 to 18-inch-long stems.  The flowers of several varieties have a sweet fragrance.  Single early tulips are excellent for rock gardens, beds, and forcing.
  • Double Early Tulips produce semi-double to double, peony-like flowers.  The flowers, measuring up to 4 inches in diameter, are borne on strong, short stems.  The color range of double early tulips is smaller than for most other tulip classes.
  • Greigii Tulips are noted for their brightly-colored flowers and purple striped or mottled foliage.  Plant height varies from 8 to 12 inches.  Because of their short stature, Greigii tulips are excellent choices for borders or rock gardens.
  • Kaufmanniana Tulips are long-lived perennial tulips.  In sunlight, the flowers open fully.  The open flowers resemble a star or water lily.  Flower colors include white, yellow, pink, and intermediary colors.  The foliage is bluish green or chocolate brown striped.  Kaufmanniana tulips are small plants with an average height of 4 to 8 inches.  Their compact size makes them good choices for border edges and rock gardens.
  • Fosteriana Tulips produce some of the largest flowers of the genus.  They also perennialize well.  'Red Emperor' is a widely grown variety in this class.  Fosteriana tulips are sometimes referred to as emperor tulips.
  • Species Tulips include wild species, horticultural varieties, and hybrids.  Most are early blooming, short-statured plants.  Species tulips are available in a wide array of colors.  They perennialize well and are excellent plants for rock and heirloom gardens.

Next week, the "middle" bloomers...

Source

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

Better Blends...
Choosing the right grass seed for a new or renovated lawn is no easy task.  At the Marsh household we use a mix of fescue and bluegrass to maximize disease control and ensure an attractive turf year-round.  So, which varieties do you use?  Luckily for us the turf experts at K-State University have been doing their homework.  The following fescue and bluegrass cultivars tested highest in their most recent trials.

Fescue Bluegrass
Justice

Everglade

Dynasty

Sonoma

Olympic Gold

Champagne

Watchdog

Monte Carlo

Davinci

Eagleton

Wolfpack

Impact

Avenger

Langara*

Millennium

Misty

Coyote

Bedazzled

Picasso

Award

Look for seed blends that contain several of the above cultivars.  For a fescue/bluegrass blend you may have to do it yourself. Try a 4:1 ratio of fescue to bluegrass.

The complete results of the K-State 2003 Turfgrass Research are available here...

 


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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.

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Hotline volunteers often receive calls asking for assistance in identifying everything from groundcovers, weeds, flowers, shrubs and evergreens to large trees. Unfortunately we are not staffed to make house calls, so we rely largely on branches, leaves and flowers brought in to the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension office in Olathe. The alternative is working with the description given by the caller, which may or may not be sufficient to promote accurate identification.  Find out how "Gardener's Latin" can be used to help better identify different plants 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...
"Every garden is unique with a multitude of choices in soils, plants and themes. Finding your garden theme is as easy as seeing what brings a smile to your face."

~ Teresa Watkins, Gardening With Soul

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