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September 17, 2003

Falling For The Weather...
Fall is a great time for change, and change is what is going on in our neighborhood. There are new driveways being poured, ours being one of them. New walkways added to the front of homes adding new dimension and design. As I type this editorial there are several big paving machines on our road giving us a new smooth surface to drive on. Wow! West 51st Street is taking on a whole new look. Neighbors are verticutting and re-seeding in hopes of greener, healthier lawns. I feel an energy on our block that I have never felt before. An energy filled with pride, not only for our neighborhood but for our entire community! We have certainly caught the bug in our neck of the woods and it is invigorating!

If you are wondering whether now is a good time to put down fertilizer, wonder no more. We suggest using Bradfield 3-1-5 Natural Fertilizer. This alfalfa-based fertilizer is organic so you can use it with peace of mind. It is an all purpose fertilizer good for lawns, vegetables, flower gardens, herbs, trees and shrubs. Most importantly you don't have to worry about the kids or pets being outside once you have made an application! To learn more about Bradfield's incredible line of products visit their website!

Everyone here at the Marsh house is enjoying the cooler temperatures. It has been great opening up all of the windows, allowing the scent of Mother Nature in. I am still sneezing like a mad gardener and will continue to do so until the first frost. A small price to pay for being outside and enjoying this fabulous fall like weather. Speaking of fall, we have only six more days until it arrives. Still lots to get done in the garden!

~ Shelly  

Totally Tulips (Part 2)
One of the best ways to keep your spring garden flowering is by planting tulip bulbs that bloom at different times.  Last week we recommended some tulip varieties that would bloom toward the early part of spring.  This week we focus on those that will bloom after the early bloomers but just before the late bloomers.  Careful planning will pay off next spring with a continuously blooming tulip garden.

  • Darwin Hybrid Tulips are highly prized for their large, brilliant flowers.  Flowers are available in shades of red, pink, orange, and yellow.  Blooms are borne on strong stems which are up to 30 inches tall.  Darwin hybrid tulips often bloom well for several years, making them one of the better perennial tulips.
  • Triumph Tulips produce cup-shaped flowers on strong, medium-length stems.  Average plant height is 10 to 16 inches.  This is the largest class of tulips and offers the widest range of flower colors.  Triumph tulips are excellent for forcing.
  • Parrot Tulips have deeply feathered, curled, or twisted petals.  Flowers may be single or multi-colored.  Many varieties have a green spot at the base of their petals.  Parrot tulips are sensitive to poor weather and should be planted in a protected spot.

Next week, the late bloomers...

Source

Mulch Ado About Trees...
Fall is a great time to plant a tree.  Keeping it alive is an all-season affair.  Mulching is so important for new trees but it's not as simple as dumping a bag of wood chips at the base of tree.  Here are some tips to help you avoid the most common mistakes: 

  • Don't pile mulch around the trunk.  This keeps the trunk wet, which can allow diseases and insects to invade.  Keep the mulch at least 6 inches from the trunk.
  • Don't put on too little or too much.  A 1-inch-deep layer doesn't do the job.  A settled depth of 3 to 5 inches gives you the full benefits of mulch, including good weed control.  Mulch depths of a foot or two are excessive and may smother roots.
  • Don't apply sour-smelling mulch.  If it smells like a litter box it's probably been stored on a waterlogged site.  The ammonia that builds in this situation can harm your tree.  Sour mulch is a rare occurrence, but your nose will give you a clear warning of it.
  • Don't use freshly chipped chips.  While the chance of disease transmission is small it's easy to go zero-risk by aging chips for six weeks or more before using them around your trees.

Source

It's Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature...
But it sure is fun!  Perusing the bulb catalogs one can't help but wish spring would come sooner.  Well, you can't rush the Vernal Equinox but you can enjoy blooms from your spring flowering bulbs while the snow is still flying.  Just start the process of bulb forcing now to get colorful and fragrant wintertime indoor blooms.  Everything you need to know is in "Forcing Bulbs Indoors" in our Features section.

 


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Planting Perennials Properly...
Fall is here and that means we're planting perennials at our house.  By planting perennials now Savvygardeners will benefit from the plant establishing a strong root structure during the autumn months.  This in turn leads to a bigger, healthier plant next spring.

Perennials are generally sold in pots or bare-root. Here are the steps to follow when planting a bare root perennial: 

  1. Remove the plant from its package, and carefully remove all loose packing material (peat moss and sawdust are commonly used). 
  2. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for 5 to 10 minutes. 
  3. Examine the root system, and trim away any rotted, moldy, broken or elongated roots with a sharp knife of your pruning shears. 
  4. Dig a hole deep and wide enough to allow the roots to fan out from the crown at about 45° angle.  It sometimes helps to make a cone-shaped mound of soil in the bottom of the hole and spread the roots around it.  Remember, the crown of most perennials should be roughly level with the surrounding ground. 
  5. Cover the roots with soil and press down firmly.  Make sure all the roots — especially those under the crown are in contact with soil. 
  6. Water the plant well and add a layer of mulch.

Source

Organically Speaking...
At the end of the growing season, garden cleanup, lawn renovation, and leaf gathering provide excellent opportunities to add organic materials to garden soil without the time and space of composting.  You can add organic materials, till them in, and compost the organic materials right there in the soil.  In a few weeks, repeat the process.  Continue this into late November or early December when soils usually start to freeze. 

For best results, finely chop or shred organic materials by running them through a lawnmower and catching them in the bag.  No shredding is necessary for finely textured materials such as lawn renovation residue, but coarse leaves or garden refuse needs to be shredded. 

Add organic materials to a depth of about 3 inches and till the area well with a rototiller.  Make sure soil is not excessively wet when you till.  With the warm soils we have now, decomposition will begin to occur in just a few days. In about 2 weeks you can repeat the process by adding more organic materials.

Source

 


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Invite Your Herbs Inside...
Herbs such as basil, parsley, rosemary, chives, thyme and marjoram should be dug from the garden and placed in pots for growing indoors before the first frosts arrive.  There's no reason not to get a jump on this now however.  Place them indoors in a sunny location - preferably a south or west-facing window. 
 

A Dandy Time to Stop Dandelions...
So, all summer long you've been battling a few (or a few dozen) dandelions for control of your lawn.  Well, they say the best way to control dandelions and other broad-leaf weeds is by maintaining a lush, healthy turf.  But you've still got to knock out those pesky weeds that just won't go away and fall is a great time to do it.  Options are many but generally the most effective controls result with a liquid broadleaf weed herbicide sprayed under these conditions:

  • The weeds are actively growing.
  • Soil moisture is plentiful (never in drought).
  • Air temperatures are between 60 and 75 degrees F (never above 80 degrees).
  • Wind speeds are below 5 mph.
  • The lawn will not receive moisture through rain or irrigation for at least 24 hours.
  • The lawn will not be mowed for several days before or after the application.
  • The person doing the applying reads and follows herbicide label instructions carefully.

Finally...
"Bulb: potential flower buried in Autumn, never to be seen again."

~ Henry Beard, Writer

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