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August 11, 2004 |
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Hot Fun In The
Desert Sun...
It would be difficult to start this week's
newsletter without talking about the weather. The low
tonight is supposed to be 52°F.
Sounds a bit chilly for August. Who would have thought we would
be experiencing fall-like weather in
the middle of August? Not me. I have to admit that I was bracing
for the worst once we returned from the beach. You know - a
typical Midwest summer. Hot as blue blazes, humid, no rain,
you get the idea. Nothing to complain
about here. The garden looks great, the grass looks even better.
Usually this time of the year our bluegrass -
fescue blend is looking a little tired to say
the least.
We returned
from Phoenix this past week and had a great visit with my sister
and her family. Just so you know, they are also experiencing
cooler than normal temperatures. The highs the week we were there
were in the low 100's. It was not as humid but let me reassure
you it was hot! Any way you look at it
107 degrees hot. We basically hung out by the pool and did
some sightseeing. One of our mandatory field trips was to the
Desert Botanical
Garden. It was beautiful. There was quite
a lot to see - different succulents, cactus, trees and
several animal species wandering around
(photos).
Our son Noah studied different
cacti in first grade
last year and made a point to identify each one he learned
about while we were there. It was great! Fun for the whole
family.
I hope that
by now you have entered the
Tastiest Tomato contest which is Sunday August 15th, 10:00 AM
at Family Tree Nursery in Overland Park. Prizes and lots of fun.
~
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...
While it may be August 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!
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
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.
Tell Your Friends About
Savvygardener.com!
You
Could Win A $50 Gift Certificate
Details...
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What's Hot On The Hotline...
This has certainly been a beautiful
summer. It's been made even more attractive by the annual
show from flowering trees and shrubs. Callers have been
asking about some of the most striking bloomers. You can
find out about them in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
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... "Don't let one cloud
obliterate the whole sky." ~
Anais Nin, Writer, 1903-1977 |