Archive for the ‘Fertilizing’ Category

Fall Leaf Gathering Turns Into “Black Gold”

              In autumn the cool crisp air paints the land with a colorful array from tree and shrub foliage. As days turn into weeks, leaves fall away and pile up on rooftops, walkways, lawns and gardens. Instead of just raking and tossing them curbside, gather and put them to good use. Fallen leaves (and grass clippings) can be […]

Fall Lawn And Landscape Planting Tips

            The combination of warm soil and cool air makes autumn an ideal time to plant new trees, shrubs, perennials, and cool season annuals. You may want to divide certain perennials such as iris, hostas, daylilies, and lots more. Fall weather favors root growth which aids transplants to recover quickly before winter’s chill arrives. Autumn planting […]

Seven Step Lawn Renovation Program

Fall (late August to mid-October) is the “springtime” for lawn care. Most weeds have stopped growing and the cooler weather is a more comfortable time to work outdoors. If your home lawn is in horrible condition, now (not spring) is the best time of the year to take on lawn renovation. First, here are a few […]

Start A New Fescue Lawn In The Fall

Likely, summer heat and drought have taken their toll on your home lawn. Late summer and fall are opportune times to start a new home lawn. Rainfall is usually plentiful and cooler day-night temperatures should spur a rapid grass recovery. If your home lawn is mostly weeds, including unwanted bermuda grass, think about starting over. […]

Best Bluegrass Cultivars For Cool-Season Lawns

Across the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, cool season lawn grasses perform best. Bluegrass, often called “Kentucky bluegrass”, grows in zones with cool summer night temperatures and adequate annual rainfall. Bluegrass is not as heat and drought tolerant and a higher water use rate than tall fescue and warm-season grasses. Bluegrass performs best in moist […]

Soil Sampling Is Good Insurance

Do you know what your soil needs to grow a great lawn, flower, or vegetable garden? If you haven’t analyzed the soil in the past five years, get it done in any season. Most gardeners do it in late winter when university, state, and private soil labs are busiest. The local Extension office or a […]

Fall Is Great Time To Renovate Your Lawn

Is your lawn nothing but bare spots, thatch, and weeds? Late summer and fall is an ideal period to reduce thatch build-up and repair dead lawn areas. Thatch is composed of old grass clippings, e.g. leaf and stem debris not decomposed. By aerating the soil and removing thatch, you will improve soil water absorption and […]

Labor Day Holiday Begins Home Lawn Recovery

Hopefully, summer’s extreme heat, drought, and in some areas flooding, are about over. Late summer and fall are opportune times to start a new or renovate your home lawn. Rainfall is usually plentiful and cooler day-night temperatures should spur a rapid grass recovery. Your current lawn may be mostly bare ground with lots of weeds. […]

Recommended Tall Fescue Cultivars

Tall fescue is considered one of the best cool season lawn grasses around homes and on public and commercial lands in the eastern and midwestern U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 5 thru 7). The cultivar K-31 is still an old standby, but so many better performing cultivars have now within reach. They feature improved color, plant […]

Fungus In A Lawn A Natural Phenomena

White or brown colored mushrooms are the visible reproductive (fruiting) structures of some types of fungi. An umbrella-shaped fruiting body is the most common form, but mushrooms come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Most people call them mushrooms, toadstools, or puffballs. Mushrooms are the reproductive stage of fungi and their spores are “seed”, the […]