APRIL 14
TOM STEMLER, DAISY GARDEN
WHAT’S NEW
FOR YOUR 2010 GARDEN
On Tom’s annual visit he will once again present the newest trends for this year’s gardens. We’ll see the plants we’ll all want and know the reasons we’ll want them. He’ll also tell us about the newest directions in garden maintenance and answer our questions.
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Gone with the Lawn
By Marie Camenares
Ahh, spring. (I’m dreaming here with snow all around me, but stay with me)…The air is warm, the sun is shining, and you lawn doesn’t look too, too bad from its bout with winter. Life is good—or is it? Spring is the time when you are pressured by your neighbors, the media and your own desire to have a spectacular landscape into doing lots of things that really aren’t good for your grass in the guise of spring lawn care. This is the time of year when the kindest action is to sit down and do nothing until you have thought things through in a manner that is going to work with grass physiology throughout the year! Because of concerns about pesticide exposure and ground water contamination major changes have taken place on Long Island as well as throughout the nation requiring integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. So, why are we so crazy about our lawns? Well, here are a few good reasons:
} Millions of grass plants contribute oxygen to the air we breathe.
} Lawns allow water to infiltrate soil readily; compared to runoff from the rain on patios, sidewalks, streets and driveways.
} Lawns clean and filter out dust, dirt particles and allergens from the air which are trapped on grass and later washed into the soil. Lawns provide cooling or “natural air conditioning”.
} Lawns help reduce noise levels.
} Lawns provide a place for children to play and adults to relax.
} Lawns define spaces in the garden landscape
} Know the lifecycle of your grass. The first six weeks of spring is the time when 60% of the topgrowth is going to occur. Now think about this in terms of water, fertilization, and mowing. Although we are encouraged by every commercial product known to man to fertilize, DO NOT! The reason for this is that you will push top growth even more at the expense of establishing a strong root system. Additionally, succulent top growth combined with spring rain means thin skinned grass that will be more easily invaded by disease. Wait to fertilize until Memorial Day, well into spring.
One of the best things you can do for your turf is to maintain a three inch mowing height; for every 1/8” blade is raised, get 30% increase in leaf surface area. Return clippings: after mowing, it’s free food for your lawn. Never remove more than one third of an inch of the grass blade at one time: short grass=short roots, weak grass, hot soil, weeds, low soil moisture. Pick a mowing height for the year and stick with it.
} Avoid mowing low all spring, and then stepping height up at the end of June when roots have lost mass by mowing low. Root growth is stopping just about the time you give it more top growth to support. Another bad choice is to cut real low in the fall again, knocking it back just about the time that the roots start to grow again in the fall and need that top growth to support them. Don’t mow if temps above 90 and soil is dry—you will damage crowns and roots, wait until early am or late pm to mow. Early am mowing also helps to reduce dollar spot disease, but you may have a bit of trouble with clumped clippings.
} Another mistake is to mow sporadically or not at all for a large part of the summer then whack way back. If you are going to change the mowing height, back down gradually, several weeks of 0.25-0.5” reductions, once reach desired height, mow 3 times/wk to encourage lateral spread If you’re having a special event or party don’t whack back the mowing height and then pump nitrogen just before your function. The end result will be that the roots die back coupled with excess top growth than roots can’t support It will look great for the event then dies quick
} Keep grass at a three inch height except for mowing low once or twice in the spring to encourage soil warming and reduce disease or before grass breaks dormancy to control wild onion or wild garlic; or at the last mowing of season to reduce disease over winter
} Lime is a terrible thing to waste. Before you put down lime in the spring you need to know why, and how much. The only way to figure this out is to get a soil test. The level of acid in your soil can’t be seen, tasted, smelled, or “felt”—the only way is better liming through chemistry, and that means a soil test! The pH over a site may vary from place to place so the best way is to get a representative sample from several areas of your yard.
} As for renovating, spring is not the time. When you remove or disturb lawn areas in the spring, you are encouraging weeds to occupy the nice warm space at the soil’s surface that you just opened up. At this time of the year, the growth of the weed is going to out compete the grass. Those weeds that mature will drop more seeds to replenish the bank as well. If you have existing bare spots at the end of winter you can dormant seed those, so that as late winter snow or heavy rain dries down, the seed will be pulled into contact with the soil. However, the best time for any of these operations is late summer and early fall when less weed competition and autumn rains will give a little push from Mother Nature.
} Weeds, Weeds, Weeds,….I hate them but…weeds are a symptom of something that is wrong with the site which leads to thin turf. Each weed has a message for those able and willing to speak “weed”, e.g., plantain means compaction, red sorrel means acid, damp soil. Identify what weeds you have, learn what they mean, and then take steps to change the site so they don’t pay a return visit and the grass will be happy to grow there.
} “Can My Petunia Be Saved” by Dr. Tamson Yeh is an extremely helpful book to all you gardeners out there that want to know what to do, when to scout for problems and how to grow healthy gardens. She writes with humor so you’re laughing and learning at the same time. You can purchase the book on line and Tamson will be happy to sign it for you at the March meeting. I can’t think of a better way to approach my garden this spring. Happy Gardening!
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