"I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid
and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United
States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli."
- George Bush, U.S. President, 1990
Showing posts with label fertilizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fertilizer. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
October Gardening Tips!
If you want to reduce your work load next Spring, I recommend you start any new garden beds now.
As you empty annual beds this Autumn, there are two main ways to enrich the soil.
1. Spread compost or plant cover crops.
Before you spread compost, dig or lightly till in any plants that aren't diseased to return nutrients to the soil. Spread compost, even if it's not well decomposed yet. It will protect the soil over the winter and break down by spring planting time.
2. Plant cover crops, such as buckwheat or annual rye that will grow this fall and early spring until you till it under several weeks before planting.
Now on to those weeds. Make sure you remove them or next Spring I guarantee you will get some kind of backache. Since bare soil invites weeds, cover bare soil with mulch, such as layers of wet newspaper covered with straw, compost, or manure. This will control late Autumn and early Spring weed growth and provide organic matter.
Begin preparing tools for storage by cleaning them once you're finished with them. Wipe the soil off shovels, spades, and trowels using a rag or wire brush, then wipe blades with an oiled cloth.
Make sure pruners are free from dirt and plant debris, and wipe down the blades with the oiled cloth. Empty any pots of dead plants and soil, adding the debris to the compost pile unless the plants were diseased. In that case, dispose of the plants in the garbage or a location far away from your garden. Rinse pots, or better yet, soak them in a bucket of water to which some bleach has been added. Rinse well.
Plant garlic now for harvesting next summer. Purchase garlic sold specifically for planting, or buy organic garlic. Commercial, non-organic, supermarket garlic may have been treated to inhibit sprouting. Break the garlic head into individual cloves, keeping the largest ones for planting. (Use the small cloves for cooking.) Plant cloves about three inches apart with the pointy side up. Try some different varieties to see which you prefer. Mulch the bed well with straw.
Test your soil and add any needed amendments now, the soil will be ready for planting when you are in the spring. Some amendments take time to break down and become available to plants.
Lastly, give your lawn a good low cut, and cover bare areas with a layer of mulch.
As you empty annual beds this Autumn, there are two main ways to enrich the soil.
1. Spread compost or plant cover crops.
Before you spread compost, dig or lightly till in any plants that aren't diseased to return nutrients to the soil. Spread compost, even if it's not well decomposed yet. It will protect the soil over the winter and break down by spring planting time.
2. Plant cover crops, such as buckwheat or annual rye that will grow this fall and early spring until you till it under several weeks before planting.
Now on to those weeds. Make sure you remove them or next Spring I guarantee you will get some kind of backache. Since bare soil invites weeds, cover bare soil with mulch, such as layers of wet newspaper covered with straw, compost, or manure. This will control late Autumn and early Spring weed growth and provide organic matter.
Begin preparing tools for storage by cleaning them once you're finished with them. Wipe the soil off shovels, spades, and trowels using a rag or wire brush, then wipe blades with an oiled cloth.
Make sure pruners are free from dirt and plant debris, and wipe down the blades with the oiled cloth. Empty any pots of dead plants and soil, adding the debris to the compost pile unless the plants were diseased. In that case, dispose of the plants in the garbage or a location far away from your garden. Rinse pots, or better yet, soak them in a bucket of water to which some bleach has been added. Rinse well.
Plant garlic now for harvesting next summer. Purchase garlic sold specifically for planting, or buy organic garlic. Commercial, non-organic, supermarket garlic may have been treated to inhibit sprouting. Break the garlic head into individual cloves, keeping the largest ones for planting. (Use the small cloves for cooking.) Plant cloves about three inches apart with the pointy side up. Try some different varieties to see which you prefer. Mulch the bed well with straw.
Test your soil and add any needed amendments now, the soil will be ready for planting when you are in the spring. Some amendments take time to break down and become available to plants.
Lastly, give your lawn a good low cut, and cover bare areas with a layer of mulch.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Lawn Care Tasks for Autumn!
Lawn Care During the Autumn Period
So here we are in September and there are things to do for our Lawn to prepare for the coming Winter.
1. Rake Up Autumn Leaves.
Don't leave Autumn leaves on the lawn as they can lead to bare patches. Rake off into a bag. Removing leaves is best done when the Lawn is dry, so get this done in early Autumn, before the weather turns wet. Don’t leave this job too late. The leaves can then be used for composting, along with any grass cuttings.
2. Scarifying
Scarifying removes the build up of dead organic matter or thatch, which can smother the soil and new growth. This should only be necessary where the soil is compacted or very acidic. Look after your Worms which remove dead organic matter naturally.
The main benefit to scarifying is that it helps to cut back the stems and creeping roots of the grass encouraging root growth and a thicker turf.
Scarification is a job for late Autumn, when the frequency of mowing is less. Use a spring tined rake. New seeded lawns should not be scarified or raked for about 2 years. Scarification is not a job for spring. Always be careful that you don’t tear up the grass and never rake from disease or moss infested areas onto healthy lawn areas.
3. Aerating.
Aerating is done to counteract compaction. Compaction prevents the roots and soil micro-organisms from breathing. Aerating can be a major task, so you need to concentrate your effort first where most attention is needed. Free draining sandy soils may never need aerating. Work on the trouble spots you’ve identified. Hopefully you’ll be able to move to another area next year. If the whole lawn needs aerating then you might work on a different area each year.
Aerating is achieved by sticking a fork into the surface to about 3 inches deep or more and in rows 6 inches apart. Gently move the fork back and forth before pulling out vertically. You will achieve a more thorough job by using a hollow tine fork. This withdraws soil cores.
Pricking can also be useful before scattering fertilizer but it only penetrates half an inch. By contrast to aerating, manual pricking machines make this a relatively quick and easy job.
4. Top Dressing
Top dress after aerating which will improve the consistency of the lawn soil. Fill in any hollows in the Lawn with a mix of 4 parts loam, 2 parts sand and 1 part leaf mould. Increase the proportion of sand or grit and reduce loam content for heavy clay soils. Increase the leaf mould and reduce the sand for sandy soils.
Lay the mix down along a line 1 or 2 metres long, then spread with a rake or brush. Aim for about 1.6 Kg per square metre.
Lawn Sand is a traditional lawn fertilizer/weed killer material composed of iron sulphate and ammonium sulphate. If you wish to make a fine lawn from a large area of weedy grass then lawn sand is a far better option than hormone weed killers and is more organic.
If you’re using a traditional mix of lawn sand, with no nasty herbicide or hormone additives, it is reasonably safe to use. It kills all broad leaved weeds and moss. However, a considerable problem arises because lawn sand kills clovers and acidifies the ground.
The lawn sand is spread during lawn-moist conditions after which the grass is left un-trampled for a couple of days then well-watered. The iron and ammonium both help to green-up the lawn after an initial blackening.
5. Liming
When soil ph is below 5 consider spreading ground limestone or dolomite on the lawn in Winter. Obviously liming has a counteractive effect on any ph reduction from lawn sand. But don’t use lime for this purpose, indeed avoid using it within a month or two of lawn sand.
So here we are in September and there are things to do for our Lawn to prepare for the coming Winter.
1. Rake Up Autumn Leaves.
Don't leave Autumn leaves on the lawn as they can lead to bare patches. Rake off into a bag. Removing leaves is best done when the Lawn is dry, so get this done in early Autumn, before the weather turns wet. Don’t leave this job too late. The leaves can then be used for composting, along with any grass cuttings.
2. Scarifying
Scarifying removes the build up of dead organic matter or thatch, which can smother the soil and new growth. This should only be necessary where the soil is compacted or very acidic. Look after your Worms which remove dead organic matter naturally.
The main benefit to scarifying is that it helps to cut back the stems and creeping roots of the grass encouraging root growth and a thicker turf.
Scarification is a job for late Autumn, when the frequency of mowing is less. Use a spring tined rake. New seeded lawns should not be scarified or raked for about 2 years. Scarification is not a job for spring. Always be careful that you don’t tear up the grass and never rake from disease or moss infested areas onto healthy lawn areas.
3. Aerating.
Aerating is done to counteract compaction. Compaction prevents the roots and soil micro-organisms from breathing. Aerating can be a major task, so you need to concentrate your effort first where most attention is needed. Free draining sandy soils may never need aerating. Work on the trouble spots you’ve identified. Hopefully you’ll be able to move to another area next year. If the whole lawn needs aerating then you might work on a different area each year.
Aerating is achieved by sticking a fork into the surface to about 3 inches deep or more and in rows 6 inches apart. Gently move the fork back and forth before pulling out vertically. You will achieve a more thorough job by using a hollow tine fork. This withdraws soil cores.
Pricking can also be useful before scattering fertilizer but it only penetrates half an inch. By contrast to aerating, manual pricking machines make this a relatively quick and easy job.
4. Top Dressing
Top dress after aerating which will improve the consistency of the lawn soil. Fill in any hollows in the Lawn with a mix of 4 parts loam, 2 parts sand and 1 part leaf mould. Increase the proportion of sand or grit and reduce loam content for heavy clay soils. Increase the leaf mould and reduce the sand for sandy soils.
Lay the mix down along a line 1 or 2 metres long, then spread with a rake or brush. Aim for about 1.6 Kg per square metre.
Lawn Sand is a traditional lawn fertilizer/weed killer material composed of iron sulphate and ammonium sulphate. If you wish to make a fine lawn from a large area of weedy grass then lawn sand is a far better option than hormone weed killers and is more organic.
If you’re using a traditional mix of lawn sand, with no nasty herbicide or hormone additives, it is reasonably safe to use. It kills all broad leaved weeds and moss. However, a considerable problem arises because lawn sand kills clovers and acidifies the ground.
The lawn sand is spread during lawn-moist conditions after which the grass is left un-trampled for a couple of days then well-watered. The iron and ammonium both help to green-up the lawn after an initial blackening.
5. Liming
When soil ph is below 5 consider spreading ground limestone or dolomite on the lawn in Winter. Obviously liming has a counteractive effect on any ph reduction from lawn sand. But don’t use lime for this purpose, indeed avoid using it within a month or two of lawn sand.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Key Gardening Jobs for Autumn!
Well, the nights are drawing in here in England and there is a slight chill in the air. September is here and Autumn is upon us once more. I thought this "To Do" list
might help in jogging a few memories of things to do around the garden at this time of year.
Early Autumn
. Bring in tender plants under cover before the first frosts
. Plant or move evergreens and conifers, while the soil is still warm
. Plant spring bedding, such as wallflowers and polyanthus
. Plant spring bulbs
Mid Autumn
. Tidy perennials, removing dead stems but leaving seed-heads for birds to eat
. Plant deciduous trees, shrubs and climbers
. Lay new lawns, so long as soil is not too wet
. Batten down the hatches, ensuring nothing can blow about and cause damage on windy nights.
Late Autumn
. Plant shrubs, roses and hedging plants sold with bare roots
. Clear up fallen leaves and compost them
. Plant tulips and hyacinths
. Move deciduous trees and shrubs once they have lost their leaves
. Take hardwood cuttings from shrubs and roses
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Dandelion!
Dandelion! The Ultimate Weed!
Some people like the sight of yellow dandelion flowers in their lawn. Others may even appreciate their skyward-stretching puffballs. But if you're not one of those people, we can suggest some natural and organic methods for controlling dandelions.
Pulling dandelions by hand is not that easy, but it can be done. You need to get the whole tap root out—if you don't, the piece you've left in the ground will sprout new foliage and, eventually, yellow flowers and white puffballs.
For little weeds, pulling the tap root out is not too hard if you're careful. For larger specimens, it can be nearly impossible. A special "dandelion digger" tool can help, as can attempting your weed-pulling operation after it's rained, when the ground it still a little loose.
Dandelions grow in one of two ways; from a dandelion seed that germinates, or from a still-viable piece of tap root that's under the surface. If you can interrupt the seed production cycle AND starve the tap roots of nutrients, you can defeat your lawn's dandelions without having to buy any chemicals or other products. Here's how to approach this:
1. Pick off the Heads — As soon as you see a dandelion plant's yellow flowers, pick the heads off. That will prevent them from getting to the puffball stage, when they release the seeds for the next generation of your lawn's worst nightmare.
2. Pick off the Leaves — Picking the leaves off a dandelion will not kill it because the tap root remains below the surface and will quickly send up new leaves. But repeatedly picking off the leaves will eventually starve the tap root of nutrients and kill the weed.
3. Corn gluten meal—which, just like it sounds, is naturally derived from corn. It acts by suppressing the germination process of a variety of weed seeds, including crabgrass and dandelion.
A multi-year program of applying corn gluten meal every spring will eventually give you a weed-free lawn. Remember that corn gluten meal will suppress germination of grass seeds as well, so time your applications away from reseedings.
The only other downside of corn gluten meal is that it will also kill the beneficial, nitrogen-fixing clover in your lawn, but we recognize that from some people's perspectives, that's a good thing.
Corn gluten meal also benefits your grass by adding nitrogen to the soil.
If you like spending money on mechanical gadgets to help you with your gardening, you'll find a variety of appliances such as flame weeders, mechanical pullers, water-powered weeders, and heat zappers, all designed to kill your dandelions off. These do work but are expensive.
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