Horticulture Hotline
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Here is a quick check list of current events in the yard.
Lawn Mower – sharp (new) blade, new oil, new air filter, new spark plug?
Prune azaleas, camellias and other spring flowering plants after they bloom?
Trees need pruning?
Fertilize daffodils and spray them with Messenger for bigger bulbs next year. Leave the leaves (foliage) to collect sunlight to refurbish bulb for next year.
Huge fleshy leaves on new growth of camellias and azaleas? Leaf Gall? Remove infected leaves and destroy.
Is Powdery mildew attacking roses, crepe myrtles, dogwoods? Neem PY (organic), Honor Guard
Large Patch Fungus – get an early start – prevention is cheaper than curative. Cleary’s 3336, Dual Action Fungicide, Prophesy and PCNB are a few chemical controls. Crab Shells, Serenade, and Natures Blend are organic controls that “fix” the problem.
Adult mole crickets are mating – manage them. Lebanon Insect Control
Fire ants are starting to forage – manage them. Lebanon Insect Control, Over n Out, Baits
Grubs are near the surface – manage them. Lebanon Insect Control, Grub X
Scale insects are in their crawler stage – this is the best time to kill them. Malathion and Oil premix, Acephate, Dominion …
For trees and shrubs with perennial insect problems consider Dominion Tree and Shrub or Merit.
Get a “jump” on fleas this year. Lebanon Insect Control, Tirade outside. Precor 2000, Inverted Carpet Spray or Ultracide all have an adulticide as well as a growth regulator and are labeled for indoor use.
Winter Kill?
Plant a vegetable garden?
Plant a flower garden?
If you applied preemergent in February, it is time for your second application (depending on the rate and product you used the first time). Remember the ornamental beds!
The leaves have fallen – new mulch?
Fertilized your trees and shrubs? 17-00-09, 03-01-05 (organic)
Fertilized Palm Trees with 07-00-09 (the most awesome Palm Fertilizer)?
Tested your well water?
Pruned holly fern, cast iron plant, and monkey grass (liriope)?
Moles?
Soil tested? Custom Program?
Always read, understand, and follow product label – it is a Federal Law.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Aeration Additives
As the night time temperatures warm up and the grass starts to actively grow, aerating should be considered for the health of your whole landscape. While you have the holes open in your yard, there are many products that you can add to that root zone area that will benefit your turf, trees, and shrubs.
Aerating does several good things for your lawn, shrubs, and trees. Try to use an aerator that pulls up a plug with a hollow tine instead of a spike type aerator that is just a solid tine going into the ground. By removing cores of soil from your lawn and laying them on top of the ground, all kinds of good things happen. This cultural practice is one of the best for your landscape as a whole.
Aerating reduces compaction, reduces thatch, increases oxygen movement to the roots, brings beneficial microorganisms to the surface, cuts runners, and allows better penetration of water, fertilizers, or control products into the soil.
Right after aerating, while the holes are open, is a good time to add Seaumic, BGK 7500, products containing mycorrhiza, Crab Shell, Mule Mix and/or Cotton Burr Compost.
· Seaumic is a bio-stimulant humic acid product that will help your roots grow, soften up the soil, feed beneficial micro-organisms in the soil, make nutrients that are in the soil more available to the plants, and keep fertilizer from leaching.
· Seaumic also contains 10% cold water seaweed. The seaweed also acts as a bio-stimulant and is a source of many minor elements.
· BGK 7500 is a granular organic product that has thatch eating bacteria mix in with a 03-03-03 fertilizer. BGK 7500 is also fortified with 6% humic acid.
· 04-04-04 Bolster, Endoroots, M-Roots and other products that contain mycorrhiza. By applying these products while the roots are exposed, the mycorrhiza can attach to the roots quickly.
· Crab Shell by Neptune’s Harvest will increase the chitin eating bacteria in the soil. These bacteria will help control nematodes and fungus. I would definitely use this product in areas that I have problems with large / brown patch.
· Mule Mix can last about 20 years in the soil and help manage moisture. This is a clay product that has been super heated until it pops! This makes this product sterile as well as turns it into a little capillary. This capillary holds water and then releases it as the plant needs it. This product is used on baseball infields to manage the moisture levels in clay; otherwise the clay would be rock hard or moist and slimy. Mule Mix will also keep fertilizer and water from leaching in sandy soils.
· Cotton Burr Compost will add water holding capabilities to the soil by adding organic matter to the soil. Cotton Burr Compost will soften up clay as well as giving sandy soil nutrient holding capacity. Cotton Burr Compost is very high in nutrition and will also help increase populations of beneficial organisms in the soil.
All the above products will help conserve moisture as well.
Aerating does several good things for your lawn, shrubs, and trees. Try to use an aerator that pulls up a plug with a hollow tine instead of a spike type aerator that is just a solid tine going into the ground. By removing cores of soil from your lawn and laying them on top of the ground, all kinds of good things happen. This cultural practice is one of the best for your landscape as a whole.
Aerating reduces compaction, reduces thatch, increases oxygen movement to the roots, brings beneficial microorganisms to the surface, cuts runners, and allows better penetration of water, fertilizers, or control products into the soil.
Right after aerating, while the holes are open, is a good time to add Seaumic, BGK 7500, products containing mycorrhiza, Crab Shell, Mule Mix and/or Cotton Burr Compost.
· Seaumic is a bio-stimulant humic acid product that will help your roots grow, soften up the soil, feed beneficial micro-organisms in the soil, make nutrients that are in the soil more available to the plants, and keep fertilizer from leaching.
· Seaumic also contains 10% cold water seaweed. The seaweed also acts as a bio-stimulant and is a source of many minor elements.
· BGK 7500 is a granular organic product that has thatch eating bacteria mix in with a 03-03-03 fertilizer. BGK 7500 is also fortified with 6% humic acid.
· 04-04-04 Bolster, Endoroots, M-Roots and other products that contain mycorrhiza. By applying these products while the roots are exposed, the mycorrhiza can attach to the roots quickly.
· Crab Shell by Neptune’s Harvest will increase the chitin eating bacteria in the soil. These bacteria will help control nematodes and fungus. I would definitely use this product in areas that I have problems with large / brown patch.
· Mule Mix can last about 20 years in the soil and help manage moisture. This is a clay product that has been super heated until it pops! This makes this product sterile as well as turns it into a little capillary. This capillary holds water and then releases it as the plant needs it. This product is used on baseball infields to manage the moisture levels in clay; otherwise the clay would be rock hard or moist and slimy. Mule Mix will also keep fertilizer and water from leaching in sandy soils.
· Cotton Burr Compost will add water holding capabilities to the soil by adding organic matter to the soil. Cotton Burr Compost will soften up clay as well as giving sandy soil nutrient holding capacity. Cotton Burr Compost is very high in nutrition and will also help increase populations of beneficial organisms in the soil.
All the above products will help conserve moisture as well.
Early Season Mowing - Remove Brown Grass
Alright, I guess I will give the soil amendment standards at least a week off. I have heard from the critic (anyone that is married knows who I’m talking about), and the recent articles were too technical, boring, like reading a boring college organic chemistry text book…
I thought my readers would love to read some of the technical stuff, occasionally, especially when the topic was mulch, compost, alleviating compaction, amending the soil and other situations we deal with in the yard regularly.
For future articles and for my growth as a writer, do you, the reader, like a little technical information every now and then? This was my first attempt in 19 years of writing to be so technical and I thought it was important because I deal with these issues on a daily basis.
If you could log on to www.possumsupply.com, email a store, and let me know if you are ok with some technical information on occasion, I would appreciate it. A response will not be used against my critic. I already lost that battle (anyone that is married knows who I’m talking about) a long time ago!
Now a question:
Hope all is well with you. In my case, I mow with a mulching mower so I don’t collect clippings during the year. For the first mowing of the season, do you typically recommend mowing shorter than normal (maybe one setting) and collecting the clippings or does that matter? I’ve already mowed once to even up the grass, but it didn’t really need mowing.
Congratulations, you must be using a preemerge product for winter weeds or you would be mowing weeds! A lot of people will mow lower and collect the clippings to get rid of the "brown" in the grass. Not needed for good grass, just appearance. Your mulching mower should be fine.
If you have a whole lot of brown grass that does not look like it is going to decompose in a reasonable amount of time, borrowing a bagging mower may be a good option for the first cut. Get back to your mulching mower as soon as possible, so your grass benefits from the returned organic matter and nutrients.
With core (pull a plugs verses punch a hole) aeration time rapidly approaching, there are several products you can add to your lawn while there are holes in it that will greatly improve your lawn. I will cover those next week.
I thought my readers would love to read some of the technical stuff, occasionally, especially when the topic was mulch, compost, alleviating compaction, amending the soil and other situations we deal with in the yard regularly.
For future articles and for my growth as a writer, do you, the reader, like a little technical information every now and then? This was my first attempt in 19 years of writing to be so technical and I thought it was important because I deal with these issues on a daily basis.
If you could log on to www.possumsupply.com, email a store, and let me know if you are ok with some technical information on occasion, I would appreciate it. A response will not be used against my critic. I already lost that battle (anyone that is married knows who I’m talking about) a long time ago!
Now a question:
Hope all is well with you. In my case, I mow with a mulching mower so I don’t collect clippings during the year. For the first mowing of the season, do you typically recommend mowing shorter than normal (maybe one setting) and collecting the clippings or does that matter? I’ve already mowed once to even up the grass, but it didn’t really need mowing.
Congratulations, you must be using a preemerge product for winter weeds or you would be mowing weeds! A lot of people will mow lower and collect the clippings to get rid of the "brown" in the grass. Not needed for good grass, just appearance. Your mulching mower should be fine.
If you have a whole lot of brown grass that does not look like it is going to decompose in a reasonable amount of time, borrowing a bagging mower may be a good option for the first cut. Get back to your mulching mower as soon as possible, so your grass benefits from the returned organic matter and nutrients.
With core (pull a plugs verses punch a hole) aeration time rapidly approaching, there are several products you can add to your lawn while there are holes in it that will greatly improve your lawn. I will cover those next week.
Soil Modification Practices (March 2010)
Horticulture Hotline 03/15/10
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Over the weekend, I was reading an article about soil management that had several interesting points that could help everyone that has a yard. The article was the ANSI standards for soil modification that are under public review through March 22, 2010. These are just a few situations that I see all the time. If you would like to read the complete article, you could go to www.tcia.org/standards/CurrentProjects.htm. I will put a few comments in []’s.
14 Soil modification practices
14.1 Soil modification objectives shall include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: Protect existing roots;
enhance root development; and maintain tree health.
14.2 Soil modification practices shall include one or more of the following:
evaluating site soil conditions; managing soil organic matter content; and, prevention and mitigation of soil compaction.
14.3.2 Site and soil evaluation items should include, but are not limited to, the following:
site topography – surface and subsurface drainage; soil drainage (infiltration and percolation); soil texture; soil profile; soil structure (bulk density); soil depth; presence of impermeable layers and height of water table; and, organic matter levels.
14.3.4 Soil testing should be done prior to designing, planting and or developing management plans for landscapes. [Amen, we have preaching this for years]
14.4.4 When organic matter is incorporated into the soil, compost should be used. [Using compost will prevent nutrient tie up and weed seed or disease introduction. Cotton burr compost is great for this because it lasts for years in the soil instead of weeks.]
Since these standards are so important to the health of our trees and landscapes in general, I will continue with soil modification next week.
The cold weather has given us an extension on getting out our preemergent products for small seeded annual weeds. Paul (Super Garden Hero) and I had some real positive comments about the use preemergent products on the “Garden Clinic” (WTMA noon to one Saturday) this past week. Preemerge now, boat or golf later.
If you want to remove the balls from your Sweetgum trees, now is the time. Hurry up or you will have another year of spiny balls in your yard.
Horticulture Hotline 03/22/10
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
This Horticulture Hotline is a continuation of last week’s article about soil modification around trees. The article is the ANSI standards for soil modification that are under public review through March 22, 2010. These are just a few situations that I see all the time. If you would like to read the complete article, you could go to www.tcia.org/standards/CurrentProjects.htm. I will put a few comments in []’s.
14.5 Prevention and mitigation of compaction practices
14.5.1 Objectives for prevention and mitigation of soil compaction should include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: maintain or improve soil aeration; maintain or increase water penetration (infiltration rate) and percolation; maintain or enhance water-holding capacity and drainage; maintain or improve ease of root penetration; and, maintain or reduce surface runoff and soil erosion. [simple core aeration along with an application of Seaumic at 15#/M and an application cotton burr compost to a one inch depth covered with a bark mulch at a one inch depth will provide you all of the above. You could also vertical mulch (auger holes and fill with compost or other soil amendments) sometimes called drill and fill. Radial mulching is a little more involved and for soils in worse shape. Radial mulching involves trenching out from the tree like a bicycle spokes and filling the trench with composted organic matter and soil amendments. radial mulching is best left for an arborist because of the amount of root damage. You can also loosen the soil with high pressure air.]
Since these standards are so important to the health of our trees and landscapes in general, I will continue with soil modification next week.
Remember that when applying products to your yard, whether organic or synthetic, be sure to remove product that lands on sidewalks, roads, driveways, or any other hard surface that will prevent the product from penetrating the lawn and end up running off into the storm water system with the next rain. This cleaning will also help reduce staining of your hard surfaces.
The cold weather has given us an extension on getting out our preemergent products for small seeded annual weeds. Preemerge now, vacation or hangout in the air conditioner air later.
Plantasia (a green market for plant lovers) and the walking tours are rapidly approaching.
If you want to remove the balls from your Sweetgum trees, now is the time. Hurry up or you will have another year of spiny balls in your yard.
Horticulture Hotline 03/29/10
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
This Horticulture Hotline is a continuation of last week’s article about soil modification around trees. The article is the ANSI standards for soil modification. These are just a few situations that I see all the time. If you would like to read the complete article, you could go to www.tcia.org/standards/CurrentProjects.htm. I will put a few comments in []’s.
14.5 Prevention and mitigation of compaction practices.
14.5.3 Measures should be taken to prevent or minimize soil compaction while working within the root zones of trees and woody plants or where landscapes are planned. [Do not let your contractor park his truck or pile bricks or other materials under the shade of your nice oak tree!]
14.5.4 Activities on wet soils should be avoided or preventative actions shall be taken to avoid compaction. [I see this most on athletic fields when games are played on wet fields. On very wet soils the macro pores (big pores that hold air) will fill up with small particles and prevent air from getting to the roots. Around trees you will see plywood or other materials put down to lower compaction if a bucket truck is in the area to prune. In many instances, you add water to something that you are trying to compact.]
14.5.5 Soils with surface compaction in areas where landscapes are planned should be amended with organic matter following mechanical loosening to the depth of soil compaction.
14.5.6 Mulching should be considered an effective long term means to treat compacted soil within the root zones of trees and woody plants. [Good organics feed microorganisms and worms that move around in the soil keeping the soil loose.]
14.5.7 Surface application of organic mulch.
14.5.7.1 The objectives of mulching should be established. Objectives should include, but not be limited to, one or more of the following:
•Inhibit weed growth;
•Conserving soil moisture;
•Moderating soil temperature extremes;
•Preventing and alleviating soil compaction;
•Preventing soil erosion and surface crusting;
•Improving the soil structure and fertility;
•Encouraging beneficial soil microorganisms;
•Inhibiting certain root pathogens; and,
•Increasing root growth and plant vigor.
Since these standards are so important to the health of our trees and landscapes in general, I will continue with soil modification next week.
Plantasia (a green market for plant lovers) and the walking tours are rapidly approaching. The Rose Society’s Oyster Roast is April 11th at Bowen’s Island from 1:30 – 4:30.
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Over the weekend, I was reading an article about soil management that had several interesting points that could help everyone that has a yard. The article was the ANSI standards for soil modification that are under public review through March 22, 2010. These are just a few situations that I see all the time. If you would like to read the complete article, you could go to www.tcia.org/standards/CurrentProjects.htm. I will put a few comments in []’s.
14 Soil modification practices
14.1 Soil modification objectives shall include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: Protect existing roots;
enhance root development; and maintain tree health.
14.2 Soil modification practices shall include one or more of the following:
evaluating site soil conditions; managing soil organic matter content; and, prevention and mitigation of soil compaction.
14.3.2 Site and soil evaluation items should include, but are not limited to, the following:
site topography – surface and subsurface drainage; soil drainage (infiltration and percolation); soil texture; soil profile; soil structure (bulk density); soil depth; presence of impermeable layers and height of water table; and, organic matter levels.
14.3.4 Soil testing should be done prior to designing, planting and or developing management plans for landscapes. [Amen, we have preaching this for years]
14.4.4 When organic matter is incorporated into the soil, compost should be used. [Using compost will prevent nutrient tie up and weed seed or disease introduction. Cotton burr compost is great for this because it lasts for years in the soil instead of weeks.]
Since these standards are so important to the health of our trees and landscapes in general, I will continue with soil modification next week.
The cold weather has given us an extension on getting out our preemergent products for small seeded annual weeds. Paul (Super Garden Hero) and I had some real positive comments about the use preemergent products on the “Garden Clinic” (WTMA noon to one Saturday) this past week. Preemerge now, boat or golf later.
If you want to remove the balls from your Sweetgum trees, now is the time. Hurry up or you will have another year of spiny balls in your yard.
Horticulture Hotline 03/22/10
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
This Horticulture Hotline is a continuation of last week’s article about soil modification around trees. The article is the ANSI standards for soil modification that are under public review through March 22, 2010. These are just a few situations that I see all the time. If you would like to read the complete article, you could go to www.tcia.org/standards/CurrentProjects.htm. I will put a few comments in []’s.
14.5 Prevention and mitigation of compaction practices
14.5.1 Objectives for prevention and mitigation of soil compaction should include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: maintain or improve soil aeration; maintain or increase water penetration (infiltration rate) and percolation; maintain or enhance water-holding capacity and drainage; maintain or improve ease of root penetration; and, maintain or reduce surface runoff and soil erosion. [simple core aeration along with an application of Seaumic at 15#/M and an application cotton burr compost to a one inch depth covered with a bark mulch at a one inch depth will provide you all of the above. You could also vertical mulch (auger holes and fill with compost or other soil amendments) sometimes called drill and fill. Radial mulching is a little more involved and for soils in worse shape. Radial mulching involves trenching out from the tree like a bicycle spokes and filling the trench with composted organic matter and soil amendments. radial mulching is best left for an arborist because of the amount of root damage. You can also loosen the soil with high pressure air.]
Since these standards are so important to the health of our trees and landscapes in general, I will continue with soil modification next week.
Remember that when applying products to your yard, whether organic or synthetic, be sure to remove product that lands on sidewalks, roads, driveways, or any other hard surface that will prevent the product from penetrating the lawn and end up running off into the storm water system with the next rain. This cleaning will also help reduce staining of your hard surfaces.
The cold weather has given us an extension on getting out our preemergent products for small seeded annual weeds. Preemerge now, vacation or hangout in the air conditioner air later.
Plantasia (a green market for plant lovers) and the walking tours are rapidly approaching.
If you want to remove the balls from your Sweetgum trees, now is the time. Hurry up or you will have another year of spiny balls in your yard.
Horticulture Hotline 03/29/10
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
This Horticulture Hotline is a continuation of last week’s article about soil modification around trees. The article is the ANSI standards for soil modification. These are just a few situations that I see all the time. If you would like to read the complete article, you could go to www.tcia.org/standards/CurrentProjects.htm. I will put a few comments in []’s.
14.5 Prevention and mitigation of compaction practices.
14.5.3 Measures should be taken to prevent or minimize soil compaction while working within the root zones of trees and woody plants or where landscapes are planned. [Do not let your contractor park his truck or pile bricks or other materials under the shade of your nice oak tree!]
14.5.4 Activities on wet soils should be avoided or preventative actions shall be taken to avoid compaction. [I see this most on athletic fields when games are played on wet fields. On very wet soils the macro pores (big pores that hold air) will fill up with small particles and prevent air from getting to the roots. Around trees you will see plywood or other materials put down to lower compaction if a bucket truck is in the area to prune. In many instances, you add water to something that you are trying to compact.]
14.5.5 Soils with surface compaction in areas where landscapes are planned should be amended with organic matter following mechanical loosening to the depth of soil compaction.
14.5.6 Mulching should be considered an effective long term means to treat compacted soil within the root zones of trees and woody plants. [Good organics feed microorganisms and worms that move around in the soil keeping the soil loose.]
14.5.7 Surface application of organic mulch.
14.5.7.1 The objectives of mulching should be established. Objectives should include, but not be limited to, one or more of the following:
•Inhibit weed growth;
•Conserving soil moisture;
•Moderating soil temperature extremes;
•Preventing and alleviating soil compaction;
•Preventing soil erosion and surface crusting;
•Improving the soil structure and fertility;
•Encouraging beneficial soil microorganisms;
•Inhibiting certain root pathogens; and,
•Increasing root growth and plant vigor.
Since these standards are so important to the health of our trees and landscapes in general, I will continue with soil modification next week.
Plantasia (a green market for plant lovers) and the walking tours are rapidly approaching. The Rose Society’s Oyster Roast is April 11th at Bowen’s Island from 1:30 – 4:30.
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