Thanksgiving dinner gives us the fuel to work on winter
projects. I have lots of winter projects!
Hopefully, most of you don’t do like I do and try to eat like a mole –
eating 125% of my body weight!
I was using a product the other day that the manufacturer
went to some trouble and expense to include a tag around the neck of the bottle
where you open the top to pour out the product. I’m going to leave the product nameless
since this same tag could be used on all products.
This tag is very red and states:
Failure!
This product is only
effective if you read the
instructions thoroughly.
Failure to do so will result in
you moaning and groaning
that the product doesn’t
work and generally being
a pain in the bottom. Make a
positive change in your life
will you, and read the
instructions
This tag makes my, “Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law,” seem pretty tame. Your success with most
things in life depend upon your ability to follow instructions.
You should be able to mow your grass for the last time if
you do not have rye grass or if you do not use your mower for picking up the
leaves. Since the leaf blades of the
grass can act as an insulator, it is good to mow your grass a little lower than
normal (St. Augustine
grass – 2 ½”, Centipede grass-1 ½”). In
the event of very cold weather, this will keep your grass from dying from
winter kill. The lower grass will allow
more air movement. More air movement
will keep cold air from settling near the crown of the plant preventing winter
injury to your lawn.
If you are not mowing to mulch or pick up leaves, be sure to
use a fuel additive like Sta-bil. With
the new Ethanol gas many people are experiencing difficulty with their small
engines. Ethanol is an alcohol that
attracts moisture from the air. This
moisture can give you engine trouble with your lawn mower , string trimmers,
chain saws, edger’s, blowers….any small engine.
This is a great time to edge your bed lines, enlarging areas
in the beds if plants have grown and need more room. If you edge now, you should maintain a good
crisp edge for five months until your grass begins to grow again.
As leaves and pine straw fall, be sure to keep them off your
lawn areas. Excessive amounts of leaves
or straw build up can damage your turf over a period of time. Leaves or straw can act like tall blades of
grass and cause winterkill if it gets cold enough. Leaves and straw also hold in moisture around
the plant that can lead to disease.
If you water with a well, be sure to drain your pump or
monitor your pump to avoid it freezing in cold weather if your well is not in a
climate controlled location. Nothing is worse than having to buy a new pump
in the spring because it froze in the winter.
There seems to be an outbreak of uninvited guests. We have been selling a lot of Viper and Invict
Gold to control roaches as well as traps and baits to control rodents. Talk to your local pest management
professional if these guests are ruining your holidays.
Now is the time to enjoy the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island
County Park. The light show, gift shop, displays of
gingerbread houses, decorated jumbo Christmas cards, the train ride, sand
castle, marshmallow roasting, hot chocolate and inter-active Christmas trees are
a treat for all! Go early and go often!
Remember there are many local garden centers with great
gardening gifts for the weekend gardener.
From stocking stuffers like a pair of hand pruners or gloves, to more
elaborate gifts like fountains, bird feeders, gardening books, soil tests and
gift certificates. Your local garden
center will have plenty of free parking and are always happy to help you!
Now is a great time to take a soil test to Possum’s and get
on a Custom Program for 2016.
Always read, understand and follow
product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
