Horticulture Hotline 10/24/22
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
The beautiful fall color has arrived in many parts of the United States. In the Lowcountry we will get the yellow from the Popcorn Tree (a highly invasive species), the red from Virginia Creeper (nasty vine), more yellow from the Sweet Gum Tree (the tree with the mid-evil spiked balls), and don’t forget the red from Poison Ivy. This year we seem to get a bonus red in mounds – the red imported fire ant! The yellow flowers from Cassia and the red flowers from bottle brush always make a great fall color show!
Yes, it is time to winterize your landscape. SeaHume should be used alone or with the 00-00-25, depending on the results from your soil test. Look for a product with a 00 for the first number (nitrogen). A 00-00-25 with sulfate of potash and minors would be great. If you do not need the potash, consider just the SeaHume, a wonderful combination of seaweed and humic acid. If you would like your yard to stay green later into the fall, try Possum Minors.
Possum Minors as its name implies is full of iron and other minor nutrients that promote ‘green ‘without top ‘growth’. By having your plants including grass plants green at this time of year the leaves can capture more sun and produce more carbohydrates to grow roots. Since the mowing has slowed down, you will be able to enjoy the ‘green’ for a longer period of time, since the ‘green’ won’t be getting mowed off.
SeaHume will help grass, trees, shrubs, and flowers throughout the winter. SeaHume will help mitigate salt damage. The seaweed part of SeaHume has over 60 minor nutrients, carbohydrates, amino acids, gibberellins, auxins, cytokinin’s, anti-oxidants and other bio stimulants. The humic acid is also full of bio stimulants that help make nutrients that are in the soil available to the plant, help with soil structure, grow roots, and feed the microorganisms in the soil.
Trees grow most of their feeder roots over the winter. SeaHume will help grow these feeder roots over the winter preparing the tree for whatever the spring weather brings. Drought like this year?
Beware of the national ad campaigns talking about winterizing fertilizers for turf. These products are usually formulated for cool season grasses (rye, fescue). I saw one over the weekend that was a 32-00-10. Not exactly what we want to put on our yard in late-October in the Lowcountry. Just ask Clemson University.
Have you ever had winter kill? Now is the time to prepare your grass for the wide variations in temperatures we have. If you had winter kill in the past, you need to be sure to correct low and poorly drained areas, reduce thatch in the yard, increase air movement in low areas, keep your lawn hydrated and feed (with the right food for the winter).
Mow your grass lower than normal (centipede 1.0 to 1.5 inches, St. Augustine 2.5 to 3.0 inches). By mowing your grass lower, you will increase the air movement around the crown of the plant, so cold air will not settle at the crown of the plant and damage the grass. In Florida helicopters fly low over citrus groves that are in valleys to get the cold air out. Tall grass or thatch will insulate the crown of the plant like a goose down jacket, keeping the cold air near the crown where it can cause winter kill. Centipede lawns usually get winter kill the worst if temperatures plummet quickly.
Fine blade Zoysia grass can grow very dense and get thatch. De-thatching, aerating and verticutting are great cultural practices while the grass is actively growing. This time of year, using Bio Grounds Keeper, SeaHume and very light topdressing of Cotton Burr Compost should be part of your maintenance schedule.
Moles?
Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
