An underwatered lawn cannot thrive. Weeds that are more drought resistant can overtake dry grass. A thorough watering once or twice a week is sufficient in most climates.
Yard Watering
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Lawn & Garden
Novice Gardening
The best advice for the novice gardener is to start small; a well prepared small garden will yield plenty of produce or ornamental beauty. As skills and confidence grow, gradually increase the garden’s size to fit your time and energy commitments.
Growing Biennials
Biennials are started from seed the first year then they flower and die the second year. There are many exceptions to this description. Some biennials self seed so appear to be perennial. Others, such as pansy, are grown as annuals. The seed is usually started during the summer of the first year.
Soil Preparation
If you’ve ever unsuccessfully tried to get grass to grow in the small bare spots in your lawn, you probably made the mistake of not properly preparing the soil. Grass seed needs a lodging spot in order to hold itself in place and protect it against washing rain, drying sun and wind. Use your garden trowel or hoe to work up the upper layer of soil before laying down the seed. A power cultivator will enable you to prepare larger areas.
Choosing a Spreader
Cyclone or rotary spreaders work best with fertilizers. Drop spreaders work best with lime.
Fertilizer Facts
It is best to apply fertilizer when the soil is moist and then water lightly. This will help the fertilizer move into the root zone where it is available to the plants, rather than stay on top of the soil where it can be blown or washed away. Watch the weather. Avoid applying it immediately before a heavy rain system is predicted to arrive. Too much rain (or sprinkler water) will take the nutrients away from the lawn’s root zone. Use the minimal amount of fertilizer necessary and apply it in small, frequent applications. An application of 2 pounds of fertilizer five times per year is better than 5 pounds of fertilizer twice a year. Calibrate your fertilizer spreader to be sure you know exactly how much material is being discharged in a given space. Follow instructions accompanying your spreader. When spreading fertilizer, cover ends of the lawn first, ten go back and forth across the rest of the lawn, using half of the recommended amount. Shut the spreader off before reaching the ends to avoik over-application. Apply the other half of the fertilizer going back and forth perpendicular to the first pattern. Dispose of fertilizer bags or containers in a safe and state-approved manner.
Overmulch
The roots of plants need a constant supply of oxygen at all times. Overmulching kills the roots of shallow-rooted plants by suffocation.
Symptoms of too much mulch include chlorotic foliage (symptoms often resemble iron deficiency), abnormally small leaves, poor growth and dieback of older branches. Disease organisms that are active under conditions of low oxygen and excessive moisture can become active and attack the roots. Sometimes the old root system will be rotted as the plant tries to send out new roots into the mulch layer. Excessive amounts of mulch applied around tree trunks can lead to cankers on susceptible species
Plumb Posts
To hold either a round or square post plumb inside a post hole while you pack dirt around it, make up a couple of wedges of 2×6 about 30 in. long. Cut to length, then make an angled cut from a corner of one end to the center of the other end. Insert a wedge on each side of the post; they will adjust in the hole for either post size or hole size.
Watering New Trees
Water new trees once a week, regularly, during the first season, with l0 gallons of water. More for large trees. Pour the water down the trunks so it goes into the root ball, not along the top of the ground. In addition, whenever the leaves droop down or it is very hot, water again and mist the tops with the hose. Do not fertilize the first year.
High-Nitrogen Fertilizer
Nitrogen encourages leafy growth, often at the expense of flowers and fruit. Don’t use high-nitrogen fertilizers on tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants prior to flowering.
