Mulching If a little is good, much more is better is not a good mantra for mulching. For the overall sense of proper mulching technique, take a cue from Mother Nature. In a forest or natural setting, you’ll commonly see a 2-4 inch layer of fallen leaves, stems, fruits and bark, often referred to as…
Category: Weeds
Yellow Nutsedge
“What is this grass growing in my flower bed?” is a question I hear quite often now. Rolling the stem between my fingers quickly determines this isn’t grass at all but the infamous yellow nutsedge. Sedges are grass-like perennials that have triangular shaped stems. If they grew at the same rate as turfgrass, many lawn…
Weeds in Perennial Beds
They seem to pop up everywhere – weeds. New beds, old beds; it doesn’t seem to matter. At this point in the season, a little moisture encourages growth of tons of weeds. Seeing these weeds makes you wonder several thoughts. Where did they all come from? Why are they growing as well or better than…
The Best Way to Remove Problem Trees
Seedling trees come up in the oddest places, and in some cases, totally unnoticed. In the neighborhood I drive through, I observed a mulberry tree growing up through a shrub rose. The mulberry thrived, gradually completely shading out the rose. Eventually the rose owner noticed the mulberry and tried to remove it, resulting in the…
Unwanted Grass
Grass is usually a good thing; in lawns that is. However, if you’ve got grass anywhere else – a veggie garden, a flower bed, in groundcovers – then it’s a weed. Grass can get to the unwanted location through bird transfer, through misapplied seedings or through spreading. The rhizomes pictured here show this undesirable…
Managing Weeds in the Garden and Lawn
Weeds may be our least favorite topic but still one of the driving forces behind phone and email questions right now, with “How do I kill…?” leading the discussion. Weed identification may seem immaterial, after all, the consuming focus is to be rid of the pesky plant, but in reality, this should always be the…
Warm Season Veggies
Cool season veggies are great – cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, cabbage and George Bush’s favorite – broccoli. As the soils warm however, the time for planting warm season veggies is upon us. Crops such as peppers, eggplant, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers thrive on warm growing conditions – 75 to 85 degrees F. Hopefully, your weekend project…
Apply a Preemergence Herbicide – Lawn & Garden
Each year, we struggle to keep the weeds out of the garden and lawn. Oh sure, not too many show up in May, and the ones that do sprout are easily controlled with a hoe or a dandelion digger. However, human nature being as it is, we soon tire of weeding. When early summer rolls…
Henbit, Ground Ivy, and Speedwell
Three weeds we see at this time of year resemble each other so closely that it is often confusing as to which is which. Henbit, ground ivy, and speedwell are flowering right now so it is easy to notice them. I’ll admit, conversations about weeds are some of people’s least favorite, but talk we must…