Weeds are a given. They’re a true guaranteed item in a field of gardening and lawn care variables. In lawn care, common sense turf practices and herbicides can be used to create a relatively weed free part of the landscape. In landscape beds, we turn to mulch. The key to mulch effectiveness is to apply…
Tag: weeds
Preemergence Herbicides for the Lawn – When, Where and How Much?
The traditional question for spring lawn management – when is the best time to put on a preemergence herbicide? Also called “crabgrass preventer”, timing is important, but is not the only consideration. In addition to timing, there are at least 5 others. Target temperature – Since the weeds that are targeted with these products…
Follow Up Care for Newly Planted Trees – Mulching
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…
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…
Newly Planted Trees, Shrubs, Perennials – Aftercare
You’ve installed some new trees, shrubs and perennials…now what? In order to keep them looking great, there are a few simple care steps that should follow planting, especially in June. A thorough soaking of water, followed by moisture monitoring. Nothing special here; use a sprinkler can to place water evenly throughout the entire root…
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…
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…
Post Frost Weed Control
So, it frosted. In some areas, it was a hard frost with temperatures down in the 26 degree F range, and in others, plus/minus 30 degrees. At this point in October, the question is: Is it a good idea to apply a post emergence herbicide to the lawn, considering the recent frost? The answer? It…
Lawn To Do Late September
What’s there to do in late September in the lawn? Plenty. First, keep mowing. There’s a natural human tendency to slack off or give up being a tender of the landscape in mid fall; fight it. Continuing to mow will encourage expansion of turf grass plants, fill in voids and chew up falling tree leaves. …