Yard Enthusiasts of America

Protecting your Outside Living Room: Top Tips for a Green, Healthy Lawn

admin — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:21:00 GMT

Taking care of your lawn and garden is a labor of love. You work hard to do things just right, because you want what's best for your landscape. Below are some simple tips that will help you maintain a vibrant, healthy, green lawn each summer.

Follow product directions carefully.
When mixing or applying products to your lawn, be sure to read and follow the instructions included with the product. This will help you to avoid some potentially serious mistakes that could damage the lawn.

Learn to water the right way.
Ask your lawn care provider or research online what the correct watering practices are for your region. This will help maximize lawn response and conserve water.

Use the “Rule of Thirds” when mowing lawns.
Incorrect mowing practices are the leading cause of poor lawn results. Some homeowners try to reduce the number of times they mow by mowing too low, essentially “scalping” the grass. This can put the lawn into shock and allow weeds and insects to take over. For best results, adjust your mower to cut one-third or less of the blades’ length.

Sharpen mower blades.
Dull blades increase water loss from the plants, plus it requires more fuel to power the mower. You can tell if your blades need sharpening by looking for shredded leaves or a brown tip cast to the lawn.

Leave the lawn clippings and add to the lawn’s health.
Be sure to recycle your lawn clippings after each mow. Grass clippings benefit the lawn by recycling the nutrients found in the clippings. Mowing more frequently will help reduce the need to remove clippings. Plus the clippings return organic matter to the soil.

Use organic mulch to help conserve water and reduce weeds.
Mulch is not only beneficial to your landscape’s appearance but proper use of mulch will also help you conserve on water. Use a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch such as pine bark, shredded cedar, pine straw or compost around trees and shrubs to help keep the soil moist and deter weeds.

Consider drought-tolerant plants and grasses.
If you live in areas with minimal rainfall or water restrictions, be sure to purchase plants that will tolerate drought. Ask your lawn care provider for a list of plants that best handle the heat and dry conditions in your area.

Plant A Tree...Properly

Mike Sisti — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:57:00 GMT

Recently an editor from one of the gardening publications asked me what I thought the number one mistake people make in their landscapes. Based upon experience, I replied 'proper planting.' Improper planting is a major cause of stress among trees, even several years down the line when that stress invites insect and disease activity. As easy as it sounds, thoughtful planning should go into the placement of a tree as well as how the hole is prepared and removing burla, twine, and wire baskets that typically accompany a transplanted tree. It's common to see the infamous 'one year guarantee' on trees and shrubs. Even if improperly planted and the tree typically can survive with the existing soil surrounding the root ball for one year. It's when the tree attempts to root out and establish itself in the existing soil when the stress can occur. I have visited properties two years after the fact, only to find the twine and burlap still intact, with a puzzled homeowner asking me why the tree is stressed when it was "professionally installed." All in all, take the time to follow ISA planting guidelines and help your newly planted tree establish itself and thrive as easily as possible.

Conserve water during warm summer months

cynthiaamos — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:03:00 GMT

Yea, it’s July! That means it’s Smart Irrigation Month. Automatic sprinklers offer convenience and control in protecting your landscape investment. Since July is typically a peak-demand month for outdoor water use, it’s the perfect time to make sure that you’re not overwatering (as most homeowners tend to do) and to adopt some water-wise habits.

The key to efficient outdoor irrigation is applying just enough water and only when necessary. In addition to conserving water, the goal is a healthier lawn and landscape. Plus, reducing your water consumption can help reduce your water bill.

Here are 10 tips to fine-tune your irrigation system to save money and see better results.

1) Adapt your watering schedule to the weather and the season. Familiarize yourself with the settings on your irrigation controller. Adjust the watering schedule regularly to conform with current weather conditions.

2) Schedule each individual zone in your irrigation system. "Scheduling" accounts for the type of sprinkler, sun or shade exposure and the soil type for the specific area. The same watering schedule should almost never apply to all zones in the system.

3) Inspect your system monthly. Check for leaks, broken or clogged heads, and other problems, or engage an irrigation professional to regularly check your system. Clean micro-irrigation filters as needed.

4) Adjust sprinkler heads. Correct obstructions that prevent sprinklers from distributing water evenly. Keep water off pavement and structures.

5) Get a professional system audit. Hire a professional to conduct an irrigation audit and uniformity test to make sure areas are being watered evenly. This can be especially helpful if you have areas being under-watered or brown spots. The Irrigation Association maintains an online list of IA Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditors.

6) Consider "smart" technology. Climate- or soil moisture sensor-based controllers evaluate weather or soil moisture conditions and then calculate and automatically adjust the irrigation schedule to meet the specific needs of your landscape. Learn more at http://www.irrigation.org/swat/homeowners/

7) Install a rain shutoff-switch - inexpensive and effective. Required by law in many states, these money-saving sensors turn off your system in rainy weather and help to compensate for natural rainfall. The device can be retrofitted to almost any system.

8) Consider low volume drip irrigation for plant beds. Install micro irrigation for gardens, trees and shrubs. Micro irrigation includes drip (also known as trickle), micro spray jets, micro-sprinklers, or bubbler irrigation to irrigate slowly and minimize evaporation, runoff and overspray.

9) Water at the optimum time. Water when the sun is low or down, winds are calm and temperatures are cool - between the evening and early morning - to reduce evaporation. You can lose as much as 30% of water to evaporation by watering mid-day.

10) Water only when needed. Saturate root zones and let the soil dry. Watering too much and too frequently results in shallow roots, weed growth, disease and fungus.

Best advice for a healthy, drought- and stress-tolerant lawn and landscape: use less water. These tips will help keep more money in your wallet instead of sending it down the drain.

Oxygen Footprint

BrotherJoe — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:02:00 GMT

I've accepted the fact that many things I do on a regular basis are probably not good for the environment. I'm probably wasteful with energy and clean water in my home. I enjoy driving quite a bit, as recreation as well and transportation. I'm all about taking the scenic route. I enjoy drinking wine, which is an energy intensive product to bring to market. I buy products based on price and convenience without really thinking about the amount of energy that was invested to bring that product to market.

I haven't quantified any of this, but the popular term is "carbon footprint", and I'm guessing mine is fairly large. I've read about organizations that will allow me to buy "carbon credits" in order to offset my carbon footprint. These credits (my money) then get invested in clean energy technology, which is great, and reforestation projects, which I'm also a fan of.

This is all well and good, but I'm far less inclined to buy environmental improvement from some third party than I am to create environmental improvement in my own backyard - literally. I think of my yard as an oxygen factory. I keep my turf green and growing, I keep my trees healthy and I'm constantly adding live plant materials into my landscape. Right now, with everything in full green mode, I have an intuitive sense that tells me I'm producing a bunch of oxygen right on my own property. I've wondered if there's a good way to quantify this, and apparently somebody else had the same idea.

Oxygenfootprint.org is a website managed by the people at 10-20 Media, and best I can tell they're planning to create an "Oxygen Footprint" calculator that will allow you to calculate your oxygen production. I'm really interested to see how this works. I'll be especially curious to find out if it handles variables like actively growing turf vs. dormant turf, because the difference between walking barefoot on a lush cool green lawn and a crunchy brown dormant lawn is like night and day.

In any event it's a really cool idea. I'm much more interested in creating an oxygen producing green oasis in my own community than I am in sending a check to an organization that claims they can offset my carbon usage.

Front Page News

Mike Sisti — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:05:00 GMT

I never thought the day would come when fertilizer would make front page news in The Wall Street Journal. Yet it has happened, time and time again. How much will homeowners and lawn care providers be willing to pay to keep their lawns green? A $15 bag of fertilizer is now $23! Something to be said for soil testing and calibration. A soil test is the road map for your lawn. It will allow you to understand exactly what your lawn needs, reducing the likelihood and cost of applying nutruents already available in the soil. Now more than ever, the practice of over applying nitrogen (the infamous 'more is better' approach) come with a price. Not only is your lawn at risk of excessive top growth, thicker thacth accumulation, and increased disease likelihood, it will cost you more. With the uncertainty in the world of fertilizer, let's take a step back and develop a plan for our yards to keep it green, but do it smarter.

The Joys of New Home Ownership

Mike Sisti — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:15:00 GMT

In my days as a lawn care operator, one of the calls I was less than enthusiatic to receive was a call from a new homeowner in a brand new development. The question 'Hey Mr. Professional, help me establish a lawn.' Typical of most new developments, the organic rich topsoil has been stripped away only to leave a behind a subsoil of rocks, roots, and other debris not conducive to establishhing a lawn. Well, now I'm in that boat. I sheepisly looked out at my "lawn" and thought 'can I really grow grass here?' My wife even asked "Are you sure this work?" "Of course it will!," I hoped. Well, needless to say, four weeks later after properly preparing the existing "soil" with a slit seeder and planting a turf type tall fescue blend into this rock-clay makeup, I have the beginning of a lawn. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and soon enough the kids and dog will have a new green space to enjoy. While I'll still need to deal with the soil deficiencies, there's proof to going back to basics and keeping it simple.

Here Comes the Sun(flowers)

BrotherJoe — Wed, 28 May 2008 02:15:00 GMT

A year ago this spring, my kids and I planted 6 sunflower seeds outside our garage. My son was 3, and had no experience with growing things. I thought it would be a good opportunity to see something sprout from a seed and grow, given the right conditions. A week or so later 5 of the 6 seeds sprouted, and there was much rejoicing.

They grew, and quickly.
Full disclosure: I had never grown sunflowers either. I knew that they could get pretty large, but I honestly didn't expect them to be so...robust. Within a short time, these 5 leafy plants had grown taller than my daughter, then taller then my son, and when they got taller than me, my son stated, "Daddy, me had no idea these sunflowers get this big."

The sunflowers continued to grow until they were literally scraping my first floor gutters, and the flower heads were so large that the stalks began to bend under the weight. When the cool weather came we cut them down and stripped all the seeds off the flowers, nearly filling our red bucket. The kids really got a kick out of it and they learned a bunch too; proper planting, watering, locating plants in the right spot, and they even got to see phototropism first hand as the flowers tracked the sun across the sky. All in all a super educational experience.

And that brings us to this year. While cleaning out the garage this spring I found a huge cache of seeds from last year that had been stashed away. The boy and I felt like we should do something with them instead of just feeding them to the birds, so we started giving them away a handful at a time to anyone who agreed to plant them. We haven't gone crazy with it, but in addition to our much expanded sunflower plot (we have over 25 sprouts at the moment), several of our neighbors, both sets of grandparents, some out of town relatives, and my co-workers all have sunflowers planted that started with those 6 seeds last year. I even planted some in the office park where I work. They draw some interesting looks from the landscapers who care for the place.

I still have a ton of seeds, and if things go well I'll have a lot more in the fall. I encourage you to go out and plant something, even if it's just dropping some sunflower seeds in the dirt. You'll almost certainly be happy you did.

Managing your lawn - Responsible Use of Product Benefits All

Sean Casey — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:43:00 GMT

It's Spring and we all have the itch to get started on our lawns. To effectively manage lawn problems it is critical to understand the problem and the choices available to correct those problems and choose your options wisely. Your yard is an extension of your home and should be treated accordingly. Avoid the urge to use more. More is not better. Products for your yard should be used at recommended doses as prescribed on the label. And the label rate will work if you have chosen the right product for the problem you have. Identify, diagnose and follow directions accordingly.

The first step in lawn weed management is preventing crabgrass. Refer to the blog by Mark Urbanowski for details on that step.

Soon you will begin seeing spring weeds showing up in your yard. Especially if you suffered the effects of drought last year. Open turf invites weeds. Promote thick lawns by fertilizing with the recommended rate and frequency and mowing at the recommended height for your turf. This will discourage weed growth.

But we all still end up with weeds in our yards. These can be handled very effectively with one of the combination weed control products available from retail garden centers or mass merchants. They have been tested and proven to give you optimum weed control at labeled use rates. No need to overdose to control the weed.

If you are trying to control broadleaf weeds (dandelion, clover, etc) pick a broadleaf weed control product. They are available as liquid applications or on fertilizer products (Weed & Feed). If you use a fertilizer product to control your weeds be sure your grass is moist (in the morning while the dew is on the yard is a good time) because the particles have to stick to the leaves to control the weeds. Again, don't use more than the label requires.

If you are tyring to control grassy weeds you need to be sure you identify the grass you are trying to control. At this time of year you are not going to see crabgrass yet. So you don't need a broadleaf product that also controls crabgrass. If you have undesirable grasses mixed into your lawn you might be best asking a professional to help you with that as it is difficult to selectively remove certain grasses from your lawn without hurting desirable grasses, and even harder to properly identify them.

Later in the season when crabgrass escapes appear in your yard you can use a crabgrass control product to selectively remove that from your lawn.

Let me know if you have any questions.

My yard is my own peace on earth

dancarrothers — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:25:00 GMT

When I think about my favorite room in the house I always say my backyard! My wife Kim and I sit out back virtually every night and often will eat outside when the weather permits. The yard is so peaceful and so inviting. The yard cushions much of the noise of all the activity around us leaving us with the ability to clearly hear and communicate with each other. The trees in the yard provide the perfect parking spot for a variety of birds and squirrels taking full advantage of the bird feeders. Our dog Sarge who is 14 years old rolls over and over on the grass scratching all those hard to reach places. It is a though she is saying life is good! The yard is also a place to work and feel good about growing things; plants, shrubs and yes grass. I can remember the great feeling I used to have walking through a greenhouse; the extra humidity, oxygen and the smell. The same feelings come across me when I walk through my yard. Maybe the reason why my yard is so special is that it is my oasis, my sanctuary, my peace on earth. Dan

I'm an environmental activist in my own yard

bobrumpza — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:12:00 GMT

Like most Americans, I’m trying to be nicer to my planet. I want to leave this world in better shape than when I got here. But the more I’ve read about carbon offsets and people buying carbon credits when they take a trip or buy an SUV, the more cynical I’ve become about some of these large-scale programs. It’s sort of like “checkbook environmentalism.” I decided that I could be an environmental activist when I walk out my own doorstep. I checked it out, and planting (and caring for) trees, bushes, turf and other plants in my own yard make an enormous difference. For example, the average American family needs to plant 30 trees to offset the carbon dioxide produced by their daily energy use. That’s pretty good! And just one tree “traps” 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide during its lifetime. When you think about it -- it’s common sense. After all, the basic concept of photosynthesis is that a plant absorbs sunlight and carbon dioxide and emits oxygen. So I’ve set about the task of increasing the greenery in my own yard. It’s my own little science project to protect Mother Earth.

Starting Your Lawn Off Right This Spring

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:52:00 GMT

Greetings, fellow yard enthusiasts.

I thought I would share my expertise on spring fertilization, as this is something my neighbors often ask me about. One component of a solid lawn care program is to have healthy turf that out competes weeds for sunlight, moisture and nutrients. To get ahead of weeds in the spring, you can apply your spring fertilizer in combination with a preemergence herbicide. Preemergent herbicides work by setting up a weed barrier in the soil that prevent many common weeds like Crabgrass from growing once their weed seeds germinate.

Applications should be made prior to soil temperatures reaching 55 degrees. You can monitor this timing by tracking night time temperatures. As night time temperatures approach a consistent 50 degrees, that is the time to consider your spring fertilizer with a preemergent herbicide. Information on products like this can be found at your local extension service or at your local lawn and garden retailer.

For best results, always read and follow label instructions! If anyone has any fertilizing tips, I hope you will comment on my post.

Mark

5 Easy Things You Can Do to Improve Your Green Space

admin — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:01:00 GMT

Seed for Thought:
Five Easy Ways Anyone Can Improve Their Green Space

No matter what the climate or situation, every homeowner can enjoy the environmental, economic and lifestyle benefits that come from caring from your lawn and landscape. Proper care of trees, grass and shrubs is surprisingly simple and its rewards are numerous on both a personal and community level.

Here are five quick tips for maximizing the benefits of your green space:

Take care of your grass. While this may seem like an obvious piece of advice, it is often overlooked. Taking care of your own front yard is a good first step towards protecting and maintaining your green space. Lawns play a major role in protecting ground water by reducing runoff, thus preventing soil erosion, maintaining soil permeability and conserving water. Lawns also provide an extension of your overall living space, and for many families, become an enjoyable private oasis.

Choose flowers and plants that suit your area’s climate. It is imperative that you choose plants and flowers that tolerate your area’s climate. Choosing the correct plants will ensure a beautiful garden year after year, and make the job of caring for your plants much easier. Having a beautiful green space has also been known to lower blood pressure, reduce muscle tension, improve attention spans and reduce feelings of fear and aggression.

Prune, prune, prune. Pruning is something that is important to maintain your flowers, plants and shrubs year after year, but it also needs to be done correctly. Improper pruning can actually be more harmful than neglecting to prune at all. Proper pruning will produce better blooms, maintain a plants desired size and can even rejuvenate an older shrub. Having well-maintained flowers and shrubs will not only make your green space more attractive, but it will also provide a protective habitat for birds and other creatures that serve to enhance the natural beauty of your outdoor living space.

Enrich your soil with a compost pile. Who knew those old coffee grounds, filters and dryer lint could be the golden ticket to creating a beautiful green space. These types of materials combined with yard clippings, wood chips and leaves regenerate your soil. The breakdown of these materials creates humus, which is a nutrient-filled material, helping the soil to retain moisture. Compost can also cut down on plant disease and repel pests that are damaging to your yard. Creating a compost pile will not only provide rich nutrients that your soil needs, but it also helps the environment by cutting back on landfill waste, thus extending the life of the landfill.

Plant a tree. Planting a tree is one of the most simple and effective activities you can perform to improve your green space. In areas of new construction, many neighborhoods start out virtually treeless. The results include high cooling costs, less oxygen and more pollutants. There are many trees that are inexpensive and fast-growing. In fact, some can grow up to 12 feet per year, quickly reversing the effects of new construction. Trees not only help to keep the heat out of the house, but also cool the outside temperature around your house as well. A study in Huntsville, Ala. showed a 31-degree difference between the shaded and unshaded areas of a parking lot. By using trees to modify temperatures, the amount of fossil fuels used for cooling and heating is reduced.

Updating and maintaining your green spaces is easy! The environmental, economic and lifestyle benefits that trees, grass, shrubs and flowers provide are well worth the extra effort it takes to create and maintain a well-manicured landscape.

Caring For Your Poinsettia

BrotherJoe — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:40:00 GMT

For many Americans, poinsettias are a symbol of the Christmas holidays. Their radiant color will brighten up your home, even in the dark of winter, and something about their specific shade of red really works for me. The connection of poinsettias to Christmas reaches back to a mexican legend. A young girl had no gift to lay by the manger at her church on Christmas, so as she walked to town she gathered some weeds into a bouquet. As she laid the bouquet by the manger it was miraculously transformed into what we now call a poinsettia.

It's a nice story, but if poinsettias were truly weeds I'd have much less trouble keeping them alive. It can be tough enough just to spell "poinsettia" in your thank you cards - actually keeping these plants alive is a bigger challenge. Or it was, until my wife got two great tips from a guy at the flower shop.

1) Keep it someplace sunny. This time of year it can be really tricky to keep anything in full sun. Additionally, I always picture poinsettias on a mantle or hearth, which aren't usually the brightest places in the room. So pick a south facing window if you have one, and make sure that the plant gets as much light as possible. We had the best luck with ours on top of a bookcase in front of a west facing window. You might not have an ideal location, but work with what you have.

2) Water it from the bottom up. Apparently, poinsettias are easily over-watered, and this contributes to the scraggly look that they often take on. The way to work around this is by watering them from the bottom up. Most of the time when you get a poinsettia, the pot is wrapped in either plastic or foil (or both). Instead of pouring water onto the soil, pour it in between the pot and the plastic wrapping. It will soak in through the bottom of the pot and get to the roots of the plant.

These two bits of advice can keep your poinsettia thriving and colorful for many months. As much as I like them in winter, they look really nice in May or June as well.

End of Season Equipment Maintenance

BrotherJoe — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:49:00 GMT

My neighbor and I had a bit of a wager going, concerning the number of lawn mowings left in the season. My contention was that with the temperatures only recently dropping into our classic fall weather in these parts, we were bound to be cutting the grass until December. He felt otherwise, and following a week of chillier temperatures decided to winterize all his lawn equipment, essentially daring Mother Nature to throw any more warmth at us.

I'm historically forgetful about end of season equipment maintenance, and it's nice to have a neighbor who reminds me about such things. The idea is simple; if you do a few basic things properly after your last mowing, it can extend the life of your equipment and improve the performance of the equipment next time you use it. Most power equipment manuals have specific instructions for regular maintenance, and this is a good time to dig out the manual and read it over. Failing that, there's a few simple things you can do that will help you out in the long run.

1) Run your equipment out of gas. Gasoline left unused over the winter can lead to gummy deposits in your engine and carburetor. That's bad, and if you can run your mower or blower out of gasoline after the final use you'll help avoid this issue. If you've got a full tank of fuel to burn this can be tricky, and in the past I've used my mower to mulch fallen leaves in order to use up the available fuel. My current mower has a really handy fuel shutoff valve that allows me to leave the tank full, but run the engine/carb dry. Very clever.

2) Clean everything. Mowers seem to get filthy in the summer. If you have a mulching mower especially, you're bound to have some nasty caked up partially composted grass clippings all up in the underside of the mowing deck. Unplug the spark plug wire and get that stuff scraped out of there. Some people use this as an opportunity to take the blade off and sharpen it. Personally, I just wait and sharpen it in the spring.

3) Check the spark plug and air filter. It's really easy to forget about the air filters on your gas powered equipment, which is too bad. They also get terribly nasty and should be replaced regularly. Clogged air filters lead to poor efficiency and generally degrade your engine performance. It's a good idea to unscrew the spark plug, put a few drops of oil in the hole and pull the starter cord a few times to lubricate the cylinder. Be sure to screw the spark plug back in, lest you get unwanted junk in the cylinder while the mower sites in your garage.

4) Change the Oil. Yeah, this is where things get messy. Changing the oil on a lawn mower can be downright aggravating on some models, but it's a really good idea. As the saying goes; oil is cheaper than engines. Usually your mower will have a drain plug somewhere near where the engine meets the deck, and it's a simple matter of unscrewing that plug, tilting the mower so as to drain all the oil - while not spilling any, then replacing the plug and refilling the oil resevoir. Practically speaking, I've never managed to do this without making a mess and cursing. The best bet is to consult your owner's manual for the exact location of your oil drain plug.

I'm still convinced that I'll be mowing the lawn before again before the end of the year. But if you're already buttoning things up for the winter, be sure to take care of your equipment too. You'll be happy you did.

Pear Trees Blooming in the November Breeze

BrotherJoe — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:31:00 GMT

Bradford Pear trees are probably the most commonly used landscape tree in my area, and their prevalence tends to dilute the fact that they really are nice trees. They have shiny foliage that they keep long into the fall. Their leaves stay green for a long time and slowly turn to a pretty reddish bronze. Well tended pear trees have a unique and distinct shape to them; they kind of remind me of spade from a deck of cards. And in good blooming seasons they are covered in tiny flowers that make them look like one plump white bud.

Typically this happens in the spring. Last week I was strolling around my office park and came upon a row of three or four pear trees in full bloom. In November. Very unusual. I asked around the office, and came across no one who seemed to have a good explanation for this, or who had ever seen something like this before.

When all other resources fail me on questions like this, I turn to Ron Wilson. He's the "Personal Yardboy" for a lot of Cincinnatians like myself, and he's a great guy taboot. He knew what I was talking about right off the bat, and the folks at Natorp's have been flagging trees that are behaving this way so they can check back with them in the spring. The best explanation he provided was that the drought this year led to an early leaf drop for a lot of trees, but the continued warm weather has the trees confused. Apparently it's only happening on trees that have lost their leaves already, and he mentioned that stressed trees may flower as a defense - they're trying to reproduce, is the line. Ron wasn't totally convinced of this explanation though, and basically smiled, shrugged, and said, "That's nature for you."

It's kind of a bummer that these trees won't be blooming in spring, but sometimes different is good. I've never seen anything like this in the fall, so I think it's cool. If nature was predictable, the pleasure of working in the outdoors would probably get boring in a hurry.

Don't Outlive Your Trees, and Other Lessons Learned.

BrotherJoe — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 19:58:00 GMT

Work is always easier when you know you're helping someone out.

Last weekend my older brother Ben and I descended on my parents' house to help them with some yard work. For years when we were younger, our time in the summer was measured out in yard work; mowing, trimming, pruning, mulching, weeding, deadheading and so forth, all laid out on lists that were to be completed before any fun was to be had that day. Ah, the memories. Not surprisingly, it's been years since I made my services available to the parents.

Sometime in the early 90's, my brothers and I gave my parents two weeping cherry trees and planted them on either side of their driveway. For years these trees were a harbinger of spring, exploding with pink blossoms - and the symmetry of their placement really tied the landscape together. This year has been a real bruiser around here. We're about 12" behind on rainfall, and these beautiful cherry trees took it on the chin. They had been inspected by Davey Tree last year, and the arborist said that these particular trees were in the autumn of their lives, so to speak. The drought this year was just the straw that broke the camel's back. That's 3 bad colloquialisms in 3 sentences, for those of you scoring at home.

As sad as it seemed, it was time for the trees to come down, and with the aid of a chainsaw it went pretty quick. There's an idea in psychology called Weber's Law; basically it defines a "just noticable difference" for different exchanges. It's the law that explains why people who buy a $2,000 suit can be convinced to buy a $100 belt at the same time. In the same vein, once those two trees came down it was open season on a whole mess of overgrown shrubs on their property. We figured, "Hey, if we took down the cherry trees, these taxus might as well come out too..." In the absence of a Bobcat, we hooked chains up to a van and yanked the shrubs out by the roots. Good times, though the trailer hitch is a little worse for the wear...

There's something unsettling about cutting down a tree you remember planting. I imagine this will happen more as I get older, but this was the first time that I've outlived a tree. The experience has reinforced to me how important it is to take care of trees in your landscape. Trees are slow moving, and it's easy to miss symptoms of problems when you see the tree everyday. I highly recommend having a certified arborist inspect all your trees. They know what to look for, and they can make recommendations about treatment if they do uncover any problems. The International Society of Arboriculture has a great locator tool on their website for finding a certified arborist in your area.

Also, I'm a big believer in watering your trees and shrubs. Even if you let your lawn go dormant in the hot part of the summer, remember to water your trees. They're much harder to replace. I found an awesome tool that's specifically for watering the root zone of trees and shrubs. It's called the Ross Root Feeder, and you can use it for fertilizing as well, though I mainly use it for watering without worrying about evaporation.

When it was all said and done, we had helped my parents take care of a lot of heavy lifting that they weren't going to tackle themselves. The whole thing was a stark contrast to my memories of summer labor in their yard. They were genuinely greatful, and since the help was freely given it was a lot more satisfying. The presence of cold beer helped as well...

I encourage anyone to help out a friend, family member or loved one with yard work. If they really need the help you'll be surprised how happy you can make them with even a small amount of effort. Maybe you have a parent or grandparent, or an elderly neighbor who could use the help. If not, Project EverGreen has a really cool program called GreenCare for Troops that you can look into. They will match you up with a military family who is short handed around the yard because they have a member deployed overseas. These people are stretched thin enough, if you can offer your assistance with their yard work it will be much appreciated.

I now have a favorite tool

drjack — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:04:00 GMT

If someone had asked me if I had a favorite tool a year or so ago... I would not have had an answer since all my landscaping and gardening tools were simply there to help me make a living, but...

When a back injury forced me to retire from professional landscaping, one of the things that concerned me was how I was going to be able to lug around a bulky spray tank or, even worse, strap on one of my heavy backpack sprayers just to take care of all the spraying jobs in my own yard.

What I discovered was the SpotShot Sprayer from www.spotshotsprayer.com

Of all the "tools" that I have owned during my years as a landscaper... the SpotShot sprayer now simply has to be my favorite garden tool. It’s well built and so easy to use that I now have to fight my wife over who gets to do the spraying.

I’d tell anyone who does a lot of garden spraying to visit www.spotshotsprayer.com and check it out for themselves.

Pulling the String with the Ed Wood Japanese Maple

BrotherJoe — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:49:00 GMT

Ed Wood was an American film director who made some of the worst movies ever committed to acetate. He truly gave the term "B-Movie" a standard by which all others were judged. These movies were terrible to the point of being unwatchable, and by all accounts Ed Wood himself was a bit of an odd duck. He thought of himself as an Orson Wells type who could single handedly manage all aspects of a movie production - and attempted to do so with almost none of the required skills or talents, armed only with a determination to make movies and a comfortable angora sweater.
No joke.
His movies include "Glen or Glenda", a bizarre pseudo-documentary about transvestiteism, and more famously, "Plan 9 from Outer Space", a disjointed tale involving aliens, police, and the original Vampira.

His life and work were brought back into the public eye by Tim Burton in the 1994 film, "Ed Wood", starring Johnny Depp, Martin Landau and Sarah Jessica Parker. I'm a huge fan of this movie. It portrays Ed Wood and his cohorts in an admirable light, and it includes a memorable scene where Landau, as an aged junkie Bela Lugosi, shouts "Pull the String!!" over and over again. It's a piece of work.

Fast forward to last weekend when I visited a garden center that was advertising a 40% off tree sale for the fall. I think it's a raw deal that most garden centers are forced to deeply discount trees at the exact time of year when homeowners should be planting them. That's another matter, though.

My wife and I had the general idea that we wanted a japanese maple for our back patio, but had no ideas beyond that. After a bit of nosing around, we found a 5 ft. maple that was unlike any that we'd seen before; it has green leaves instead of the more common red, it has bark that turns green in cool weather (how sweet is that?) and according to the sell tag it grows with an "open habit" - meaning that it can easily be coerced into growing with a lot of air space in between the branches. We were most impressed. I checked the tag and to my surprise it was labeled "Acer Palmatum 'Ed Wood'". This piqued my curiosity.

It turns out that a gentleman by the name of Edsal Wood was the owner of a seedling nursery in Oregon called Bonsai Village. In addition specializing in bonsai and specialty conifers, Edsal Wood also developed new varieties of japanese maples. I know now that it has no relation to the movie, but at the store the name slowed me down enough to take another look and we decided to buy the tree. Proof that branded plants work, I suppose.

The tree is home and planted and seems to be doing well so far. I was surprised about the relative lack of available online information about this type of tree. Last weekend was the first I'd seen one, and I can't think of any maples I've seen that look like this one. I'll have to post some pictures. On a related note, I encountered two different employees in the tree department as I was buying and picking up this tree. Both of them stopped to tell me that they were glad I picked Ed Wood variety, and mentioned that "not enough people appreciate the way they looked". In retrospect, there may be some comment here about my taste...but at the time it struck me that both of these guys were happy that the tree was going to get planted somewhere before the end of the season. They acted as if I was adopting the tree - and I think that's a great vibe to get off of a person who's selling you a living thing.

Honeysuckle

BrotherJoe — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:06:00 GMT

"And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense bearing tree"

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

In my corner of Ohio, there is a time every year in late May and early June that is as distinct as any holiday. When the honeysuckle blooms it's as if everything draws to a sweet, narcotic halt, and your senses are overtaken by a cloying sludginess that truly signals the beginning of summer. Even when I was fairly young, I measured the coming of spring in terms of the smells; Easter came with hyacinths and early magnolias, then the smell of lilacs on the evening breeze - right when you notice the days growing longer. Honeysuckle and locust blooms shared the job of scenting the warm June evenings, but it was always the honeysuckle that was really a knock-down olfactory experience.

It turns out that there's a good reason for this phenomena; Bush Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle hold two seats in the top ten list of invasive plant species in Ohio. I find a certain irony in the fact that one of my most pleasant scent memories exists primarily because at some point honeysuckle was introduced to my region and decided to play bully with all the other underbrush. Today if I take a walk in the woods, easily 90% of the "non-tree" plant life is bush honeysuckle. While it's all well and good that the stuff smells so nice for a week or so every year, it's also seriously bad news if you happen to have it growing in your landscape.

Bush Honeysuckle is a pernicious space invader. It's no small wonder that Ohio has it listed as an invasive species. In a landscape it has a tendency to crowd out everything around it and more to the point: it won't die. It's like a malignant growth. You can treat it terribly, cut it down to the ground, kick it, scream at it, and it simply grows back. This can be handy if you like having a shrub that rejuvenates itself, but for most of us, it's a tremendous pain.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of removing a small (8" - 12") honeysuckle shrub from one of my landscape beds. It seemed like a small deal. I was using a pick and taking the opportunity to explain leverage to my son, leaning on the handle and prying up the roots, when suddenly there was a loud SNAP and the handle of my pick cracked in half.

Times like this you have to laugh. The lesson in leverage was either totally lost, or incredibly effective. Time will tell. The honeysuckle finally came out of the ground, but not without a lot more effort than seemed logical for the size of the plant. To cap it off, the roots of the honeysuckle had become entwined with a butterfly bush - which I wanted to keep - and in removing one I destroyed the other.

Here's the tool I broke. Maybe there's a lesson here about buying quality hand tools.

Maybe.

What I take from it is that honeysuckle is kind of like a raging keg party - it's better in someone else's yard.

A yard tool by any other name...

jenninblack — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 21:10:00 GMT

This is not necessarily a story about the most vital tool in our back shed, but it is a fairly amusing tale. As part of the master’s in education program that my mother was completing some years ago, she was a student teacher at a local urban elementary school. One day she was working one on one with a student in the classroom, helping him to complete a phonics worksheet. One of the pictures on the worksheet was of a common household garden tool. However, she would soon discover that students who have lived their entire lives in a city setting were not familiar with gardening tools.

When she came to that particular image and asked the student if they could say what was pictured, the student could not provide a response. She then explained to her student that what was pictured was a hoe. At that her young student’s jaw dropped, and he exclaims, “Umm, teacher is cussing!” It was not until another teacher in the classroom verified that the image was of a hoe, and that it was a tool used to dig up weeds, that the student was convinced that my mother was not misleading him. At least that student learned in his education that there is more than one use for a hoe.

Late Season Lawn & Garden Tips

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:54:00 GMT

Cool Weather Catch Up

This is the time of year when almost any effort you put into your lawn or landscape will be richly rewarded. Nature works overtime through the fall and seems to deliver double results for every effort. Here are a few ideas that will get your property ready for a great spring.

The soil: make a habit of adding ‘the good stuff’ every fall

You can make a huge difference in how your lawn and plantings grow by adding soil amendments every fall. Lime, sulfur, gypsum, peat moss, even sand can all help in certain situations. Which do you need—and where? Nearly all planting beds will reward you for adding peat, compost or some other type of organic material. And a soil test at least once every three years will tell you about any chemical imbalances. If amendments are applied in the fall, winter rains will dissolve and carry them into the soil. Apply them to the lawn right after aeration for the quickest response.

Lawn feeding: speeds recovery, growth, and increases food storage for spring

Research has proven that heavy fall fertilization is critical to good turf plant growth. Increased plant density; decreased spring mowing and

summer weed problems; improved fall-to-spring color; increased drought tolerance; and decreased disease problems are a few of the benefits.
Timing is important. One or two heavy feedings during the fall assures your plants will have enough food reserves over the winter to emerge with a good root system and healthy start in spring.
Both lawns and landscape plants will show tremendous response to proper feeding during the fall.

Composting, seeding, mulching

If you haven’t yet, consider composting. Fall leaves will give you a good start.
Fall is the best time for re-seeding your lawn. There’s almost no competition from weeds and no worries about crabgrass. And the seed gets established before next summer’s heat.
Mulching beds will protect tender plants through winter and look good too.

From Summer Green to the Rainbow of Fall: How Do Leaves Change Color

Everyone enjoys the brilliant yellows, reds and oranges that appear on trees in the fall, but how does it happen? And why is it so much better some years than others? Tree leaves have a layer of cells called the abscission layer located in the leaf stalk. Abscission means to cut off or remove, and it fits in this case. At the end of the season, the cells in the abscission layer begin to gradually break down. When they’ve broken down completely, the leaf falls off. How long this period lasts is part of what makes a “good” color year.

During this “breakdown” period, the production of chlorophyll stops and the chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down. As chlorophyll disappears, two yellow pigments become visible: carotene and xanthophyll, which give the leaves their yellow color. These pigments are in the leaves all season, but their color is masked by the green of the chlorophyll.

Brilliant red colors depend on two factors: plenty of bright light and cool nights. The bright days promote sugar production in the leaves, and the cool nights trap them there. When sugar concentrations are high in the leaves, a red pigment called anthocyanin is manufactured.
Orange colors are the result of different amounts of the yellow and red pigments mixing for a whole range of in-between colors.

If the nights get too cool or the days are overcast, you end up with an “off year” for tree color. And a killing frost ends the show completely by killing all the pigments in the leaves no matter what stage they’re in.

Fall Fertilization

Fertilizer for your lawn never does more good than in fall. Many folks think that the spring applications are the most important to get things up and growing. But actually, too much spring fertilizer can lead to a flush of growth that can invite disease and pest problems. It almost always makes extra mowings necessary, too.

It’s best for moderate amounts of nutrients to be put down on your lawn at regular times throughout the growing season, finishing up with liberal feedings through the fall.

Here’s why. As days shorten, top growth on grass plants slows down because there’s less sunlight. The green parts of grass require less food. That means that nutrients in fertilizer put down now will be available for use by the roots. Roots will have all fall to convert the fertilizer into stored food, becoming thicker and stronger in the process. When warmer weather returns in a few months, the more efficient root system of your turf will give you a thicker and greener lawn earlier in the spring.

Ideally, the last application should be put on approximately 3 to 5 weeks before top growth stops, so make sure your lawn gets all the fertilizer it needs this fall.

Think Ahead for Rewarding Blooms Next Spring

Do you remember seeing colorful displays of flowering bulbs in your neighbors’ yards last spring? Maybe you thought, “I’d like to put some tulips or daffodils in my yard.” Well, now’s the time to plant all kinds of spring bulbs.

Spring bloomers develop their roots in the fall, before winter really sets in. This growth period is crucial to next spring’s successful flowering. You should purchase bulbs early to allow time to plant them, and to ensure a good selection. If you order bulbs from catalogs, remember to allow for shipping time.

Bulbs will perform better if you prepare the soil before planting them. Dig out the soil to a depth of 10-12" and work in organic matter, like peat moss or compost. To improve drainage, add sand or gypsum. Finally, mix in bone meal or a similar bulb fertilizer before planting. Plant the bulbs with pointed ends up.

Then just relax…and wait for next spring’s show.

Rain.......I don't mind.

BrotherJoe — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 05:17:00 GMT

The most amazing thing happened in the last 24 hours.

It rained.

It's true what they say, that you don't know what you have until it's gone, and the rain has been gone for some time. Earlier this month we had about one inch over the course of three days, and before that it had not rained in SEVEN WEEKS. And on one hand, there's some benefits to this. I haven't cut my grass since July. You could plan an outdoor party and really not worry about getting wet. The Reds have had almost zero home rain outs.

However, in my mind the negatives outweigh the positives. My yard just isn't as pleasant without rain. The grass becomes dessicated and everything seems dusty and hot. My flowers and shrubs all wilt and wither, and the cool confines of my air conditioned home beckon me to just say "to heck with it" and go watch the game on television instead of frustrating myself outside.

But a little rain goes a long way. Already my grass looks greener, and at the right angle I can see a fuzz of fine green blades standing upright amongst the dormant masses. The leaves on my trees seem to be larger, less wrinkled, and my perennials look taller, fuller. It's just great.

It's easy to complain about the weather, the one factor in my yard that is truly beyond my control, but I believe you have to take the bad with the good. Without this unpleasant aridness we've been experiencing, there's no way that I would eek such joy from an inch of rain. Our recent weather has given me a perspective that allows me to marvel at the effects of even a minute amount of moisture can bring to my garden. And for that I am truly grateful.

Indian Summer Days? Not Yet.

BrotherJoe — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 22:20:00 GMT

The highlight of my second grade year came very early. Fairfield, Ohio held an annual Indian Summer Days festival in September. It was your standard "Hooray for our town!" sort of event that seemed to celebrate civic pride and the return of children to school in equal measure. As a local businessman, my father was able to have one of his lawn care trucks in the parade to kick off the festival. I got to ride along and throw candy to all the kids my age that were lining the streets. Heady, sugar coated times. It was about a thousand degrees on the day of the parade, which melted some of the candy, but probably helped the beer sales. A co-worker told me on Friday that he wasn't particularly enjoying the "indian summer" we were having. It's been wretchedly hot for September. Half of the days this month have topped out over 90 and we're 12 inches behind on rain. The warm temperatures outside are still great for planting, though a lot of the plant materials at the garden store I frequent are looking a little worse for the wear after all the heat they've been exposed to. I managed to get some planting done - nothing too exciting - and that's good, because as it was I was cooked when I got finished.

Current weather notwithstanding, this same co-worker also reminded me that Autumn officially began this weekend - which made me just curious enough to look up the phrase "indian summer" and discovered that you can't really call it an indian summer unless you've had a hard frost already - and that it's usually in late autumn, This is just summer. Or it was until about 12 hours ago. So I've been wrong all along. I thought "indian summer" meant you were back in school and uncomfortably warm. Turns out it's more like the nice weather that lets you play backyard football some years at Thanksgiving.

The good folks in Fairfield have taken to calling it the "September Days" festival - though I imagine they're more concerned about the use of the word " indian" as they were the fact that it can't be an indian summer when summer hasn't ended.

the tool i couldnt do without

tegeha — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 05:21:00 GMT

We have a kinda big yard and the one thing I use the most is my hedge clippers.My husband cuts the grass but I do all the trimming on the bushes,trees,and around the flowers.Our yard is about 2 acres and there is always something that needs some pruning done on it.

My Mantis

schon1@cox.net — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:46:00 GMT

The one garden tool I could not live without and would not trade for anything is my Mantis garden tiller. I bought it probably 10 years ago, have used it extensively, and with the normal routine maintenance, it has always started every time. I use my Mantis for two main purposes: The first is to till the vegetable garden before I plant and to keep it tilled until harvest and the second and most important use is for my boys. You see, I have two boys ages 6 and 5 that love to play in the dirt with all their construction equipment. About three years ago, I tilled up an area in my yard exclusively for them to have their own "dirt pile" Well, it has grown over the years and is now about 25 feet by 10 feet, with a dirt table, ramps, monster trucks, you name it. The dirt pile gets kind of hard and compacted after a couple weeks, especially after a rain, so I use my Mantis tiller to till up fresh, fluffy dirt for my boys!! I know, you probably think they are spoiled, but there is nothing better than freshly graded dirt for a boy to play in and it keeps them busy for hours!!