How Are Husbands Like Lawn Mowers?… They Are Hard To Start, Emit
Noxious Odours And Half The Time They Don’t Work!
With this incredible warm spell and the lack of rain caring for your lawn can be an expensive and thankless job. Thank heavens even though it is turning more brown than green be assured that it will bounce back once the weather cooperates. This is the time to give your lawn a good fertilizer with an addition of 2-4-D which is a hormone that will cause broad leafed weeds like Dandelion, Purslane and Chick Weed to grow rapidly then die off. Watering at this time should be done twice a week and deeply to prevent the lawn from going dormant and prevent powdery mildew.
Mid morning to late afternoon are good times to water and will allow enough time for the blades of grass to dry before nightfall. Now is also the time to plant a lawn either by seed or sod. A good mixture of seed that will work for your lawn should be a mixture of Kentucky Blue Grass and other seeds recommended by a professional. Cheaper seed will have a higher content of Rye Grass which will die out over the winter and leave your lawn susceptible to weed infestations. I’ve noticed that I have an area where Fairy Ring has affected my lawn. This often will occur with a wet spring where fungi can readily grow and then will show its real damage once the weather has warmed and dried. These are rings in the lawn that are circular in appearance and are due to poor aeration and fertilization. These mushrooms thrive on the organic matter in the lawn that produce starch and sugars.
Once the rings have appeared you can count on around 8 inches of bullet hard earth that will have to be pried open with a pitch fork and watered deeply as well as good application of fertilizer as this thick mat will prevent water and food from reaching the roots of the grass. This is caused by the root structure of the mushrooms. Be sure with this heat to mow your lawn on a high setting as no more than one half to one third of the lawn will be moved off at any given time. Be sure that your mower blades are sharpened well to prevent tearing of the grass blade.
I mentioned last week with the abundance of wasps and hornets that I would be trying a peppermint and olive oil mixture that I was informed would have them rapidly leaving the area that I am trying to claim as mine and my Humming Birds. Well they did leave but only briefly and came back with friends. I have now been bitten twice and although their populations are on the decline I have declared war.
I am basically caught up in my yard and greenhouse enough that I will be at the market on Saturday. Look forward to seeing you there!
Happy Gardening
Samantha Nason
BS Ranch & Greenhouses
250 547 6567 • samanthanason@hotmail.com
