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by Rett Davis | |
Gardening Q&A by Rett Davis appears in
Alamance County's daily newspaper, The Times-News,
every Sunday in the Accent section. Each week's installment is
posted to this
website, beginning with January of this year. Scroll to the bottom of
this page to navigate to other Gardening Q&As. Please contact
Rett via e-mail with questions
or
comments in regard to this column.
Question:
Which fertilizer is best for my fescue lawn?
Answer:
That all depends on what the nutrient level of your soil is. A
soil sample is the only way to see what the fertility level is of your
soil. Without one, it is truly guesswork. Most homeowners just buy the
fertilizer that is advertised the heaviest with the assumption that it
is the best for their lawn. Soil samples can take as long as 8 weeks to
cycle through the soil lab. Therefore by the time they return the
optimum time to fertilize has passed. Like most things in life, you
need to plan ahead. I recommend sampling in the summer so by the time
fall arrives you will know what type of fertilization program to
follow. Since we are fast approaching the best time to fertilize fescue
(mid February) here are some general guidelines. If your lawn has been
fertilized at least once a year for many seasons, I would recommend a
slow release nitrogen fertilizer. Those commonly sold in our area are;
16-4-8, 28-4-4, 10-18-10, 15-5-10, and 21-3-8. Most of these
fertilizers are sold in weights that will treat 5,000 square feet.
Therefore know the square footage of your lawn before you go shopping.
Now, if your lawn has received little or no fertilizer in years past, or
has just been carved out of the woods then you will need to go a
different route. A quick release nitrogen fertilizer with more
phosphorous and potassium will be needed. Choose from the following;
10-20-20 (10 lbs. per 1000 square feet), 17-17-17 (6 lbs. per 1000 sq.
feet) or 10-10-10 (10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.) The fertilize you apply
now will be sufficient until fall for most home fescue lawns.
Question:
There is moss all over my patio, brick walls, and soil. It
seems to be worse this year. What causes this and what can I do about
it?
Answer:
Mosses are green plants somewhat similar to algae except they
have evolved further with miniature plant like structures with stems and
leaves. Because they contain chlorophyll, mosses can manufacture their
own food. Mosses will grow on soils, on tree trunks, rocks, and in
water. Moss will not injure anything. You can kill them fairly easily
on bricks and walls. You can mix chlorine bleach at a rate of one part
bleach to 3 parts water and spray this on the moss. Copper sulfate
(bluestone) will also work especially in lawns. Use 5 ounces of copper
sulfate to 4 gallons of water and spray the moss in the lawn. It will
not harm the grass. Once the moss is dead on bricks or pavement, a
stiff broom will remove it. Moss in lawns indicates poor soil drainage
and usually a lot of shade. If these conditions are not corrected, the
moss will only return. Often times, moss is the only plant that will
grow in that area. To kill it out leaves you with few plant options.
It is too shady for any lawn grass. Other options might include, hosta,
ferns, ivy, periwinkle, mondo grass, lenten roses, or just mulch it.
Question:
I have just bought a piece of property with many nice older
pecan trees on it. What needs to be done to them at this time of the
year?
Answer:
Hopefully the varieties of pecans you have are worth the
effort. Many of the older pecan trees were grown from seed and are
referred to as seedling pecans. Newer varieties are either budded or
grafted. Some seedlings are excellent trees that can produce large
quanites of high quality pecans. Search around on the ground beneath
the trees to see of any nuts from last fall are still there. If you
find only ones that are about 1 inch in length you have a seedling tree
that is not worth the trouble. If you find nuts of decent size, then
the effort may be worth the expense. Spacing is important as the trees
get older. A general rule of thumb is that the branches of one tree
should not touch another. You may need to thin some out to allow
greater influx of sunshine and reduce competition for water and
nutrients. Individual trees may need to be individually pruned to
remove dead, diseased, and broken branches. Do not top them. It take
years for pecans to recover from topping. Remove all vines, shrubs, and
underbrush under the trees. Once this has been done the trees can be
fertilized in late February or early March. Estimate the diameter of
the tree trunk a foot above ground level. For every inch in diameter,
apply 4 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per tree. A 20 inch diameter tree
will need 80 pounds of 10-10-10. Broadcast the fertilizer from the
trunk out just beyond the limbs.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS Did you lose part or all of your pastures last summer? Is your horse or cow pasture mostly mud in the winter and flowering yellow weeds in the spring. Is broom sedge your primary grass? Then you may be interested in attending our program on pasture renovation, summer grasses, and what do with all those weeds. If so, come to the Agricultural Building, 209 North Graham Hopedale Rd in Burlington this coming Monday evening, February 17th at 7 pm. Call the Cooperative Extension Service at 570-6740 for more information on this free program or for directions.
Are you getting mailers from timber buyers every month? Do timber buyers come by your house with proposals to buy your timber? How much is fair market value for your timber? Selling timber is usually a once in a lifetime experience for most landowners. Learn how to sell timber, maximize your income, and reduce your tax liability by attending our program on Thursday, February 27th at 7:00 pm. It will be in the Agricultural Building, 209 North Graham Hopedale Rd. in Burlington. Call the Cooperative Extension Service at 570-6740 for more information about this free program.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis