Ok, spring is a few weeks away and it's time to get ready. Seed catalogues have been piling up and those tools have a nice layer of rust. Looking outside most of the snow is gone and is that Daffodils poking out of the ground?
Checklist:
1. Order seeds for vegetable garden
2. Clean tools, sharpen edges of cutting tools, spades and trimmer
3. Tuneup mower, string trimmer and any other gas engine machine.
4. Prune out broken limbs on shrubs
5. Rake up debris left in beds
6. When possible lightly rake lawn, don't worry about dead grass leaflets, once the grass states to grow they will disappear.
7. Consider organic approach to lawn care, if not measure your lawn so you do not over apply fertilizers or other lawn chemicals.
8. Prune those fruit trees now
More importantly don't try to rush the season, most plants can't be planted till the after the last frost. If you are unsure of what to do check with your local Coopertive Extension Agent for free advice. There are numerous online sources and of course you can Google just about anything. Just use the references that are based on University, Cooperative Extension or other science based sites. Happy gardening!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Trees are Waiting for Spring
The growing season is a few weeks off, normally everything is done by growing degree days. This is a calculation of everyday the low is above 50 degrees minus the high temperature the resulting product is expressed as a growing degree day. For example high of 65 and a low of 51 would be 14 growing degree days. Every day that passes is added for a cumulative GDD (growing degree day).
So why is this so important? It's a more reliable indicator of when flowers should be planted, insects are present on plants or best time to apply a control for a pest. Another method is to use indicator plants to approximate when something can be done. This is based on phenology, and these plants tend to flower at the same time and weather conditions. So if you need to put down a pre-emergent crabgrass control and someone says late March or early April, the phenological calendar would tell you when the Forsythia blooms. So look for the yellow flowers and you know you' ll get it right.
So learning to work with nature can be a good thing. Today the buzzword is organic. Kind of overused. All organic means is that it is linked to carbon (the scientific definition). Still biological, botanical, or natural can be deceiving. Some of the most deadly compounds on the planet are natural, organic or botanic. So when choosing products the label needs to be carefully read, unknown ingredient should be researched before you use them. All products should be carefully applied using the directions on the label. Following the directions is paramount, if it calls for a small amount to mix, do not add more. It will not make it work better only more hazardous. Measure the area you want to treat or fertilize and apply only the correct amount.
So why is this so important? It's a more reliable indicator of when flowers should be planted, insects are present on plants or best time to apply a control for a pest. Another method is to use indicator plants to approximate when something can be done. This is based on phenology, and these plants tend to flower at the same time and weather conditions. So if you need to put down a pre-emergent crabgrass control and someone says late March or early April, the phenological calendar would tell you when the Forsythia blooms. So look for the yellow flowers and you know you' ll get it right.
So learning to work with nature can be a good thing. Today the buzzword is organic. Kind of overused. All organic means is that it is linked to carbon (the scientific definition). Still biological, botanical, or natural can be deceiving. Some of the most deadly compounds on the planet are natural, organic or botanic. So when choosing products the label needs to be carefully read, unknown ingredient should be researched before you use them. All products should be carefully applied using the directions on the label. Following the directions is paramount, if it calls for a small amount to mix, do not add more. It will not make it work better only more hazardous. Measure the area you want to treat or fertilize and apply only the correct amount.
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