Weeds to be killed

Most of the people I know never think about this question.  The reason would have to be that don’t need to know how the chemical works, and most of the time they don’t really care why or how weeds grow.  That is perfectly understandable, so I am going to give those people a very simple answer to the question, “When can I kill weeds?”  The simple answer would be, “Whenever they are actively growing.”  That is something that even the most busy people could figure out…is that plant growing right now?!

Now, for the rest of us that want to know some more about weed killers, here is a little more definition.  All weed killers are foliage killers.  What that means is the chemical has to touch the foliage of the plant in order for the plant to absorb it.  If you spray a weed killer or a everything killer like roundup straight onto dirt, you have just wasted your time and money.   Yes, there are products out there that say they prevent weeds, that is a whole other blog.  A preventer can be sprayed on dirt to prevent new plants from arriving.

Here is something else to think of when asking when it is too late to kill weeds.  Are you going to be seeding within the next 6 weeks, or have you seeded within the last 6 weeks.  The weed killer will leave a residual that will destroy the germination rate of grass seed.  I like to say 6 weeks is the rule of thumb for seeding on either side of applying weed killer.

Typically, once you get your first hard frost of the fall, the ‘normal’ weeds will disappear pretty quickly on their own.  They are seasonal, annual weeds.  The actual plant will die for the winter, but its seeds will grow again in the spring.

Happy Killing

Laying pond liner

So, you are ready to finish water proofing the basin.  With all the filtration and the waterfall in place, then you want to lay out the liner for the basin to hold the water for your pond.  The most important part of laying in the basin is making sure you have removed any rocks or roots that are protruding into the basin area.  These could really cause problems later and make you want to cuss or something.  That would not be good.  After the dirt is cleared of debris, you want to lay out an underlayment material.  I have used old carpet pieces, but they also make a specific product you can buy that is designed for the pond.  All the underlayment does is prevent any foreign object from potentially puncturing the liner.  When the dirt settles, you never know what might appear that you were not expecting.

Ok, so now time for the liner.  This step is worth taking some time on as it is the most important part of a pond.  It needs to be attached onto the skimmer box and then worked real nice around the bottom and the sides of the basin.  If you can prevent ripples, you will have less places for algae to build up, but keep in mind you can’t prevent all ripples.

After the basin liner is in, you can let the waterfall liner rest on top of the basin liner.  Always making sure that the liner covers plenty more area than water will be touching.  You never want the water to be close to the edge of the liner, or it could overflow and then you will be filling your pond everyday with water.  That is not fun for the ol’ water bill.

The next step is to make a rock puzzle around the edge of the liner.  The goal is to cover every square inch of liner so it cannot be seen.  You are also looking for stability since your kids or grandkids will be walking on them to feed the fish.

Tomorrow we will finish up with installing the pump and testing the system.

Happy Liners

Lawn Starter Fertilizer from Scotts brand

Today I want to talk about what to put down with your grass seed.  A couple days ago, we talked about overseeding the lawn and I briefly mentioned about putting a fertilizer down with the seed.  I do like putting a fertilizer down, but you really have to make sure you are putting the right one.

There are many different combinations of fertilizer.  We discussed in depth in the ‘What do the numbers mean on the fertilizer bag’ blog, so I won’t redo much of that, but I do want to stress to pay attention to what you are buying.  There are regular lawn food fertilizer bags.  These typically have a high nitrogen content in them.  Usually like a 34-6-4 combination.  These are designed to be put out in the peak growing time of the year.  In Nashville, we usually will put this one out in late June or July.  There is also a ‘weed n feed’ type fertilizer.  This is that really bad product that has weed killer and fertilizer in it together.  The fertilizer is usually a high nitrogen content as well and the weed killer works if you install it properly.  (Make sure the grass is wet when you broadcast the ‘weed n feed’ granuals!!)  For some reason, the big box stores start early stressing the fact that you need a winterizer fertilizer in September.  I guess they want to prey on the ignorant and sell more stuff.  The winterizer fertilizer in Nashville, should not be put out until around Christmas time.  It should be installed a couple of weeks before the ground potentially completely freezes.

Now, the fertilizer I want to talk about today is the one that I like and use most often, ‘The Lawn Starter Fertilizer’.  I recommend using this product any and everytime you are spreading grass seed.  It typically has somewhere around a 18-24-12 combination in it.  Notice the lower Nitrogen, but higher Phosphorus content.  The Phosphorus dramatically increases the germination rate of the seed and strengthens the existing plants without making them grow like crazy.  The lower Nitrogen prevents the seed from burning up and dying while producing a new plant.  It also has the higher potassium for strong root development.

The lawn starter fertilizer is a slow release type product and should be installed the same day as the grass seed.  This gives the fertilizer a chance to do its job while the seed is cracking open and developing roots.  Remember, Fescue grass seed takes a minimum of two weeks to germinate.  Make sure when you are at a big box buying grass seed or fertilizer, don’t buy what they are selling, buy what you are needing at that time!!

Happy Fertilizing

Fun Winter Flower Displays

Every year, many people either forget or don’t remember what their options are for winter color in their flower beds or containers.  I just laugh when I hear someone say that they want to plant some petunias for the winter.  I completely understand where they are coming from, because I would be the same way if I didn’t do this stuff for a living.  I want to go over a list of what can be done in the fall to prepare for the winter.  This list will not be completely exclusive, but will be pretty close.

By the time we get into September and October, depending of what part of the country you live in, your spring/summer flowers are looking pretty shabby and need to be replaced.  Sometimes, they are looking awesome…but still need to be replaced.   It always hurts my feelings when I am yanking out petunias and begonias that are just perfect in shape and color, just so I can replace them with tiny little pansies!  But I know full well that in a couple of weeks, they would be dead and brown as soon as that first frost comes in, so I just keep working on yanking.

Bed preparation can be important if you haven’t done much in the past.  That will be a whole other blog, but just know that if you have to “dig” to plant your flowers, then your ground needs much help.

The few flowers that will survive the winter are pansies, cabbage, and kale.  Many people buy mums for Halloween and Thanksgiving color, but the color is usually gone in a couple of weeks.  If they are planted in the ground, they usually will return the following year.  Mums are my least favorite plant of all time (sorry for those of you who like them, this is my blog and I can say what I like and don’t . They are pretty for a couple of weeks though, I will give you that.  Pansies are the most common winter installed flower.  It will survive the winter, sometimes be blooming when it is snowing, and as soon as the weather gets to 40 degree nights in the spring, they pop up like roman candles and will start exploding in color.  Cabbage and Kale are great for containers and accenting the pansies.  I have never seen a bed exclusively cabbage and kale.  They can get some pretty good height on them, so pay attention where you put them.

Winter flowers are fun to have around and I highly recommend having them.  Setting up some hay bales with corn stalks, pumpkins and mums is really neat to look at for a month or two.  Have fun, get creative, and enjoy your winter color.

Happy Color