Grassy Weeds

Crabgrass

I hope everyone enjoyed Garden Fest at the college yesterday.  Kim gave two presentations and I gave on on watergardening.  Next weekend we will have several seminars at the store so drop by to find out about the best new plants for 2011 and dealing with insects.

With the warmer weather I have been out looking at my lawn.  I have a bird feeder in my yard and it seems I also have a lot of grassy weeds.  I am sure there is a connection.  Neighbor Dave next door has also noticed more "crabgrass" and I had to fess up that I thought it was because of my bird feeder.  We both enjoy the birds so I guess that is a tradeoff we have to make. 



Dandelions are broadleaf weeds



It's easy to kill grass in an ornamental bed or to kill broadleaf weeds in the lawn because they are completely different in their makeup and don't react to the herbicides in the same way.  It is much harder to kill broadleaf weeds in an ornamental bed without affecting the ornamentals or to kill grassy weeds in the lawn.  One way is to get to the weeds before they germinate.  We call this preemergent weed control.  The trick to being successful at pre-emergent control is to get the herbicide down before the weeds germinate.  Most crabgrass seeds germinate when the soil temperature reaches 55F.  You need to get the herbicide down a week or two before this happens.  With our fluctuating temperatures in the spring this is hard to do.  A visual clue to timing is the forsythia.  When you see the forsythia in bloom it is time to put down the pre-emergent.  By the time the lilacs bloom, it is too late.



Corn Gluten

For those of you looking for an organic control, try corn gluten.  University studies have shown that corn gluten inhibits root development in germinating seeds.  As an added benefit it also has 9% nitrogen and makes an excellent fertilizer.  The product needs to be watered in after applying it and then needs a dry period.  Try to pick a day when no rain is forcast for the next couple of days and then gently sprinkle with a hose to get the product wet.  If it rains, the product will become too dilute and the seeds with be able to recover and continue to grow.  Apply the corn gluten at a rate of 20-40 pounds per 1000 square feet.  For best results apply twice in the spring and again in the fall.



Pre-emergent herbicides do not discriminate between "good" seeds and "bad."  If you are planning to overseed your lawn wait at least six weeks after applying the pre-emergent.  









Off on Holiday

Tomorrow I am off to Spain for two weeks and I am busy getting the garden ready. I finally got around to fixing that old split rail fence post and in the process of cleaning up the bed I discovered that my buddleia (butterfly bush) survived yet another winter. Yeah! They are very slow to come out of dormancy so I am never really certain it survived until I see it leaf out, sometimes not until June. It's surprising how tender this plant is here, because once in London I saw one growing out of a crack in the facade of a building three stories up! I also dug out the Balloon flower (Platycodon) that had become a little invasive. Some of the roots were as thick as my thumb! When I get home I will have to find something other things to plant there.

I have been watering like crazy, making sure to water really deep so even if it doesn't rain the plants' roots can reach moisture. I am sure watering will not be a big priority for Mr. Ross. For a guy who grew up on a ranch, you'd think he'd be more attune to that sort of thing. I have the girl down the street coming in to check on things and water my containers and hanging baskets. With limited amounts of soil in the containers and nowhere for the roots to go once they reach the side of the container, those need special attention when you are away.

I promised myself several things this year with regards to my garden:

1) I was going to work on the weeds in the lawn. Besides the usual dandelions, I have some thistle, medic and clover. I have been using two products: the Bonide Ultra, which also works in cooler temperatures, and Bonide WeedBeater. The Ultra only comes in a Ready-To-Use spray bottle (or as we call it, "the carpal tunnel bottle), but the Weedbeater comes in RTU, hose-end and a concentrate. When spraying weeds, be sure to spray early in the day before it gets hot. Herbicides work by being taken in by the stomas that are on the leaves. It is where transpiration takes place. In order to survive the hot weather plants will close down their stomas in the heat of the day so they don't lose too much moisture (it's what causes plants to wilt). It also means they aren't taking in any moisture either so your spraying will not be effective.

2) I was going to work on getting rid of the grassy weeds that have grown up in my rose bed and mulch. I used Roundup to get rid of the weeds, but now new seedlings have sprouted up. Last night I got out the hoe and hoed in there, so I hope that took care of the grass. When I get back I'll lay down the mulch.

3) Work on the front bed. Well, so far I got the fence fixed, now I just need to fill in a few areas with some new plants. That bed is mostly pastel colors with phlox and penstemon and the butterfly bush, although it's been so long since I've seen it bloom I've forgotten what color it is.

One more thing: Thanks to my goof ball friends who came by Monday night and TP'd my house in honor of my birthday. It was the big 5-0 and I must say I am looking forward to the next however many years I have left. I guess one thing that keeps me going is no matter how old I get, Lori will always be older!