Mother's Day 2015 freeze

As Mother’s Day approaches there is the potential for snow and freezing temperatures. One forecast is calling for 32ºF tonight (Saturday), snow Sunday and 30ºF on Sunday night. IF this happens, you should be prepared to cover your plants to protect them. The simplest solution is to bring everything that hasn’t been planted into the garage or house.

For plants in the ground, you can cover them with buckets,

old nursery pots,

sheets, floating row cover, insulating material like N-Sulate,

You can close the tops of your Walls-O-Water or cover smaller plants with hot kaps. Covering plants with plastic sheeting is not recommended. If we get a heavy snow, go out and shake your trees to knock the snow off to help prevent damage. Or use a broom to shake the snow off the branches. After Monday, the weather forecast is for more moderate temperatures.  

Getting your lawn ready for summer

 

 

Here are some tips for having a great lawn throughout the summer and into fall.

Turf grass wears out and gets weak for any number of reasons, including wear and tear, age, poor soils, bugs and disease.

Thin, weak lawns encourage weeds and diseases and use more water. The good news is you can have a good-looking lawn by following a few simple steps. First, improve the soil your grass is growing in.

Aerate your lawn at least once a year.

This opens the soil up and allows air, water and fertilizer to get down to the roots.

Top-dress your lawn by adding a thin layer of compost or peat moss. This will improve the soil and strengthen the roots.

Apply humic acid in the form of Soil Activator to improve soil and encourage root growth.    

Fertilize in late May with a high nitrogen fertilizer, such as Fertilome 25-0-4. Your best defense against weeds is a strong, healthy lawn. Maintaining a healthy lawn will keep weeds from ever getting started in your yard. Two more points; keep your lawn mower set as high as it will go and mow more frequently. Avoid over-watering. Your lawn doesn’t need to be watered every day. Frequent watering makes the grass roots lazy. The best approach is to water deeper and less often. Doing these things now will keep your lawn looking good during the summer and into fall.