HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-05-05, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005.
8 don’ts for a healthy garden
From the ground up
When gardening, knowing what not
to do is just as important as knowing
what to do if you want to maintain a
beautiful, thriving garden all season
long.
to freeze damage
(especially if you live in
an area where freezes
suddenly occur), which
may not be apparent
until the following
spring.
In addition, since your
plants have already been
growing for several
months, by the time late
summer arrives, they are
ready for a rest as they
begin preparing
themselves for
dormancy.
2. Don’t fertilize your
lawn with products that
are high in nitrogen. It’s
best to fertilize your
lawn while the grass is
still green, especially in
late summer to early fall.
But don’t use products
high in nitrogen,
because turf grasses do
not need much nitrogen
that time of year.
Instead, use a
balanced fertilizer with
an NPK ratio of 3-1-2
such as 6-2-4 or 12-4-8.
Since fertilizers enable
turf grasses to produce
an abundance of
carbohydrates, the
grasses can store those
excess carbohydrates
throughout the winter
months.
So by springtime, the grasses have
all the nutrients they need to produce
a lush, green lawn.
3. Don’t scalp a lawn, even if
you’re getting ready to reseed.
Scalping (mowing the turf an inch or
less in early spring before new
growth begins) only stresses the turf
and encourages more weed growth
by allowing the sun to reach more
soil.
4. Don’t use a pre-emergent
herbicide two weeks before or after
sowing grass seeds. A pre-emergent
herbicide prevents seeds from
sprouting, which will also prevent
the grass seeds from sprouting, too.
If you have a lot of weeds in your
lawn, use a post-emergent herbicide.
It will only kill emerging weeds and
won’t affect your sprouting grass
seeds.
5. Don’t stake trees. Staking
actually makes trees weaker. The
trunks of unstaked trees are allowed
to sway or bend in the wind, which
makes them stronger.
A healthy, well-maintained garden
is a beautiful sight, and most serious
gardeners strive to achieve that
beauty all year long. It certainly
takes a lot of time and effort, not to
mention proper planning and plant
and garden know-how.
But to gardeners of all levels, it
seems to be well worth the effort,
because it’s a hobby that’s very
rewarding: You get to create your
own unique masterpiece!
However, throughout that creative
process, knowing what “not” to do is
equally as important as knowing
what you should do to keep your
garden thriving year-round. Keep
your garden in tip-top shape with
these “Gardening Don’ts” from
gardener Paul James, courtesy of
hgtv.com (Home & Garden
Television).
I. Don’t fertilize trees, shrubs, or
other landscape plants during the
late summer. Fenilizing landscape
plants encourages new growth. And
new growth is extremely susceptible
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6. Walk in garden beds as little as
possible. Walking compacts the soil,
and plants can’t grow well in
compacted soil. Since it’s
impossible to avoid, consider
walking on a board. It will distribute
your weight evenly and reduce
compaction.
7. Don’t work the soil while it’s
wet. Doing so destroys its structure,
and it may take months or even
years before the soil has a chance to
recover. In the meantime, you’re left
with a bunch of ugly dirt, clods,
which are not ideal for growing
plants.
8. Don’t overwork the soil. There
is a misconception that a good
garden soil must have the
consistency of a fine powder. That’s
why some gardeners constantly
work the soil with either a tiller or
by hand.
The truth is that good garden soil
should contain a range of particle
sizes and have a fairly coarse
textural feel because of its high
content of organic matter. This type
of soil doesn’t compact as easily,
drains a lot faster yet has more
water-holding capacity, contains
more nutrients and oxygen, and is
easier to dig in.
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