February 28, 2020: Concerned about crabgrass? Crabgrass is primarily an ‘opportunistic’ plant that gets its name because it grows low to the ground with stems that radiate out from the center of the grass clump, resembling crab legs. It usually grows in thin or bare areas of your lawn, but it can also crowd-out good grasses that are weakened – sometimes by scalping the lawn (mowing too short or using the wrong type of mower), insect and disease activity or other problems.
Treating your lawn with a crabgrass pre-emergent is an efficient way to prevent crabgrass seeds from germinating. This should be done by mid-April. You can also pull crabgrass by hand using a hand trowel or digging knife, but it should be done early in the season before the plants can produce seeds. Once crabgrass has taken over your lawn, it’s time to treat with a herbicide. Need help with crabgrass prevention or eradication? Phil’s Lawn Mowing can assist.
February 11, 2020: It’s about lime! Conditioning your lawn with lime “sweetens” the soil making nutrients in your expensive fertilizer more accessible to your turf grass. Left untreated, your soil has a natural tendency to become “sour”, or acidic, making your turf grass unable to benefit fully from your fertilizer. Sweeter soil also robs many of your pesky lawn weeds of the acidic soil they need to survive. A twofer! As such, treating your lawn with lime becomes an essential routine maintenance service.
It’s time to act if it’s been a while since your last lime treatment or if your fertilizer isn’t producing the results you expect. As a rule of thumb, Betty’s Azalea Ranch recommends spreading 40 pounds of lime for every 1,000 square feet of turf. As an alternative, you may consider using a soil test kit to get recommendations specifically tailored to your lawn.
When’s the best time to lime? There’s really never a bad time. Consider doing it now as lime can be applied any time throughout the year. Need help? Phil’s Lawn Mowing is happy to assist.
February 3, 2020: Do you have a slippery walkway? If so, your bricks are probably slick from algae, which is often green or black and coats the surface. Moss can grow on bricks, too. The trick is to kill the growth and scrub the pores of the hardscape. A bleach solution is an effective way of cleaning but requires you to prepare the surrounding vegetation. For an good how-to article from the Local Living section of the Washington Post, visit: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/slippery-brick-walkway-that-means-algae/2020/01/19/0652aece-3162-11ea-a053-dc6d944ba776_story.html. Contact Phil’s Lawn Mowing if you need assistance.
January 31, 2020: Clients often ask about winter pruning. According to my friends at Betty’s Azalea Ranch, pruning should be avoided except for most perennials. Otherwise, pruning can damage the plants or prevent their ability to perform come spring. Perennials may be pruned down to the ground; a few that are considered “evergreen” can remain year-round.
IMPORTANT: Any and all spring-blooming plants should never be pruned during late fall or winter. For example, azaleas and rhododendrons set their flower buds for next year right after blooming. Any pruning done on these plants should come just after their blooming periods are finished.
January 29, 2020: Did you know … According to the Capital Weather Gang at the Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/01/28/winter-is-nearly-two-thirds-over-washington-has-seen-almost-no-snow/, we’re experiencing a virtually snowless and abnormally mild winter with temperatures averaging about four to five degrees above normal. As such, Phil’s Lawn Mowing recommends fertilizing your lawn if you missed the fall application. Your lawn’s root system is alive and can benefit from the nutrients.
January 1, 2020: Think spring by shopping for flower and vegetable seeds.
Even though the calendar says January, you can still take a trip to the future by planning the flowers, vegetables, and perennials you wish to start from seed. Betty’s Azalea Ranch ( http://www.bettysazalearanch.com/page/Current-Ad ) already has the new seeds in stock. You can save more by purchasing your seeds from Betty’s. Burpee seeds are 30% off the packet price all the time. Lake Valley and Rene’s Garden seeds are 20% off, and the previous year’s seeds are 50% off! Betty’s has all the accessories needed to start your new babies: peat pots, starting medium, seed trays, and heat mats.
Read the back of each packet to see how long it will take for the seeds to germinate. Count backwards from the last frost date for tender plants to know when to start your seeds. Before setting the seedlings in the yard, take them outside to a protected spot for a few hours each day for a few days to help them harden off.