Written by Adam Latham
Full-fledged gardening season is just around the corner. You can feel the first warm rays of the sun and green now means more than evergreen. The bulbs are ending their winter dormancy and sending up their long-awaited blossoms. Rain has replaced snow. Packages have arrived, fulfilling orders placed this winter after looking through enticing plant and seed catalogs. The Rhode Island and Boston Flower Shows have passed. I always feel like spring is here after I get my first sowing of peas in the ground. With so many outdoor chores, how do you start to think about ways to improve your outdoor experience? How about making a list of the issues you had to deal with last year?
Competitors vs. The Freedom Lawn
Let’s start with the lawn; since it does or doesn’t green up this time of year, it gets the most attention. First, you need to decide how much time, energy, and money you want to spend. Those who care for their own lawns fall somewhere on the spectrum from most intensive maintenance, the “Competitors,” to the least intensive, the freedom-lawn advocates.
Competitors follow a strict regimen of fertilizer, lime, and weed- and insect-control applications, are advocates of a well-maintained irrigation system, and are likely to attempt striped mowing patterns.
If, on the other hand, you’re an advocate of a freedom lawn, then you’re grateful for whatever plants are green in your lawn in the summer. To you, fewer activities you have to perform means more free time you can spend doing other things. You may also view reduced pesticide and fertilizer use as good for the environment and yourself.
Regardless of where you fall on the lawn-care spectrum, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the pH and nutrient levels in your soil. Many problems with plants, including the thousands of grass plants that make up your lawn, can be addressed with basic soil analysis. Many local nurseries and garden centers offer free or low-cost soil-testing services. The University of Massachusetts Extension Service’s Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory will test your soil. To find out more visit their website at http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/. Follow the test-result recommendations. Remember that limestone can be applied at any time of the year although it’s best done in the fall, and that fertilizers, especially those containing higher levels of nitrogen, have more specific application timing.
Managing Weeds and Pests
The first step in managing weeds and pests in your lawn is to identify if the level of weed or insect infestation is high enough to warrant attention. There is probably more money wasted on needless uses of these products than there is spent on needed applications. If there are only a few broadleaf weeds in your lawn there is no need to apply weed killer everywhere; a spot treatment of the problem would be the best approach.
The same approach works for insects. Simple observation can be used to determine if insects are at thresholds that warrant the use of control methods. Check the web or visit the library or your favorite bookstore for information on these methods.
Here are a few simple steps to increase the health of your lawn, which translates to saving money:
Adjust the height of your mower to 2.5 inches to allow the grass to shade out weeds.
Don’t bag the clippings. Returning clippings to the soil with a mulching mower or leaving them in place with a non-mulching mower is the equivalent of one nitrogen application.
Aerate. Aeration reduces soil compaction. Compact soil reduces oxygen levels in the soil, injuring turf and encouraging weed growth. By loosening the soil, more oxygen reaches the root zone, encouraging a healthy stand of turf.
Landscape Design
Now that you’ve decided on a lawn-management plan, let’s begin with the basics of designing your landscape. It’s difficult to plan improvements to any garden space without a plan-view drawing. Begin by making a scaled sketch of your garden space. Don’t be too concerned with precision; you’re not a land surveyor. Close enough is fine.
Many books can show you the tools you’ll need and how to measure and draw to scale. Make sure to include a north arrow and notes on the slope of the land, favorable or unfavorable views, poor drainage areas, the hottest summer locations, and the last place snow melts. Even if you aren’t sure of the names of plants, note the flower color, size of plant, fall color, and form. With this information and a photograph, someone knowledgeable in plants can help you identify a plant without visiting your home. While they’re blooming, take note of where spring-flowering bulbs are located and indicate them on the plan. Bring the sketch along with photos to your local garden center or nursery for recommendations to fill your planting needs. Many garden centers offer specific dates and times in the spring for this service, so it’s smart to call ahead.
Another way to get a good idea of the areas that need to be addressed in your landscape is to select and analyze photographic views of your garden. Use your camera to focus attention on a specific area of your garden. What’s missing from the image? Is there a bare patch of mulch? Is there an opportunity to add a contrasting leaf texture against a particular plant? What are the limits of the plantings needed to screen an objectionable view? By focusing your attention to one or two details at a time, the task of improving the design of your garden space may not seem so daunting. For seasoned experts, it’s also a good way to see if you’ve been missing something.
Putting together a simple plan now for improving your lawn, landscape, or garden is the best way to ensure long-term results. Next thing you know, you’ll be too busy mowing the lawn, installing plants, and doing all the other items on your spring to-do-list to properly plan.
Full-fledged gardening season is just around the corner. You can feel the first warm rays of the sun and green now means more than evergreen. The bulbs are ending their winter dormancy and sending up their long-awaited blossoms. Rain has replaced snow. Packages have arrived, fulfilling orders placed this winter after looking through enticing plant and seed catalogs. The Rhode Island and Boston Flower Shows have passed. I always feel like spring is here after I get my first sowing of peas in the ground. With so many outdoor chores, how do you start to think about ways to improve your outdoor experience? How about making a list of the issues you had to deal with last year?
Competitors vs. The Freedom Lawn
Let’s start with the lawn; since it does or doesn’t green up this time of year, it gets the most attention. First, you need to decide how much time, energy, and money you want to spend. Those who care for their own lawns fall somewhere on the spectrum from most intensive maintenance, the “Competitors,” to the least intensive, the freedom-lawn advocates.
Competitors follow a strict regimen of fertilizer, lime, and weed- and insect-control applications, are advocates of a well-maintained irrigation system, and are likely to attempt striped mowing patterns.
If, on the other hand, you’re an advocate of a freedom lawn, then you’re grateful for whatever plants are green in your lawn in the summer. To you, fewer activities you have to perform means more free time you can spend doing other things. You may also view reduced pesticide and fertilizer use as good for the environment and yourself.
Regardless of where you fall on the lawn-care spectrum, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the pH and nutrient levels in your soil. Many problems with plants, including the thousands of grass plants that make up your lawn, can be addressed with basic soil analysis. Many local nurseries and garden centers offer free or low-cost soil-testing services. The University of Massachusetts Extension Service’s Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory will test your soil. To find out more visit their website at http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/. Follow the test-result recommendations. Remember that limestone can be applied at any time of the year although it’s best done in the fall, and that fertilizers, especially those containing higher levels of nitrogen, have more specific application timing.
Managing Weeds and Pests
The first step in managing weeds and pests in your lawn is to identify if the level of weed or insect infestation is high enough to warrant attention. There is probably more money wasted on needless uses of these products than there is spent on needed applications. If there are only a few broadleaf weeds in your lawn there is no need to apply weed killer everywhere; a spot treatment of the problem would be the best approach.
The same approach works for insects. Simple observation can be used to determine if insects are at thresholds that warrant the use of control methods. Check the web or visit the library or your favorite bookstore for information on these methods.
Here are a few simple steps to increase the health of your lawn, which translates to saving money:
Adjust the height of your mower to 2.5 inches to allow the grass to shade out weeds.
Don’t bag the clippings. Returning clippings to the soil with a mulching mower or leaving them in place with a non-mulching mower is the equivalent of one nitrogen application.
Aerate. Aeration reduces soil compaction. Compact soil reduces oxygen levels in the soil, injuring turf and encouraging weed growth. By loosening the soil, more oxygen reaches the root zone, encouraging a healthy stand of turf.
Landscape Design
Now that you’ve decided on a lawn-management plan, let’s begin with the basics of designing your landscape. It’s difficult to plan improvements to any garden space without a plan-view drawing. Begin by making a scaled sketch of your garden space. Don’t be too concerned with precision; you’re not a land surveyor. Close enough is fine.
Many books can show you the tools you’ll need and how to measure and draw to scale. Make sure to include a north arrow and notes on the slope of the land, favorable or unfavorable views, poor drainage areas, the hottest summer locations, and the last place snow melts. Even if you aren’t sure of the names of plants, note the flower color, size of plant, fall color, and form. With this information and a photograph, someone knowledgeable in plants can help you identify a plant without visiting your home. While they’re blooming, take note of where spring-flowering bulbs are located and indicate them on the plan. Bring the sketch along with photos to your local garden center or nursery for recommendations to fill your planting needs. Many garden centers offer specific dates and times in the spring for this service, so it’s smart to call ahead.
Another way to get a good idea of the areas that need to be addressed in your landscape is to select and analyze photographic views of your garden. Use your camera to focus attention on a specific area of your garden. What’s missing from the image? Is there a bare patch of mulch? Is there an opportunity to add a contrasting leaf texture against a particular plant? What are the limits of the plantings needed to screen an objectionable view? By focusing your attention to one or two details at a time, the task of improving the design of your garden space may not seem so daunting. For seasoned experts, it’s also a good way to see if you’ve been missing something.
Putting together a simple plan now for improving your lawn, landscape, or garden is the best way to ensure long-term results. Next thing you know, you’ll be too busy mowing the lawn, installing plants, and doing all the other items on your spring to-do-list to properly plan.