CAMBRIDGE (CBS)- I for one love my lawn and I work very hard at keeping it healthy and looking lush and green, even during the dog days of summer. All you need to do is give it a little attention once a week.

Here are some helpful tips to help you keep your yard looking its best even in the middle of the summer.

Mowing and Watering:
If you mow your own lawn be sure to keep the setting of the height of the wheels on the 2nd highest setting. The taller the grass is kept the better to keep it from burning.

Mowing less frequently will also encourage a thicker and fuller lawn, which can help prevent crab grass and other weeds from emerging.

Try watering less frequently and for a longer period of time. Doing this will encourage the roots to grow deeper, making them stronger during time of severe drought.

Fertilizing:
Just because it’s summertime and you may be on vacation, it doesn’t mean your lawn doesn’t need any attention. I apply a summer application of fertilizer in mid-July to keep my lawn looking strong and healthy.

You can apply a synthetic fertilizer like Scott’s Step 2, or if you would prefer organic fertilizer, Espoma makes a great one.

Both fertilizers have high levels of Nitrogen, which is great for promoting strong healthy lawn growth.

Seeding:
So what do you do if you have large areas of dead grass, brown patches, or even worse… a dog?

Even though I suggest waiting until the weather is cooler for large re-seeding, you can certainly seed some of the brown patches you may have.

There are several great pre-mixed patch seed products on the market and all are effective in helping you get the yard back in tip top shape. All you need to do is to dig up the dead areas and spread the seed mix and just water after. Easy peasy.

But what about Maggie? Maggie, our family’s yellow lab! She loves to pee in the same spot in the lawn and yes, it’s all brown.

Well, have no fear. You can buy Dog Patch mixes too. Simply apply as you would any repair kit and they will help turn Maggie’s spot green again!

Well there you have it! Follow these tips and you too can have a healthy lush lawn.

The keys are mowing, watering and feeding. Get into a regular schedule of these and you should be good to go.

Feel free to email me with any questions or comments at Mark@PembertonFarms.com.

Tip one

Depending on the weather, if you have a lawn it is advisable to mow it with the blades on a low setting before your holiday to prevent it from becoming too overgrown when you return.

Tip two

Weeds are a big problem and if they are left to take root they could potentially become a persistent nuisance. Make sure you remove any weeds, including seedlings, from flower beds and borders before you leave. Apply a thick layer of mulch to bare soil between plants as this suppresses weeds and will also help the soil to retain moisture.

Tip three

If you are growing fruit and vegetables, try to harvest what you can before you go. Some vegetables, such as runner beans, courgettes and tomatoes, will need to be picked regularly as this will help to ensure they continue to produce new pods or fruits.

If you have someone who is able to look after your garden while you are away, you could offer them the excess fruit or vegetables in return for their help. However, if you have to leave it unattended, make sure you remove all ripening tomatoes and pods from runner beans and thoroughly water all your crops before leaving. If the weather looks likely to be warm and dry, it might be a good idea to install timed irrigation.
Tip four

To reduce the amount of water needed by summer bedding plants, you could remove all flowers and buds. You can also delay repeat-flowering plants, like roses, from blooming while you are away by deadheading them before you leave.

Tip five

If you have a lot of plants in containers, move them into the shade and group them together to reduce the amount of water they require. This should help to increase the humidity levels around them.

If you planted them using water retentive granules, then if you water them well before you leave they should last until you return.

Tip six

Anyone with a pond should remove any pads from water lilies that are turning yellow, as well as deadheading any flowers from pond plants. This should prevent them from rotting.

Tip seven

It is generally a good idea to stop feeding plants before you go as this should slow down growth so they will require less water.

Tip eight

If you have houseplants it is important to make sure they are kept in a cool place, out of direct sunlight.

If you have several plants you could try placing a sheet of capillary matting on a draining board or a suitable surface next to the bath. Fill the sink or bath with water and place one end of the mat into the water. Group the plants onto the matting and make sure the bottoms of the pots are in contact with it.

Tip nine

Thoroughly water all parts of the garden before you leave, even if rain is forecast while you are away.

Tip 10

If you have hanging baskets you could try adding water absorbing gel or crystals. They will soak up any water if it rains and release it into the compost.

For more information, call Northampton Garden Centre on 01604 765725 or visit: www.northamptongardencentre.co.uk

While it is early in the harvest season, one local delectable fruit to enjoy right now is the strawberry. Whether they are grown in a home garden, freshly picked, bought at the local farm or purchased the old fashioned way at the grocery store, at this time of year they are delicious, juicy and a versatile ingredient in the kitchen.

Pick Your Own

For those looking for freshly harvested and enjoy the experience of picking strawberries directly off their vines, there are a few quality farms that offer pick your own strawberries and provide a fun event the entire family can enjoy. Just to name a few: Ward’s Berry Farm, in Sharon, Verrill Farm, in Concord and Brookdale Fruit Farm, in Hollis, N.H.

The Home Garden

Strawberries are fun to grow at home as they offer colorful foliage, flowers and a tasty reward. Early green foliage gives way to white flowers which become the red fruit, and eventually the leaves turn a deep red to purple in the fall giving a striking display. They are a perennial crop, in the sense that they come back year after year, but they also spread via runners, and many growers will cultivate the plants growing from the runners as the younger plants are often more productive.

In a home strawberry patch, you can expect it to give many years of production in one location, as long as it stays healthy and disease free. Strawberries require full sun and relatively frequent watering, especially prior to fruit production. During harvest season. Water sparingly as rain and moisture will cause berries to rot prior to ripening. Strawberries like a light fertilization in early spring and again in early fall, to promote plant and root growth.

Strawberries tend to survive winter best when mulched with hay or row cover.

Home gardeners also can enjoy strawberries as a container-grown crop, making it an ideal option for porches, patios and yards with limited open land. Strawberry pots are recognizable as having a hole in the top for several plants, and four or more holes around the sides for more plants. This allows for even more vegetation while promoting light penetration and air movement. Strawberry containers are also a great way to involve children or the elderly in a gardening project as it is an easy and quick crop to watch and maintain.

At the Market

When choosing berries at the market, they should be firm and still have green leaves and stems. Be aware that berries purchased on rainy or extremely hot days will have a shorter shelf life in the refrigerator, so be prepared to use them quickly. Also if possible, buy berries picked fresh the day of use as the flavor will still have the heat of the day on it which is better than a berry that has been chilled in the fridge. For later use, keep them uncovered in the fridge for a day or two.

Recipes

There are so many shortcake varieties, however many residents in this area of the country prefer a biscuit, while others like an angel food or even lemon pound cake base.

Wash, chop and put berries on top, serve with freshly whipped cream, maybe with a dash of whiskey in it.

For Berries Romanov, it is best to follow an official recipe, but the ingredients more or less include berries, cream and black pepper. It is definitely worth a try; very different and tasty.

Other Uses:

Berries are delicious when served with a balsamic glaze either as dessert or go perfect on salads with creamier cheeses like goat or feta.

Also, be sure to check out these recipes for Strawberry Shortcake and Strawberry Lemon Icebox Pie.

Information for this column was contributed by Volante Farms, 292 Forest St., Needham, 781-444-2351, www.volantefarms.wordpress.com.

The summer isn’t letting up anytime soon.

And when it comes to your garden, neither can you, say two local gardeners: OSU-Tulsa County master gardener Karen Watkins and Stringer Nursery’s Jeff McCants, both of whom offer tips on areas to pay attention to this season.

Watering

It’s big. Even some of the top performers, such as crape myrtle and rose of Sharon, both of which are plants accustomed to this climate, need water, McCants said. They will survive, but not flourish or flower without water. The amount of water will vary based on plant variety.

When you do water, do so in the early morning if you can, Watkins said. Your plants will use the water throughout the day, and any moisture on foliage would have dried off before the day has ended.

You want your foliage dry because, when the weather cools down later in the day, fungus is given the chance to grow.

Watkins recommends watering deeply and less frequently during the hot-weather months. That means watering your garden a little longer but watering every other day.

And as you’re using your water, use it wisely.

“Watering wisely is so important, or we go into water rationing,” Watkins said.

For containers, the smaller the container, the more often you should water the plant in it, as container plants dry out quicker than those in the garden.

Weeding, mulching

Summer is prime time for weeds to accumulate and, worse, suck the life from your ornamentals that are already stressed out by the heat, McCants said. Get rid of them. Picking them out by hand might be the best way to go about this.

Consider protecting your garden beds and tree zones with mulch, which will keep in moisture for the plants to use. A two-to-three-inch layer should be adequate.

Fertilizers, pesticides

“I’m not going to suggest that you fertilize, though light fertilizing of a stressed-out plant may be good,” McCants said.

Pick off your pests as much as you can. Or give affected leaves a strong burst of water to throw off the harmful insects. A weekly blast of high-powered water will keep spider mites at bay, McCants said.

Lay off the chemicals, Watkins said. She likens applying pesticides to plants in the summer to taking medicine without food.

“It’s something else for the leaves to deal with,” she said. Also, it drives away pollinators.

Observe – look at things regularly enough so that if something is too wet or too dry, you are able to rectify the problem, McCants said. If you don’t, it turns into neglect.

Original Print Headline: Plants need help in this heat

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Bravetta Hassell 918-581-8316

bravetta.hassell@tulsaworld.com

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Written by Doug Oster

This heat has been tough on the garden. Rain has been spotty, so gardeners need to water. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to keep the plants happy when it comes to moisture.

Most plants only need one inch of water per week, but in this heat, I’ve been watering twice a week.

The morning is the best time to water. This gets the plants ready for the day, and the leaves also have a chance to dry off. Many plants are susceptible to fungal diseases. When their foliage remains wet, the fungal diseases can take hold.

Water at the base of the plant when possible. This uses the water most efficiantly and not much is lost through evaporation. It’s also another way to keep the leaves dry.

Really soak the plants. It’s best to give them lots of water once or twice a week instead of a little every day. A deep watering encourages deep roots.

Mulch is so important this time of the year. It keeps the soil evenly moist and also retards fungal diseases. Hopefully your plants are already mulched. If not, be sure to get a couple inches of mulch around the plants after a good watering.

Mulch should never touch the base of the plants, it can heat up.

I use straw in the vegetable garden and bark mulch for ornamentals.

Containers might need water every day depending on their size. Stick a finger an inch deep into the pot, if it’s dry, it’s time to water.

Don’t forget trees and shrubs, especially if they are newly planted. Small trees and shrubs might need 15 gallons of water a couple times a week if rain is scarce.

The last resort is an overhead sprinkler. Sometimes a large area like a lawn needs watered and that’s the best way to get it covered. Put a small can in the watering area to know when you’ve reached one inch.

The last few seasons have given us plenty of rain, something we take for granted when it doesn’t come that often.

A few nights ago I stayed up just to hear a good storm pass through. The sound of a downpour is heartening for any gardener. I hope I hear more of them in the next couple days.

 

 

 

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July 07, 2012 – 10:18 AM

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Today’s gardening tip comes from the Martha’s Vineyard Patch where resident garden expert, Laura Stone of Vineyard Gardens, offers advice about watering your garden. 

A garden needs one inch of rain or water each week. Early morning is the best time to water. Evening watering is less desirable because plant leaves that remain wet through the night are more susceptible to fungus diseases. Mulch plants to reduce water losses and improve yields.

Check the soil moisture of container grown vegetables and flowers daily. As the temperature rises, some plants may need water twice a day

Cut back and fertilize delphinium and phlox to encourage a second flowering

Tall flowers should be staked to prevent damage by wind. Use stakes which are large enough to support the plant but are not too conspicuous. Use soft twine or twist ties to secure.

Continue to make successive plantings of crops like beans and sweet corn to provide a continuous harvest until fall. A small garden will produce a large quantity of vegetables if replanting is done throughout the summer.

Happy gardening! 

I love summer produce. There is nothing in the world like a fresh, ripe peach or a sliced-up, just-picked cucumber, on a hot summer day.

The problem with summer produce is you can’t really get it three seasons of the year. (Chilean peaches in December are still wonderful, of course, but it isn’t the same.)

I have a garden, and access to plenty of farm stands and farmer’s markets, so I like to find ways to stretch the season and preserve the freshness and flavor of summer produce throughout the year. Especially with the things I’ve grown in my own garden, I really love extending their availability into the fall and winter months.

Here are some great options to preserve fresh summer produce for your year-round enjoyment:

Zucchini bread – I personally am not a big fan of the giant green squash myself, but I grow it in my garden because I love to make zucchini bread. A few tips: The fresher the zucchini, the less wet it will be when shredded. Don’t peel or de-seed the zucchini before shredding. I use a Cuisinart to make shredding really quick and easy. Shredded zucchini freezes pretty well (for future making future batches of zucchini bread) for up to three months when frozen fresh and stored in a freezer bag. The bread itself also freezes extremely well if you wrap each loaf individually in aluminum foil then seal in freezer bags. The same goes for other no-rise breads, like pumpkin and banana.

Canning basics – The procedure and materials required for canning are fairly simple, but the process must be performed to an exact science in order to preserve food that will last and not get funky on your pantry shelf. Can just about anything this year, from fresh summer fruits and veggies to enjoy all winter long, to pickles and tomato sauce.

Freezing fruits and veggies – The most important things to do when freezing produce is to pick fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables, and quickly blanch them in boiling water before immersing them in ice water. Don’t forget to label the bags. When properly frozen, fruits and veggies will last about one year in the freezer.

Drying – You can use a dehydrator, if you have one, or you can just use your oven on the lowest temperature setting. Great produce to try drying include apples, bananas, sliced strawberries, onions, pears, peaches, peppers and herbs. You can also make your own fruit leather.

Seeding – Save seeds from this year’s garden to plant next year. The best kind of seeds for saving are from heirloom plants, since hybridized plant seeds aren’t always designed for home-gardening. Allow seeds to thoroughly dry on newspaper, the place them in paper bags or envelopes, in a cool, dry place until planting time next year. Come spring, test seeds by attempting to germinate a few. If a reasonable number of the seeds sprout, you’re good to go!

What one thing from summer would you like to bottle up and release in the dead of winter? Tell us below in the comments.

Students pick up tips on gardening

1:00pm Saturday 7th July 2012 in Cotswolds

American students visited Pershore College where they learned about horticulture.

AMERICAN students from Auburn University in Alabama have been visiting Pershore College where they have been learning all about horticulture and garden design.

Mike Roberts, technical academy manager at Pershore, said: “The students have been here for six weeks and while they have been with us they’ve learned about landscape design, plant science, turf
management and garden history.

“They’ve been on lots of visits, for example to Prince Charles’ garden at Highgrove, Blenheim Palace, Chatsworth and to the Rioch Arena to look at turf management ahead of the Olympics.

“They’ve also experienced a different culture and ways of doing things to what they are doing in the US and, of course, we have got some of the best gardens in the world.”

The students have enjoyed the trip, despite the variable British summer weather they have encountered.

Molly Hendry, aged 20, of Alabama, said: “I’ve loved it here, it’s been great.

“It is very different to Auburn, a lot smaller and more personal.

I’ve loved how the tutors teach, it’s more intense and you get to discover the information for yourself.”

Jayne Funderburk, aged 20, said: “It’s been a lot of fun.

“The classes are really tough and I’ve found it’s a lot more application than we’re used to.

“A lot of time at home we learn the facts, then we forget them, while here it’s more that you learn it and then they expect you to explain it in detail.”

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Don’t waste your time struggling to revive annuals that are truly spent. Pull them out of containers or the garden and toss them into the compost bin or yard waste. Replace them with new plant material. If you do not have replacement plants waiting, mulch over the empty space in the garden.

Keep gardens well mulched. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil and moderates soil temperature. Hot temperatures, hot soil and lack of moisture are deadly for plants.

Mulch can be a flammability hazard. Among organic mulches pine straw is highly flammable. It should not be used within 30 feet of your house or any wooden structure.

Pine bark (large and small nuggets) is not as readily ignitable as pine straw, but should not be used next to a wooden structure, either. Among wood mulches shredded cypress ignites more slowly and burns cooler and shallower than others.

During summer heat it is especially important to check regularly for pests. A few attackers can quickly build into a major invasion. Use a strong spray from your garden hose to diminish the insect population on plants. Follow up with soap spray or horticultural oil. If you find it necessary to use chemicals, always spray in the morning or evening. Read labels and pay attention to temperature restrictions during the hot weather.

Common bad boys of summer include aphids, grasshoppers, hornworms, lace bugs, leaf-footed bugs, spider mites, stink bugs and white flies.

Don’t apply fertilizer or insecticide to a dry plant that is under stress. Water the plant well and wait 24 hours. If you are using an insecticide keep the plant well watered and use a horticultural oil or soap. If you are fertilizing with liquid use half strength and keep the plant well watered. If you are adding a slow release fertilizer, water well before and after application.

Keep debris like dead leaves, spent blooms, dead plants and weeds cleaned out of your garden. They are the breeding ground for disease and insect pests

Heat takes a toll on gardeners, not only their plants. Work with the weather. Watch the weather forecast and take advantage of cloudy periods during the day. Make the most of a breezy day. Break jobs into short segments. If you do not accomplish a job during a comfortable work stint, finish it the next time out. Remember that gardening is an ongoing process without deadlines.

You may be surprised to find that with a breeze and shade gardening in the heat can be pleasant. You still need your hat and sunscreen, though.

Mercer Arboretum is excited to announce the Summer Symposium. The day-long workshop focuses on hardy and bold tropical-looking plants that flourish in the heat. Gardening experts share tips on plant selection and water conservation during the summer months. The day begins with a specialty plant sale for participants. Plant sale is open to the public at 9 a.m.

 

Mercer Arboretum Botanic Gardens, a Harris County Precinct 4 facility under the leadership of Commissioner R. Jack Cagle, is located at 22306 Aldine Westfield Road, one mile north of FM 1960. Harris County Precinct 4 programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, sex, religion, national origin, or physical ability. Anyone requiring special assistance to participate in any program should contact Mercer at (281) 443-8731. More information can also be found online at www.hcp4.net/mercer.

 

WHEN: Saturday, July 28 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

WHERE: Mercer Arboretum Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Rd.,

Humble 77338

 

CONTACT: Suzzanne Chapman at 281-443-8731 or schapman@hcp4.net

 

 The Summer Symposium is sponsored by The Mercer Society (TMS), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The fee for the symposium is $70 for TMS members and $85 for nonmembers, which includes handouts, lunch, and early entrance to the plant sale.