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Question
What is your recipe for getting rid of old tree stumps?
Answer
Tree stumps that are dead will decompose more quickly if you bore some
large holes about 6 to 12 inches deep and fill them with powdered milk
that you can get in the supermarket. Just use the powdered milk as it
comes out of the box (do not dilute it with water). Covering the stump
with mulch or top soil to retain moisture will further hasten
decomposition.
Question
My lawn has big brown spots all over it. There is still some green grass
mixed in with the brown. It seems to be spreading.
Answer
You have a fungus called Brown Patch. It is particularly bad this year
because of the late afternoon rains and the warm, humid nights. I have
rarely had satisfactory results from the chemical fungicides that are
recommended to prevent the spread of brown patch. I have had better luck
by raking or thatching out the dead portions and spraying with Seaweed (SeaMate™)
to strengthen the cell walls and fertilizing with a slow release,
high-tech fertilizer such as
Turf Trust®. The grass usually comes back
and requires little spot re-seeding.
Question
I have clay soil and need some sort of soil conditioner to treat the soil
so that I may plant in the ground. I currently use raised beds, but in the
ground is my preferred method.
Answer
My answer is somewhat dependent upon what you are going to plant. As a
general purpose soil amendment, I use Leaf Grow compost applied 2 inches
deep and tilled in. I also use a good organic fertilizer, Kelp Meal and
SuperBio®. With this recipe, the soil
texture will be much lighter and more organically alive. Earthworms should
also be much more plentiful.
For some reason, I suspect you are growing vegetables. If this is true you
would use
Chesapeake Blue crab compost instead of
Leaf Grow and use little, if any, additional fertilizer. You would,
however, use the SuperBio and the Kelp Meal.
Question
What is the best way to prepare soil for planting grass seed in areas that
have been damaged due to pet urine? I’ve tried fertilizing, seeding and
sod with no success.
Answer
The best way to counteract pet urine is to mix lime into the soil in the
urine damaged areas. I am sorry I can not tell you precisely how much
without a soil test, and different places in the lawn may have different
concentrations of urine and require different amounts of lime. My best
guess would be to use 20 pounds of lime per 1,000 square feet, but that is
truly a guess. Please be aware that even if you apply lime and get the
lawn well-established, more pet urine will kill new spots.
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Question
The area that I live in (zone 6) is very windy all year, and my yard
offers very little protection for plants. There are four plants that I
would like to put in my yard but have been afraid to do so because of the
wind conditions. They are Hydrangea, Lilac, Butterfly Bush and Forsythia.
I am trying to create a hedge between my yard and my neighbors. Are these
the best plants to choose? The soil is rich but I believe it is low in
acid (which would explain why azaleas and mums do not do very well). I
have an acre of land.
Answer
Lilac, butterfly bush and forsythia do fine in the wind. Blue and pink
hydrangea will not, but Pee Gee hydrangea will. Also consider kolkwitzia
(beauty bush) and spiraea (in all of its forms). Some viburnums will also
thrive in the wind, but you need to choose carefully. Neither mums (most
varieties) nor azaleas do well in the wind.
I suggest you test your soil. Mums like alkaline (non-acid) soil and
azaleas prefer acid soil.
Question
My perennial garden has been in for a number of years and I need a total
re-do. Some of the plants need to be divided and some of them just need to
be transplanted to different spots. Also, I want to put in some bulbs for
spring color such as daffodils, tulips and crocus. When is the best time
to do all of this: now, later in the fall or in the spring?
Answer
There is no single ideal time to totally renovate an established perennial
garden. In general, late fall is not good. Fall blooming perennials are
best transplanted and divided in early spring. Perennials that are not
reliably winter hardy in your area are never transplanted in late fall.
For example: if you live in zone 6, perennials that are rated to zone 5
and below do not have to wait until spring. But, perennials that are rated
at zone 6 need to be treated with extra care.
It’s tempting to dig out everything, amend the soil with compost,
Flower-Tone or
fertileGRO, and Kelp Meal and have a
total re-do at one time. If you decide to go that route, your best time
would be mid-September. At that time most of the bulbs can go in and the
perennials can establish new roots before winter. (Ideally, you should
leave a marker and plant the tulips in late October – early November). If
you can, try and work around the fall blooming or tender perennials until
spring. If not, cut the flowers off the fall bloomers. Don’t divide either
the fall blooming or the tenderest plants too finely and press them in
firmly and water with SeaMate for quick root establishment. Then mulch
around (but not over the tops of) the perennials with about 2-3 inches of
tan bark mulch.
It’s a good idea to mix spring-blooming bulbs into your perennial garden.
Few perennials bloom in the spring and bulbs can extend the color season
in your perennial garden by a whole two months, or more.
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Late summer through early fall is one of the best
times of the year to plant roses - especially if you are eager to see the
results early next year. With this in mind, Carroll Gardens is now offering
sale on
selected roses.
Order now and save on many of your favorite hybrid teas, shrub roses, and other varieties
(while quantities last).
Click here to view all roses currently on sale.
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Every Saturday morning from 7:00 am to 9:00
am (Eastern time) you can listen to the highly acclaimed Garden Club Radio Show online
through WCBM's website.
Click here for more information about the radio
show, including how to listen online.
If you live in or will be
traveling in the Maryland or Washington DC area, you can also listen to
the show by tuning your radio to 680 AM. Any local listeners that may be
traveling out of the area can still tune in to the show online, as
mentioned above. Feel free to call in with your questions at 410-922-6680
or toll-free at
1-800-922-6680.
Please note - We WILL be open on Labor Day (Monday, September 1st) from
9am until 5pm. Have a happy and safe holiday.
Happy Gardening,
Alan Summers
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