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The fertilizer of choice for late fall lawn feeding is
Turf Trust®. It will keep the lawn
noticeably greener later into the winter than any other fertilizer I have
come across. The same application of Turf Trust also makes the lawn
green-up earlier in the spring than other foods. If you have not fed the
lawn this fall, I encourage an application of Turf Trust now. If you have
fed this fall, use the Turf Trust during the last week of November.
The end of November is the best time to feed almost all of the permanent
plants in your garden. Roses are the exception; roses get fed only in
spring and summer. When fertilizing everything except the lawn, use a
Bio-stimulator, such as
Kelp Meal®, applied at
1/2 the rate you applied the fertilizer. You need not mix the fertilizer
and the bio-stimulator together. They can be sprinkled on top of the soil
just as if you were feeding chickens. Fertilizer and bio-stimulator can be
applied in either order. For example: if you are applying 4 handfuls of
fertilizer on a large shrub, just before or just after, you can sprinkle 2
handfuls of Kelp Meal.
Sprinkle the fertilizer so that it is well-dispersed and does not lay in
clumps. On larger shrubs and trees, the feeder roots tend to be around the
drip line. That is where to apply the fertilizer.
For reasons that we covered in one of the spring newsletters (May
30, 2003), Natural Organic fertilizers are much better for
everything except possibly the lawn. If you are going to re-mulch, apply
the fertilizer before hand.
WHEN IN DOUBT: You cannot hurt any plant with reasonable quantities of
natural organic products. If the plant is growing in afternoon shade, feed
it
CottonSeed Meal. If it is
growing in afternoon sun use
Plant-Tone® or
fertileGRO™.
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A Note From Alan
This week we came across three confirmed Black Widow Spiders in one
yard in Maryland. Black Widows are the most poisonous of all spiders in
this region; their bite can be fatal. Conversations with my landscape team
and Steve Allgeier at the Maryland Cooperative Extension indicate that
there are a lot more Black Widow Spiders this year than have been observed
in previous years. Black Widows congregate in moist, shady places. The
landscape team says they are particularly prevalent underneath the splash
pans that are at the bases of down spouts.
The best way
for me to describe a black widow is as follows: the body is about 1/2 inch
long, jet black with a bright red hour glass shape on the belly. The red
mark is easy to see on the belly because the spider hangs upside down in
the web. Black Widows are not aggressive, but will bite when touched or
pressed. Sharp pains are associated with black widow bites. If bitten, see
a physician immediately. The bite seems to be particularly dangerous to
children. Always wear gloves when working outdoors. Just remember: if it
looks like a Black Widow, it is a Black Widow; nothing else in this region
looks similar.
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