Spring Lawn Care

The main purpose of spring lawn care is to get the grass through the summer. Cool season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and the fescues need to develop a strong root system in order to survive summer's heat and dry conditions.

Ideally, our lawn care calendar should be from September 1 through August 31, and not April 1 through March 31. This would encourage 9 months of cool-season growth before summer's conditions. Thinking that lawn care starts in the spring only allows a couple months of growth before demanding environmental conditions.

However, there are several practices that you can undertake to make sure your lawn has the best chance.

University of Illinois Extension is offering "Spring Lawn Care", a look at what can be done at this time of the year. David Robson, Horticulture Educator, will provide some tips to help your lawn look great throughout the summer.

This program will be held on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 1:00 p.m.,. There is a $5 charge for the program. It will be held at the Logan County Office using the University of Illinois Extension "TeleNet" system. This "TeleNet" program will feature color power point slides accompanied by the live voice of the instructor as people from all over the state participate at once. You will have the chance to ask questions at the end of the program. If interested please call the office at 732-8289 or email fultonj@uiuc.edu to reserve a space and have an information packet prepared.

Pruning

We are rapidly approaching the end of the pruning season for most fruit trees and deciduous ornamentals. There are a few rules that are recommended for pruning, and there are several other items that are up to the discretion of the person doing the pruning. One of the beginning items to discuss is the equipment.

Most pruning can be done with three pieces of equipment. The most often used piece is a pair of bypass pruning shears. These shears will cut up to about 3/8 inch comfortably, and make sharp cuts that don't tear or crush. There are still anvil type shears available, but their use is mainly in vineyards to girdle grape vine ends. The second piece of equipment is a bypass lopper. Loppers can cut up to about 1.5 inch wood, depending on the type and size. If you have the money, a good set of compound action loppers would be a good investment. The third piece of equipment is a pruning saw. These can come in several shapes, sizes, and price ranges. For smaller limbs, a folding or straight pruning saw is a good buy. For larger limbs, a bow saw may be needed. The maneuverability and ease of use are key points when selecting a saw.

The time of year we prune various trees and shrubs is important. Most trees and shrubs that aren't flowering in nature should be pruned between December and mid-March. Flowering trees and shrubs should be done after they flower. Evergreens are best pruned in late June. With oak wilt in the area, oaks should be pruned in December to lessen sap flow, which attracts virus-carrying beetles. And, any branch that hits you in the face when you are mowing should be cut off immediately (except on those oak trees)!

Basic pruning should serve to remove poor branches, keep the plant growing aggressively, and do a little bit with shaping a plant. Poor branches mean bad angles from a trunk or main branch, dead branches, branches that rub together, or multiple leaders. As far as keeping a plant growing aggressively, remember that pruning is a rejuvenation process. Regular pruning also produces more two-year-old wood that produces fruit on fruit trees, and flowers on flowering trees and shrubs. Minor shaping and sizing are possible, but major changes probably mean a different plant should be selected.

When making a pruning cut, the key is to cut back to something. Branch tips can be cut back to a bud, and entire branches can be cut back to another branch or the main trunk. When making the cut to a branch or trunk, cut to the edge of the collar (about a 1/16 of an inch from the other branch). Cutting too close to the other branch destroys the water carrying tissue, and leaving a stub will guarantee a rotten branch stub (that will eventually rot into the main branch or trunk). Topping a tree lessens weight, and reduces size, for a short period of time. Within five years of topping, you will generally have more weight and growth than you would have had without topping. If you are making cuts on large branches, it is best to cut once about 18 inches from the main branch, then make a second cut to leave the 1/16 inch collar. This will help prevent the cut branch from tearing other branches.

Hopefully these basic pruning hints will help you get started on the right foot. Remember the golden rule of pruning "If you think you've cut out too much, you're probably about right."

Starting Your Own Plants

It's now heading toward March. It still gets cold some days, and the days are still short, but those seed catalogs are a sure sign of spring on the way. Groundhog shadow, or not, it is time to plan for starting your own plants. There are quite a few details to begin your own transplants.

I don't know which comes first, the chicken or the egg, so I'll begin with the hardiness zone. All of Logan County lies in zone 5b, but we are on the border with 5a. What difference does this make? "About a three week difference in seed starting date" is the answer. In zone 5b, we would want to start broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce (if that's something you want to transplant) as early as March 5. Eggplant, herbs, pepper, petunias, marigolds, and tomatoes would be planted March 25. Cucumber, muskmelon, and watermelon could be started as early as April 15. The rule of thumb is to allow about six weeks before you want to set the plants outside. This gets back to the frost free dates, and the frost tolerance of plants.

What should you plant your seeds in? You should use a sterile growing medium. There are several kinds of soilless germinating mixes, potting soils, peat cubes, and compressed peat pellets that are available. These media are generally free from insects, diseases, and weeds. Enough fertilizer is generally present in these to allow for three or four weeks of plant growth.

As far as sowing the seeds, traditionally seeds have been put in shallow boxes in rows about two inches apart and covered lightly with vermiculite. Soon after the seeds come up, they are transplanted into other containers. An easier method is to start the seeds directly in the final growing container. The final container should match the seed (or plant) planting depth to what it would be directly seeded in a garden.

Most seeds will germinate in a growing medium temperature of 60 to 70 degrees, but the melons and eggplants like it a bit warmer. Watering and fertilizing are just as important. Water can't be too much, or too little. The medium you are using also makes a difference, as peat pellets tend to dry out quickly. Fertilizer should be in the medium for the first three to four weeks. You can add a soluble fertilizer to the water at the rate of one tablespoon per gallon, used about once a week, on established seedlings. Non-fertilized water should be used between the fertilizer applications.

Vegetable plants need direct light. Natural light only goes so far in the winter months. We want to try and provide about 12 hours of light a day on these transplants. Artificial lights work well to supplement natural light, or provide all light in a basement setting. Grow light bulbs work well, but are expensive. A combination of cool white fluorescent and incandescent bulbs provides about the same light spectrum. Lamps should be about 12 inches away from plant leaves.

Before your starts are planted outdoors, they should be hardened gradually by exposing them to outside conditions. Start by placing the plants outside a few hours a day. Use a very sheltered area to protect from direct light and winds. Gradually extend the time outdoors as planting time approaches.

Then hold off transplanting until the proper time of the season. Otherwise, you've probably gone to the effort of starting your own seeds for nothing. Garden centers like nothing better than gardeners who set out tomato plants the first warm spell in April. That means they probably get to sell another set in May.