Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

TIM'S TIPS

Lawn Care: The lawn is the base for our landscape and good maintenance in the fall will prepare our lawn for winter and enable it to get off to a good start in the spring.

On warm season grass such as Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, or Centipede the last application of nitrogen fertilizer should be made before the middle of September. If you apply nitrogen later than this your lawn will not have a chance to harden off for winter and this will promote winter injury to tender roots. You can apply phosphorus or potassium fertilizer this time of year and it can help our ornamentals get off to a good start in the spring.

On cool season grass such as Fescue or Rye grass, apply 10 pounds of complete fertilizer per 1,000 square feet after the grass starts actively growing in October.

When the soil pH drops below 6.0, lime is needed and is urgently needed if the pH drops to near 5.0. A soil test is strongly advisable as a basis for applying lime and is provided as a free service through the county extension office. However, if you know your soil is strongly acid, apply about 40 pounds of lime per 1,000 square feet between September and December.

If you will be using a pre-emergence herbicide to control crabgrass and other broadleaf and grass weeds, it needs to be put out in March. To control winter annualgrass and weeds such as spurweed, apply a pre-emergence herbicide in October or November, after grass is dormant. Reapply again in February, if needed.

Use a high mower setting for the final cutting of the season. This will allow the grass to manufacture more food, reduce winter injury and help shade out winter weeds.

Lawns need about one inch of water every 7-10 days throughout the spring, summer and fall. This is enough water to wet the soil to five inches deep. If the weather stays dry, continue to water in the fall. Avoid light sprinkling which causes shallow-rooted grass that is easily injured by winter temperatures. A lack of sufficient moisture is often the cause of winter damage. Plants, especially evergreens, utilize a certain amount of water during the winter months. For this reason, moisture must be available below the frost line or the depth that the soil freezes.

If you have Zoysia or St. Augustine grass, rake or remove the leaves and grass clippings. A leaf cover can lead to disease problems. With Bermuda or Centipede grass raking is not necessary. However, it may improve the look of your lawn for the winter months.

Aphids: Vegetables in fall gardens are subject to attack by many kinds of garden insects. Green crops, such as turnips, mustard, kale and collards, are usually heavily infested with aphids. An insecticide with short residual may be needed on green crops to control the pests before harvest. Malathion is a safe, commonly available insecticide which gives good aphid control.

Chewing Insect Problems: Corn earworm is an important insect pest of fall beans. The number of insects are usually high by the time the fall bean planting is making the fruit. The corn earworm eats holes in the pods, destroying the young bean pod. Cabbage loopers are another common fall garden pest. This insect appears first in the garden as a group of white moths, which are followed in a few weeks by numerous green caterpillars which attack any of the cole crops. Both of these chewing insects are controlled by application of Sevin insecticide or BT.

Fall Vegetables: Spinach, Beets, Lettuce, greens (Mustard, Collard and Turnip) can be planted now. Fertilize tomatoes and peppers. Need to keep spraying tomatoes for Septoria leaf spot. Harvest winter squash and pumpkins when the fruit is mature or when foliage is lost. Cut pumpkin and squash stems about 6" from the fruit and move them into a covered dry storage area above 55 degrees with lots of air circulation. Do not place them on concrete or they will rot quickly.