Tips for North Texas Gardeners: By Neil Sperry

Hi, Show Diva!
Here are some tips that might help North Texas gardeners be more successful in 2009.  These are critical facts that people need to remember as they garden in and around the DFW Metroplex.

What Hardiness Zone are we in? USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7 (8 in downtown areas and south of DFW). That means that most of the area can expect winter temperatures to fall to 10 to 15 degrees.  Buy trees and shrubs that can survive at those temperatures.  Ask your nurseryman, or check the plant tag.

The average date of last killing freeze in spring in Dallas/Fort Worth is March 17-20.  At that time, you have a 50 percent chance of at least one more killing frost or freeze.

The average date of our first killing freeze in fall is November 17-20.  You need to schedule your fall gardening plantings accordingly so that crops will have ample time to grow, bloom and produce before frost.

The predominant soil type for the Metroplex is black clay gumbo.  It is alkaline, and it’s often sitting atop even more alkaline white rock caliche.  Since good soils are the foundation to all successful gardening, you need to amend your soil carefully.

The best things to add to any soil to improve it: organic matter (peat, compost, finely ground pine bark mulch, rotted manure) …plus expanded shale if you’re amending a clay.

Neil Sperry
Horticulturist and Publisher, Neil Sperry’s GARDENS Magazine

Read Full Post »

Keep Your Lawn Green Without Over Watering

“I can hear the Grass Grow”

By Jolanta Mazewski Dryden

Summertime  is on the way, and in area neighborhoods the familiar ticking sounds of sprinkler after sprinkler  are begining to fill the air with their rhythm.  Benefits of a healthy lawn go beyond the aesthetic.  A healthy lawn is important to the environment, helping to reduce heat, noise, and water and air pollution.   Lawns also harvest water and recharge groundwater resources. 

Unfortunately most people believe that excessive watering is the only way to keep lawns green and healthy.  This isn’t the case.  Several strategies can help maintain a beautiful lawn while helping to conserve water resources at the same time.

1. Aerate the lawn and spread organic matter in the holes.  This will pull the water down into the root zone of the lawn and encourage deep root systems, increase water penetration and reduce runoff.  Minimize evaporation with a sprinkler that produces large drops of water rather than a fine spray.

2. Use efficient watering techniques such as scheduling waterings in the early morning when sunlight is minimal.  Water at a depth of four to six inches and in short intervals to avoid runoff.  Leave a longer time between waterings to promote greater tolerance of dry spells.

3. Let your lawn grow to the maximum recommended height.  The longer the blade of grass, the less water it needs.  Mow St. Augustine grass and buffalo grass at three inches; Bermuda grass at one inch and centipede grass and Zosia grass at two inches. 

4. Fertilize your lawn properly.  Too much nitrogen will stimulate new growth, which requires more water.  Iron and potassium in proper amounts will encourage deep roots.  Fertilize only once in the spring using a slow-release form of nitrogen and once in the fall using a quick-release form.  Apply one pound of actual nitrogen fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of lawn at one time.

5. Upgrade or automate your sprinkler system to decrease waste of water.  Use low-volume sprinklers with matched precipitation rates for even coverage and reduced runoff.  Automatic sprinklers with multiple-program controllers are convenient, flexible and can accommodate several watering schedules. 

6. Monitor sprinkler systems for leaks, clogs and breakdowns.  Adjust automatic programming as weather patterns change.  Pay attention to what you’re watering; make sure the water is hitting your lawn and not the sidewalk.

7. Weed your lawn regularly to keep the lawn healthier and decrease the competition for water.

So prepare now to keep your lawn green and growing all summer long by useing our water resources wisely, all it takes is a little care and common sense.  Be the envy of your neighbors and feel good about the way you are treating the environment around you.

For more information on lawn care and other home and garden topics, visit TexasHomeandGarden.com, the official website of the Texas Home & Garden Shows.  And make sure to mark you calendar for the upcoming Show Series… The All Texas Garden Show with Neil Sperry, Feb. 27-March 1, at the Arlington Convention Centerl &  the Dallas Home & Garden Show, March 6-8 at the Dallas Market Hall .            

Read Full Post »