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THIS WEEKS SPECIAL ON-LINE@
NEW ON-LINE GARDEN PLACE MAGAZINE
Fall/Winter 2010 |
Light, Watering and Mowing.
Introduction And Basic Knowledge About Lawns And Gardens. Let's look at some basic knowledge about all plants to help you understand how to get the most from your lawns and gardens while enjoying the benefits of a beautiful yard. All lawn and landscape plantings need light, water, and trimming to remain healthy and attractive. The first and most basic need of all plants is light. Plants use sunlight to produce energy to nourish themselves -without light, they will not grow. Plants can vary in the amount of light they need to remain healthy; therefore, it is very important to understand what each plant's requirements are. In lawns for example, grasses perform well in full sun to moderate shade. Grasses growing in shaded areas require a minimum of four hours of sunlight each day to survive. The sunlight can be filtered, and it doesn't have to shine on the grass for four consecutive hours. But a lawn that is planted in a very shady area -such as under large trees that shade the yard from dawn to dark -will eventually thin out and fade away. Light is also important for many ornamental flower and trees. Some require full sun during daylight hours but nearly as many can grow in dense shade or require no direct sunlight at all. Therefore, it's important to match the light requirements for growth of each plant to the site before planting. The second basic need of all lawn and landscape plants is water. Without it, plants will not survive! Rainfall does not always provide adequate watering. If footprints remain in the lawn or the grass has a blue or silvery-blue tinge to it, these are definite signs that it's time to water. If water is applied at this stage, the lawn will respond quickly and return to its previous green color. If water is withheld until the lawn turns brown or straw colored, it will recover from this dormant state but several days of watering may be necessary to restore it to its original state of health and color. Determining just the right amount of water can be difficult for homeowners, because most tend to "water to extremes." In other words, watering too much and too often, or not watering at all and hoping Mother Nature provides enough rainfall. Ideally, it is best to apply one-half inch of water every two or three days, rather than a light sprinkling every day, which can do more harm than good. Light sprinkling does not allow the water to soak into the ground before it is used or evaporates, which will promote shallow root growth which can leave plants susceptible to damage from disease, insects and weather stress like heat and drought. Placing a rain gauge near the sprinkler will provide an accurate indication of how much water you are applying. But a good alternative, if you don't use a rain gauge, is to water each area for 30 or 40 minutes at a time before moving on until the entire lawn is covered. Remember to overlap the sprinkling pattern to ensure that all parts of the lawn get adequate coverage Now that you know how to water a lawn, let's talk about ornamental plants. They have varying needs for water -some require more than others but none can tolerate over watering. The most common signal ornamental plants need water is wilting, where the leaves will begin to droop and eventually turn brown and fall off. Smaller plants, such as annual flowers, need supplemental watering to survive during periods of low rainfall because their roots are much shallower. Larger landscape plants, such as trees, need less watering and have more tolerance for drought conditions because of their deep, extensive root systems. A good, general rule of thumb to follow is that all landscape plants need an average of one inch of rainfall or irrigation per week. And common sense tells us that plants are more likely to need extra watering in the hot, dry summer months, than in the cooler months of spring and fall. Lawns and gardens can be watered any time during daylight hours but early morning is best because there is less water lost to evaporation. Watering in mid-day will not harm plants but it is inefficient because the sun and wind at that time of day increase the evaporation rate. Avoid watering at night because the cool damp conditions are favorable for disease development. Another basic requirement that determines a plant's overall health and beauty is trimming. Trimming, or mowing in the case of lawns, is an essential part of good maintenance; it removes both the green part of the plant -the grass blade or leaf, and the chlorophyll-producing part of the plant -its "food factory." Consequently, improper mowing reduces the plant's ability to stay healthy and green. The ideal mowing height: 2" Although in times of extreme heat or drought, the mower should be set as high as possible to leave the grass with as much leaf surface as possible. Deep root systems are important to maintain a healthy lawn and there is a direct relationship between mowing height and the depth of the root system. The shorter the grass, the shallower the root system. The taller the grass, the deeper the root system. When you mow, never remove more than one third of the leaf surface at one time. This means if the grass is to be cut at two inches, mow the grass before it gets any higher than three inches. Mowing frequency can also vary greatly depending on the grass type and how it is maintained. During the growing season, it is safe to assume the lawn will need to be mowed a minimum of once per week to keep it looking its best. In early spring, mowing the lawn shorter to remove the brown grass from the previous season will allow sunlight and air to reach the soil and the lawn to green up faster. As temperatures climb, the height of cut should be raised to allow the grass blades to shade the soil to keep soil temperatures a little cooler and retain some extra moisture. Keeping your mower blades sharp is also very important because dull ones can cause serious damage to the grass itself. A dull blade does not cut the grass: it shreds it, making the lawn look white or brown. Mowing with a dull blade places additional stress on the lawn -making it more susceptible to disease, insect damage and weather stress. To keep the lawn looking its best, keep the blade sharp. For small-to-average-sized lawns, sharpen the blade at least once a season. For larger lawns, or if debris such as sticks or stones are hit regularly, sharpen the blade once a month. There is no need to bag or rake grass clippings -which is good because many communities have banned them from being disposed of in land fills. Testing has proven that clippings can be left on the lawn without causing thatch build-up. The only time it is necessary to remove clippings is when they are so heavy that they are smothering the grass completely. Trimming, or pruning, is also very important for flowers and trees. For flowers, pruning, known as "dead heading," encourages beautiful and bountiful blooms by removing spent blossoms at the base of the flower. Therefore energy is put into making more flowers instead of seeds. When pruning trees, especially large ones, it is best for you to consult with a professional arborist. If these simple basic recommendations are followed, ensuring that plants receive adequate light, water and trimming, you'll be rewarded with a beautiful landscape that will enhance your home and beautify your surroundings for years to come.
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