De - fogging mirrors & saving energy dollars

If your mirrors fog up after a hot shower there is a way to prevent this. Shaving cream combats fog and keeps it off glass surfaces. Just rub it on mirroirs, shower doors, windows, and even eyeglasses - wipe clean and they will stay fog free for a few weeks.

Also, during the months that you are using your air conditioner you will save energy dollars if you close the door to the bathroom and turn on the exhaust fan while showering. The humidity put into the air from the shower causes your air condition to turn on so it can eliminate the extra humidity. The exhaust fan draws the humid air out of the house. Be sure to turn it off before you open the bathroom door.

Springtime cleaning tip

Artificial flowers and greenery inside a house will collects dust and dirt over the winter. To clean, pour some salt into a paper or plastic bag, add the flowers or greenery and shake vigorously for a couple of minutes. The salt will remove dirt and absorb dust leaving the flowers and greenery looking clean and fresh.

Planting and caring for annuals

Your annuals will grow bigger and produce more flowers if you use a root starter. Root starter is a type of liquid fertilizer that promotes quick and robust root development and at the same time provides nutrients for good top growth.

When you are ready to plant your annuals mix enough root starter according to package directions to water each plant at the time you place it in the ground. Continue to use the root starter every three weeks for the first three months then switch to Miracle Grow.

What to do about ants

I usually rely on a professional exterminator to remove ants and any other pests found inside or outside the house because I have pets and worry about their safety. If you do not have pets it is certainly worth the effort to try extermination on your own.

The first thing I would do is perform a through inspection of the entire outside circumference of your house looking for ant highways. A professional exterminator taught me to look for a trail of ants on the side of your house or somewhere around the foundation. If you find any trails you can possibly see where they are getting into your house and more importantly, follow them back to the colony.

If you are successful in locating the colony, there are several products you can use. I’m only familiar with the bait stations you place close to the colony. If the colony can’t be found, place the bait near their trail. The ants will eat the bait and then carry it back to the colony and ultimately eliminate all of them.

Transplanting perennials such as day lilies

“Transplant shock” can occur when transplanting any type of plant. To minimize the shock for day lilies and other perennials that have already emerged, do the following:

• Leave a small ball of soil around the plant when removing it from the ground
• Keep the soil ball a little moist
• Transport it in a container that will allow the ball to stay intact

The new bed where the lilies will be transplanted should be filled with good fertile dirt or a type of premixed bedding soil.

The next step is very important and will greatly increase your lilies chances of becoming well established in their new bed: only use root starter at the time of planting. Root starter is a type of liquid fertilizer that promotes quick and robust root development and at the same time provides nutrients for good top growth. Continue to use root starter once a week for six weeks, thereafter use a granular bulb food (I like Johnson’s Bulb Food) at a rate of one cup per ten square feet of bedding. Repeat the granular bulb food again in eight weeks.

See my blog entry about Fertilizer for bulbs and tubers for more information on caring for established perennials

Fertilizer for bulbs and tubers

For your daffodils and other bulb type perennials I recommend Howard Johnson’s Bulb Food. No, I am not suggesting you go to the nearest Howard Johnson Motel and steal their fertilizer! This is a brand of bulb food I purchased a few years ago and have been pleased with the results.

The primary nutrients your bulbs and/or tubers need are found in this product. These nutrients are phosphorus, potash, and nitrogen in a 9-8-6 formulary, ideal for new or established flower beds.

The product is clean and easy to use. It is granular, not liquid, and can be sprinkled directly in your garden. The package includes additional instructions for soil preparation and planting new flowers or vegetables.

Drop spreaders vs. rotary spreaders

Application of granular type pesticides, fertilizers, and grass seed is most commonly done using either a drop spreader or a rotary spreader. The drop spreader distributes product straight down on the ground with a coverage pattern only as wide as the spreader hopper. Compared to a rotary spreader, application time is increased with a drop spreader and makes it difficult to get even coverage. If a slight bit of overlap of each pass is not accomplished the edge of the spread lines will show. If you have ever seen a lawn that looks like it has broad darker stripes and narrow lighter stripes it usually means that a nitrogen rich fertilizer was applied with a drop spreader.

Rotary spreaders have a spreading spinner under the hopper which broadcasts the product being used six feet across and three feet forward. Less time is needed for application and there is no concern with “edge of spread lines” showing.

A quick word about turf type fescue grass

Turf type fescue is a type of grass with increasing popularity here in the Midwest, used now more than the once predominate blue grass. Fescue is hardier and requires less care than bluegrass. Fescue roots grow much deeper in the soil - up to six feet in depth. This makes it much more drought resistant because the roots can get to the water that is deeper in the soil. Grubs don't like fescue as much as they do the bluegrass; however they will eat it, so grub control still needs to be applied to control them. Another benefit of fescue is it tends to be more disease resistant.

Years ago, fescue had a thicker and courser blade than today’s varieties and lacked the deeper green color of blue grass. However today the new tuft types have thinner blades, the grass is not as course and the color rivals that of blue grass. For a heartier lawn, requiring less time and effort to maintain, fescue is a good option.

Good idea to use a soil conditioner

Generally the soil in eastern Kansas is full of clay. Clay in the soil inhibits water absorption which can cause water to stand or pool, can restrict nutrients getting to plant roots, and is just plain hard for digging!

Soil conditioner softens the clay which allows deeper root growth and improves water utilization. Soil conditioners also add beneficial micronutrients to promote maximum plant and root growth. This, in turn, will improve your lawn’s appearance.

It is easy to apply - just attach your garden hose to the spray applicator on the bottle of conditioner and water. For optimal results apply three times a year - spring, summer, and fall. If you elect to apply it only twice a year, do so in the spring and the beginning of summer.
Check with a lawn and garden center for this product. Read and follow the product instructions carefully. This stuff is really well worth the cost and time involved to use it!

Yard care and yard equipment time is here

If you haven't already done so, it is time to apply a pre-emergent weed killer on your lawn. Choose one that has fertilizer to help jump start your lawn. Remember it must be watered in within twenty-four to thirty-six hours after application. If you do not have an underground sprinkler system or are not inclined to drag out the water sprinkler and move it around, have your pre-emergent on hand and be ready to get it down just ahead of a rain.

If you did not winterize your mower last fall you will need to drain the oil and fill with fresh oil. Pull the spark plug and clean by brushing with a stiff brush (I like to use a small brush with brass bristles). Check the plug gap according to your owners manual and adjust if necessary. Make sure the spark plug ceramic top is not cracked or broken - replace if it is. Install a new air filter. I hope you did not leave any gasoline in the tank. If so, drain it and replace with fresh gas. Gum deposits may have formed over the winter and your mower may be hard to start.

One of the most important things to do is sharpen your mower blade!! A dull blade does not cut grass but tears it. Grass blade tips that are torn do not heal over quickly and exposes the grass to various things that can harm it. Another negative consequence of tearing the grass is it promotes brown tip - appropriately named because the tip of the grass blades are lose their nice, healthy green color and turn brown. To reduce and/or avoid brown time on my lawn, I sharpen my blade after every two mowings. This might sound excessive but after twenty-eight years of caring for grass I have determined this to be the most beneficial mowing practice for optimum cutting results.

One last thing. Please don't mow that grass too short especially in really hot weather! Set the mower to either the highest or next highest setting and leave it there.