How do I determine what my yard needs?
A soil test is the first place to start with any lawn and garden work. Contact your local county extension office and ask to receive a soil testing kit. Follow the instructions included with the kit. Allow several weeks after mailing to receive a response. Tips for soil sampling:
- Use clean tools and bucket to collect soil samples.
- Sample each area separately (lawn, flower beds, vegetable gardens, woodland areas all have different requirements, so you must do a separate soil sampling for each different area.
- Regardless of size of test area take 15-20 core samples (directions included in kit). Core samples need to equal 1 ½ cups of soil total to send in.
- Dry soil at room temperature. Do NOT put in oven or microwave to dry.
When is the best time to fertilize my lawn?
You can fertilize up until Father's Day. There is a risk of burning your grass after that. The fertilizer needs to be watered in or applied right before rain. Follow the label directions for your size of yard. The ideal time to fertilize is any time in September until the ground starts freezing. Use a "complete" fertilizer: 12-12-12 or 10-10-10.
How do I control lawn grubs?
August 1 is when the eggs start to hatch. If you use Diazinon (granular form), it must be applied between August 1 and October 15. Any other time you may use milky spore as long as the ground is not frozen. Again, refer to all package directions for treatment and precautions.
Can you give me a brief, in general, pruning schedule?
- May - Mid June: prune spring flowering shrubs now (after bloom). These include azaleas, rhododendron, lilac, forsythia, calycanthus, mock orange, quince, and others. The cicadas should not bother these. Dogwoods, redbuds, crabapples, maples and similar would typically be pruned now, but this year you should wait and prune in the fall due to the cicadas. (See Newsletter story regarding cicadas).
- Mid June - Mid July: any evergreen, including hemlocks, pines, spruce, etc. You may wait until the holidays, though, if you want greenery for indoors and prune then. Also, deadhead perennials as the season progresses - this encourages more flowers and helps prevent self-seeding.
- Mid October: prune out any cicada damage on shrubbery and trees once the leaves have turned.
My compost pile is really wet - how do I dry it out?
There are two simple solutions.
- Add some type of bulky/brown material: tree branches (broken up pencil size), straw, deadheading material from flowers.
- Stir more often.
Lack of stirring and lack of brown material also cause odors. Your compost pile should be located where there is a free flow of air. Four things are necessary: a source of carbon (the material being composted), nitrogen, moisture and oxygen. The pile should be wet enough that you can pick up a handful and squeeze a few drops of moisture out, but not so wet that water runs out of it. Oxygen is supplied by a simple turning of the pile. Temperature is very important to your compost pile - the increase of internal temperature favors certain kinds of microbes that speed up decomposition. The internal temperature can range from 90-140 degrees. Moisture is critical in range and if there is not enough natural moisture you may add a watering can (approx. 2 gal) of water per week.
DO'S: vegetable scraps, grass clippings, leaves, deadheading debris, weeds (before they go to seed, sawdust, livestock manure (not cat & dog), eggshells, and shredded newspapers.DONT'S: meat or bones, fish scraps, animal/vegetable fats, peanut butter, salad dressings, dairy products and manures from animals that eat meat (dogs & cats)** Wood ashes should be kept separate as they raise the pH.** More information on composting is available in WVU Extension Service Publication #864. Please call your local county extension office to order this brochure.What can I do if bees are eating my siding or wooden lawn furniture?
They are probably carpenter bees. Do not plug up the holes without killing the bees as the bees could possibly chew into the inside of your home if the holes are plugged and they cannot get back to the outside. After the bees are gone, put up a barrier so the bees can't get to the surface - - use paint, lacquer, polyurethane, wood preservative or wood sealant. Depending on how heavy a coat you apply, the barrier will last two years. The key to application is to treat the underneath sides, especially on picnic tables and benches.
How do I get rid of the large black ants in my yard?
Carpenter ants like wood and many times will start colonies in your mulch. To encourage them to move, sprinkle cinnamon in the holes. This is safe to use around your plants.
You may also use boric acid or 10 Mule Team Borax - safe for indoor use, too. Sprinkle in holes and this will kill the ants. Indoors, sprinkle into cracks and crevices, under molding and floor boards.
How do I become a Master Gardener?
Contact your local county extension office to see if a program is offered. In Kanawha County, call 768-1202 and ask for an application. Fill out the application and return. You will be notified by mail in the summer. Classroom space is limited.
