AROUND THE YARD
With Reeve Hobbie
Previous articles can be found at “Around the Yard” archives.
It's Time to Plant!
Almost anywhere else in this country, if you were to mention that late fall and winter is the best time to plant trees and shrubs, you would be told that you are crazy. However, in Central Texas, it is indeed the very best time to plant.
Trees & Shrubs
I bet none of us will ever forget mid-February 2021. Almost all of our yards took a beating from the deep freeze. In my last article I had suggested that you be patient with your trees and shrubs. Well, a good number of months have passed and a lot of trees and shrubs did come back completely or partially, but an awful lot of our larger, shade-proving and decorative vegetation didn’t make it. I suggest you either remove the dead yourself or hire a professional, certified arborist (look for their ISA) to come trim or remove the big stuff. Call now because the better ones have been busy constantly since February.
Trees & Shrubs
I bet none of us will ever forget mid-February 2021. Almost all of our yards took a beating from the deep freeze. In my last article I had suggested that you be patient with your trees and shrubs. Well, a good number of months have passed and a lot of trees and shrubs did come back completely or partially, but an awful lot of our larger, shade-proving and decorative vegetation didn’t make it. I suggest you either remove the dead yourself or hire a professional, certified arborist (look for their ISA) to come trim or remove the big stuff. Call now because the better ones have been busy constantly since February.
Why plant new trees and shrubs? There are many reasons, but primarily they provide shade and cooling to your home, patios, gardens and lawns. Besides a defense against the Texas summer sun, they add to your property value, help provide clean air, and are simply the right thing to do.
Timing
In Austin, the best time to plant the big stuff is November through February. There is less stress on new plantings during these cooler months. What you put in the ground can become established before the intense sun and heat of another spring and summer.
Selection
What to plant? The first thing to do is pick up a FREE copy of Native and Adapted Landscape Plants guide that may be found at most local nurseries (usually not at big box stores). It’s a wonderful locally produced guide that will lead you to making good plant selections for every landscape need. The only thing I would personally discourage is purchasing any oaks that might be susceptible to oak wilt that is an ongoing threat to our neighborhood. Also, don’t plant the same varieties of shrubs or trees you lost in the freeze because in your lifetime we’re likely to have another deep freeze that would only take them out again.
Timing
In Austin, the best time to plant the big stuff is November through February. There is less stress on new plantings during these cooler months. What you put in the ground can become established before the intense sun and heat of another spring and summer.
Selection
What to plant? The first thing to do is pick up a FREE copy of Native and Adapted Landscape Plants guide that may be found at most local nurseries (usually not at big box stores). It’s a wonderful locally produced guide that will lead you to making good plant selections for every landscape need. The only thing I would personally discourage is purchasing any oaks that might be susceptible to oak wilt that is an ongoing threat to our neighborhood. Also, don’t plant the same varieties of shrubs or trees you lost in the freeze because in your lifetime we’re likely to have another deep freeze that would only take them out again.
Planting
If you are planting the trees and shrubs yourself, follow these simple steps:
Repeat with the next shrub or tree. Water all new planting at least weekly throughout the winter and into spring.
Summary
This fall and winter trim back the dead on trees and shrubs or remove them altogether if they’ve kicked the bucket. Figure out what you want to replace them with and get them planted now before March rolls around. After spring starts, it’s too late.
If you wish additional help with tree selection or want more details on how to plant what you buy, visit Treefolks.org or any other good Central Texas website.
_____________________________________________
If you have questions about your yard or garden, please call Travis County Master Gardeners at 512-854-9600. If they don’t have an immediate answer, they’ll research it and get back to you.
If you are planting the trees and shrubs yourself, follow these simple steps:
- Purchase healthy, well-shaped plants. They don’t need to be big already. They’ll get there
- Place each plant where you want them to go into the ground
- Dig a hole 2 to 3 times wider than the width of the container, but don’t dig deeper than the depth of the dirt in the container
- Remove the container and place plant in hole
- Fill the hole using the soil you took out, less the rocks; do not amend the soil
- Water in, build a berm, add a layer of mulch 3 to 4 inches deep, water in again
- Cage your tree or shrub if you know you have visiting deer or other critters
Repeat with the next shrub or tree. Water all new planting at least weekly throughout the winter and into spring.
Summary
This fall and winter trim back the dead on trees and shrubs or remove them altogether if they’ve kicked the bucket. Figure out what you want to replace them with and get them planted now before March rolls around. After spring starts, it’s too late.
If you wish additional help with tree selection or want more details on how to plant what you buy, visit Treefolks.org or any other good Central Texas website.
_____________________________________________
If you have questions about your yard or garden, please call Travis County Master Gardeners at 512-854-9600. If they don’t have an immediate answer, they’ll research it and get back to you.
Summer Suggestions
As I walk around our neighborhood, I think about what I’d share with you if asked about your lawn
or trees or overall landscaping. That triggered me to offer you these few suggestions this summer.
Lawns
To have a healthy lawn there are just a few “musts.” You must water it deeply once a week to
encourage root growth. I water my grass on Wednesday mornings (City of Austin guidelines) before
sunrise for two 30 minutes cycles. Deep root watering yields lush green grass. My shrubs and
ground cover irrigation zones don’t need nearly as much water, but grass does.
Another “must” is to mow your lawn once every week. This prevents weeds and undesirable grasses
from having time to go to seed and take over your preferred grass species. So mow every seven days and mow it on a high mower setting. Tall grass (2 to 3 inch long blades) also encourages deeper roots. The taller the blade, the deeper the roots. The more water applied in one day’s watering, the deeper the roots and stronger the grass.
Xeriscaping
Since I just talked about lawns, are you considering doing away with that troublesome front yard
problem? Think twice. Xeriscaping does not mean zero maintenance because you no longer have a full lawn to deal with. In fact, there is usually more work involved to keep a xeriscape looking good.
You still will have to water trees and shrubs within your xeriscaped area and there’s a lot of
necessary weeding and other maintenance to keep it looking tidy. In theory it’s a good idea, but do
realize that there is so much more work to maintaining an attractive xeriscape.
Trees & Shrubs
February’s deep freeze affected much of our neighborhood's landscaping. Some trees died or leafed
out peculiarly this spring. Don’t remove this “epicormic” growth as photosynthesis must go on in
this survival mode trees are going through. Give every plant a chance. There should be no hurry to
remove dead or near dead trees or shrubs with just one exception. Palm trees that didn’t survive
should be removed before they come crashing down.
Epicormic sprouts seen in our neighborhood ...
or trees or overall landscaping. That triggered me to offer you these few suggestions this summer.
Lawns
To have a healthy lawn there are just a few “musts.” You must water it deeply once a week to
encourage root growth. I water my grass on Wednesday mornings (City of Austin guidelines) before
sunrise for two 30 minutes cycles. Deep root watering yields lush green grass. My shrubs and
ground cover irrigation zones don’t need nearly as much water, but grass does.
Another “must” is to mow your lawn once every week. This prevents weeds and undesirable grasses
from having time to go to seed and take over your preferred grass species. So mow every seven days and mow it on a high mower setting. Tall grass (2 to 3 inch long blades) also encourages deeper roots. The taller the blade, the deeper the roots. The more water applied in one day’s watering, the deeper the roots and stronger the grass.
Xeriscaping
Since I just talked about lawns, are you considering doing away with that troublesome front yard
problem? Think twice. Xeriscaping does not mean zero maintenance because you no longer have a full lawn to deal with. In fact, there is usually more work involved to keep a xeriscape looking good.
You still will have to water trees and shrubs within your xeriscaped area and there’s a lot of
necessary weeding and other maintenance to keep it looking tidy. In theory it’s a good idea, but do
realize that there is so much more work to maintaining an attractive xeriscape.
Trees & Shrubs
February’s deep freeze affected much of our neighborhood's landscaping. Some trees died or leafed
out peculiarly this spring. Don’t remove this “epicormic” growth as photosynthesis must go on in
this survival mode trees are going through. Give every plant a chance. There should be no hurry to
remove dead or near dead trees or shrubs with just one exception. Palm trees that didn’t survive
should be removed before they come crashing down.
Epicormic sprouts seen in our neighborhood ...
Now that we’re into our typical hot, dry summer, planting new trees, shrubs or perennials should be
held off until November or December. Since another 100-year deep freeze is likely to recur within
the next five to ten years, don't make your replacement choices the same plants you just lost.
Select hardier plants that are more freeze tolerant (and, for some of us, deer resistant too).
Mulch
Here in Central Texas it’s really a good practice to periodically apply a two to three inch layer
of mulch to your gardens. I do this every year. Mulch provides the benefits of helping the soil
retain moisture, stay cooler, while inhibiting weeds. Applying mulch shouldn’t just be a signal
that you’re about to put your house on the market. There really are a lot of great benefits to it
besides beautifying your property.
Summary
The formula to a good looking lawn free of weeds is to fertilize it in April, water it deeply
weekly, mow it weekly at a high mower setting. Don't xeriscape unless you are ready to take on more
maintenance than a lawn. Leave tree and shrub planting until the cool days of fall. Mulch now and
save your plants and water.
If you have questions about your yard or garden, please call Travis County Master Gardeners at
512-854-9600. If they don’t have an immediate answer, they’ll research it and get back to you.
held off until November or December. Since another 100-year deep freeze is likely to recur within
the next five to ten years, don't make your replacement choices the same plants you just lost.
Select hardier plants that are more freeze tolerant (and, for some of us, deer resistant too).
Mulch
Here in Central Texas it’s really a good practice to periodically apply a two to three inch layer
of mulch to your gardens. I do this every year. Mulch provides the benefits of helping the soil
retain moisture, stay cooler, while inhibiting weeds. Applying mulch shouldn’t just be a signal
that you’re about to put your house on the market. There really are a lot of great benefits to it
besides beautifying your property.
Summary
The formula to a good looking lawn free of weeds is to fertilize it in April, water it deeply
weekly, mow it weekly at a high mower setting. Don't xeriscape unless you are ready to take on more
maintenance than a lawn. Leave tree and shrub planting until the cool days of fall. Mulch now and
save your plants and water.
If you have questions about your yard or garden, please call Travis County Master Gardeners at
512-854-9600. If they don’t have an immediate answer, they’ll research it and get back to you.
Let's talk about L A W N S
But first, here are some post-winter freeze thoughts ...
Six days of sub-freezing temperatures this February has done a number on our landscapes. Some trees couldn’t handle the weight of the ice, so limbs snapped off left and right. Besides removing that debris, you should try to create a clean saw cut on the tree where the limb more than likely raggedly tore off. And if they were breaks on oaks, please paint the cuts immediately. The oak wilt threat is upon us through June. (See Tree article.)
Besides those tree clean ups, I have one other major suggestion. Be patient! Some shrubs, ground covers, perennials and other plants may look absolutely dead. However, there is a strong possibility that their root systems have survived. If you have succulents and cacti that have gone mushy, do remove that stuff, but for most all other plants, please do not give up on them. Wait until at least mid April before deciding what has recovered and what has not. So again I say, be patient with your landscape plants.
LAWNS
Our once green carpets of grass took a beating during the deep freeze too. Most will recover. Here are some suggestions of what you can do to strengthen your grass, be it Bermuda (full sun), St. Augustine (shade), Zoysia (sun/shade) or some other kind of grass.
Remove the thatch on your lawn either with a very close mowing and bagging or by raking it up. Either way, you need to get that dead grass off of your lawn. You might consider doing this one-time activity in conjunction with the spring drop of leaves coming real soon.
After that close cut, set your mower to cut high for the rest of the mowing season. Real high! Allowing your grass to grow tall means beneficially deeper root systems. (There truly is a correlation between grass blade height and root depth.) Mow your lawn once every week. Frequent mowing prevents weeds from popping up, going to seed and taking over.
DO NOT FERTILIZE your lawn until your grass greens up naturally. Mid April. Put that date on your calendar. It’s the earliest you should even consider fertilizing. But do you know what fertilizer to put down? With an urban soil test http://soiltesting.tamu.edu you would find out.
I’ll be the first to admit that my back lawn has weakened over the years. I’ve laid down new sod, it looks great for a while, then it peters out. When I received my soil test results this fall it indicated that my grass lacked sufficient nitrogen despite the fact that I was putting down fertilizer. My soil test also said do not apply any phosphorous (P) or potassium (K). So, this spring I’m going to locate a 21-0-0 ratio (or thereabouts) fertilizer, high in nitrogen, devoid of the other two nutrients, and apply that. So, test now (directions on the website form) so that by April you can be properly nourishing your grass.
Also, when applying the correct blend of fertilizer in April, do not use a combination weed killer/fertilizer. Your opportunity to eradicate weeds was back in January with a pre-emergent weed killer. Now it’s too late for that so hand pulling weeds is just about your only option.
The very best thing you can do for your lawn is to mow it weekly, mow it high. Let your green grass clippings fall back onto your lawn. Provide early morning watering each week (according to Austin watering schedule) when nature doesn’t provide sufficient rain.
A dense, healthy lawn of St. Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia or other kind of grass will make most weed problems go away. And a beautiful, green, weed-free lawn, along with well cared for trees, adds a great amount of curb appeal and value to your home.
Six days of sub-freezing temperatures this February has done a number on our landscapes. Some trees couldn’t handle the weight of the ice, so limbs snapped off left and right. Besides removing that debris, you should try to create a clean saw cut on the tree where the limb more than likely raggedly tore off. And if they were breaks on oaks, please paint the cuts immediately. The oak wilt threat is upon us through June. (See Tree article.)
Besides those tree clean ups, I have one other major suggestion. Be patient! Some shrubs, ground covers, perennials and other plants may look absolutely dead. However, there is a strong possibility that their root systems have survived. If you have succulents and cacti that have gone mushy, do remove that stuff, but for most all other plants, please do not give up on them. Wait until at least mid April before deciding what has recovered and what has not. So again I say, be patient with your landscape plants.
LAWNS
Our once green carpets of grass took a beating during the deep freeze too. Most will recover. Here are some suggestions of what you can do to strengthen your grass, be it Bermuda (full sun), St. Augustine (shade), Zoysia (sun/shade) or some other kind of grass.
Remove the thatch on your lawn either with a very close mowing and bagging or by raking it up. Either way, you need to get that dead grass off of your lawn. You might consider doing this one-time activity in conjunction with the spring drop of leaves coming real soon.
After that close cut, set your mower to cut high for the rest of the mowing season. Real high! Allowing your grass to grow tall means beneficially deeper root systems. (There truly is a correlation between grass blade height and root depth.) Mow your lawn once every week. Frequent mowing prevents weeds from popping up, going to seed and taking over.
DO NOT FERTILIZE your lawn until your grass greens up naturally. Mid April. Put that date on your calendar. It’s the earliest you should even consider fertilizing. But do you know what fertilizer to put down? With an urban soil test http://soiltesting.tamu.edu you would find out.
I’ll be the first to admit that my back lawn has weakened over the years. I’ve laid down new sod, it looks great for a while, then it peters out. When I received my soil test results this fall it indicated that my grass lacked sufficient nitrogen despite the fact that I was putting down fertilizer. My soil test also said do not apply any phosphorous (P) or potassium (K). So, this spring I’m going to locate a 21-0-0 ratio (or thereabouts) fertilizer, high in nitrogen, devoid of the other two nutrients, and apply that. So, test now (directions on the website form) so that by April you can be properly nourishing your grass.
Also, when applying the correct blend of fertilizer in April, do not use a combination weed killer/fertilizer. Your opportunity to eradicate weeds was back in January with a pre-emergent weed killer. Now it’s too late for that so hand pulling weeds is just about your only option.
The very best thing you can do for your lawn is to mow it weekly, mow it high. Let your green grass clippings fall back onto your lawn. Provide early morning watering each week (according to Austin watering schedule) when nature doesn’t provide sufficient rain.
A dense, healthy lawn of St. Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia or other kind of grass will make most weed problems go away. And a beautiful, green, weed-free lawn, along with well cared for trees, adds a great amount of curb appeal and value to your home.
