AROUND THE YARD
With Reeve Hobbie
Previous articles can be found at “Around the Yard” archives.
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.
Trees
One of the Most Valuable Assets on Your Property
Our beautiful homes with their mature trees around the Balcones Village/Spicewood neighborhood make our hundreds of properties visually very appealing. Now I want you to image driving around our streets without seeing any trees around our homes. The appeal of our neighborhood would be lost without those natural beauties!
My point is that trees are a major asset to our homesteads and we shouldn’t take them for granted. Sure, you put fertilizer down on your lawn and irrigate the grass to keep it green, but what are you doing for your trees? Are you hoping they might just get some of what you give your lawn? And what about those “extras” growing in your trees?
Because Trees is such an enormous subject, I have decided to lead you to the internet about selecting trees, proper planting, care and pruning guidelines. (Look for the suggestions at the end of this article.) There are dozens of books out there too on the trees of Central Texas and many address these same subjects.
In this article, I’m going to concentrate on tree maladies that I see around our neighborhood. I’ll share the dangers of a parasite, epiphyte, and disease that everyone needs to know about. I’ll offer some background, suggestions and solutions.
My point is that trees are a major asset to our homesteads and we shouldn’t take them for granted. Sure, you put fertilizer down on your lawn and irrigate the grass to keep it green, but what are you doing for your trees? Are you hoping they might just get some of what you give your lawn? And what about those “extras” growing in your trees?
Because Trees is such an enormous subject, I have decided to lead you to the internet about selecting trees, proper planting, care and pruning guidelines. (Look for the suggestions at the end of this article.) There are dozens of books out there too on the trees of Central Texas and many address these same subjects.
In this article, I’m going to concentrate on tree maladies that I see around our neighborhood. I’ll share the dangers of a parasite, epiphyte, and disease that everyone needs to know about. I’ll offer some background, suggestions and solutions.
Mistletoe
is an evergreen parasite with tiny, smooth, green leaves and white berries that can be found growing predominantly on oak, elm and hackberry trees.Technically it’s a hemi-parasite which means it both penetrates and takes water, nutrients and minerals from its host tree, but it also can grow on its own. Birds and squirrels spread mistletoe by transporting seeds from tree to tree as they forage for food, perch or nest. Trees that are already weakened or stressed are most affected by mistletoe. Mistletoe also happens to be poisonous to humans.The best time to remove mistletoe is during the winter months when it’s easy to spot and before the flush of new spring leaves appear. If out of your own reach, hire a certified arborist to remove it. Then, after removal, follow up with fertilization of the trees affected to replenish nutrients.
is an evergreen parasite with tiny, smooth, green leaves and white berries that can be found growing predominantly on oak, elm and hackberry trees.Technically it’s a hemi-parasite which means it both penetrates and takes water, nutrients and minerals from its host tree, but it also can grow on its own. Birds and squirrels spread mistletoe by transporting seeds from tree to tree as they forage for food, perch or nest. Trees that are already weakened or stressed are most affected by mistletoe. Mistletoe also happens to be poisonous to humans.The best time to remove mistletoe is during the winter months when it’s easy to spot and before the flush of new spring leaves appear. If out of your own reach, hire a certified arborist to remove it. Then, after removal, follow up with fertilization of the trees affected to replenish nutrients.
Ball Moss
is an epiphytic bromeliad that is a seed-producing, gray air plant. It may be found growing in oaks, crape myrtles, vitex and other trees. It is not a true moss, and it is not a parasite that feeds on trees. Rather it uses tree branches for support while absorbing water and nutrients from the air. When the tufts become extremely dense (as seen in this picture), they stress the tree by shading limbs that may be developing buds and leaves and therefore restrict that area for new growth.
A moderate to heavy ball moss infestation, that I see a lot of around our neighborhood, warrants removal. High pressure water jetting is one home remedy to knock them out. Another is a concoction of baking soda and water application (look up the proportions) that soaks the tufts. The ball moss will eventually die and drop out of the infested tree. There are commercial fungicides too. Lastly, a certified arborist can perform the eradication for you. Whatever way you choose, the preferred time to remove ball moss is late winter into early spring.
is an epiphytic bromeliad that is a seed-producing, gray air plant. It may be found growing in oaks, crape myrtles, vitex and other trees. It is not a true moss, and it is not a parasite that feeds on trees. Rather it uses tree branches for support while absorbing water and nutrients from the air. When the tufts become extremely dense (as seen in this picture), they stress the tree by shading limbs that may be developing buds and leaves and therefore restrict that area for new growth.
A moderate to heavy ball moss infestation, that I see a lot of around our neighborhood, warrants removal. High pressure water jetting is one home remedy to knock them out. Another is a concoction of baking soda and water application (look up the proportions) that soaks the tufts. The ball moss will eventually die and drop out of the infested tree. There are commercial fungicides too. Lastly, a certified arborist can perform the eradication for you. Whatever way you choose, the preferred time to remove ball moss is late winter into early spring.
Oak Wilt
is just one of many fungal diseases that can attack our trees, and the one most threatening to us in Northwest Austin. It’s more than a wilt. It’s a killer. It can kill whole groves of oaks, not only yours, but your neighbor’s next door to you and across the street. Nearly all oaks (red, live and some whites) are susceptible to this vascular fungal disease. Disease transmission can happen several ways.Oaks can receive the killer fungus spores transported by sap or bark beetles that come from the fungal mat of an infected tree many blocks away from you. The beetles are attracted by the smell of fresh sap from an open cut or wound on your oak. Once your tree is infected, the vascular system rapidly spreads the killer disease from tree to tree through root crossings/grafts. The third way oak wilt spreads is when you bring home unseasoned oak firewood that may have the fungus. Don’t import recently cut logs from an unknown source. There may be a reason that that particular oak became firewood.
is just one of many fungal diseases that can attack our trees, and the one most threatening to us in Northwest Austin. It’s more than a wilt. It’s a killer. It can kill whole groves of oaks, not only yours, but your neighbor’s next door to you and across the street. Nearly all oaks (red, live and some whites) are susceptible to this vascular fungal disease. Disease transmission can happen several ways.Oaks can receive the killer fungus spores transported by sap or bark beetles that come from the fungal mat of an infected tree many blocks away from you. The beetles are attracted by the smell of fresh sap from an open cut or wound on your oak. Once your tree is infected, the vascular system rapidly spreads the killer disease from tree to tree through root crossings/grafts. The third way oak wilt spreads is when you bring home unseasoned oak firewood that may have the fungus. Don’t import recently cut logs from an unknown source. There may be a reason that that particular oak became firewood.
Please only prune oak trees in the hottest or coldest times of the year.
Do NOT prune oak trees between February1 and June 30.
This is only a five month block of time. When it is an okay time to prune oaks, disinfect saws and pruning blades. Paint the cuts on oaks IMMEDIATELY after each cut. The beetles can smell new oak sap in no time at all. Should you or your neighbor detect oak wilt (browning of leaves, veinal chlorosis, leaf drop) other than the typical effects of drought, contact the BV/S HOA immediately as treatment should be sought. Time has told us that trenching and/or fungicidal injections may stop the invasion.
Do NOT prune oak trees between February1 and June 30.
This is only a five month block of time. When it is an okay time to prune oaks, disinfect saws and pruning blades. Paint the cuts on oaks IMMEDIATELY after each cut. The beetles can smell new oak sap in no time at all. Should you or your neighbor detect oak wilt (browning of leaves, veinal chlorosis, leaf drop) other than the typical effects of drought, contact the BV/S HOA immediately as treatment should be sought. Time has told us that trenching and/or fungicidal injections may stop the invasion.
Please take mistletoe, ball moss and oak wilt seriously. Without healthy trees, we cannot keep our neighborhood looking beautiful or hold onto the great values of our homes.Tree Resources as promised. I recommend for selecting, planting, caring, pruning and learning more about trees that you make an internet search of the following:
https://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/
Be sure to include Central Texas, Texas A&M (tamu), Tree Folks, or Travis County Master Gardeners in any tree information searches. There is so much information available, but be sure you are seeking local advice. Same goes for books that you may pick up.
Lawns
The next article I plan to write for the BV/S HOA website will be about lawn care. As a preview, I’ll advise you right now that you should NOT apply fertilizer until April 15. A pre-emergent weed killer application in January is okay, but not fertilizer. I’ll tell you in March why you should hold off on the fertilizer until April.
https://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/
Be sure to include Central Texas, Texas A&M (tamu), Tree Folks, or Travis County Master Gardeners in any tree information searches. There is so much information available, but be sure you are seeking local advice. Same goes for books that you may pick up.
Lawns
The next article I plan to write for the BV/S HOA website will be about lawn care. As a preview, I’ll advise you right now that you should NOT apply fertilizer until April 15. A pre-emergent weed killer application in January is okay, but not fertilizer. I’ll tell you in March why you should hold off on the fertilizer until April.
