submitted
When forsythia show those bright yellow blooms, that indicates to get busy applying pre-emergence weed control (crabgrass preventer) to lawns.
Beth Wilson
Pulaski County Extension Agent for Horticulture
It s turf season! Lawnmowers will soon be cranked up in Pulaski County. Mowing is something that shouldn t be taken lightly as it can really affect disease management and weed control. In addition, there are some other jobs to be done in the spring.
Spring is NOT the time for fertilizing your tall fescue lawn. To repeat, spring is NOT the time to fertilize your tall fescue lawn. Applying nitrogen fertilizer causes grass to grow so much that you have to mow more often, it many times fertilizes weeds that are already out there, and it predisposes tall fescue to brown patch disease.
Do you get plumb ill when your tomatoes (or insert any vegetable name) become diseased and it seems like you just started harvesting? Or the lettuce you planted is done
Beth Wilson
River birch bending in the ice storm of 2009 (photo from http://www.wlky.com/weather/2009-ice-storm-anniversary/24145746)
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We ve reached that part of winter where we have a pretty decent chance of a snow/ice event in Pulaski Co. We always learn from these events, we even learn about trees. Let s go over some ways to help trees get through a snow/ice event.
Don t shake ice and snow off the branches. When tree or shrub branches bend over, resist the urge to go out and knock the ice or snow off. Woody plants can tolerate a certain amount of bending. Mother Nature seems to do a fair job of restoring the form for most trees suffering this type of stress.
Treated lumber is commonplace in many raised beds used for vegetable gardening.
Raised bed using rocks (instead of wood) for structure (Photo: Beth Wilson, UK)
Beth Wilson
Pulaski County Extension Agent for Horticulture
As you re armchair gardening this winter, you may be considering constructing a raised bed. Many times, lumber is the first material we think of to construct them.
Due to its excellent decay resistance, treated lumber is commonly used in situations where wood will be in contact with soil. In the garden, there are many instances where this is common: bed borders or trim, support for raised beds, plant stakes, and compost bins.