Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
9/30/02
Contacts:
James Romer, Horticulture, (515) 294-2336, jromer@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033,
jmcguire@iastate.edu
Yard and Garden Column for the Week Beginning Oct. 4, 2002
Welcoming Fall with Dr. Grow-It-All
By James Romer
Horticulture Specialist
Iowa State University Extension
Dear Dr. Grow-It-All:
The roses at the Iowa State Fair this year were excellent! Mine weren’t
nearly as big and strong. I was so inspired me that I decided to get some
fertilizer and start getting my roses into shape for next year. How much
fertilizer should I apply?
Stymied in State Center
Dear Stymied:
Stop the presses! Now is the worst time to fertilize roses. Wait until
late May to apply any fertilizer to your rose plants. Stop deadheading
rose plants in the fall to send a signal to the plant to slow growth and
store nutrients for the coming season. Applying fertilizer at this point
would throw the plant into an active state of growth. There may not be
enough time for that new growth to successfully harden off before the
cold winter winds blow. I think you will be pleased with the results.
My guess is that you will come out smelling like a rose!
Dear Dr. Grow-It-All:
I don’t mean to brag, but in this part of the world, I’m known
as a garage sale guru. If there is a bargain, I can smell it across town.
I thought one of my best finds was a rare vining plant that had small
lavender flowers. I paid the whopping sum of a quarter and planted it
in my garden with notions that I would be raking in awards with my rare
vining plant. I was amazed at how fast it took off. It filled in the space
I had provided and took over most of my lawn! I was beginning to think
that this plant was a mutant from another world. To my horror, a neighbor
noticed my plant and told me that it was not rare, but that it was a weed.
The name he used was creeping Charlie. Dr. Grow-It-All please respond
soon or it may take over my house!
Knee deep in Nemaha
Dear Knee Deep,
Have no fear, Dr. Grow-It-All is here! This is the perfect time of year
to control ground ivy, or creeping Charlie. Several broadleaf chemicals
contain the active ingredient Dicamba. Two applications need to be made
about 10 to 14 days apart. This is the key in successfully regaining your
lawn. Always make sure to read and follow label directions.
Dear Dr. Grow-It-All:
I visited a local college campus the other day and was shocked and amazed
at what I saw. People were spraying the bare ground green! It was enough
to make my stomach turn. I could understand if it was March and we were
dining on corned beef, cabbage and green beverages, but its fall! My lawn
may not suitable for Arnold Palmer or Tiger Woods, but it works for me.
I don’t know why anyone would want to spray paint his or her yard
green! Can you help explain this odd practice?
Envious in Emmetsburg
Dear Envious:
What you saw was not a band of leprechauns preparing for Saint Patrick’s
Day, it was a process called hydro-seeding. Mulch, seed and fertilizer
are evenly distributed in the sprayed material. The mulch layer helps
to hold moisture and soil in place. This process gives seed good soil
contact and is a relatively fast and easy process. Hydro-seeding works
on irregular areas, such as hillsides, banks and other areas that can
be a problem with other seeding methods. The green that you see is simply
a dye applied to the mulch to create the illusion of green grass instantly.
Hydro-seeding of grass works and that’s no blarney!
-30-
ml: isugarden
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