Rainy Weather Great for Seeding and Fertilizing

rainy weather

This rainy weather is good for ducks, as my mother used to say, or for overseeding your lawn.  A “Weed and feed” product is also best applied in cool, wet weather, but not at the same time as the seed.

There are a few new products on the market to fix bare patches too.  They come in a 3 in 1 or 4 in 1 mixture of composed/amended soil, seed, and fertilizer.  If your lawn is patchy with bare, grassy, and weedy spots, try one of the mixed products. I have had success with both of these.  They do not contain a weed-killing ingredient, so you will have to treat the weeds six weeks later.

There are several “weed and feed” products out there.  On established (not patchy) lawns I prefer to weed first, then feed.  Otherwise, I tend to feed the weeds.

Another job for cool, wet, spring weather is fertilizing your trees.  I have three evergreen trees I planted as tiny seedlings when each of my three sons was born.  They were originally planted in my backyard.  As they reached about four feet in height, I asked the owner of the building behind us if I could plant them in his yard.  He agreed, so now I get the privacy but still have space for a garden in my yard…

To fertilize my trees I use spikes that get pounded into the ground around the tree’s drip line.  One spike contains enough fertilizer for every 2 inches of tree diameter.   There are many varieties on the market. Be sure to choose the proper spike for the tree(s) you want to feed.

The weather here is going to be cool and rainy for a few more days. With it too muddy for work in my clients’ gardens, I will get these chores done at home.  If it is cool and rainy where you are, use this weather to get your overseeding and fertilizing done.

photo credit

Home Depot coupon for miracle gro quick start fertilizer for new plants

If you are planning on adding new plants to your landscape this season, pick up some Miracle Gro Quick Start fertilizer at Home Depot first to ensure your new plants are well fed. Click on the link below and print off this coupon for $5 off…

home depot miracle gro april 2015

Check out this week’s Home Depot flyer for more great savings…

April showers bring May flowers; the advantages of spring rain

The rain in the weather forecast for the next 10 days here in Ottawa brings the saying  “April showers bring May flowers” to mind.  The rain showers will water the spring bulbs and perennials, encouraging their bloom.  A few days of rain makes the lawns so much greener too.  All the rain showers and cool weather forecasted this spring is also good for planting grass seed or fertilizing your lawn and trees.

There are many products available for spring treatment, some with just seed, some with just fertilizer, and some that combine seed and fertilizer.

Some combinations for your lawn even add peat which is beneficial in keeping the soil rich by absorbing moisture.  These combination products can be a good thing for novice landscapers and home owners, as the research is done for you.  The proper type of fertilizer and the amount to use is calculated for you.

Corn gluten is a popular, organic, pre-emergent treatment for crab grass.  Pre-emergent means it should be applied before the crab grass seeds germinate (start to grow) very early in the spring, as soon as the snow is gone from the lawn.  I use corn gluten on my lawn in the fall, after the first frost, but before the first snow fall.  I have found this practice convenient (one less thing to do in the spring) and most effective against crabgrass.

Fertilizer spikes are efficient ways to feed your trees.  Make sure you choose the proper product package for your trees though.  There are packages for evergreens (pine, spruce, cedar etc), ornamental trees (crab apple, lilacs etc) fruit trees (apple, plum etc) and other popular trees (maple, elm etc)    Simply pound the spikes in the ground around the perimeter of your tree’s dripline as specified in the package directions.  Obviously, the larger the perimeter of your tree’s dripline (the outer edge of branches), the more spikes you need.  It is best and easiest to pound these spikes into the ground when the ground is wet and more rain showers are in the forecast.

Make the most of the forecasted rain; your lawn and trees will thank you!