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Making It Grow! News Articles

September 18, 2005

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We will experience a change in seasons next week. I don't think many gardeners in South Caorlina will be shedding any tears. It has been an unusually humid summer making many outside gardening practices unpleasant. With cooler temperatures and a lower relative humdity, we can now enjoy the fall weather and accomplish those timely gardening chores.

Question: Each year I have trouble contolling annual bluegrass in my warm season lawn. I recently heard that fall is the best time to apply a herbicide. Is this correct? You heard correctly, and if more South Carolina gardeners could hear the same, we would eliminate this winter annual as an obnoxious plant in our home turf. Since annual bluegrass is a winter annual and will be germinating from seed very soon, it is most important that a recommeded preemergent herbicide be applied. This stops germination and you will never see the weed. Most gardeners don't think about fall weed control. They get concerned after weeds appear in late winter and early spring. Applying recommeded herbicides in the fall helps in acheiving a weed free lawn when the grass breaks dormancy in the spring. Weeds are more difficult to control after they have emerged versus when they are in the seed stage. Using preemergent herbicides containing benefin or trifluralin will contol annual bluegrass. These products are sold under trade names of Balan and Treflan repsectivley. They are safe products to use and will give season long contol of annual bluegrass. As with all pesticides, be sure to read the label before application. If there are any questions, you can call your local county extension office.

Question: We have deer around our home and noticed that they browse on the honeysuckle on the edge of the woods. Will fertilizing help the honeysuckle grow? Greg Harvey, county extension agent in Sumter, found some interesting information at the Auburn Unversity website concerning this subject. Research at Auburn has shown that the protein level of honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) can be raised by 50 percent by adding fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (a 10- 10-10 analysis would be good). Fertilization is best in the spring. The protein content of honeysuckle is around 11 percent when found in natural stands. Fertilizing can increase this to 17 peercent. Deer and many other memebers of the bovine family need a diet consisting of about 16 percent portein to reach their genetic potential. This is especially true for the male deer who is prized for his antlers. I never thought we would recommed that an invasive plant such as honeysuckle be fertilized. Every plant in Nautre has a purpose, and sometimes it takes years for us to discover that place in our complex environment.

Correction: In my September 4 article, I stated that a new variety of bamboo was availabe free of charge from a comnpany in Massachusetts. This was incorrect and I apologize for the error. The free bamboo was only available for members of the Garden Writers of America.