The Landscape Thread, BOB style

[Sirhornsalot]

I recently had some requests from folks on this board to host a Landscape Thread here. For those who might be unfamiliar with this, it's a thread I generate every few months where I will address some timely issues and field questions from posters who are dealing with landscapes of their own.

I own and operate a landscape company in the DFW, Waco, Temple, Austin areas and recently went into San Antonio. We are based in Lewisville and do landscape design, maintenance, lighting, etc. everything on the outside of your home except new sprinkler installs . These landscape threads have been going on for a few years now on another board. I enjoy talking landscapes and enjoy conversing with fellow Horns, so it's a win-win for me. Posters get free professional advice and often much more, so it's been a win-win on that side, too.

To start this one off, I'll just post a recent question that was emailed to me.

Q: What kinds of things should I be doing to my landscape over the winter months?

A: Normally, this time of year we're transitioning from mowing to leaf clean up. The leaves are falling now and collecting in all the nooks and crannies of your landscape. These become a fire hazard and should be removed or mulched into the lawn turf. Returning the mulched up leaves to the turf goes far in keeping a healthy turf. The more organic matter you can get into the turf, even in the off-season, the better.

Additionally, now is the time to be cutting back all the perennials as they'll start looking haggard and going dormant.

Come late January, I highly recommend putting down a topdressing using a compost mix. We use Dairy Cow Manure Compost as it's especially rich in minerals and nutrients due to the diets dairy cows are given. I also prefer it because it's a powdery compost and sinks into the turf fast, within days. Do this not only to the lawn, but also the beds.

This does two things for you:

1. The compost breaks down the lawn thatch, enabling faster emergence the following month.

2. Valuable minerals and nutrients in the compost replenish the turf soil just in time for the spring emergence. All your bedding plants and lawn will have a much better spring, and as a result, a better season overall.

View attachment 317

Follow the topdressing immediately with an application of pre emergent. This will keep germination from happening in the compost and it's time to do pre emergent anyway in late January.

The only "con" to topdressing is that moms will sometimes get upset if it gets tracked back into the house.

I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone on the board might have. If you can't post now for whatever reason, I can be reached via email at greenthumbtx@verizon.net.

 

[drgilbert]

Thanks for the info.

 

[MBHORNSFAN]

Thanks for posting.. Maybe this can become a weekly feature

 

[Darrell McPhaul]

Sir,

That was great!!

 

[Hoekem]

Was hoping this would continue over here at my new "vice"

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Glad to be here, this is a great forum.

One thing I'd like to expand on is the concept of replenishing your soil via topdressing. Why do this?

Between our hot, hot summers where the sun just bakes our turf and the chlorinated water we throw all over the lawn and beds all season long - soil minerals become diminished over time. Topdressing with compost helps put all that supposed to be there, back in there, and then some.

It's great when following an aeration

 

[POCKEY]

Sir,

I'll take some pics tomorrow for you.

I don't have a large backyard but I do have a number of Fruit Trees in it. Three Peach, Bartlet Pear, Asian Pear, Apple, Persimmon, Pecan, Banana, Kumquat, Fig and Grape vines. I've put down Amerishade around the trees due to the amount of filtered light it gets. It really took a beating during the freezes and droughts we've had. I also think I burned some of the grass when I put down Fruit Tree fertilizer. The trees are pretty healthy. I just want to get ahead of the game this spring so i can have good grass growing under the trees.

Oh, I added Expanded Shale with a layer of top soil this year but the grass would not grow to the bare spots.

 

[Hoekem]

Sir,
I'll take some pics tomorrow for you.

I don't have a large backyard but I do have a number of Fruit Trees in it. Three Peach, Bartlet Pear, Asian Pear, Apple, Persimmon, Pecan, Banana, Kumquat, Fig and Grape vines. I've put down Amerishade around the trees due to the amount of filtered light it gets. It really took a beating during the freezes and droughts we've had. I also think I burned some of the grass when I put down Fruit Tree fertilizer. The trees are pretty healthy. I just want to get ahead of the game this spring so i can have good grass growing under the trees.

Oh, I added Expanded Shale with a layer of top soil this year but the grass would not grow to the bare spots.

You plan on making some Wine or Preserves?

 

[POCKEY]

No wine. Grapes are incredible! Lots of seeds though.

The Asian Pears only fruit every third year put are ginormous! Tree probably has 300 on it. All are the size of a Softball. Everyone loves them. Including the damn squirrels which I have taken to with my BB gun. Well, until my British neighbors turned me into the Sherrif.

 

[POCKEY]

Made Fig preserves but Squirrels get em to fast now.

 

[Hoekem]

No wine. Grapes are incredible! Lots of seeds though.
The Asian Pears only fruit every third year put are ginormous! Tree probably has 300 on it. All are the size of a Softball. Everyone loves them. Including the damn squirrels which I have taken to with my BB gun. Well, until my British neighbors turned me into the Sherrif.

Damn Brits...and I'm married to one...

 

[Lord Vader]

I hate the grass in front of my house. Its a small, annoying patch about 6 feet by 20 feet. Id like to to die quickly, maybe replace it with rock. Any suggestions for cheap elimination?

 

[POCKEY]

Damn Brits...and I'm married to one...

They swim neked in their pool every single day in the summer. Keeps us off our deck which overlooks their yard.

And before you ask.....

It

Aint

A

Pretty

Sight.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Sir,
I'll take some pics tomorrow for you.

I don't have a large backyard but I do have a number of Fruit Trees in it. Three Peach, Bartlet Pear, Asian Pear, Apple, Persimmon, Pecan, Banana, Kumquat, Fig and Grape vines. I've put down Amerishade around the trees due to the amount of filtered light it gets. It really took a beating during the freezes and droughts we've had. I also think I burned some of the grass when I put down Fruit Tree fertilizer. The trees are pretty healthy. I just want to get ahead of the game this spring so i can have good grass growing under the trees.

Oh, I added Expanded Shale with a layer of top soil this year but the grass would not grow to the bare spots.

Did you break the soil up before putting down the shale? You really need to as it's working best when it's in the root zone.

I don't want to sound like I'm harping on a subject, but I think you'll find that a January topdressing with the DCMC will cause dramatic improvement over the season in your lawn.

Make sure you're getting good water coverage in that bare spot you've mentioned. It might be that the spot needs more water than it's getting.

From now on, when you see or hear of a freeze coming your way - make it a point to water your turf and landscape before it hits. Dry soil freezes much easier than wet soil.

Keep me posted and I love those Kumquats.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

No wine. Grapes are incredible! Lots of seeds though.
The Asian Pears only fruit every third year put are ginormous! Tree probably has 300 on it. All are the size of a Softball. Everyone loves them. Including the damn squirrels which I have taken to with my BB gun. Well, until my British neighbors turned me into the Sherrif.

Take it easy on the squirrels. If you'll pay attention to them, they'll let you know when the fruit is ripe.

Used to have a pear tree in my yard. It would get so many pears that it would look awkward with the weight of the pears making all the limbs hang low. Squirrels were everywhere. Like you, I wanted to get rid of them so I could have more pears. Adding insult to injury, they would eat a bite or two and toss the pears. They were wasting the pears!

A couple weeks later, they were eating half the pears before disposing them. A week later, they were eating the whole pears. They were ripe. I always ended up with more than I could use so I didn't mind the squirrels so much, especially since they were sorta helping me out. That only works when you have a harvest with fruit to spare. he he

 

[Sirhornsalot]

I hate the grass in front of my house. Its a small, annoying patch about 6 feet by 20 feet. Id like to to die quickly, maybe replace it with rock. Any suggestions for cheap elimination?

Commercial RoundUp or Killz-All.

But if you're putting in rock, you'll put in landscape cloth first, which would kill and conceal the weeds.

 

[POCKEY]

Take it easy on the squirrels. If you'll pay attention to them, they'll let you know when the fruit is ripe.
Used to have a pear tree in my yard. It would get so many pears that it would look awkward with the weight of the pears making all the limbs hang low. Squirrels were everywhere. Like you, I wanted to get rid of them so I could have more pears. Adding insult to injury, they would eat a bite or two and toss the pears. They were wasting the pears!

A couple weeks later, they were eating half the pears before disposing them. A week later, they were eating the whole pears. They were ripe. I always ended up with more than I could use so I didn't mind the squirrels so much, especially since they were sorta helping me out. That only works when you have a harvest with fruit to spare. he he

Exactly. Squirrels did the same thing to my fruit. Just infuriated me when one would take a small bite outta a huge Asian Pear. They are so dang good but not worth the gamble when they've been defaced just a little bit by a tree rat.

Yes, i turned the soil as much as i could. Probably should have gone deeper.

 

[Hoekem]

Did you break the soil up before putting down the shale? You really need to as it's working best when it's in the root zone.
I don't want to sound like I'm harping on a subject, but I think you'll find that a January topdressing with the DCMC will cause dramatic improvement over the season in your lawn.

Make sure you're getting good water coverage in that bare spot you've mentioned. It might be that the spot needs more water than it's getting.

From now on, when you see or hear of a freeze coming your way - make it a point to water your turf and landscape before it hits. Dry soil freezes much easier than wet soil.

Keep me posted and I love those Kumquats.

Kumquats are my favorite fruit(?) and I could eat them endlessly

 

[Hoekem]

They swim neked in their pool every single day in the summer. Keeps us off our deck which overlooks their yard.
And before you ask.....

It

Aint

A

Pretty

Sight.

Best to stay away from the Med when they invade...people inappropriately attired is an understatement