Garden Detective

If you want a lush, green lawn come summer, you'd better get crackin' now. Here are some lawn care tips that'll send you on your way to becoming the envy of your neighborhood:

1. Soil Testing

First and foremost, you have to know what you're working with. This will require an off-site trip but will be well worth the small time investment. The process involves digging up a small soil samples from separate areas of your lawn, mixing them together and taking them to your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office. For complete instructions, those in eastern Suffolk should call the Riverhead office as 631-727-4126; western Suffolk residents should contact the Extension at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum by calling 631-581-4223; Nassau residents should call the Eisenhower Park office at 516-228-0426. The results will reveal your soil's pH levels and what nutrients your lawn needs and in what amounts. Lawns should have a slightly acidic pH, between 6.0 and 7.0. If your soil tests outside this range, follow the Extension's advice for adding lime or sulfur to adjust the pH.

2. Aeration.

Earthworms are supposed to perform this function on their own, but with all the walking we do on our lawns they almost always need help. Soil compaction also can occur on poorly drained or wet sites without much traffic. Compaction reduces the amount of air in the soil and results in poor top growth and lawn deterioration. Punching holes in the soil is called aerating. Aerated soil increases the amounts of water, nutrients and oxygen available to your lawn, and it prevents runoff and improves rooting.

There are several ways to aerate your lawn. Traditionally a core aeration machine is used. Its hollow tines extract 1/2 - 3/4 inch diameter cores or soil all over the lawn, about 4 inches apart. Large machines can be rented for this purpose, while aerating lawn mower attachments are commercially available.

Necessity being the mother of invention that it is, folks have come up with all sorts of nifty gadgets to make this process easier -- and less expensive.

"Amazing Aerator Shoes," available from Northern Tool + Equipment, claim to make easy work of the task. Here's the pitch: "Deluxe Velcro® straps hold these light weight aerators to your feet! Each step presses a dozen 2-in. metal spikes into hard-packed soil and densely-packed turf. Thousands of holes create air, fertilizer, and moisture to SOAK RIGHT INTO YOUR LAWN. Rugged green plastic, 11 3/8in. long. Strap easily onto any adult size foot. Perfect for using when cutting the grass or raking leaves!"

Taking ease of use a step further, LazyMan Liquid Soil Aerator claims not only to increase airflow but also to boost the earthworm population underground for future natural aeration. Just spray it on your lawn with a hose end sprayer, and it reportedly "covers 100% of your lawn, is chemical-free and actually adds nutrients... There’s no mess to clean up and you won’t break a sweat applying it!" You'll find LazyMan at www.outsidepride.com The LazyMan folks treated half a lawn with the product. Click here to view the side-by-side comparison.

3. Mowing and raking

How often you mow your lawn depends on the type of grass you have and how quickly it grows. A good rule of thumb is the "1/3rd Rule"; Never mow more then 1/3rd of your leaf blade off at one time. Therefore if you lawn is 3” high, don’t cut off more then 1”.

Raking removes dead leaves and debris so they don't block air and sunlight from reaching grass.

4. Watering

Newly seeded lawns should be watered daily until they're well established. The type of grass you have will determine the amount of watering necessary afterward, but most lawns should get by with a thorough weekly watering. Obviously, you'll have to adjust your watering schedule during periods of drought or rain.

5. Nuisance control

Bugs and weeds can hurt your lawn. Pulling weeds as soon as you notice them will prevent them from spreading and multiplying. If you spot any insect or grub damage, treat with an all-purpose lawn insecticide or grub control. Better yet, explore some organic methods. Visit http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/lawn/lawncare/pestpro.html for lawn pest profiles.

6. Fertilizing

Slow-release fertilizers release nitrogen into your lawn over time and have a lower risk of burning grass and plants or polluting water than water-soluble sources. But slow-release nitrogen is usually more expensive. This falls into the you-get-what-you-pay-for category.

Organic fertilizers supply nitrogen in complex organic forms and require warm, moist soils. They're best saved for the warm summer months when the potential for burning plants with high-salt synthetic fertilizers is higher, according to the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

7. Man's best friend = Lawn's worst enemy

I'm a lazy pet owner: My dog doesn't get walked. We simply open the door and let her run outside, where she deposits her business on the front or back lawn. Urine is high in ammonia, which translates into nitrogen and so, in effect, it over-fertilizes the grass, resulting in burned, brown patches. If you've got the same scenario going on at your house, you could run out and water the spot immediately after the dog has urinated. I don't know about you, but if I'm going to run out and water, I might as well have put her on a leash and walked her in the first place.

"Overseeding" is a more likely solution. Just like it sounds, "overseeding" means sowing lots and lots of seeds over the bare patches in your lawn. Of course, this would require vigilant watering to ensure the new seeds grow.

Alternately, you could sprinkle gypsum or add lime to brown patches to counter the urine's acidity.

My husband, John, is a huge country music fan. And due to a guilt-by-association anomaly also known by me as "The Yankees Phenomenon," I have become a country music fan, too.

Growing up in Queens, I followed the Mets. My best friend Lisa's family had season tickets to Shea and, being her best friend, I was a frequent guest. To be honest, I never really enjoyed the game, but it was fun to sit out in the sun and throw peanut shells and walk around the stadium and sing during the 7th-inning stretch. We even placed 3rd on Banner Day one year. But I digress.

The point I'm trying to make is that John lives, eats and breathes Yankees. And although I'd always considered myself a Mets fan, twenty years with a diehard Yankees fan has had an impact on me. It was slow and gradual, I suppose, because I didn't realize it was happening. But a few years ago when the Mets were playing the Yankees in a high-profile Subway Series, I underwent a bit of self-discovery: I found myself wearing a Derek Jeter shirt and rooting for the Yankees. When did this happen? And how? Why? Was it peer pressure? Am I that weak? I can't answer any of those questions, but I do know that now I'm more comfortable in the Bronx than in Queens.

Since I've taken to country music, we've traveled to Buffalo just to see a Kenny Chesney concert. We've seen Toby Keith at the Meadowlands and Keith Urban at the Beacon. Then, last year we made a family pilgrimage to Austin, Tx.

This past Valentine's Day, John and I went to Nashville. Expecting only to take in a show at the Grand ol' Opry (which we did,) eat real southern BBQ (ditto) and sit in a honky tonk (where we met Larry the Cable Guy sitting at the bar!), I didn't know I'd be in for a pleasant surprise: I landed in a gardener's paradise.

Our hotel, The Gaylord Opryland, was a veritable indoor city of sorts. Encompassing nine acres, the entire resort is under a series of glass atriums. Three levels of winding paths take visitors past restaurants and shops, around a river that hosts a scenic Delta flatboat ride and through gardens. And no ordinary gardens, these! They are home to more than 50,000 plants, many of them rare and from other parts of the world.

The scenery within Opryland is nothing short of breathtaking. What I found particularly clever is that because the atriums are climate controlled -- maintained at a steady 68 - 72 degrees with 35 % relative humidity year-round -- pretty much anything can bloom at any time. Springtime hyacinths surround early summer roses against a backdrop of asters and mums, which only make an appearance in our parts during autumn. Bromeliads, which Long Islanders think of as house plants, lined quaint pathways, while a coffee tree sporting clusters of beans in various stages of ripeness welcomed passersby. At one end of the river a lone lemon tree stood watch behind a 44-foot cascading waterfall, weighed down by fragrant yellow fruit. And dozens of potted cyclamens hung from lampposts and surrounded the revolving Cascades lounge, where I enjoyed a Mojito or two.


With an annual budget of ONE MILLION DOLLARS for plant materials and labor, Opryland employs 15 full-time indoor horticulturists, each assigned to one of three atriums housing the gardens. Affectionately referred to as "ninjas" by the other employees because they manage to maintain the grounds impeccably but seldom are seen, the gardeners can arrange their charges according to their own visions.


I was lucky enough to catch one such ninja, Kristi Holt, in the act. She meticulously grooms the gardens in the Cascades Atrium under horticulture manager Hollis Malone, keeping them weed-free, swapping out nearly spent blossoms for just-ready-to-bloom ones and constantly adding new color and interest in beds along the bench-lined pathways.

Let's Play a Game

These are four of my favorite plants from Opryland. Can you name them? The legal suits won't let me have a contest, but I can promise to give you credit for naming all four correctly. They're numbered from one to four (top left is #1, top right, #2; bottom left is #3, bottom right, #4.) Shoot me an email with your entry and I'll post the correct ones here.

UPDATE: 3/28/07 -- Click continue for the answers.

My magnifying glass can't be everywhere at once, so I need your help.

Temps are expected to reach 50 this week so it follows that early spring bloomers will begin making their appearances very soon.

Report your sightings here by commenting below. For extra credit, grab your camera, shoot the first flower you see and send me the photo. I'll post it here, so be sure to include your name.

March 20: Dorothy Haber of Centerport reports Crocus 'Violet queen' and Galanthus nivalis 'multiplex' have made an appearance in her garden. Here's the evidence:

   

March 24: Peter from Port Washington writes: "These colorful characters appeared before the March sleet storm. A week beneath a glacier didn't seem to phase them a bit. "

Roll up your sleeves and get ready for digging season. This weekend, Hicks Nurseries in Westbury will kick off its 17th annual Spring Flower & Garden Show, which promises inspiration, education and expert advice.

Thousands of folks visit the show each year to learn about new plants and horticultural techniques, and to gawk at the display gardens and borrow ideas for their own.

I was treated to an inside glimpse of the construction process. Watching the conversion of this warehouse-like space into a magical wonderland fills me with optimism about the mess of a blank canvas posing as my front yard. Since you're with me, you get a sneak peak, too.

The Enchanted Royal Garden

Plants with royal names take center stage in this display garden -- my favorite -- complete with castle and moat.

Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2, Royal Highness and Prince roses share center stage with other throne-worthy entries, such as Princess spirea, the Queen series of cleomes, Palace Blue lobelia, Royal nemesia, Royal ferns, Gypsy Queen hyacinth and Ice King daffodils.

Fire & Water Garden
One side of this garden -- the "fire" side -- utilizes "hot" colors. Marigolds, ranunculus, snapdragons, and yellow and red twig dogwoods in shades of red, orange and yellow make for a dramatic effect. In contrast, the "water" side demonstrates the use of "cool" blue tones with cascading water, lobelia, veronica, salvia and hydrangeas. The whole scene is reminiscent of Heat Miser and his brother, Snow Miser, from the 1974 classic TV Christmas special, "The Year Without a Santa Claus."

Below, on the left, are some shots of the fire garden in progress. The photo on the right is the most recent.

The cool side of the Fire & Water garden, in progress:

Pretty in Pink
Everything in this delicate-yet-vibrant garden is pink in honor of those whose lives have been affected by breast cancer. Tulips, pansies, bleeding hearts, roses, rhododendrons and coral bells surround a living pink ribbon topiary of polka dot pink splash hypoestes. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of plants with a pink hang tag will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Where the Wild Things Grow
This children's garden comprises plants named after animals. Large wooden animal cutouts compliment the theme. Spider plants, elephant ears, snake plants, dogwood trees, butterfly bushes, hens and chicks, and lambs ears are among the highlights of this vignette. Check out the transformation below:

Hicks visual merchandising manager Nelson Demarest adds color to a butterfly and a giraffe for the display:

This year's show runs from March 9 - 18. Admission is free. For a rundown of free seminars that will be held during the 10-day event, visit the Hicks Web site.

It's the home stretch! With any luck, the month will go out like a proverbial lamb and we'll come out of hibernation, seedlings in tow.

Ever wonder where the expression "In like a lion, out like a lamb" came from? Check out this cartoon from Jack the Stargazer. (To view, click the photo at right, then click again to enlarge.)

To get ready for the new season, be sure to get your March chores done.

• Got extra seeds? Want to try some new ones? Join the seed exchange. Be sure to include your email address in your listing. I've noticed that some of you have forgotten to do so and therefore cannot be contacted by interested parties. Click here to get started: Long Island Seed Exchange

• Cut back dead foliage from spent perennials.

• If you haven't done so already, start flower and vegetable seeds indoors. Here's how:

  1. If you haven't saved cell packs from last year's plants, you can purchase inexpensive ones at your local nursery. Alternately, you can start your seeds in clean yogurt containers or even in egg cartons. Fill the container with soil-less seed starting mix (never use garden soil, as it's too dense and can contain organisms that could lead to disease) and sow 3 or 4 seeds per cell. Water thoroughly (taking care not to wash away the seeds) and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

  2. Set in a warm, cozy spot, out of direct sunlight. The top of your refrigerator is ideal. Check moisture levels periodically and water as necessary. Keep an eye out for "damping off," an airborne fungal disease that thrives when seed trays are kept in cool, damp, dark locations. You'll recognize it by a characteristic white mold layer on the soil's surface. If this happens, scrape it off and allow 'soil' to dry completely between waterings. Some people swear by their home remedies to prevent the scourge. I haven't tried any of these personally, but that doesn't mean they don't work. Here are some of the most popular:
            Cinnamon powder has fungicidal properties. Sprinkle some on your seed trays.
            Mist seedlings and mediums with cool Chamomile tea.
            Combine 1 minced clove of garlic with 2 cups of water. Cover and allow it to steep for 24 hours. Strain and mist over seedlings.

  3. When seedlings pop up, remove the plastic wrap and place containers in a bright, sunny location or under fluorescent lamps, where they'll be exposed to a good 14 hours of light daily.

  4. After the last frost -- usually around tax day -- "harden off" your plants by placing them outdoors for increasingly longer periods. Pick a shady spot that's protected from the wind and start off with just a half hour the first day. Over the next 10 days or so, work up to about 8 hours of outdoor time per day. Be sure to continue watering throughout the hardening process. Your plants will be ready for transplanting in the garden after hardening as long as nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees.

• Planning on adding new trees or shrubs to your landscape? Now's the time. They'll love the forthcoming April showers. Protect existing deciduous trees from insects by treating with horticultural oil after the danger of frost has passed. Don't wait too long, though. This should be done before buds open. Need to rearrange? Move shrubs now, while they're still dormant.

• Apply a complete 5-10-5 fertilizer to spring-flowering bulbs as soon as they poke out of the ground.

• Finally, clean up garden beds near the end of the month. Even though you raked autumn leaves in November, chances are some magically reappeared in your garden over the winter. Don't know why this happens, but it always seems to.