5th Annual Lawn/Garden Thread warm season 2014

[amarshall]

Can you apply the Merit at the same time as Dimension?

[Damage In Tolland]

Can you apply the Merit at the same time as Dimension?

No..Merit doesn't go down until late June/early July

[Brian5671]

First cut of the season occuring now-always love that smell of fresh cut grass in the spring.

[moneypitmike]

A big critter has made its way into the basement.  Big enough to make it up the steps and scratch/bang on the door.  The cats love sitting there wondering what's on the other side.  Me, not so much.

 

Just put a havahart down there to see what it might be.  Saw its footprints--not a raccoon.  No skunk smell and it's been active in the day so probably not a skunk.  Probably not a opossum by the same reasoning.

[powderfreak]

A big critter has made its way into the basement. Big enough to make it up the steps and scratch/bang on the door. The cats love sitting there wondering what's on the other side. Me, not so much.

Just put a havahart down there to see what it might be. Saw its footprints--not a raccoon. No skunk smell and it's been active in the day so probably not a skunk. Probably not a opossum by the same reasoning.

Just let the cats figure it out...nothing like a couple cats to scare something off.

[CoastalWx]

Cats are the best critter controler. It's amazing what they catch,

[HoarfrostHubb]

One of our cats caught a small snake in the basement once

[Damage In Tolland]

My Holly bushes took a beating from the harsh winter. They've had their leaves turn brown and most of them have now fallen off. They are still alive, cuz when you snap a branch it's green so they will come back.

 

Rhody's don't look good either. Lot's of brown leaves and brown splotchy ones. 

 

Anyone else notice this on these 2 species?

[Brian5671]

My Holly bushes took a beating from the harsh winter. They've had their leaves turn brown and most of them have now fallen off. They are still alive, cuz when you snap a branch it's green so they will come back.

 

Rhody's don't look good either. Lot's of brown leaves and brown splotchy ones. 

 

Anyone else notice this on these 2 species?

same here and also the boxwoods took a beating too.   I think you're right, the leaves will fall off and new growth will come

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

One of our cats caught a small snake in the basement once

We had a cat who would catch water snakes from the pond out back. I hate snakes

[Walpole Joe]

My Holly bushes took a beating from the harsh winter. They've had their leaves turn brown and most of them have now fallen off. They are still alive, cuz when you snap a branch it's green so they will come back.

 

Rhody's don't look good either. Lot's of brown leaves and brown splotchy ones. 

 

Anyone else notice this on these 2 species?

 

I spray my non-deciduous plants like Rhody's and Japanese Andromeda with a product called Wilt Pruf the weekend before Thanksgiving. It coats the leaves with a waxy substance that essentially locks the moisture so that it doesn't escape over winter months. It has worked for me, especially for north-facing plants that don't get much blocking from the wind.  

[Ginx snewx]

Rhodys are awesome for telling the temp without a tstat, below 40 the leaves curl up, below 35 the curl is tight but not closed below 25 they are tightly curled

[Damage In Tolland]

Rhodys are awesome for telling the temp without a tstat, below 40 the leaves curl up, below 35 the curl is tight but not closed below 25 they are tightly curled

Not if their leaves are brown and splotchy

[Damage In Tolland]

I spray my non-deciduous plants like Rhody's and Japanese Andromeda with a product called Wilt Pruf the weekend before Thanksgiving. It coats the leaves with a waxy substance that essentially locks the moisture so that it doesn't escape over winter months. It has worked for me, especially for north-facing plants that don't get much blocking from the wind.

Hmm. I've never heard of that interestingly enough. Wish I had known before this winter. Shrubs really took a beating with all those frigid temps we had

[Ginx snewx]

Not if their leaves are brown and splotchy

healthy trees of course, who would think otherwise

[weatherwiz]

I live in an apartment complex so no lawn worries for me

[wxmanmitch]

My street was repaved last summer and the contractors put grass seed down along the edges after they replaced the curb. It came up beautifully last fall and was thick and green, but now it is all dead and brown. It can be easily pulled up by the roots and looks like it will need to be reseeded. What happened? The rest of the lawn is coming up normally and is beginning to turn green. It's not just our lawn but everyone's lawn along the streets who had their curbs replaced.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Damage In Tolland]

My street was repaved last summer and the contractors put grass seed down along the edges after they replaced the curb. It came up beautifully last fall and was thick and green, but now it is all dead and brown. It can be easily pulled up by the roots and looks like it will need to be reseeded. What happened? The rest of the lawn is coming up normally and is beginning to turn green. It's not just our lawn but everyone's lawn along the streets who had their curbs replaced.

Sent from my iPad

Salt from the roads/snow banks.sitting on top of it all winter and then just seeping into the soil underneath. You'll have to rake it all out and reseed.

[Brian5671]

Salt from the roads/snow banks.sitting on top of it all winter and then just seeping into the soil underneath. You'll have to rake it all out and reseed.

yup.

[Johnno]

they could have spread annual rye too, comes up quick and looks good but then dies

[wxmanmitch]

Salt from the roads/snow banks.sitting on top of it all winter and then just seeping into the soil underneath. You'll have to rake it all out and reseed.

 

The thing is that I don't remember this issue so much in past winters, so I think it at least has something to do with the type of grass they planted.

 

they could have spread annual rye too, comes up quick and looks good but then dies

 

Judging by the photos I found on Google Images, this is probably what they planted. Cheap crap and it will need to be raked and reseeded.

[HoarfrostHubb]

Won't salt just kill it again?

I ordered a couple of dwarf spruce shrubs for the front of the house. I will be ripping out a burning bush and replanting that elsewhere. Shrubs are expensive.

Also put down fertilizer and crabgrass stuff last night. Today's rains will soak it in

[CoastalWx]

I could mow my lawn now. Deep deep green. Noticeable compared to other yards.

[Damage In Tolland]

I could mow my lawn now. Deep deep green. Noticeable compared to other yards.

[Ginx snewx]

I could mow my lawn now. Deep deep green. Noticeable compared to other yards.

it's fun to mow when it's hot and dry, cold one in the bottle holder,iPod rocking, then jump in the pool. Good stuff

[HoarfrostHubb]

it's fun to mow when it's hot and dry, cold one in the bottle holder,iPod rocking, then jump in the pool. Good stuff

Has to be lawn mowing beer like Narragansett or PBR

[Ginx snewx]

Has to be lawn mowing beer like Narragansett or PBR

as long as it's ice cold something, I prefer ice tea

[IrishRob17]

they could have spread annual rye too, comes up quick and looks good but then dies

Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like.

[Flying MXZ]

Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like.

Yep, looks too uniform to be salt kill. 

[IrishRob17]

Yep, looks too uniform to be salt kill. 

Not only that but it would be further back into the lawn as well unless the plows go by at 5mph there, maybe they do.  Even if it is from the salt it would come back, just take some time for the salt to flush out of the ground, otherwise you wouldn't see road crews mowing along the sides of the roads in the summer.